CFL Early Crusher - 8* Hamilton Tiger-Cats -4.5 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 1 ET - Hamilton has unfinished business from the most recent CFL season (2019) when they went 15-3 but then ended up losing in the Grey Cup title game 33 to 12 against Winnipeg. The Tiger-Cats did win a playoff game to get to the title game while Montreal was bounced in the first round of that post-season. I know Hamilton was not as impressive in this regular season but, trust me, they are where they want to be now. They are hosting a playoff game and have a chance to get another shot at the title. The Ti-Cats have the better defense in this match-up and the home field edge and I also love the fact that Alouettes linebacker Patrick Levels gave the home team some bulletin board material by guaranteeing a Montreal win and even calling out a couple Ti-Cats players. Not smart! The highly motivated home team lets their play on the field do the talking while Levels runs his mouth! 8* HAMILTON -4.5

CFB Bedlam Blowout - 10* Top Play Oklahoma Sooners +4.5 @ Oklahoma State Cowboys @ 7:30 ET - I know the Cowboys defense has been incredible this season but the Sooners offense can be special and that is particularly true in this rivalry game that always seems to bring out the best in Oklahoma. The Sooners have actually won each of the last 6 meetings and need a win here to make sure they make the Big 12 title game! Of course Oklahoma State has no shortage of motivation either but can the Cowboys not only win but also cover this spread? I do not think so and an outright upset would not surprise me in the least but seeing this line up to +4.5 means even more value with the underdog in this one. The Sooners just always seem to find a way to ruin everything for the Cowboys in this match-up. Keep in mind, Oklahoma State was a dog of an average of 10 points in the past two meetings but lost those games by an average margin of 23 points! The Sooners do it again as they have the better passing attack in this match-up and that will end up being the difference here. Oklahoma State has ended up over-valued in this game because they are on a miracle 9-0 ATS run. That run ends here! 10* OKLAHOMA +4.5

NBA Early Annihilation - 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -4.5 vs Minnesota Timberwolves @ 6:10 ET - The Sixers have a huge rest edge here as they were off Thursday and Friday. Not only did the Timberwolves play yesterday on Friday, they also were in action on Wednesday which makes this a back to back and 3rd game in 4 days scenario. The Sixers could get Embiid and Harris both back for this one. Either way, the 76ers get it done in this one! Philly is off an ugly loss at Golden State but had won 2 of 3 before that and is ready to turn the tide back east after a rough trip out west. Getting healthier and back on the east coast will get the Sixers going again. Minnesota is 2-4 last 6 road games and has allowed 123 points or more in all 4 of those defeats away from home. More of the same expected here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -4.5

CFB Earliest Cash - 8* Texas Tech Red Raiders +14.5 @ Baylor Bears @ Noon ET - Red Raiders off a home shutout loss to Oklahoma State. However, they have performed well off a loss this season and have not suffered back to back ATS losses all season. Texas Tech is known for playing the Bears tough and they have actually gone 8-1 ATS last 9 visits to Waco! Overall, it is a 5-2 ATS run for the Red Raiders in this series. Yes, Baylor is a rock solid team and has Big 12 Championship Game aspirations still alive. However, the Bears are 5-2 SU last 7 games in conference action but only 1 win by more than a 14 point margin. The Red Raiders bounce back off their shutout loss. Their defense will bounce back too after allowing 52 points at Oklahoma in most recent road game but allowing only 17 points per game in the two Big 12 road games before that. 8* TEXAS TECH +14.5

Early Dominator - NBA 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns -3 @ New York Knicks @ 7:10 ET - The Suns have won 14 straight games but are on the road and facing a Knicks team that just beat the Lakers and so they are getting a little extra respect from the betting markets here. I feel New York is getting a little too much respect though! The Knicks are off a win but have not won back to back games since October! In fact, prior to beating LA, New York had lost 7 of 11 games. Now they host a Phoenix team whose 14 straight wins feature only one by less than 4 points and that was a 3 point win. The Suns are 3-0 against the East and 7-1 on the road this season. Knicks are only 5-5 at home this season and were on an overall 3-9 ATS run before getting the cover versus Lakers. Lay the points with short road favorite. 10* PHOENIX -3

AAC Game of the Year - CFB 10* Top Play East Carolina Pirates +14 vs Cincinnati Bearcats @ 3:30 ET - The Pirates opened this season with a loss by 14 points. Since then, East Carolina has not had a loss by more than 7 points. Overall, the Pirates have won 7 of last 9 games SU and had covered 6 in a row before last week's 3-point SU win fell just short of the cover. East Carolina is catching the Bearcats off a huge 48-14 win over SMU last week. Cincinnati finally had that dominating win everyone was waiting for as their perfect season (11-0 SU) continues. However, the Bearcats entered that game on an 0-4 ATS run and I expect this road game against a confident Pirates team to be one of their toughest games of this season. This looks like a very tricky spot on the schedule to wrap up the regular season. 10* EAST CAROLINA +14

NFL Primetime Punisher - 10* Top Play Buffalo Bills -6 @ New Orleans Saints @ 8:20 ET - After getting completely embarrassed on their home field by the Colts last week, the Bills bounce back strong here. The Saints have struggled without starting QB Winston and have dealt with other injury issues as well. New Orleans now has lost 3 straight games and an angry Buffalo team is surely going to show no mercy here either. The Bills have a solid passing attack and the Saints struggle to stop the pass. On the flip side, the Saints struggle to move the ball through the air and Buffalo, overall, has one of the best defensive units in the league. The Bills are 3-0 SU/ATS this season when off a loss and, in all 10 of their games this season the SU winner has also been the ATS winner. Look for those patterns to continue here in this one. Bills also on an 8-1 ATS run in non-conference match-ups and, keep in mind, they did not just lose last week...they got blasted. That is the kind of defeat strong teams bounce back from in a strong way! 10* BUFFALO -6

CFB Rivalry Dominator - 10* Top Play Ole Miss Rebels +2.5 @ Mississippi State Bulldogs @ 7:30 ET - The Rebels defense has improved some over original expectations and actually allowing only 16.8 points per game last 3 games. On the other side of the ball, Ole Miss is averaging over 515 yards of offense per game and that includes 232 yards on the ground! Compare that to a Bulldogs offense that is averaging only 61 yards per game on the ground on the season! So you have an underdog that should dominate the ground game in this one and whose defense has played better in recent games. I like my chances with the points here as I also point back to the recent crazy game with the Aggies where the Rebels had about 400 yards of offense in the first half but less than 20 points to show for it. I know what this offense is capable of doing and, in a rivalry game that is the final game of the regular season, I look for Ole Miss to bring it. Yes this will be their 9th straight week with a game but the situation for Mississippi State is not much different as this is their 7th straight week with a game. Also, in a rivalry game with so much at stake for each team, neither will be flat or playing tired here. Give me the points with an underdog that can run all over the favorite. 10* OLE MISS +2.5

NFL Earliest Cash - 8* Detroit Lions +3 vs Chicago Bears @ 12:30 ET - Detroit still seeking that first win of the season and they know this game is one of their best chances remaining on the schedule. That said, I feel they will not let this opportunity pass them by. Chicago is a mess right now as rumors swirl that their head coach could be fired after this game regardless of the outcome. As for the Lions, they have been more competitive recently with a 3-point loss at Cleveland and a 16-all tie at Pittsburgh. Detroit is now hosting a Bears team that has lost 5 straight games. Another key for Lions is Jared Goff is expected back under center. That was the news that broke last night and is part of the reason I waited till this morning to release my Thanksgiving Day selections. Here is the first of my big card. 8* DETROIT +3

NBA Game of the Month - 10* Top Play Boston Celtics +1 vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:40 ET - The Celtics are seeking revenge for the playoff exit (in 5 games) to the Nets that ended their season last year. Brown and Richardson both listed as questionable for this game. I expect both will end up playing but even if the they did not (Brown being the bigger key), note that Celtics have been playing well even in games he has recently missed. Brown just came back from injury on Monday so he had a day off heading into this game and has a day off after this game too so, in terms of minutes management, I do expect him to be a go in this big game tonight. The key about big games is also the key to this play by the way. So often this season the Nets have struggled in the biggest of games while Boston has been much better in the big games against tough competition. I look for that trend to continue on Wednesday night. The Celtics enter this game having won 3 straight and 8 of 11 games and the Nets have been piling up wins lately too but against bad teams. Keep in mind they lost games against the Warriors, Bucks, and Heat and those were all double digit losses this season. Look for the hungry Celtics to get their revenge here. 10* BOSTON +1

Situational Slaughter - 10* Top Play St Mary's Gaels +1.5 vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 5 ET - The Badgers off huge upset win over Oregon. Johnny Davis scored 30 points in that game but the rest of the team scored only 35 points. Also, the Ducks did a great job on him in the 2nd half and held Wisconsin to only 25 points total in the 2nd half of the near comeback win. That said, you can bet the Gaels will have some defensive focus centered around slowing Davis down. St Mary's has a veteran team and the Badgers are the much younger team in this match-up and the Gaels just knocked off Oregon by double digits yesterday. Keep in mind the Gaels are the #2 team in their conference but that #1 team is Gonzaga and, of course, the Bulldogs are the best team in the nation as they continue to prove on a game by game basis. That said, this Gaels team is flying a bit under the radar but they are really good and, after a poor shooting season last year, the shots have been falling much better for them this season and they keep that going here! 10* ST MARY'S +1.5

Daytime Dominator - 8* Houston Cougars -6 vs Oregon Ducks @ 2:30 ET - Yesterday I faded the Cougars with Wisconsin and the Badgers got the outright upset win. However, Houston was down by 20 at the half and very nearly came all the way back for the win. This is a very good Cougars team and they will bounce back off that loss. I like the fact that they are facing a Ducks team today that is off a double digit loss to St Mary's and also got crushed by 32 by BYU this season too. Houston had been undefeated before yesterday's loss and all the Cougars wins had been by 8 or more points with 3 of the 4 victories by 18 or more points. 8* HOUSTON -6

NBA Earliest Cash - 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons +10 vs Miami Heat @ 7 ET - The Pistons have covered 6 of last 8 games (compared to opening number). They continue to fight hard and, as a result, have only 2 losses by more than 5 points out of their last 8 games. With Miami laying double digits on the road here in the front end of a back to back, we have excellent line value with a motivated home dog still a bit steamed from blowing game versus Lakers Sunday and with the whole LeBron James - Isaiah Stewart incident. Stewart is out for this game as a result but these Pistons continue to battle hard and this game is decided by single digits. 10* DETROIT +10

CBB Tourney Dominator - 10* Top Play Wisconsin Badgers +8 vs Houston Cougars @ 5 ET - The Cougars are highly ranked and off a dominating win over Butler yesterday. However, Wisconsin is a solid team that is 4-1 this season and off a solid win over Texas A & M yesterday. The Badgers only loss this season was to Providence. Not only are the Friars a very deep and veteran team, Wisconsin was without Johnny Davis in that game. He is currently the Badgers leading scorer and combines in the backcourt with Brad Davison to give Wisconsin a solid 1-2 punch. Those guys are the top two scorers for the Badgers and they combined for 40 points in yesterday's win over the Aggies in the Maui Invitational being held here in Vegas where I live. I am following the tournament action and feel we have strong value here in a game projected to be very low-scoring and yet where were are getting significant points with a solid underdog. I'll take it! Yes the Cougars have been playing very well but this is a challenging match-up for them. 10* WISCONSIN +8

Primetime Punisher - 10* Top Play NEW YORK GIANTS +11.5 - The Bucs are off B2B losses. Yes I know TB is back home and those two losses were on the road. However, Tampa Bay is 4-0 at home but lets take a closer look. The biggest win was actually the smallest margin win as the Buccaneers did beat the Cowboys by 2 points to open up the season. However, the other 3 wins were against teams that are now a combined 11-20 this season. Now of course I know the Giants are only 3-6 on the season but 2 of their SU wins have come in the last 3 games and, overall, they are on a 3-0 ATS run. Giants are also a solid 3-1 ATS in road games this season and the points should prove well worth the taking here. The Bucs are starting to question themselves after the B2B losses and Brady INT's, etc. Don't be surprised if this one ends up being tight as a result. 10* NEW YORK GIANTS +11.5

NFL Primetime Punisher - 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Steelers +6 - The Steelers will have Roethlisberger back under center and I look for Pittsburgh to take advantage of facing a Chargers team that has allowed an average of 31 points per game last 5 games. Yes the Steelers are off disappointing tie last week versus Detroit but I look for having Big Ben back to make a big difference in this game. The Steelers had averaged 23.5 points per game in winning 4 straight games prior to that tie. Also, Pittsburgh has allowed only 18.4 points per game last 5 games. Keep in mind we don't need them to win this game outright either, rather we just need them to at least stay within the number and I like our changes of that. I feel this Chargers team is over-rated and they have lost 3 of games and also only have one win by more than 6 points this entire season! Lot of value with the points here. 10* PITTSBURGH +6

NBA Contrarian Crusher - 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons +7.5 - There is a chance LeBron James won't play for LA tonight and, even if he does, he is not 100% just yet as he recovers from oblique injury. The Lakers have lost 3 straight and the Pistons showed a lot of heart at home against Golden State on Friday when they battled to what ultimately ended up being a 3-point defeat. That said, I like the home dog value with a scrappy Detroit team that certainly has been showing they will not quit on games. Prior to the 3 point loss to the Warriors, the Pistons had covered 4 of 6 games and I feel strongly they will bring a highly motivated effort hosting the Lakers tonight. 10* DETROIT +7.5

NFL Earliest Cash - 8* Baltimore -5 - The Ravens are angry off a horrible effort on Thursday night football at Miami last week. Baltimore has some extra rest heading into this game and will be in a fighting mood. I know the Bears also have extra rest because they are off a bye week but note that Chicago is 0-7 ATS the last 7 times they were off a bye. Statistically, the Bears have one of the worst offenses in the league this season while the Ravens have been one of the best. That said, I look for the road favorite to pull away as this game goes on as Chicago does not have the offense to keep up. I like taking strong teams off losses and the Ravens respond big here. 8* BALTIMORE

Pac-12 Game of the Year - 10* Top Play UTAH -3 - Love the set up here. All the pressure is on Oregon as they are trying to retain their top four positioning in the CFP rankings. Not only that the Ducks are on the road here and facing a Utah team hell bent on revenge after losing the 2019 Pac-12 Championship Game to Oregon by double digits. Look for the Utes to take advantage of home field here and playing more pressure-free than the Ducks. Of course there is a reason that Utah is favored by 3 even though the Ducks are ranked much higher in the top 25 than they are. Not going to say the odds makers are setting a trap intentionally but will say this line is set this way with good reason. Note Ducks are on a 4-8 ATS run as a dog away from home and the Utes have covered 68% of their last 25 games in Pac-12 action. The Utes were done in by turnovers the last time these teams met but the first downs were nearly equal in that match-up. Ducks averaging 28 points per game their last 3 on the road. Utes averaging 41 points per game last 6 games. Look for the hosts and their brand of physical football to wear down Oregon as this game goes on and they will pull away in the latter stages of this one for a solid home victory. 10* UTAH -3

NBA Earliest Cash - 10* Top Play HOUSTON +11.5 - The Rockets are having a very rough season and have lost 13 straight games. You know they are hungry to end that streak and they catch a Knicks team that is in the front end of a B2B as they are at Chicago tomorrow night. That said, I feel we have great line value here with with big points. New York is only 3-6 SU last 9 games. The Knicks last five wins have featured only one by a margin of more than 8 points. Right or not the Rockets view this as a winnable game and they are desperate to stop their streak. That said, even if they do fall short, you can see why the loss is likely to be a margin in the single digits. 10* HOUSTON +11.5

CFB Afternoon Annihilation - 8* SMU +10 - The Bearcats have failed to cover 4 straight games. Those games were against weaker competition too. Now Cincinnati has to step up and face a tougher foe. Certainly the undefeated Bearcats have the much better defense in this match-up but SMU has a very dangerous offense and their only two losses this season were each by single digits. Last year Cincinnati rolled the Mustangs at SMU but the final score of 42 to 13 hides the fact that the losing team actually had a 22 to 17 edge in first downs! I feel this Mustangs offense, especially with RB Bentley now back in the lineup and off a strong game, is absolutely going to give the Bearcats all they can handle here! Mustangs averaging 42 points and 500 yards per game this season. Cincinnati may finally see their unbeaten season come to an end but, if not, definitely expecting this one to be decided by only a single score because the SMU defense will be fired up about facing the undefeated Bearcats and should have one of their best games of the season. Note that the Mustangs have allowed more than 28 points only 3 times in 10 games this season. In those other 7 games they have allowed an average of 19.6 points per game. This one goes to the wire! 10* SMU +10

Early Punisher - NBA 10* DETROIT +7 - The Warriors might rest Stephen Curry here. 2nd game of a back to back and 3rd game in 4 days. Even if he plays this Golden State team has to be running out of gas here. It actually will be their 8th game in 12 days during what has been a brutal scheduling stretch. I know the Warriors found a way last night but what a miracle cover it was. They outscored the Cavaliers 36 to 8 in the 4th quarter. Suffice to say they used a lot of energy in coming back for that win and unreal cover as a big favorite. They will struggle to put away a rested Detroit team. The Pistons are playing just their 6th game in 15 days. Also, Detroit is off a home win versus Indiana and are now on a 4-2 ATS run. They have been playing much more competitive and will be up for this game at home and a chance to knock off Curry and Company - whether he plays or not. 10* DETROIT +7

Thursday Thrasher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #312 Thursday 10* Top Play Atlanta Falcons +7 vs New England Patriots @ 8:20 ET - Look for Falcons to bounce back off ugly loss at Dallas. Atlanta has covered 6 of last 7 against AFC opponents. I know the Patriots are hot but they are on a 3-5 ATS run in non-conference games and just laying too many points on the road in this one. New England is now over-valued because of their winning streak and Falcons undervalued because of ugly loss to Cowboys last week. Patriots last week caught Browns when Cleveland was off huge divisional win over Bengals at Cincinnati the prior week. Other teams faced during the NE win streak include a Panthers team that entered the game losers in 4 of 5 and a Chargers team that has now lost 3 of 4 and a Jets team that is 2-7 on the season. Now they face a Falcons team that had won 4 of 6 prior to the loss at Dallas last week. That said, we are not asking Atlanta to win this game but just to cover the TD spread and I fully expect they will do at least that here. 10* ATLANTA +7 

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #504 Thursday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers +8.5 vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:40 ET - Yes, this is the 2nd game of B2B for Cavaliers but at least they are at home and they did put up a good fight at Brooklyn. This Cleveland team is not showing any quit. That is why the Cavs entered last night's game on a 10-2-1 ATS run. As for the Warriors, everyone knows they have been red hot. But now this is the 1st game of a B2B and it is after the big marquee game win at Brooklyn Tuesday and Steph Curry is dealing with a sore hip. That means even if Curry plays he could be limited and also it means the red Warriors will need to hold a little something back for Friday's game at Detroit. That said, Golden State has played a home heavy schedule and though they are now 4-1 SU in road game this season, the Warriors had only 1 road win by more than 8 points prior to Tuesday's big win at Brooklyn. Considering the full situation here, I see GS in a battle just to win this game let alone cover the big road number. The value is with the home team that has been quite hot ATS for multiple weeks now. 10* CLEVELAND +8.5

Philly Special - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #758 Thursday 10* Top Play Temple Owls +5.5 vs Clemson Tigers @ 4:30 ET - The Tigers have yet to play a strong team. Also, this Clemson team is going to really be hurting after the loss of some key players from last season and, in particular, that includes Aamir Simms. As for Temple, they already became battle-tested by having to battle USC in their most recent game. The Owls lost but it was good they had to battle with a solid Pac-12 team like the Trojans. Temple returns most of their key players from last season and they were heavily impacted by Covid last season so don't judge them too quickly on those results. This Owls team is highly talented and has experience and I look for them to surprise here. Yes the location of this game favors the Tigers but there is a reason this game for the Owls against an ACC school was priced this way. I look for them to surprise here and if they do fall short of the upset look for it only to be by a bucket or two. 10* TEMPLE +5.5

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #566 Wednesday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets -9 vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:40 ET - The Nets off embarrassing home loss to Warriors last night. They will respond here. Brooklyn is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS this season when off a loss. Also, this is their 3rd back to back this season. So far each one featured a double digit win and a double digit loss. That pattern continues here. After getting blown out last night, the Nets are on the right end of the blowout tonight. I know Cleveland has been a pleasant surprise this season thus far but the Cavaliers, between injury and illness, are missing too many guys right now. 10* BROOKLYN -9

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #310 Wednesday 10* Top Play Buffalo Bulls +1.5 vs Northern Illinois Huskies @ 7 ET - Huskies off another tight win and that has been the key for them this season but their luck runs out here. I know Northern Illinois needs just one more win to clinch the MAC West but I also know this is the home finale for Buffalo plus the Bulls need to win this game and their season finale next week to get to 6 wins to be bowl eligible. You also know the Bulls would love to play role of spoiler here against the Huskies. Buffalo does not want them clinching MAC West on their field! The Bulls averaged 36.4 ppg at home and allowing 28.2 ppg while Northern Illinois averaging 28.0 ppg and allowing 38.8 ppg on the road this season. 10* BUFFALO +1.5

TNT Punisher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #552 Tuesday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets -2.5 vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:35 ET - Two strong teams matched up here but I feel the home team is offering excellent value. Brooklyn will make the most of this opportunity as it is their first home game since nearly two weeks ago. The edge the Nets have here is catching the Warriors playing the 2nd road game of a 4-game trip and Golden State will be playing those 4 games in just a 6 day span. Yes GS has a great record early this season but they also were helped by the fact that 10 of their first 13 games were at home to start this season. In fact, their loss at Charlotte Sunday was the Warriors first road game since the 26th of October. The Nets blew out the Warriors in both meetings last season and, while I do expect this one to be a much closer game, I still expect the hosts to prevail and easily cover this low number along the way to the victory circle in this one. 10* BROOKLYN -2.5

MAC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #301 Tuesday 10* Top Play Western Michigan Broncos (-) @ Eastern Michigan Eagles @ 7:30 ET - Why is Western Michigan favored by nearly a full TD over a team that shares identical records (overall and MAC) with them? Particularly one can ask that question when you consider that the Broncos are on the road for this one too! Well the fact is that Eastern Michigan is the much weaker team defensively. This includes the Eagles struggling against the run and the Broncos offense is the much better ground game in this match-up. Indeed there is a match-up issue here for Eastern Michigan and I look for Western Michigan to take full advantage! The Broncos seek revenge here for losing to the Eagles each of the last two seasons as well. Do not let the line fool you here. It is set this way with good reason and the road team has the edges on both sides of the ball in this one. As a result, look for a road rout here. 10* WESTERN MICHIGAN -5.5

Early Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #688 Tuesday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats -25.5 vs Howard Bison @ 6:30 ET - It is not often that I lay big points but this spot is too good to pass up! The Wildcats are off a loss at UCLA Friday night and need a big bounce back. The Cats already proved in their season opener they will show no mercy on a team as they blew out Mount St. Mary's by 40 points. By the way, that team is in the Northeast Conference and expected to contend for the league title in a conference that certainly is a little tougher than the Mid-Eastern Conference that Howard resides in. Also, the Bison are expected to finish in the lower half of the conference and the Mid-Eastern is arguably the weakest in Division 1 basketball. Keep in mind, Howard is off the upset win at Bradley Saturday but the Braves missed half of their 26 free throws and shot horribly from 3-point land while the Bison lit it up from outside. Bradley outrebounded Howard by a big margin too. So the fact Howard, first two games were non-lined, is 3-0 this season is merely helping to give us line value here because the Wildcats are vastly superior and at home and are angry off a loss. Considering all these factors, another win in the 40-point range would not surprise me in the least. Either way big blowout by 30+ is likely. 10* VILLANOVA -25.5

MNF Blowout - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #265 Monday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Rams -3.5 @ San Francisco 49ers @ 8:15 ET - The Rams are off an ugly home loss to the Titans but outgained Tennessee by a substantial margin so it was a deceiving final score. Prior to that loss, Los Angeles was 7-1 on the season and only 1 of the wins was by less than 9 points! That is why I am fully comfortable laying the short number on the road here. I like taking good teams off losses. Yes, the Niners are off a loss too but San Francisco has now lost 5 of last 6 games and each of their last 4 losses were by 7 or more points. Look for this one to be by at least that margin as well. 10* LOS ANGELES RAMS -3.5

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #803 Monday 10* Top Play Bowling Green Falcons +16.5 @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ 6:30 ET - You might remember I faded the Buckeyes with another MAC team, Akron, last week in their season opener and the Zips very nearly upset Ohio State. This Falcons team is just as good as Akron. Also, Bowling Green already had their "wake up call" early this season as they lost their opener to Western Carolina. The Falcons responded by winning their most recent game by 41 points. Granted it was an over-matched team they faced but BG did return 4 starters from last season's team plus they added a bevy of Division 1 transfers and I expect this Falcons team to give OSU plenty of trouble here. Keep in mind, Ohio State was fortunate to even beat Akron and they were a huge favorite in that game and won by a point on a late bucket. The Buckeyes then "responded" by beating MAAC school Niagara by only 10 even though they were a 20-point favorite. That said, a lot of value with the big MAC dog again in this one. 10* BOWLING GREEN +16.5

AFC West Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #263 Sunday 10* Top Play Kansas City Chiefs -2.5 @ Las Vegas Raiders @ 8:20 ET - There are 4 teams the Raiders have faced this season that the Chiefs have not faced and those teams entered this week's action with a combined record of 14-20. There are 5 teams Kansas City has faced that Las Vegas has not faced and those teams have a combined record of 26-17. The other 4 teams each has faced are common opponents on the schedule thus far. The point is that the Chiefs have faced the tougher schedule thus far. I know KC continues to underachieve at the betting window as they are on a long-term ugly ATS run. However, this line is a 2.5 and all 5 of the Kansas City wins this season have been by 3 or more points. I highly doubt the spread is going to come into play in this game. The SU winner will very likely be the ATS winner. The Raiders have dealt with a lot (Gruden, Ruggs) this season and it is starting to catch up with them. Las Vegas has lost 3 of 5 games SU and is on a 2-4 ATS run. The Raiders only two wins during this stretch were over a bad Eagles team that has lost 6 of 9 this season and over a Broncos team that was slumping at the time and ended up with a 4-game losing streak. The Chiefs have underachieved so far this season but this is after huge success in recent years and I really expect them to raise things to another level down the stretch run of the season. Certainly this KC team has the pedigree to do just that. This is the time of year that separates the contenders from the pretenders and with the Chiefs a 1/2 game back in the standings (one more loss than the Raiders) they need this game and I feel strongly they will rise to the occasion here behind a huge game from Mahomes as he puts this team on his back and gets it done in primetime. 10* KANSAS CITY -2.5

ESPN2 Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #696 Sunday 10* Top Play Princeton Tigers +2.5 vs Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 7:30 ET - The Golden Gophers are in rebuild mode. Yes Minnesota is a Big Ten school and is commanding more respect from the betting markets than an Ivy League school does but this is merely serving to give us some extra line value here with a solid Princeton team. The Tigers have outside shooters, have a solid system in place, and are the more cohesive team in comparison with Minny early this season. Yes the Gophers just upset Western Kentucky but the Tigers got an upset win of their own over South Carolina. Give me the points here as I look for the more veteran team to make the key decisions down the stretch that turn this game for them and so with them pulling away for the win we should not need the points. But I will grab them for extra value should they lose on a late bucket. 10* PRINCETON +2.5

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #243 Sunday 8* Cleveland Browns +2.5 @ New England Patriots @ 1 ET - The Browns are off a key win over the Bengals in divisional action but the Patriots are off a deceiving turnover-fueled 24-6 win at Carolina. Last week, New England was held to less than 300 yards of offense. The Browns had nearly 100 yards more offense at Cincinnati than the Pats had against the Panthers last week. I am just not sold on this New England team and they had allowed 24 points per game last 3 games before shutting down a horrible Darnold-led offense last week. The Browns, on the other hand, have allowed just 15 points per game last 3 games and their defense gets it done again here. 8* CLEVELAND +2.5

ESPN2 Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #663 Saturday 10* Top Play Texas Longhorns +7.5 @ Gonzaga Bulldogs @ 10:30 ET - Gonzaga lost their top assistant coach as he went to Arizona. The Bulldogs also lost a couple key players from last year's amazing team. Make no mistake, and it goes without saying as the #1 ranked team in the nation, of course this is fantastic team in Spokane, WA. However, this UT team is for real. Texas hired away head coach Beard from rival Texas Tech and he has a bevy of fantastic assistant coaches with him and this team has added tremendous talent. Now when you add in all these factor plus the Longhorns hitting 13 of 23 three pointers in their opener while the Bulldogs shot 6 of 21 three pointers, you can see where I am going with this one. The Horns come in with the underdog mentality and an playing the disrespect card as if most give them no chance to win this game. I am here to tell you this Longhorns team is very good and extremely well-coached and they could get the upset win here! At the very least, this road dog should surely get the cover as I see this game absolutely going down to the wire. 10* TEXAS +7.5

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #239 Saturday 10* Top Play Edmonton Elks +11 @ Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 4 ET - Taylor Cornelius continues to improve at QB for the Elks despite being without key weapons on offense. Last week he nearly rallied them to the outright win over the Roughriders. Yes, Saskatchewan is the better team in this match-up but this is too many points in my opinion. This is particularly true when you consider Edmonton is 2-2 SU in road games this season and the Riders are only 4-4 SU in divisional games this season. Also, the Roughriders only have a point differential of +22 on the season so their average margin on the season is 2 points per game this season. Give me the big points here! 10* EDMONTON +11

Big 12 Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #179 Saturday 10* Top Play Texas Tech Red Raiders +10.5 vs Iowa State Cyclones @ 3:30 ET - This is a horrible scheduling spot for Iowa State. The Cyclones are off a huge home win last week versus Texas and have a massive game at undefeated Oklahoma on deck. That said, laying double digits at Lubbock, where the Red Raiders are known for being tough to play, is almost never a good idea. This will be the first home game for Texas Tech since they fired their head coach. This is also expected to be the first game for starting QB Tyler Shough (collarbone) since late September. Even if he did not play, which honestly would shock me if he did not, Donovan Smith was solid in the loss two weeks ago at Oklahoma when he replaced Henry Colombi who is now out for the Red Raiders due to illness. So you have the Cyclones in a bad scheduling situation and Texas Tech coming off a bye week and ready to win their first home game played since they have gone to an interim head coach. I know the Red Raiders are only 2-2 this season at home but one of those losses was by a single and, given the situation here, I absolutely expect this game to go down to the wire and feel we have fantastic line value with the big points. 10* TEXAS TECH

Earliest Punisher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #149 Saturday 8* Oklahoma Sooners -5 @ Baylor Bears @ Noon ET - The Sooners have won 23 of the last 26 meetings with the Bears. That said, I also look for Oklahoma to cover this rather small number as they continue the long-term domination in this series. Baylor has lost 2 of its last 5 games both SU and ATS and prior to last week's loss at TCU was fortunate in rallying from a big deficit to knock off Texas. That said, I feel the Bears are still a little over-valued here and the Sooners pull away as this one goes on to not only remain undefeated on the season but to win this game by an impressive double digit margin. Baylor offense won't be able to keep up as they have been held to 31 or less in 4 of last 6 games while Sooners have scored 52 or more in 3 of last 4 games. 8* OKLAHOMA

CBB Contrarian Crusher - 10* Top Play Tarleton State Texans +27 - I know the Texans are only in their 2nd year since the jump to Division I basketball but this program is led by Billy Gillispie who has big school experience as a head coach. Tarleton State returned all 5 starters from last season's team and has other solid key reserves back as well. The Texans will do better to hang around in this game then most people are expecting. Kansas is off that big opening game win versus Michigan State so this is the perfect spot to fade them. I look for the Jayhawks to win by 15 to 20 and so we have some wiggle room with this huge line. I don't think Kansas is going to run up the score too much in this one and Gillispie is a good enough coach to get the most out of his players in a spot like this and their compete level will not stop. Just too many points! We'll take it. 10* TARLETON STATE +27

CFB Earliest Cash - 10* Top Play Cincinnati Bearcats -23 - Everyone is down on the Bearcats now because they have failed to cover 3 straight games as big favorites. You know what that means. This is the perfect time to back them. This South Florida team is not a good football team. They did get QB McClain back from injury last week but he threw 2 picks. Remember he also threw 2 picks in season opening loss to NC State by a count of 45-0. Last week the Bulls gave up 54 points to Houston. If they give up anywhere close to that point range here they are not covering this game because I look for an angry Bearcats defense to have their ears pinned back for this one as they look to make amends for last week's dismal effort against the Tulsa ground game. This is going to be a statement game for Cincy and they need style points for the CFP Playoff rankings and I look for them to finally get them this week. 10* CINCINNATI -23

Thursday Thrasher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #113 Thursday 10* Top Play Baltimore Ravens -7.5 @ Miami Dolphins @ 8:20 ET - There is some question about who the Dolphins QB will be here but think about whether that is really a big deal or not. Would you rather have Lamar Jackson or Jacoby Brissett or Tua Tagovailoa leading your team? Exactly! Only one of those guys suits up for the Ravens and he is ready to go tonight. Jackson coming off a huge game versus the Vikings and, speaking of huge games, check out the following. The Ravens most recent road game was a 23-7 win. Baltimore's 3 most recent games against the Dolphins all were wins by margins of 32 points or more. Expect more of the same here as Miami enters this game off a rare win - against the downtrodden Texans - but had lost 7 in a row SU and 5 in a row ATS prior to that victory. Look for Ravens to pull away for easy win in this one! 10* BALTIMORE -7.5

ESPN Punisher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #115 Thursday 10* Top Play North Carolina Tar Heels +7 @ Pittsburgh Panthers @ 7:30 ET - The Tar Heels are off a huge come back win but they sure as hell will not be flat here. Pittsburgh is at the top of the ACC Coastal Division which is where UNC also resides. The Panthers have just one ACC loss while the Heels sit at a disappointing 3-3. That said, I don't foresee the Tar Heels being denied here and love the value with the move on this one up to a +7. North Carolina has played the tougher schedule. That said, the Panthers have some statistical edges but some of this is also based on the teams they have faced. By the way, Pittsburgh is only 3-2 SU at home this season. Yes one of those wins was an impressive win over Clemson but the Tigers are really down this season. The Panthers other two home wins were against Massachusetts and New Hampshire! So the fact Pittsburgh lost outright at home to Miami and Western Michigan shows they can be beat here for sure. Panthers have moved into the top 25 rankings too which you can bet North Carolina is aware of as well. So in the lone game going Thursday in CFB this game takes center stage and the Tar Heels will have their ears pinned back going hard for the upset win on the road. They may fall just short of that but I am not doubting this potent UNC offense in terms of backdoor cover potential as well, especially getting a +7 now. The fact is an outright upset would not surprise me in the least as the tougher schedule they have faced is the hidden edge here that the markets may not be properly adjusting for. 10* NORTH CAROLINA +7

NBA TV Blowout - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #550 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -2.5 vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:10 ET - The Sixers are off B2B home losses and have a huge 6-game road trip on deck that sees them not play again at home until after Thanksgiving Day! Suffice to say, this game carries extra importance as a result. Even though Philly is expected to still be without Joel Embiid, they could get Tobias Harris back from covid-19 protocols. Also, the Raptors are in a tough back to back spot after losing at Boston last night. Toronto has lost 3 straight games and, with this being a back to back, Pascal Siakam is expected to be rested. Look for the 76ers to get back on track with a much needed home win here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -2.5

Early Punisher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #111 Wednesday 10* Top Play Ball State Cardinals -2.5 @ Northern Illinois Huskies @ 7 ET - The Cardinals are favored even though they are on the road and the Huskies have the better overall record and the better record in MAC games. What does that tell you? Exactly! In my opinion Ball State is indeed the better team and they have the edge at head coach. Keep in mind the Huskies have overachieved a bit this season and I believe last week's loss to Kent State is a sign of things to come. Was tough to see their star QB Lombardi get knocked out last week. I know he is expected back this week but NIU has other injury concerns too. The Cards are the healthier team heading into this one and they did make the mistake of looking past Akron last week and very nearly lost the game as a result. Ball State got caught looking ahead to this big showdown with the Huskies. But those kinds of things happen and what I like now in this match-up is having the better defense and the Cardinals and head coach Neu have beaten the Huskies and head coach Hammock in each of the latter's first two seasons in DeKalb. That trend continues here. 10* BALL STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #747 Wednesday 10* Top Play Buffalo Bulls +13.5 @ Michigan Wolverines @ 6:30 ET - Michigan projected to be one of the best teams in the nation again this season but the Wolverines lost a ton of production from last season's team. That said, is going to take some time for this team to be firing on all cylinders. Buffalo, on the other hand, should hit the floor running - literally - as they enter this season with nearly their entire roster of starters and key returners back from last season's team. Yes the Bulls are "only" a MAC team but they are projected to be the #1 team in their conference and we are not asking them to win this game rather just to keep it respectable. That said, I love the value of the double digit points being offered in this one as I feel strongly that the Bulls are going to hang around in this one and lose by just a single digit margin. The Wolverines have the more talented players but the Bulls are the more cohesive group and that latter factor is particularly a key early in the season! 10* BUFFALO +13.5

Early Punisher - Rickenbach CFB Tuesday 10* Top Play Miami-Ohio Redhawks -7.5 vs Buffalo Bulls @ 7 ET - The Redhawks disappointed me last week but I will come right back with them this week. Last week Miami-Ohio fell short versus Ohio University but they will now take advantage of a Buffalo team with a banged up quarterback and a questionable defense. The Bulls allowed 56 points last week and that was at home. Though they had a solid defensive effort in most recent road game that was against a very bad Akron team. Prior to that, Buffalo allowed 37 points per game in 3 prior road games. Yes the Redhawks D struggled last week but this was after allowing just 18 points per game 5 prior weeks. Also, they recently welcomed back their QB Brett Gabbert from injury and he threw for nearly 500 yards and for 5 touchdowns last week. 10* MIAMI-OHIO -7.5

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #605 Tuesday 10* Top Play Akron Zips +16.5 or +17 @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ 6 ET - Buckeyes are a ranked team and, as such, certainly are a high quality team. But Akron is relishing this shot against the big boys and I don't see them getting completely obliterated here. Maybe they lose by 10 or 12 but I really expect that the Zips could keep this one close in a game likely decided by a single digit margin. Ohio State actually ranked last in Big Ten defensive efficiency last season. Also, the Buckeyes lost their starting backcourt. The Zips lost their star guard but this is still a solid MAC program that brought back a lot of solid scoring talent on the wings too and has a solid interior defender. The Buckeyes are going to find out that the Zips came to play very hard in this one and I expect it to be quite the battle with Ohio State pulling away late but not by a big enough margin to cover this huge spread. 10* AKRON +16.5 or +17

Atlantic Div Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #502 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -4.5 vs New York Knicks @ 7:10 ET - The Knicks have now lost 3 of 4 and are in the 2nd game of a back to back. They rested Kemba Walker last night because it was a back to back but also it does appear he is dealing with an undisclosed injury too. Either way, I look for the Sixers to roll at home here. Philly has won 6 straight games. What preceded the 6-game win streak? A loss to the division rival Knicks. In other words, this is a payback game and the 76ers have an edge in that they were off yesterday too. That is important for big man Joel Embiid and he is coming off a strong game on Saturday as it was one of his best of the season. Putting the Ben Simmons situation out of their minds and even playing without Tobias Harris (covid), the 76ers have continued to find a way to get it done. I expect more of the same in this revenge game. Each of the Knicks losses have been by 6 or points the last 3 in the 1-3 run have all been by 9 or more points. Look for Philly to roll again and get the cover at home. Sixers on a 5-0 ATS run and Knicks on a 1-4 ATS run. 10* PHILADELPHIA -4.5

Non-Conf Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Rams -7 vs Tennessee Titans @ 8:20 ET - Waiting has paid off here as the line was mostly in the 7.5 range until Sunday morning and now it has dropped to a -7. Love the value here with the Rams favored by just a TD at home against a Titans team off a huge divisional road win over the rival Colts in OT last week on the road. Yes, Tennessee is 3-1 on the road this season but one of the wins was against a horrible Jacksonville team. The other two victories were both in overtime. Give the Titans credit for notching those road OT wins but they could easily be 1-3 in road games this season with the only win against a 1-6 Jaguars team. Also love the last week the Titans had to put in a ton of effort and rallied from a 14-0 deficit. Conversely the Rams were able to cruise to the win after building a 38-0 lead. Note that the loss of RB Derrick Henry to injury is also a big blow for Tennessee. This Rams team is the better team in the trenches on both sides of the ball particularly when it comes to pass protection when they have the ball and pass rushing when on defense. That said, and with the Titans having to throw more with Henry being out, the Rams defense will be able to key on the pass and I feel Tannehill and Company could have a big challenge here. Look for the Titans to score some but they won't be able to keep up with red hot Stafford and this Rams offense which has been surging of late. 10* LOS ANGELES RAMS -7

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 8* Carolina Panthers +3.5 vs New England Patriots @ 1 ET - The Panthers have seen QB Darnold and RB McCaffrey each get upgraded to questionable for this game. Even if neither played - though I do expect both to play - I like my chances with the home dog Panthers here. Carolina got a much needed win at Atlanta last week and this is a solid team defensively and fundamentally. I know the Patriots, just like Carolina, are 4-4 on the season and off B2B wins and I am hearing some chatter about watching out for New England because they are surging a bit. But I am not convinced about this team just yet. The Patriots have two wins over the 2-6 Jets and a 1-7 Texans team. The only win over a stronger team is over the 4-3 Chargers. But the odds makers are a very sharp bunch as you know and they have the Chargers as nearly a pick'em against the Eagles this week! So what does that tell you about how good the Chargers really are? So the point is just that the Pats are very over-valued here in my opinion. Maybe they do eke out a win but to be favored on the road by 3.5 points against a defensive-minded home dog? I just do not see it! In 8 games this season New England has only 2 victories that were by more than 3 points! Panthers, in 4 home games this season, only have 1 loss by more than 3 points. 8* CAROLINA +3.5

PA Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls -3.5 vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 8:10 ET - Revenge game for Bulls. Yes they lost at Philly on Wednesday but it was because of sub-par shooting. It was absolutely a winnable game and I do not see them being denied in this game after they outrebounded the Sixers by a big margin but were outscored by 18 points from 3-point land. That was the difference in the game and the Bulls get some payback as the 76ers continue to deal with injury and quarantine issues and Embiid's knee is certainly nowhere near 100 percent right now either. 10* CHICAGO -3.5

SEC Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Saturday 10* Top Play Kentucky Wildcats +1.5 vs Tennessee Volunteers @ 7 ET - I know this is a revenge game for Tennessee but the line has gone from Kentucky -3 to now the underdog in this match-up is the Wildcats! In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the line move. The Wildcats have the better defense in this match-up plus the Volunteers continue to be over-valued by the betting markets. Kentucky did lose last week at Mississippi State but were 6-1 ATS this season prior to that non-covering loss. Tennessee is off a bye last week but the Vols are off B2B ATS losses and also have lost 2 of 3 road games SU and ATS. Long-term Tennessee has dominated this series so, just like last season, the Wildcats are certainly looking for more payback like they got with the 34-7 win in 2020. Note that one of the Volunteers road losses was at Florida by 24 points and that is the same Gators team that UK beat by a TD as a TD underdog this season! If you look at the line on that game in fact that means the Cats would be about a 10 point dog against Florida on a neutral field while the Vols would be about a 16 point dog to the Gators on a neutral field based on the 19 that was posted at Florida. As you can see comparing the 16 to a 10 there is a 6 point variance between the Wildcats and Volunteers and plus the Cats are at home so one could argue the line should be a 9 here and yet the markets are so in love with Tennessee here that the Wildcats, after line movement, have become a dog. I'll take it! 10* KENTUCKY +1.5

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks +10.5 vs Toronto Argonauts @ 4 ET - The Redblacks lost and failed to cover last week but played better than the final score indicates. Also, this is their home finale and it is against the rival Argonauts. Adding to the value is the fact that Toronto has a big game with Hamilton on deck. In what has been a disappointing season for Ottawa this is essentially their Super Bowl. The Redblacks can finish the home part of their schedule with an upset win here and play the role of spoiler and of course that is their goal with this one. I look for them to achieve that goal in a big way in this one. Maybe they do fall just short of the upset but, if so, they should still keep this loss to a one-possession game and that would get us the cash as well. Coming off an OT win last week, the Argos are in the perfect spot to fade here and you know the Redblacks are going to give a huge effort as a double digit home dog in this one. 10* OTTAWA +10.5

National TV Blowout - Rickenbach CFB Saturday 8* TCU Horned Frogs +7 vs Baylor Bears @ 3:30 ET - The Bears are off huge rivalry win over Texas last week in Waco. Now they go on the road to face a TCU team that has underachieved so far this season and now looks at this game as a fresh beginning without head coach Patterson. The Horned Frogs have a respectable offense and I would not be surprised to see the Bears be a little flat in this one after the big comeback win over the Longhorns last week. TCU has won 5 of the last 6 meetings and I fully expect them to get at least the cover here based on the situational edges and the fact this offense was putting up plenty of points prior to its last two games. Baylor has allowed 24 points or more in 4 of last 5 while the Horned Frogs, other than the Oklahoma and SMU games, have allowed an average of 26.3 points per in their other 6 games. Look for the home dog to surprise in this one. 8* TCU +7

Friday Thrasher - Rickenbach CFB Friday 10* Top Play Virginia Tech Hokies -3 @ Boston College Eagles @ 7:30 ET - The Hokies and Eagles are both 4-4 on the season and Boston College is at home so some may be surprised to see Virginia Tech as the favorite in this one. Don't be though as the -3 should prove to be a solid bet in this one. The Hokies and Eagles have both been struggling of late but the BC offense has been a major concern and will likely be their downfall again here. The Boston College offense has been so bad that they turned to frosh Moorhead in place of Grosel last week but the offense still sputtered when he came in. The Eagles, in fact, have been held to 14 or less point in 4 straight games and now they face a Virginia Tech team that has only been shut down on offense once in last four games as they averaged 30 points per game in the other 3. On the season the Hokies also have played the tougher schedule. 10* VIRGINIA TECH -3

ESPN+ Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFL Friday 10* Top Play BC Lions +7 @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ 7 ET - The BC Lions are off a tight OT loss at Toronto last week but had won all 3 of their non-divisional games prior to that. Hamilton is off a big win at Edmonton and has a game at first place Toronto on deck. The Ti-Cats are just behind the Argonauts in the standings so it could be tough for them to avoid looking ahead to that match-up. Hamilton is just 2-2 against West Division opponents this season and a rather unimpressive 3-2 in home games this season. In other words, that means a lot of line value here with getting a full TD with the visitors because all those stats are SU stats and this one is too: road teams in BC games are 7-4 this season. From a situational standpoint and with having the big points on your side, this is a great spot. 10* BC +7

Thursday Thrasher - Rickenbach NFL Thursday 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts -10 vs New York Jets @ 8:20 ET - The Colts are off an OT loss by 3 points and Carson Wentz, after being so strong in terms of avoiding INTs this season, threw 2 picks last week. Look for Indianapolis to bounce back as they are at home again and catch the Jets off an upset win over the Bengals. There is a reason the Colts are a double digit favorite even though they are only 3-5 while the Jets are 2-6 this season. Don't let the line keep you away. Big blowout here. In true road games, not including the neutral site game in London, the Jets have lost their last two away from home by a combined score of 80 to 13. Ugly defeats on the road and now New York faces a hungry Colts team that had won 3 of 4 SU and covered 4 straight ATS prior to the loss to the Titans. Indy won last season's meeting 36 to 7 and another blowout win on tap here. 10* INDIANAPOLIS

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFB Thursday 10* Top Play UL Lafayette Ragin Cajuns -12 vs Georgia State Panthers @ 7:30 ET - Georgia State is off a big win over rival Georgia Southern and that was a road game on Saturday. That means the Panthers are on short rest after knocking off the rival Eagles and also means they are on the road for a second straight week. How good has UL Lafayette been at home? 4-0 with the last 3 of those victories being ultra impressive by a combined score of 135 to 27. That means average victory margin of 36 points per game. I know the Panthers have been a covering machine of late but this is a horrible spot for them and the Ragin Cajuns have the better defense and better offense and more balanced offense. I know the points are steep here but consider that Georgia State's four losses have been by 28.5 point average margin. Also, one of those four losses was to Appalachian State by a count of 45 to 16 and Louisiana beat that same Mountaineers team 41 to 13. Big difference! One won by 28 and the other lost by 29 points! I don't often lay big points but this is one of those spots too good to pass up. This match-up and including the situation has blowout written all over it. 10* LOUISIANA -12 

ESPN2 Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFB Wednesday 10* Top Play Kent State Golden Flashes (-) vs Northern Illinois Huskies @ 7 ET - Northern Illinois has won 10 straight games against Kent State but much of that history is dated for sure. The Huskies have regressed from where they use to be and the Golden Flashes have improved a lot from where they were. I know Northern Illinois has won 5 straight but their schedule has been more favorable than that of Kent State. The Golden Flashes have won 3 of 4 and do have the better passing offense in this game. I love the fact that the line has dropped a couple points from its opener. Extra value on the home favorite. I will take it. 10* KENT STATE -3.5

Contrarian Crusher - 10* Top Play Miami-Ohio Redhawks -7.5 @ Ohio University Bobcats @ 7:30 ET - I am aware that the Bobcats have a knack for playing close games in MAC action. Seems like they just don't lose games by more than 7 points or at least that has been a pattern now for a number of years. However, this Bobcats team is struggling badly this season and has played a weaker schedule so far this season than the Redhawks and the odds makers know what they are doing by having Miami-Ohio favored by slightly more than a TD here. The Redhawks have just 1 loss last 4 games while the Bobcats only have 1 win this entire season! Unlike typical encounters, this one will not be close and the odds makers are correct on this one while the betting markets likely to end up pounding the underdog. Contrarian spot and I love situations like these. 10* MIAMI-OHIO -7.5

MNF Dominator - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #278 Monday 10* Top Play Kansas City Chiefs -10 vs New York Giants @ 8:15 ET - When a good team hits rock bottom they generally respond very well in their next game. I feel that is precisely the situation we have here with the Chiefs. After losing 2 of 3 games, including an ugly 27-3 loss last week on the road, Kansas City is going to respond big at home. KC was averaging 31 points per game prior to last week's loss. The Giants, prior to a rare blowout win 25 to 3 last week, were averaging just 19 points per game on the season. I just don't expect New York to be able to keep up here on the road. Historically, the Chiefs defense is known for being much tougher at Arrowhead Stadium and they will be up for this game! Kansas City has had a rough season thus far but Patrick Mahomes and Company have reached their rock bottom and, though I am usually not fond of laying big points, I absolutely see a massive blowout brewing here! The Giants were on a 2-game losing streak by an average margin of 25.5 points prior to the win last week. The Chiefs last two wins were by an average margin of 15 points and were part of a 2-1 run prior to last week's loss. The Giants also have a long list on the injury report this week. The healthier and hungrier team gets it done in a big way in this one! 10* KANSAS CITY -10

PA Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #535 Monday 10* Top Play Portland Trail Blazers +2.5 @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:10 ET - I liked this situation a ton even before Joel Embiid was set to rest but now with the 76ers big man expected to miss this game I especially like the underdog in this one. The Trail Blazers have been much better with Norman Powell in the lineup and they had won 2 of his 3 games by big margins before losing at Charlotte on Saturday. However, in that defeat the Hornets simply shot a ridiculous 48% from three point land and that was the difference in the game. Now Portland bounces back off that loss and note the Blazers are 3-0 SU and ATS in their last 3 games against Philly. Also, the Trail Blazers had won 3 of 4 (all by 19 or more points) before the loss at Charlotte. They also are catching Philly off huge revenge win over the Hawks as Atlanta had knocked the 76ers out of the playoffs last season. Set ups just do not get much better than this and now, with Embiid set to rest, this easily gets my highest rating. 10* PORTLAND +2.5

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play New Orleans Saints +4.5 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 4:25 ET - I am going to challenge the Bucs to actually cover a road game! Tampa Bay continues to be a bit over-rated by the betting markets in my opinion. I know they got the huge win at home versus the Bears last week but Chicago was a turnover machine in that game! Give TB credit but now they go on the road to face a tough division rival and the Buccaneers are 0-3 ATS this season in road games. The Saints first home game this season had to be at a neutral site in Jacksonville because of hurricane damage in New Orleans. That game was a huge win for the Saints over the Packers but, since then, NO has had just one home game and they lost it to the Giants. So not only is this just their 2nd true home game of the season, New Orleans is also searching for their first win in the Superdome this season! That plus Jameis Winston going against his former team and the Saints having failed to cover only 1 time the last 9 times they have been a home dog has me grabbing the points here without hesitation. This number is a 4.5 so we get past the NFL key betting numbers of 3 and 4 as well. The Saints have covered 9 of last 13 in divisional games and Tampa Bay has failed to cover 9 of last 12 games when they have a bye week on deck. Look for Bucs to find an angry Saints team (knocked out of playoffs LY by TB in turnover-fueled loss) waiting for them in the Superdome Sunday! I expect an outright upset but will grab the points as added insurance here! 10* NEW ORLEANS +4.5

Early Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 8* Pittsburgh Steelers +4.5 @ Cleveland Browns @ 1 ET - Revenge spot for the Steelers and they are undervalued here in my opinion. Pittsburgh not only lost at Cleveland in their final regular season game last year, the Steelers then lost at home to the Browns in the Wild Card round of the playoffs the very next week. Now of course you can not just blindly play revenge situations but I like this one a lot as Pittsburgh is off their bye week and this is a crucial game for them in the AFC North standings. The Steelers are undervalued right now because of their 1-4 ATS run and I know the Browns just beat Denver last week but the Broncos are in a major slump. Cleveland allowed 42 points per game in the two games prior to the win at Denver. Also, the Steelers are off B2B wins and starting to build momentum. Pittsburgh has covered 12 of its last 16 as a road dog. The Browns are on an 0-8 ATS run in regular season games against divisional foes. 8* PITTSBURGH +4.5

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #189 Saturday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions +19.5 @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ 7:30 ET - The Nittany Lions are off back to back losses (both very tight defeats) while the Buckeyes have won 5 straight and are 6-1 on the season. That sets this one up perfectly and the points are just too much. Of course Ohio State has the much better offense in this match-up but this Penn State defense is very strong. Also, the Buckeyes recent blowout wins and strong defensive performances have been helped by facing 3rd and 4th string quarterbacks. This will be the toughest test that Ohio State has had in quite some time and I look for the Nittany Lions defense to be a difference maker in this game - at least in terms of the ATS cover. Keep in mind that Penn State was on a 3-0 ATS run as a road dog before coming up just short of the cover at Iowa earlier this season. But the Nittany Lions did lead that game 17-3 before QB Clifford went out with an injury in the eventual 3-point loss. They likely would not have lost if he did not get hurt. Also, prior to Ohio State getting the cover at Beaver Stadium last season, the Nittany Lions had covered 4 straight against the Buckeyes. These games tend to be tight hard-fought battles and I feel we are getting extra line value here because of recent results and those results certainly have been impacted by QB injury issues as noted above. So the value is now the massive underdog in this one and it is my top side play for Saturday. 10* PENN STATE +19.5 

PA Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #510 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -2.5 vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:40 ET - Though Joel Embiid is listed as questionable again with knee soreness, the big man has yet to miss a game for the Sixers this season. I certainly do not see him missing this one either as it is a huge revenge game for Philly. While one definitely does not want to just blindly play revenge, the fact is that the favored 76ers will want this game badly after losing in the playoffs to the Hawks last season in June. Note that the home team is 5-0 ATS in Atlanta's games this season and I look for that trend to continue here as Philly is known for being tough on their home floor. 76ers off a non-covering win versus Detroit in most recent game and that is keeping this line lower than it should be. Lay the small number and look for a big home win in this one as the road teams drops to 0-6 ATS in Hawks games on the season! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #673 Saturday 10* Top Play BC Lions +3.5 @ Toronto Argonauts @ 4 ET - Both teams off bad losses and will be looking to respond here. That said, I like having the value of the points on my side for this one particularly with the rainy weather projected in Toronto for this one as well. I know the Argonauts have played well at home this season but the Lions are a perfect 3-0 SU against East Division teams. Also, just playing the road team in BC games this season would have netted you a 7-3 record. I look for the Lions to be rejuvenated by the return of Whitehead as that will give a boost to the offense. Look for the road team, still alive for a playoff spot but needing to get back on track, to get it done here as they get a boost with the return of Whitehead and improve to 4-0 SU in non-divisional games on the season. Will grab the points just in case they do fall short of the outright upset win though. We should get at least the cover in this one. 10* BC Lions +3.5

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #193 Saturday 8* Texas Longhorns +2.5 @ Baylor Bears @ Noon ET - Baylor is ranked and at home and has two less losses than Texas this season. However, the Bears are a very small favorite here. Looks easy, right? You know what means! Back the underdog in this one! UT has played the tougher schedule and that is part of the key here. I feel strongly that Baylor is now over-rated as a result and we'll take advantage by grabbing the Longhorns here as they get payback for losing here in Waco in their last visit in 2019. With UT off B2B losses, this is a great spot to back them! 8* TEXAS +2.5

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #114 Friday 10* Top Play Tulsa Golden Hurricane -11 vs Navy Midshipmen @ 7:30 ET - I know Navy has been covering recent games and Tulsa has not but this line is set at double digits for a reason. The Midshipmen have been very fortunate to get the covers they have been getting as their offense has been really bad this season. Also, they enter this game off a hard-fought loss to Cincinnati last week. They are on short rest here as a result. Tulsa, on the other hand, is coming off a bye week. The Golden Hurricane are rested and ready here. Tulsa does enter off SU wins in 3 of their last 4 and they have also been reminded of the fact that the last time the Midshipmen paid a visit here the Golden Hurricane got blasted 45 to 17. I look for the hosts to get some payback for that one as they also are a little healthier than they were 2 weeks ago. Rested, ready, motivated are the Golden Hurricane and they are hosting a Navy team that truly left it all on the field in that hard-fought loss to the Bearcats Saturday. 10* TULSA -11

Early Punisher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #529 Wednesday 10* Top Play Charlotte Hornets -5.5 @ Orlando Magic @ 7:10 ET - The Magic are still without a number of key players to begin this season. Not only is Orlando off to a tough 1-3 start to the season, the Magic have lost all 3 games by at least 17 points apiece and an average margin of defeat of 23 points! That said, it comes as no surprise that I like the Hornets to cover this rather short number that is in the range of a half-dozen points. Charlotte is off a home loss in OT versus Boston so they will be hungry to bounce back here as they had started the season 3-0 SU. I just don't see the short-handed Magic as being able to score enough to avoid a loss by a double-digit margin here. Keep in mind, Orlando is averaging only 98 points per game this season! The Hornets, not including OT, are averaging 120 points per game this season! Each of Charlotte's two road games this season resulted in wins by double digits. I fully expect this one will as well as the Hornets roll big on the road. 10* CHARLOTTE -5.5

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #525 Tuesday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Lakers -4.5 @ San Antonio Spurs @ 8:40 ET - The Lakers should be fully focused here as they lost at home to the Spurs in most recent meeting. Los Angeles is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in last 4 meetings at San Antonio and the lone non-covering win was a win by 6 points which, as you can see from today's line, would get us the cash here. That said, I am laying the points here with the Lakers as LeBron James is on the injury report but I do expect him to play. Either way, I like LA here as the Spurs are not going to be a very good team this season. They lost too many key players and are rebuilding right now with young players. Also, the Spurs only SU win was over a Magic team missing a ton of their regulars. I know Lakers started slow this season and also are 0-3 ATS but I look for them to build off their first SU win of the season with another one here and I expect them to cover the small number here in the process. 10* LOS ANGELES LAKERS -4.5

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #474 Monday 10* Top Play Seattle Seahawks +4 vs New Orleans Saints @ 8:15 ET - Saints are 3-2 on the season and Seahawks are only 2-4 on the season. However, even though Seattle is without QB Russell Wilson, the Saints offense is certainly no longer a juggernaut since Drew Brees retired. New Orleans actually ranks near the bottom of the league this season on offense based on yardage stats. Yes the Saints do rank as the better team on defense in this match-up but Seattle is capable of stepping up big when at home and in a primetime game. We have seen it time and time again in this situation with the Seahawks. By the way, Seattle has allowed only 23 points per game last 3 games while Saints have allowed 22 points or more in 3 of last 4 games. There is  just not a big disparity between these teams right now and I look for the Seahawks to give New Orleans all they can handle in this one! 2 of the Seahawks 4 losses this season have been by just a 3 point margin and we are getting more than that here. Also, the Saints are just 2-2 SU the last 4 games and the two wins were against teams that were a combined 4-8 entering this week's action. I know Seattle has some issues but the Saints offense is just not that strong and they will struggle to pull away in this game and the Seahawks bounce back from a loss to Rams in most recent home game. 0-2 SU at home this season, look for the hosts to bring forth a very strong effort on their home field in this one. 10* SEATTLE +4

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #54 Monday 10* Top Play Buffalo Sabres +1.5 goals -135 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:08 ET - Tampa Bay has struggled so far this season and their only two victories have come in OT. Also, the Lightning have a big revenge game on deck as they will be at Pittsburgh tomorrow and they lost their season opener at home by a 6-2 count versus the Penguins. As for the Sabres, they have been very scrappy early this season with a 3-1-1 record. That means if you had Buffalo +1.5 in all games this season you would have won 4 of 5 bets and if you went against TB with +1.5 goals in all of their games this season you would have won all 5 bets against the Lightning. Hence the value here with only having to lay a -135 price to have the Sabres at +1.5 goals. Buffalo is off a tight 1-goal loss at New Jersey Saturday and won't be home again, after this game, until Saturday November 6th. After tonight's game Buffalo heads on a west coast road trip. As a result, and hosting the 2-time defending Stanley Cup champs tonight, I look for the Sabres to come out very strong tonight and make the most of this opportunity on home ice before heading west. 10* BUFFALO Puck Line +1.5 goals -135

Non-Conf Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #471 Sunday 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts +4 @ San Francisco 49ers @ 8:20 ET - Jimmy Garoppolo back from injury for the 49ers here but how effective will he be considering the time off and the recovery from injury. At the same time, Carson Wentz is quietly putting together some impressive numbers for the Colts. The Indianapolis QB has a TD-INT ratio of 9-1. Keep in mind, prior to a rough season with a fading Eagles team last year, Wentz had compiled a TD-INT ratio of 81-21 over 3 preceding seasons. I had a strong feeling he would enjoy some success in coming to Indianapolis and working with head coach Frank Reich who was an offensive coordinator with the Eagles when they won the Super Bowl a few years and Wentz had been rock solid under Reich before he got hurt. So I am aware the Colts have a disappointing record so far this season but so too do the 49ers and I like the fact Indianapolis has now won 2 of 3 games SU and covered 4 of last 5 games ATS while the Niners are in a 0-3 SU/ATS slump. I know the 49ers are off their bye week but their final game before the break was a disappointing loss to the Cardinals in a divisional game. The 49ers only wins this season were on the road against the Eagles and Lions! I think this Colts team is better than people realize despite their record and they are starting to turn the corner. Keep in mind, Indy went 11-5 last season while San Francisco went 6-10 last year. Give me the points here as the Colts continue to turn this season around and we can fade a Niners team that is favored by more than a FG here and yet lacking in confidence. There is simply something amiss in San Francisco right now and we'll take advantage here. 10* INDIANAPOLIS +4

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 8* Baltimore Ravens -6 vs Cincinnati Bengals @ 1 ET - I know the Bengals have a surprisingly impressive record but a lot of their wins against weak foes. Give Cincinnati credit of course as they have still gotten the job done but the result is just that they are a little bit over-rated right now. The Ravens have beaten some stronger teams during their current run of 5 straight wins. Also, Baltimore's last 3 meetings with the Bengals have all ended up Ravens wins by a margin of 24 points or more. We only need to win this by 7 or more to cash our ticket and I like the odds being in our favor for that to happen here. The Ravens have the much better offense and are at home and Cincinnati will simply be unable to keep up in this one. 8* BALTIMORE -6

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks -6 @ San Antonio Spurs @ 8:40 ET - The Bucks just got absolutely destroyed at Miami. That means this is a bounce back spot for Milwaukee and they should have Jrue Holiday back for this one. Yes they are not 100% percent healthy yet for sure but that it is a big plus for them here to get Holiday back. While the Bucks also were off yesterday, the Spurs were at Denver. San Antonio coming off a game in high altitude where they expended a lot of energy. The Spurs in 2nd game of tough back to back and yes they did win their only home game so far but that was much better situation and they faced a bad Magic team missing a ton of starters. This situation is much different and features a very strong, and angry, Bucks team that is rested and in bounce back mode! 10* MILWAUKEE -6

Pac-12 Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #373 Saturday 10* Top Play Utah Utes (-) @ Oregon State Beavers @ 7:30 ET - The Utes offer line value here because they are on the road so we can lay a small number to have the better team essentially just to win this game with the line at -3. Utah has won 3 straight games and has played a slightly tougher schedule too. Oregon State is off a loss and has lost 2 of their more challenging game this season. The Beavers lost at Washington State and at Purdue and each of those defeats were by 7 or more points. Utah has won 8 of the last 11 meetings and that includes a 45 point blowout win in their last visit to Corvallis. Lay the short number here as the Beavers certainly have improved and are absolutely not the doormat of the Pac-12 that they once were but, Oregon State is still not at the level Utah is. Also, the Utes are undefeated in conference games and, as the only team in the Pac-12 able to stake that claim, they are highly motivated to stay that way. The edge the Beavers have over some Pac-12 teams in terms of being strong in the trenches and a physical team against some of the softer more finesse Pac-12 teams, they just don't have those same edges against a tough Utes team that likes to play a physical brand of football. The road team gets it done here. 10* UTAH -3

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #343 Saturday 8* Clemson Tigers +3.5 @ Pittsburgh Panthers @ 3:30 ET - The Tigers offense, as the whole world knows, has struggled badly this season. Also, Clemson is still winless ATS on the season. However, getting them now in a range of +3 to +3.5 points now Saturday at Pittsburgh is an incredible value. The Tigers offense has made headlines for struggles but their defense has been incredibly good. Clemson allowed 27 points at NC State but, other than that, the Tigers have given up only 9.6 points per game in their other 5 games. The Tigers did not allow more than 14 points in any of those 5 games. Now let's talk about Pittsburgh. The Panthers just caught the Hokies off a tough 3-point loss to Notre Dame. So give the Panthers credit as they held Virginia Tech to just 7 points in that game but, again, it was a horrible spot for the Hokies. Prior to that game Pitt had great defensive gems against Massachusetts and New Hampshire but who wouldn't? Exactly! So, that being said, note that the Panthers allowed an average of 33 points in their other 3 games this season when they actually faced decent respectable teams. Now, consider all of the above PLUS the fact that Clemson has played a TOUGHER schedule than Pittsburgh this season! So the point is I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt who the better defense is in this match-up. Also, the Panthers are ranked and at home and this is the first time the Tigers have been an ACC dog in over a decade. Clemson is aware of all this of course. They are underdogs and they are the unranked team and the Panthers are ranked. Watch how the Tigers respond this week given all of the above. 8* CLEMSON +3.5

PA Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Friday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets -3 @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:40 ET - The Ben Simmons saga rolls on in Philly. A lot of pressure on Tobias Harris here as the Sixers are in the process of parting ways with Simmons plus Joel Embiid is now questionable for tonight's game with knee issues. That makes this a fantastic situation because Philadelphia is off a blowout win in their first game but it was against a bad Pelicans team while Brooklyn is off a blowout loss in their first game but they faced the defending champion Bucks. Not only off a loss at Milwaukee but also with an extra day of rest between games compared to Philly. The Nets also have double revenge here from losing their last two meetings with the Sixers last season. The road team is favored with good reason here! Lay it! 10* BROOKLYN -3

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFL Friday 10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +1 @ Montreal Alouettes @ 7:30 ET - The Alouettes are at home and trailing the Argonauts by just one game in the division. However, Toronto is off a bye week and getting healthier while Montreal is down to their 2nd string quarterback. Also, the Argos are 4-1 in divisional games this season and the Als are just 1-2 in home games. The Argonauts defense has been much better since they hired defensive consultant Chris Jones. Hotter and healthier team on the road and that means line value so I am stepping out big with this one. 10* TORONTO

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Friday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins -1.5 goals +125 @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7:08 ET - The Bruins in a great spot here. Fired up off a loss and now former Sabre Linus Ullmark will be between the pipes for Boston in Buffalo. I expect a big game from him and I know Buffalo is undefeated on the season and off to a great start but now they are facing one of the best teams in the league and they catch them at the wrong time too. This situation has blowout written all over it. Yes Buffalo off to a 3-0 start but the 3 teams they have faced have now lost a combined 12 of 14 games. All those clubs struggling. Now the Sabres take a big step up in level of opponent. 10* Boston Bruins -1.5 goals +125

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Thursday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks +2.5 @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:40 ET - The Hawks are at home and had a decent record last season. That is leading to solid line value with the road dog in this one. Keep in mind, Atlanta was barely above .500 against Western Conference teams last season. Conversely, Dallas was 21-9 against Eastern Conference teams last season and that included 2-0 versus the Hawks. I still feel strongly that there exists an East-West dichotomy in the NBA and, until we see this dynamic change, there is always a bit of shading toward the West in my mind when it comes to East-West match-ups. That said, when I can get the team from the West on the road and getting points then I pay particularly close attention. Looking at this match-up, the Hawks also are a bit banged up while the Mavs appear healthy entering this one. I do expect an outright upset but will gladly grab the points as added insurance in this one. 10* DALLAS +2.5

PA Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ New Orleans Pelicans @ 8:10 ET - The Sixers are eager to prove that life will go on without Ben Simmons. They want to put that entire nonsense behind them and press ahead. Joel Embiid and company will dominate here as the Pelicans are without Zion Williamson to open up the season. I know Brandon Ingram is going to play for New Orleans here but he was bothered by his knee as the preseason went on. Of course Williamson and Ingram are two key players for New Orleans. As for the 76ers being without Simmons, he honestly had become more of a distraction than anything else and hurt them in the post-season with his reluctance to take shots. Look for Embiid and Tobias Harris to help lead the way to a dominating road win here as the 76ers get payback for a loss here the last time these teams met at New Orleans. 10* PHILADELPHIA -3

ESPN2 Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFB Wednesday 10* Top Play Coastal Carolina Chanticleers -5 @ Appalachian State Mountaineers @ 7:30 ET - We can lay a short number here to have a team that has won nearly 20 regular season games in a row. I'll take it! Yes I know Coastal Carolina has played a weak schedule but this is essentially the same Chanticleers team we saw last season and they knocked off a pair of ranked teams last season as part of their undefeated regular season. Coastal Carolina's toughest game this season was at Buffalo and they won by just 3. However late in the game the Chanticleers had a 1st and goal and were getting ready to make the score 35 to 17 to put the game away. Then it was the one and only interception that CC has had this season and the Bulls then drove 92 yards for a 14 point swing on the scoreboard. Honestly that one turn of events is simply serving to give us great line value here. Again, it is the only INT that Coastal has this season and this is a very strong running team with a QB with a 14-1 ratio as well! They are up against an Appalachian State team that is banged up at the RB position and off a blowout loss at UL Lafayette. The Mountaineers have turnover issues and that was the case in last season's loss to Coastal Carolina as well. In summary, the Chanticleers should have beaten Buffalo by a double digit margin and every other win they have this season has been by 27 points or more. Appalachian State simply will not be able to keep up in this one. 10* COASTAL CAROLINA

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Monday 10* Top Play Tennessee Titans +6  vs Buffalo Bills @ 8:15 ET - The Bills are a great team. They also have revenge on their minds here and a bye week on deck. However, lets not forget that Buffalo is off a huge playoff revenge win over Kansas City last week. Also, lets not forget that the Titans are a quality team and at home and catching as many 6.5 points here after opening as a 3.5 point dog. Buffalo is simply over-priced here especially when you consider that Tennessee is getting healthier. The Titans should have WR Julio Jones back for this game and could have WR AJ Brown back as well. Tennessee has a strong ground game and has won 3 of 4 games since an embarrassing opening week loss to a Cardinals team that remains undefeated on the season. The Titans lone loss since then was by 3 points in overtime. I see them hanging tough in this game throughout. I have a ton of respect for the Bills but the value is with the underdog here especially a home dog like this in a primetime game. As a home dog in a non-divisional match-up, the Titans have covered 6 of 8. Buffalo has been on an ATS tear dating back to last season too so they are becoming over-valued by the betting markets. Wish we could get the full +7 here but we are not quite there yet and, even so, great value with this current number at +6 as the revenge factor is being overplayed on this one. 10* TENNESSEE +6

Sunday Night Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #273 Sunday 10* Top Play Seattle Seahawks +5.5 @ Pittsburgh Steelers @ 8:20 ET - Russell Wilson is out for awhile after the injury suffered to the middle finger of his throwing hand. That said, the Seahawks have decided they have no chance to win this game and have decided to forfeit the contest and may not even show up at Heinz Field tonight. I am being facetious of course about Seattle not showing up but I do find humor in the fact that no one is giving the Seahawks a chance in this game. The line has gone all the way up to as high as a 5.5 as of early morning Sunday and, keep in mind, teammates step up particularly strong in the first game after a star goes down. Wilson, of course, is a franchise player for the Seahawks and everyone - on offense as well as defense - is going to step up their game in his absence on Sunday night. Pittsburgh is off a win against an over-rated Denver team whose only 3 wins this season are against teams that are now a combined 2-13 on the season. Prior to that win the Steelers had lost 3 straight games and the only other win for Pittsburgh this season was in the season opener when they upset the Bills but were outstatted at Buffalo. Seattle has been underachieving on defense and will be fired up after the loss to the Rams. Prior to the defeat the Seahawks were only 2-2 SU but one of the losses was in OT by just 3 points. Look for a big bounce back here. In non-conference games the Seahawks have covered 6 of 9 and I am expecting a very big effort from them here as they battle hard to make up for the absence of Wilson. 10* SEATTLE +5.5

Run Line Rout - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Run Line -1.5 runs -100 @ Atlanta Braves @ 7:35 ET - I am grabbing Dodgers off a 9th inning loss in a game in which they outhit the Braves and deserved better. I am taking the experienced Max Scherzer over a young Ian Anderson lacking in post-season experience. Los Angeles has the better lineup in my opinion and also has been getting fantastic bullpen work too. I see them bouncing back but of course am not laying a big price here with this money line in the -175 range. Instead we can get even money by laying the 1.5 runs on the run line and that is the value way to play this game. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS -1.5 +100

ESPN+ Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders +3.5 @ BC Lions @ 7 ET - I am very tempted to take the Stamps on the money line here but the trade off of losing 3.5 points to have a +150 money line is just not worth it in my opinion. But I really do expect an outright win for the road dogs in this one. This line has gone from nearly a pick'em to now catching 3.5 points. Keep in mind, BC lost star WR Lucky Whitehead to injury. Yes the Lions are coming off a bye week and the Stampeders are off back to back wins over rival Saskatchewan, but I still feel we have excellent line value here. Calgary is a very strong team that is now finally starting to play back up  to their potential again. As for the Lions, they are only 1-4 in divisional games this season! I am still not sold on this BC team and also the road team has dominated their games this season. The Lions are 3-1 on the road and just 1-3 at home. So, playing the road team in BC games all season long would have netted you a 6-2 record. Again, I do expect an outright road upset here but getting 3.5 is a strong value to have and I will not pass that up. 10* CALGARY +3.5

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CFB 8* Rice Owls +17.5 @ UTSA Roadrunners @ 6 ET - UTSA is starting to wear down some. I know they are still undefeated on the season but this will be their 7th game in 7 weeks and they have been on the road twice in past three weeks and had to battle hard for victories. This is a banged up Roadrunners team that is starting to tire out. The Runners should still get a win here but, keep in mind, each of their last 3 wins have been by 7 or less points. Now UTSA faces a rested Rice team that has played the tougher schedule. Granted the Owls are not a strong team but they are off back to back wins plus a week of rest so this sets up well for them to stay inside the big number posted on this one. 8* RICE +17.5

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #122 Friday 10* Top Play Oregon Ducks -13.5 vs California Golden Bears @ 10:30 ET - The Ducks off an OT loss preceding their bye week. Oregon will bounce back strong at home here. They are vastly superior to this Golden Bears team. Also, the Ducks lost at California last season so this is a revenge game for Oregon. The Golden Bears are off a 21-6 loss two weeks ago (also off a bye like the Ducks are) and Cal just does not have the offense to keep up in this one. The Golden Bears only scored well in 1 of their 4 games against FBS opponents this season. In the other 3 games California averaged only 16 points per game. Oregon is averaging 40 points a game in their home games this season and will pull away to win this one by a big margin as they are angry off a loss and have had extra time to think about the defeat too. This will be an angry Ducks team in front of their home fans on a Friday night and this is surely to be domination as a result against a Cal team that has only 1 win this season and it was against an FCS school. 10* OREGON -13.5

West Div Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #672 Friday 10* Top Play Edmonton Elks +12 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 9 ET - If you look at this game on paper, the Elks have no chance. But, as the long-time saying goes, the games are not played on paper! The fact is that Edmonton is a huge home dog here and offering substantial value as I expect them to step up big after last week's embarrassing loss at Winnipeg. The Elks did not just lose to the Blue Bombers last week, they got destroyed. Now, coming back home and with an immediate shot at revenge, Edmonton can get some redemption here. Of course this does not mean they win the game outright, but I do expect them to be ultra competitive here and lose this game by no more than a single score margin. Note that Winnipeg has been rolling teams but this looks like a tough spot as they won big at Edmonton a few weeks ago as well and have BC on deck. This is the final meeting between these teams this season and the Elks have a bye on deck and will go all out here with a week of rest on deck. They have had enough of being embarrassed by the Blue Bombers and will put up a strong fight in this one. I know the Elks have an ugly record this season but they are better than their record shows and will prove to be a tough home dog to put away in this spot. 10* EDMONTON

Thursday Thrasher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #110 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 8:20 ET - The Eagles will be flying sky high in terms of emotions as they get a home game against the defending champion Buccaneers. Also, their defense rates higher than the Bucs in terms of overall stats as well as pressuring the QB. Philadelphia will generate some pressure against Tom Brady in this one and Tampa Bay's offense has not been as good on the road this season as they have been at home. Look for the Eagles to build off the momentum of last week's come from behind win at Carolina. That may not lead to an outright upset win but Philly should at least get the cover. TB is 0-2 ATS on the road this season and the Eagles will take advantage of what is their only home game in a 4-week span. An outright upset would not be a total surprise but definitely there is value with the points in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA +7

ESPNU Annihilation - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #112 Thursday 10* Top Play South Alabama Jaguars -3 vs Georgia Southern Eagles @ 7:30 ET - I know the Eagles have played the tougher schedule. But I also feel strongly that the Jaguars are in an ideal bounce back spot and will respond. Why is South Alabama favored over a Georgia Southern team that has won 7 straight meetings with them? Exactly! Don't let the line fool you. The Jags are going to get it done finally and put an end to that losing streak versus the Eagles. Georgia Southern is allowing 487 yards per game while South Alabama is allowing only 311 yards per game. After blowing their game against Texas State last week and losing in 4 overtimes, I expect the Jaguars to come up big this week and respond huge. South Alabama is off back to back losses by 2 points each and will get back to winning ways here. The Eagles have lost 4 of last 5 games and their pass defense is a weakness and the strength of the Jaguars offense is the passing attack. This will help key this home win so lay the short number. 10* SOUTH ALABAMA -3

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play Seattle Kraken +1.5 goals -110 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 10:15 ET - Both teams dealing with a combination of injury/covid protocol issues coming into this regular season opener. If anything that favors Seattle as Vegas just does not have all their usual top end talent for this one. That said, I like the fact the the Kraken are very strong on the blue line and in net. With having Grubauer and Driedger as their goalies and strong defense in front of them (even with Oleksiak out for this one), I expect Seattle to be very stingy in terms of goals allowed. At the other end of the ice it will be interesting to see how the outspoken netminder, Robin Lehner, performs now that Marc Andre Fleury is gone and is a Blackhawk now. Could this actually backfire as Lehner no longer is worrying about Fleury? Was Fleury helping to push him to be even better? Look for this to be a tight low-scoring game and that means the ability to get the +1.5 goals at a pick'em price is absolutely a bargain here. The Kraken are highly motivated and I certainly do not see them laying an egg in their first shot on the ice with entirety of the NHL world watching them in the 2nd game of tonight's ESPN double header. 10* SEATTLE +1.5 goals -110

Sun Belt Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #108 Tuesday 10* Top Play UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns +5 vs Appalachian State Mountaineers @ 7:30 ET - Coastal Carolina is undefeated on the season and ranked #15 in the nation. What does that have to do with this play? Well, Appalachian State plays in the same division of the Sun Belt Conference along with the Chanticleers and they are hosting them next week. It is hard to imagine the Mountaineers overlooking a 4-1 UL Lafayette team but, if there was a spot for that to be the case, this is it! I like the fact that the Ragin' Cajuns lone loss came against a Texas team that showed again on Saturday (versus Oklahoma) that they have an incredible offense. Also, ULL played UT much tougher than the final score reflected. Appalachian State is a very good football team in the Sun Belt but so are the Ragin's Cajuns and this line has gone from a 3 to a 5 and is offering exceptional home dog value! ULL won last year's meeting and the year before they lost but outgained App State by nearly 100 yards! The last time the Cajuns hosted the Mountaineers they fell short and now they get some payback for that home loss Tuesday. In fact, prior to winning the match-up in December, ULL had lost 8 straight meetings with Appalachian State. Suffice to say some home payback is still on order! As a dog, the Ragin Cajuns have only lost the money 4 times the last 14 games when getting points! 10* UL-LAFAYETTE +5

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #479 Monday 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts (+) @ Baltimore Ravens @ 8:15 ET - The Ravens are a high-quality team for sure but the Colts are better than their record and I feel we have excellent line value here. Keep in mind Baltimore faced KC, LV, Detroit and Denver. The Ravens beat the Chiefs but KC is now 2-3 on the season and their defense has been poor. Baltimore lost to the Raiders in OT and Las Vegas also now off B2B losses and starting to disappoint. The Broncos are also 3-2 and padded their record with 3 wins against bad teams to start the season. As for the Lions, though they fight hard they are still 0-5 SU on the season. The points is that I am certainly not convinced that the Ravens should be a 7.5 point favorite over this solid Colts team. Baltimore has 2 wins that came by a total margin of just 3 points. They could easily be 1-3 on the season! As for the Colts they have faced Rams and Titans teams that are a combined 7-3 on the season. Indianapolis off a win at Miami last week and statistically have the better defense in comparison with the Ravens. That said, I look for the Colts to have a great shot at the outright upset here and, if they do fall short, I certainly expect it to be by just a 1-score margin. 10* INDIANAPOLIS +7.5

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #688 Monday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats -4.5 vs Toronto Argonauts @ 4 ET - Toronto is coming off a big win versus Ottawa on Wednesday but the Argonauts were fortunate. The Redblacks actually outgained them by 153 yards but interceptions where the difference in the game. That said, this is now a battle for first place at the top of the division and the team trailing, Hamilton, is the better team and is coming off a loss and has a rest edge here. Last week the Tiger-Cats lost in OT to Montreal so this is a great spot to back them. Toronto is just 1-3 on the road this season and the Ti-Cats can pull equal with them in the standings by notching a win in this one. Hamilton is allowing only 18 points per game this season while the Argos are allowing 23 points a game. Again, the home/road dichotomy for the Argonauts is another reason to look for the Tiger-Cats to bounce back big at home in this one. Hamilton's wins have been by an average margin of 13 points per game and that includes a big win over Toronto. Look for another dominating victory here. 10* HAMILTON -4.5

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #685 Monday 8* Ottawa Redblacks (+) @ Montreal Alouettes @ 1 ET - I lost with the Redblacks at Toronto on Wednesday but that was a turnover-fueled loss. Ottawa QB Caleb Evans threw for 334 yards but 3 interceptions. The Redblacks outgained the Argonauts by over 150 yards but the turnovers were the difference in the game. That has led to solid line value in this spot on Thanksgiving Monday in Canada. Note that the Als are actually 0-2 at home this season and coming off an OT win at Hamilton. That makes this the perfect spot to fade them with a Redblacks team that has been playing better in recent weeks. Look for a cleaner game from the visitors here with fewer turnovers and, as a result, they easily stay inside the number here. 8* OTTAWA +9.5

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 8* Buffalo Bills +3 @ Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:20 ET - This is a double revenge spot for the Bills as they lost at home to KC in the regular season last year and then got knocked out of the playoffs here in Kansas City in January. I know the Chiefs are still a very solid football team, particularly on offense. But, I do not like what I have seen from the KC defense this season. Additionally, the Bills defense is very strong and I feel we have a solid edge in that regard here in addition to a huge motivational edge for Buffalo in this one. Kansas City is allowing more than double the yardage that the Bills defense is this season! I know KC has faced the tougher schedule this season but still this Chiefs team just not seem as dominant as what we have seen from them in recent seasons. Buffalo is rolling right now off 3 straight dominating wins and I know they faced weaker foes but they could easily be 4-0 this season as they outstatted the Steelers significantly in week one. The Bills are allowing 11 points per game this season while the Chiefs are allowing 31 points per game. You also know that the visitors have had this game circled on their calendar ever since the schedule came out. I do not expect them to be denied here but will grab the 3 points in case they do fall just short of the outright win. 8* BUFFALO +3