Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #304 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (-) vs New York Giants @ 8:20 ET - This line made a major move on Monday around 2 PM ET (11 AM PT here in Vegas where I live). I watched the screens light up as the Eagles line got pounded down. The thinking process here by the betting markets must be that the odds makers have no idea about injury situations and don't watch the games. They saw Miles Sanders get hurt and they were aware of the Zach Ertz injury. Yet they still posted this line near a -7 which is where it belongs. But now due to false market perception this line has been driven down to a 3.5 which is basically saying the Giants and the Eagles are equal teams if they played on a neutral field. I vehemently disagree with this assessment. Note that as good as Zach Ertz is, the fact remains he has averaged only 16 receiving yards per game the past 3 weeks! He has NOT been a huge component of the Eagles offense in recent weeks. Also there is a decent chance the Eagles will get WR DeSean Jackson back for this one plus Alshon Jeffery even has an outside shot at playing too. Certainly the Sanders injury hurts but the Eagles have some other running backs they will make use of here. Their comeback against the Ravens (would have tied it if not for a late failed two point conversion) did not feature Sanders or Ertz. After going toe to toe with the Ravens now the Eagles take on a Giants team that barely hung on for their first win of the season. New York had started the year 0-5 and other than one 34 point outburst against a horrific Cowboys defense, the Giants averaged only 13.4 points per game in their other 5 games and did not top 20 in any of those games. Conversely, the Eagles have scored at least 23 points in 4 straight games and have averaged 26 points during this stretch. Again, Ertz has played little role in this too. Just look at his stats if you don't believe me. The Eagles have swept the Giants each of the past two seasons and the average margin of victory in those 4 games is 12 points. Eagles hungry for a win, Giants just got their first, Wentz starting to look better (even against powerful Ravens) and Jones for the Giants is still a very young QB trying to find his way at the NFL level. Jones now faces a dangerous defense in terms of putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks with a powerful defensive line. Grab the line value with the small home favorite that is very hungry to get back into the win column and will take care of business against a division rival once again here just like the other recent meetings. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Thursday Thrasher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #306 Thursday 8* Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Arkansas State Red Wolves @ 7:30 ET - The Mountaineers could have some rust because they haven't played in 4 weeks in this pandemic-impacted season. However, Appalachian State is still a far superior team to Arkansas State and also is at home for this one. As a result, look for the Mountaineers to eventually have no problem in pulling away as this game goes on. The big difference is Appalachian State can actually play a little defense while Arkansas State has been horrendous on that side of the ball. The Mountaineers have allowed a TOTAL of just 58 points in their 3 games this season. Conversely, the Red Wolves have allowed 52 points in a single game twice in their last 3 games! Arkansas State is allowing 40 points per game and 482 yards per game this season while Appalachian State allowing just 323 yards and 19 points per game! The Mountaineers improve to 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games in SBC action. 8* APPALACHIAN STATE

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #275 Monday 10* Top Play Arizona Cardinals (+) @ Dallas Cowboys @ 8:15 ET - The line on this game prior to the Dak Prescott injury was Dallas -3 and it was moving toward -3.5 for sure. But then he got hurt on Sunday so the game came off the board and when it went back up it was Arizona -3. Now all week long I have patiently waited for this one as I knew "America's Team" would get their love from the betting markets and that we'd eventually get the Cardinals as a dog in this one. Sure enough the line has swung back almost to where it was with Prescott at the controls! We are now seeing 1.5 show up this morning on the Cowboys and, in all likelihood it could even climb higher. However, this is the time of day I post my picks here generally so, for me, it is now "go time" with this one. Keep in mind, the last thing the Cowboys could afford was an injury to Prescott. Why? Well because their offense is the only thing they have going for them. This team's defense is atrocious and now led by Andy Dalton at QB. He had some good years in Cincinnati for sure. The key word there however is "had". Note that in Dalton's final season there he threw nearly as many INT's as TD's and had his lowest completion percentage since his rookie season and had a career high in fumbles. Why do you think the Bengals were ready to move on? And, keep in mind, this is the Bengals we're talking about folks! The Cardinals defense will have their ears pinned back for this one (on the attack like angry dogs) and they are allowing only 20.4 points per game. As for the Cowboys defense, they have allowed 40 points per game their last 4 games and have allowed at least 34 points in all 4 of their games since a season opening 20-17 loss to the Rams. Dallas barely held on to beat the Giants last week and their only win so far this season was their miraculous 1 point win against Atlanta earlier this season. Keep in mind, Atlanta and the Giants were a combined 0-10 entering this weekend's action and the Cowboys defense allowed 73 points in those 2 victories. Unless Dallas can pull a rabbit out of the hat on defense I see them struggling against a Kliff Klingsbury coached team with Kyler Murray at QB. Both those guys have Texas roots and Murray has fond memories of games played here in Big D. In fact, Murray is 6-0 all time in games played here including 3 state championships here when he played for Allen High School and also he won a Big 12 title game here too when he was with OU. I would take Murray over Dalton all day every day and it is hard to dispute the importance of the QB in this day and age of pass-happy pro football! Plus he is a dangerous runner too. Overall the Cardinals are the better team and this Dallas defense can't stop anyone and that will end up putting a lot of pressure on Dalton in this one to try and trade scores with the Cards. I don't see that happening. 10* ARIZONA

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #278 Monday 8* Buffalo Bills (+) vs Kansas City Chiefs @ 5 ET - The Chiefs are off a loss so the whole world seems to be lining up on them here and ignoring some key facts. One, the Bills are a pretty good team in their own right. Two, this game is being played at Buffalo. Three, the Bills are also off a loss and they are angry about it as it was an ugly one at Tennessee. When you consider these factors above it simply makes no sense for this line to have gone from a field goal all the way up to nearly a full six points as of game day morning. Just like we saw last night with the 49ers standing up strong as a home dog after an embarrassing loss, I am confident we will see the same thing tonight with the Bills. One of the Chiefs 4 wins came by 3 points in OT. For the Bills, they were a perfect 4-0 SU their first 4 games and I just don't see them getting blown out here. If they lose I am projecting it to be by 4 or less points but an outright home dog upset like we saw last night with San Francisco would not surprise me either. This Bills team is better than people realize. Yes, Kansas City is a very good team but this is not a fun place to play and the temperature will be holding in the 40s with a good chance of rain throughout this one. All of that favors the home dog as well. 8* BUFFALO

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #274 Sunday 8* San Francisco 49ers (+) vs Los Angeles Rams @ 8:20 ET - As long-time followers know I am a contrarian by nature. That said, it should come as no surprised that I am backing the 2-3 Niners over the 4-1 Rams in this one. In a primetime game especially (when the lights are shining and they know the entire NFL world is watching them), a home dog is going to bring its best effort. This is made even more true when that home dog is facing a hated division rival. The 49ers did sweep the Rams last year so I am well aware of the fact that this is a revenge game for Los Angeles. However, that sweep last year also means that the 49'ers have had the Rams number so to speak too! Note also that all 4 of Los Angeles' wins have come against the NFC East or, as it is more appropriately known, the NFC Least! The combined record of those 4 teams is 4-15-1. The only time Los Angeles faced a tough team was when the Rams faced the Bills in Buffalo. Though they rallied in that game they actually were down huge in that game before the late rally. I like the Niners defense here and also am expecting a huge bounce back from the offense. They'll absolutely be ready here with some positive adjustments after the horrific effort against the Dolphins last week. The 49ers are on a 5-1 ATS run as an underdog and get the cash again here. 8* SAN FRANCISCO

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #272 Sunday 8* Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+) vs Green Bay Packers @ 4:25 ET - two weeks ago when this line first came out the bucs were favored by 2.5 points...now the bucs are a 1 point home dog in this match-up...the line made a move after the bucs lost last week to the bears but, keep in mind, tampa bay outgained chicago by nearly 100 yards in that game...in comparing the buccaneers and packers, the bucs have been the more impressive defense early this season...i know rodgers has been the much better qb for green bay than brady has for tampa bay...however, i would not be surprised to see brady come up with a huge performance here...factor that in along with the better defense and home field edge and i feel we have great line value here...yes the packers are undefeated on the season and the tampa bay already has two losses but, with my contrarian way of thinking, that is part of the reason i like this play even more...keep in mind, green bay is 4-0 this season but the teams they have beaten have a combined record of 5-14...the only team with a winning record that the packers have beaten is the saints (currently 3-2 on the season) and they appear to be really down a few notches this season...i am not totally knocking the packers here but just saying this was a very intriguing line to me and, with the movement and the current market perception that is anti-tampa bay and pro-green bay i absolutely love this spot for a home win...8* TAMPA BAY

Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #143 Saturday 10* Top Play Mississippi State Bulldogs (+) vs Texas A & M Aggies @ 4 ET - No one will want Mississippi State here. After all, everyone just watched them turnover the ball like crazy and score just 2 points against Kentucky. That said, the Bulldogs have no chance here, right? After all, they are facing an Aggies team that just beat Florida and outgained the Gators by a substantial margin in doing so. In typical contrarian fashion, I actually like Mississippi State a ton in this spot. The Bulldogs beat LSU by double digits in their season opener but then laid an egg against Arkansas the very next week. As a result, there is great line value as the Bulldogs want to atone for Razorbacks defeat here as that has been their only home game so far this season. Texas A & M is 2-1 this season but they barely squeaked by Vanderbilt even though they were a 30 point favorite in that game. In fact, each of the Aggies two wins this season have been by 5 or less points. In between those two wins was a blowout loss at Alabama and the Aggies scored just 24 points in that game while Ole Miss put up 48 on the Crimson Tide the very next week. Mississippi State has revenge here for an ugly loss last year which followed 3 straight Bulldogs wins in this series. Historically the Aggies are not known for traveling well nor for coming up big in back to back big games. The home dog, as a result, is absolutely the way to go in this one. The Bulldogs defense allowing just 4.24 yards per play while Texas A & M allowing 6.75 yards per play. That is a big difference in defensive efficiency and certainly is not being properly accounted for by the betting markets in my opinion. 10* Mississippi State

Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #119 Saturday 8* Duke Blue Devils (+) @ NC State Wolfpack @ 3:30 ET - The Blue Devils are off another game marred by turnovers. Yet Duke still won that game by two touchdowns and had a yardage edge of more than 350 yards. I like those kind of numbers as they now get involved in a rivalry game that has seen the dog cover 7 of the last 9. The home team has covered only twice in the last ten meetings! Overall, coach Dave Doeren has led NC State to just 5 covers in their last 14 games as a home favorite in ACC action. The Wolfpack have done a great job of eliminated pressure to their quarterback so far this season but now face a Blue Devils team that already has amassed 18 sacks this season. NC State is 3-1 both straight up and against the spread this season but they have been the beneficiary of bounces for sure and two of their three wins have come by three or less points. I suspect that this one will too and an outright upset from the road dog would certainly not be a complete surprise. Additionally, NC State has North Carolina on deck and that is their biggest rival. The Blue Devils have a bye on deck. From a situational standpoint, this one is excellent and I won't hesitate to back the road dog here. 8* DUKE

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #482 Tuesday 10* Top Play Tennessee Titans (+) vs Buffalo Bills @ 7 ET - Long-time followers know I am a contrarian across all sports but this is particularly true in the NFL. That said, I love taking the Titans in a spot like this. They are the ones that forced a cancellation of last week's game due to Covid-19. They are the ones who are 0-3 ATS on the season. Yes, I'll take Tennessee to finally get the cash at the window this week. Even though they are 3-0 SU on the season they have been a favorite all 3 weeks and have failed to cover each game. The Titans 3 games have all been decided by 3 or less points. Now that they are a dog that makes them well worth the investment here. This is especially true with the Bills moving up to a 3.5 point favorite. I know QB Josh Allen has been huge for Buffalo this season but you can bet the Titans are drawing motivation from that and also the fact that they are undefeated and at home and yet they are the underdog here! Tennessee will absolutely "bring it" in this primetime affair and, keep in mind, the Bills have the super bowl champion Chiefs up next on Sunday while the Titans have the 1-4 Texans next up on the docket. Grab the value with the home dog in this one. 10* TENNESSEE

ABC Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #712 Sunday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 7:30 ET - This line is now moving to 5.5 as of early game day morning and that means even more value with Miami. The Heat are resilient, hungry and determined. Those are all attributes you want when backing an underdog and I love getting significant points again with these scrappy guys as they are proving they won't go down without a fight. I would not be surprised to see them force a Game 7 but also certainly don't expect them to lose this game by more than a bucket or two even if they do fall short of the upset. Keep in mind that Miami is now 14-6 SU in the post-season and two of the losses were very tight games (one in OT) decided by an average margin of 4.5 points. Look for another tight game here as the Lakers last 7 games played on "regular rest" of 2 or less days between games are just 4-3 SU. Los Angeles has cooled off from their early post-season dominance and each loss shakes their confidence a little more while we're also seeing the confidence of the Heat grow with wins in 2 of the last 3 games. More of the same here. 10* MIAMI

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #473 Sunday 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts (+) @ Cleveland Browns @ 4:25 ET - Long-time followers know I love to fade line moves in the NFL when the situation is right and that is the case here in my opinion. The Colts were as high as a 3 point favorite in this game and now are a 1 point underdog as of early game day morning. While Cleveland is an improved team this is a horrible spot for them. They are off a road dog upset win at Dallas where they blew a huge lead and then had to hang for dear life against the Cowboys. Now they are back home but have a huge divisional game on deck with Pittsburgh. Yes, the Steelers team that is undefeated and in first place in their division. In looking at this match-up, yes the Colts are also off a road win last week but it was an expected road win. Indianapolis was the favorite and the Bears scored very late in that game. In other words, the Colts not only won the game, they dominated as it nearly ended a 19-3 final. Chicago's TD and 2 point conversion came very very late. The key to the value in this match-up is that the Browns caught a lot of eyes with their win at Dallas last week but the Cowboys defense is atrocious this season. Now Cleveland goes from facing the league's worst defense to facing the #1 defense in the league. The Colts have simply dominated on that side of the ball. Indy has allowed an average of 9.7 points per game the last 3 weeks. The Browns have allowed an average of 31.5 points per game this season. With Cleveland's big game on deck against division leading Pittsburgh, this is the ideal spot to fade them and back the Colts as they look to win for the 9th time in the last 10 meetings between these teams. The Browns had covered just 4 of 15 games overall before upsetting the Cowboys last week. Ideal setup here. 10* INDIANAPOLIS

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #465 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Eagles (+) @ Pittsburgh Steelers @ 1 ET - The Steelers are undefeated with one of the top defenses in the league. Talk to me when they play somebody with a pulse! I am not saying Pittsburgh is not a good team. I am just saying it is easy to be the #1 defense and have an undefeated record when you have played 3 of the worst teams (and worst offenses) in the league. The Steelers have played the Texans, Broncos, and Giants this season. All 3 of those teams rank at the bottom of the league statistically on offense and are a combined 1-11 this season! The Eagles have played the Rams and 49ers and yes San Francisco is hurting some but so too is Philly and yet they beat them outright on the road Sunday night. The 4 teams the Eagles played this season have a combined record of 7-8-1. That is not earth-shattering by any means but much better than the slate of teams with the combined 1-11 record which is who the Steelers have faced thus far. Also, even with facing a much tougher schedule, the Philly defense ranks just behind Pittsburgh's highly touted defense in terms of yardage allowed per game. The Steelers got a bye they didn't want last week. Teams don't want a bye this early in the season but covid-19 changed Pittsburgh's schedule. They are in a lookahead spot here with the 3-1 Browns on deck plus that is followed by a tough Titans team and then the 3-1 Ravens. So two key division rivals coming up and an undefeated Tennessee team whom the Steelers had already been game planning for before the cancellation happened. Facing an NFC team is not high on the Steelers list of concerns when you look at their upcoming schedule. Perhaps they do win this game but I expect the margin to be a single score and with this line having moved to 7.5 the value is clearly with the road dog in my opinion. Memo to the Steelers for this week: you're finally playing a team with a pulse. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #352 Saturday 10* Top Play Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (-) vs UTEP Miners @ 7:30 ET - I don't normally lay big points for a top play but this is a rare exception as I expect a thorough beating on the part of the Bulldogs here and a 3-1 Miners team is on the receiving end of it. Yes, UTEP is 3-1 this season but they've played two FCS schools. In their only tough game they were completely annihilated 59-3 by Texas! In their 4 games this season, even with playing a pair of FCS schools too, the Miners are averaging just 18.8 points per game. UTEP simply won't be able to keep with an angry Louisiana Tech team. The Bulldogs were 2-0 prior to last week's beating at the hands of a BYU team that has been annihilating everyone this season. Keep in mind, Louisiana Tech was averaging 48.5 points per game prior to getting hammered by the Cougars last week. This Bulldogs team can put up a ton of points here at home and the Miners simply won't be able to keep up. Last year, Louisiana Tech was up 42-7 before allowing two late TDs after the game was already decided. Look for another dominating win this season and it may end with an even greater margin than last season's 42-21 final. That's because Louisiana Tech is angry after what happened at Brigham Young last week. Also, Texas El Paso does have the attention of the Bulldogs here since the Miners are 3-1 this season. That means they won't be overlooked and that is bad news for UTEP as the home team really pours it on this one and should be fully focused from the opening kickoff too. The spread is -14 on this one but I am very comfortable laying the big points in this mismatch! 10* LOUISIANA TECH

Afternoon Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #325 Saturday 8* Texas Tech Red Raiders (+) @ Iowa State Cyclones @ 3:30 ET - The Red Raiders are off back to back losses but they never should have lost to Texas as that was an overtime defeat in which they allowed the Longhorns to rally late. Also, in their game last week, Texas Tech had the edge in first downs and in overall yardage but fell short on the scoreboard against Kansas State. Now the Red Raiders get a shot at an Iowa State team that beat them last season for the 4th straight time. Prior to these 4 straight defeats in the series, Texas Tech had won 11 of 14 in this series. The Red Raiders catch the Cyclones off an upset win over Oklahoma last week so the set-up here is perfect. Iowa State is over-valued (and Texas Tech under-valued) based on last week's results. I really like the fact that Texas Tech has a respectable ground game that utilizes multiple running backs. Their offensive line has paved the way for big gains plus they have done a great job in pass protection with just 1 sack allowed on the season! Even though the Red Raiders lost last week, they were done in by a blocked punt, an interception, and two missed field goals). Texas Tech offering line value as a huge dog this week as a result of last week's missed opportunities. Also, QB Bowman is expected back for the Red Raiders here but QB Colombi did play well in his place after he exited last week's game. Looks like Bowman will be back though and that is a big boost for this team. The Cyclones have covered just twice the last seven times they have been a home favorite and this is a particularly bad spot for Iowa State after their huge upset of Oklahoma last week. Grab the big points in this one. 8* TEXAS TECH

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach Rotation #323 Saturday 8* Oklahoma Sooners (-) vs Texas Longhorns @ Noon ET - Sooners off back to back losses and unranked. But it was no mistake that the odds makers installed Oklahoma as the favorite in this one. Just because OU has disappointed early does not mean they won't bring their "A game" to the Red River Showdown on Saturday. That said, if the Sooners bring their "A game" and with Texas in a down cycle this season too, which team wins this game? Exactly! Oklahoma was highly regarded for good reason coming into this season. This OU team is capable of plenty and they will respond big this week. While the yardage stats were about equal in the Sooners loss AT Iowa State last week, the Longhorns saw TCU get 25 first downs while UT was held to just 16 first downs and that game was a home game for Texas last week. In their prior game the Horns were lucky to escape Lubbock with a victory as they had to put forth a big rally late and then they won it in overtime. I know the Sooners have not impressed early this season but I especially do not trust this Longhorns team and feel this is the game OU will put it all together. Look for the Sooners to win this rivalry match-up rather handily! 8* OKLAHOMA

ABC Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #709 Friday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 9 ET - The Heat don't get blown out often. They have had a very solid post-season and I would not be surprised to see them dig deep and extend this series. The extra time off certainly was welcome for Miami as they have been battling through injuries. That said, having been off since Tuesday's game, this Friday match-up might end up going to the hungrier team. Even if the Heat are unable to extend the series, I expect a very tightly contested game decided by only a bucket or two. Again, Miami will dig deep here. The Heat have played 19 post-season games and only 4 of the 19 have resulted in a loss by more than 6 points. The line on this game, as of early gameday morning, is available as high as a 7.5 and I'll gladly grab the points here given the above. Having Bam Adebayo back, and now playing his 2nd game since coming back, will be a key for the Heat in this one. Again, the extra rest between games could help Adebayo and the Heat get over the hump in this one. Either way I do NOT see the Lakers winning this one by a big margin. 10* MIAMI

ESPN Smash Pass - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #305 Friday 8* Louisville Cardinals (-) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 7 ET - People seem to be remembering Georgia Tech's upset of Florida State in their first game of the season. At least based on the way this line has moved. I disagree with the line move. The Seminoles are just 1-2 on the season now with their only win against Jacksonville State and they lost by 42 to Miami. In other words, the Jackets upset of the Noles looks even less impressive now. Also, since that upset win Georgia Tech has lost each of its last two games and the average margin of defeat was 22.5 points per game. Louisville off a tough, tight loss to a Pittsburgh team with, as usual, a very solid and physical defense. I am not holding that 3 point loss against the Cardinals too much. That Panthers team is tough to face especially at Pittsburgh. That defeat, in fact, is now helping to give us value with the Cards in this one. Louisville started the season with a big win over a Western Kentucky team that is better than people realize and then followed that up with putting up 34 points on Miami. Even though the Cardinals lost that game to the Hurricanes, note that the Canes are now 3-0 on the season. When these teams met two years ago, the Yellow Jackets were still running the triple option and they destroyed Louisville's defense as the Cardinals were enduring some dreadful times then. EACH of these teams is different now and this is payback time for the Cards. They get revenge in a big way here against a turnover-prone Yellow Jackets team that has failed to cover EACH of the last SIX times they have been a home dog. Georgia Tech QB Sims has thrown 3 TDs and 8 INTs. Look for the Cardinals to win this one by double digits. 8* LOUISVILLE

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #302 Thursday 8* Chicago Bears (+) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 8:20 ET - I know the Bears looked ugly in their home game versus the Colts on Sunday but that was, in my opinion, not unexpected. The head coach of Indianapolis is Frank Reich. He was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles and knows plenty about Nick Foles (Super Bowl winner with Philadelphia a few years ago). The Indianapolis defense is ranked #1 this season and, thanks to Reich's knowledge about Foles and his tendencies the game planning Indy had for that game was top notch. That was part of the reasoning behind why I faded the Bears last week and used the Colts as my top play of the week and it paid off as they dominated. Now I come right back and play ON Chicago as I expect them to bounce back here at home on a short week. The travel situation is certainly tougher for the Buccaneers as they were at home in Tampa Bay plus expended a lot of energy in rallying from a 24-7 late first half deficit against the Chargers. Give TB credit for that rally and I know they are a good football team but this looks like a bad spot for them. The Bears will respond off their first loss of the season. Chicago has allowed an average of only 16 points per game in their two home games this season. I know some pick-sixes have played a role too but, the fact remains, the Buccaneers have allowed more than 30 points now twice in their first four games. I like the Bears defense at home in this one and fully expect a big bounce back effort from the offense here. 8* CHICAGO

ESPN Smash Pass - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #304 Thursday 8* Houston Cougars (-) vs Tulane Green Wave @ 7:30 ET - The big storyline here is that the Cougars have not played a game yet this season while the Green Wave have 3 games under their belt and therefore hold a huge edge. I certainly understand and respect that viewpoint but it doesn't mean I agree with it! Tulane has played a rather weak schedule thus far. The Green Wave did not impress me until they blew out Southern Miss 68-24 two weeks ago after trailing 14-0 in the first quarter. However, that one big win doesn't mean all is fixed for a Tulane team that barely beat South Alabama in their first game this season and then blew a 24-0 lead to a Navy team that is looking more and more like the Midshipmen team that went 3-10 a few seasons ago. Now the Green Wave take a big step up in level of competition to take on a Houston team that can't wait to finally get on the field and play a real football game! The Cougars have been chomping at the bit and they can't wait to get revenge against Tulane! Last year the Green Wave rallied from a 28-14 halftime deficit to beat the Cougars 38-31. Houston hasn't forgotten as they made the mistake of relaxing after piling up a yardage edge of over 200 yards by halftime of that game! Even though the Cougars lost their QB in an off-season transfer, Tune will be under center and he did get significant playing time last season. That is a key here along with the fact that Houston does return nearly all of their starters from last season! This is a good football team and, even though they may show some rust early on, the Cougars will eventually pull away for a dominating home victory. 8* HOUSTON

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #708 Tuesday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Los Angles Lakers @ 9 PM ET - This is from my write-up on Sunday's game and, not only did most of these things hold true, I expect it it continue in Game 4 now that Miami has momentum on their side in this series after the outright upset win in Game 3: **Couple of unlikely stats so far in this series as the Lakers are getting better 3-point shooting than expected from unexpected sources and also have dominated the offensive glass. Having a slight edge in either one of those categories is not a surprise but to have a huge edge in both of them is highly unlikely to continue. The Heat, now down 0-2 in this series, are extremely hungry. Miami also could get Bam Adebayo back for this one (expected) as well as Goran Dragic (possible). Either way, whatever Heat players are on the floor are going to give a valiant effort in this must win situation. I am expecting huge games from Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder and Duncan Robinson. Look for role players like Kelly Olynyk, Kendrick Nunn, and Andre Iguodala to also come up big if called upon. This is a "rally the troops" game for a well-coached Heat team that shouldn't be catching nearly double digits again in this spot. We have seen what this team is capable of throughout this post-season and I wouldn't count a resilient bunch like this just yet. A lot of line value here, given the situation, with this under-valued hungry big dog.** Again, they got Game 3 and will follow the same recipe in looking to get Game 4 as well which would not surprise me. What would surprise me is that if they do fall short it is by more than a handful of points. I just don't see that happening here. The Heat are in this one all the way and just might pull off another shocker. Grab the points with the still-hungry dog as Jimmy Butler again looks to will his team to victory. They have the right pieces around him to surprise again here! 10* MIAMI

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #279 Monday 10* Top Play Atlanta Falcons (+) @ Green Bay Packers @ 8:50 ET - Winless teams bring a little extra hunger to games at this stage in the season. Yesterday the winless teams whom were not facing a team that was also winless went a perfect 3-0 ATS as the Bengals, Giants, and Eagles all covered. Also, in the other two match-ups this week involving winless teams it was a battle of teams seeking their first wins as the Broncos faced the Jets Thursday and the Vikings faced the Texans Sunday. In both cases the road team (and the dog) won each game outright. You can see where I am going with this. Yes, the Packers are undefeated on the season and the Falcons are winless but I am riding with the road dog in this one. This game is at Lambeau Field so normally about 3 points added for that. That said, Green Bay opened up as low as a 5-point favorite in this one. I love being a contrarian. That line is saying the 3-0 Packers are only two points better than the winless Falcons on a neutral field. Of course the betting markets are in love with the Pack here and the line is now up to a -7 as of game day morning. I'll gladly grab the points here. The Falcons come in angry as they have blown huge leads (inexcusable!) to the Cowboys and Bears this season. Big dogs left for dead across the sports world are capable of rising up when others least expect it. That was the case with the Eagles last night in the NFL and the Heat in the NBA as well. I sense another shocker here as the Falcons first game of the year was against a tough Seahawks team and then they did build HUGE leads against both Dallas and Chicago before losing those games. The point is that the Falcons are a better team than many are thinking right now and I know what kind of effort they will bring on a Monday Night with the nation walking. Guys show up big for games like this when they are highly motivated and certainly the winless Falcons play this game with a chip on their shoulder. 10* ATLANTA

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #277 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Eagles (+) @ San Francisco 49ers @ 8:20 ET - This is more of a play against the 49ers. San Francisco will again be without QB Jimmy Garappolo this week and, on the other side of the ball, are without CB Richard Sherman and 2019 Defensive ROY Nick Bosa. The 49ers are 2-1 to start the season but the 3 teams they have played were a combined 16-31-1 last season. Based on last year's records, this is the toughest team that the Niners have faced yet this season and yet the line keeps climbing and climbing. Yes the Eagles have some injury issues but, as you can see above, so does San Francisco. The fact we can get more than a TD with a Philly team that was up 17-0 versus Washington and lost plus comes into this game very hungry after missing an opportunity for a win (and settling for a tie) versus the Bengals last week is a solid value spot here. The Eagles remain very hungry for that first win of the season and this is a team with a roster full of proud players only a couple seasons removed from a Super Bowl win and still stinging from last year's first round exit from the playoffs. Hungering for their first win they may not get it here but, if they don't, look for the Eagles to fall short by just a single score in this one. Philly defense is allowing just 330.7 ypg this season while the Niners are allowing only 304 ypg. Keep in mind the Eagles had to face the Rams this season. San Francisco has only faced 3 non-playoff teams. That is the story line here as this will be the toughest match-up the Niners have faced and I know the Eagles defense is going to "bring it" in this one too. Nick Mullens had great numbers last week but this isn't the Giants or the Jets defenses that he faced in his first two appearances! By the way, San Francisco has covered just 7 of their last 25 as a home favorite! That is a 28% ATS rate! Getting 7.5 or 8 here is a real bargain in fading the 49ers in this one. 8* PHILADELPHIA

ABC Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach Rotation #706 Sunday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 7:30 ET - Couple of unlikely stats so far in this series as the Lakers are getting better 3-point shooting than expected from unexpected sources and also have dominated the offensive glass. Having a slight edge in either one of those categories is not a surprise but to have a huge edge in both of them is highly unlikely to continue. The Heat, now down 0-2 in this series, are extremely hungry. Miami also could get Bam Adebayo back for this one (expected) as well as Goran Dragic (possible). Either way, whatever Heat players are on the floor are going to give a valiant effort in this must win situation. I am expecting huge games from Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder and Duncan Robinson. Look for role players like Kelly Olynyk, Kendrick Nunn, and Andre Iguodala to also come up big if called upon. This is a "rally the troops" game for a well-coached Heat team that shouldn't be catching nearly double digits again in this spot. We have seen what this team is capable of throughout this post-season and I wouldn't count a resilient bunch like this just yet. A lot of line value here, given the situation, with this under-valued hungry big dog. 10* MIAMI

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #251 Sunday 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts (-) @ Chicago Bears @ 4:25 ET - The Bears are 3-0 this season and yet they are an underdog, even though at home, against the 2-1 Colts. As a result, many are calling this line a "mistake" but long-time followers know how I feel about "mistakes" in terms of lines! The fact is that Indianapolis is deservedly the favorite here. The Bears have come back from huge deficits against the Lions and Falcons for two of their three wins this season and they barely held off the hapless Giants for their other victory this season! Those 3 teams that Chicago has barely (and in two cases, fortunately) beaten were a combined 14-33-1 last season! Now they take on a Colts team that looks like the real deal. Yes I know that Indianapolis also has played a rather weak schedule but the Vikings did go 10-6 last season and Jacksonville is better than their early season record would indicate. The road loss to the Jaguars in the season opener for Indy is their only loss so far on the young campaign. Indianapolis outgained the Jags 445-241 in that game but were done in by turnovers. The way I see it the Colts could easily be 3-0 on the season while the Bears aren't too far off from being an 0-3 team this season. We are only in Week 4 of the season and Chicago is already the first team in NFL history with two wins in the same season in games in which they trailed by 16 or more points in the 4th quarter. That won't happen here against a team that ranks as the #1 defense in the NFL so far this season. The Bears scoring defense ranks decently but their yardage defense ranks middle of the pack (15th) in the NFL and again they have faced teams that went 14-33-1 last season. I know Nick Foles is still a solid QB as he showed last week, but the Colts are well coached and Frank Reich (former Eagles offensive coordinator) knows plenty about Foles. Their top-ranked defense will frustrate Foles and the Bears in this one and I look for QB Philip Rivers and company to pull away as this one goes on. 10* INDIANAPOLIS

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #265 Sunday 8* Los Angeles Chargers (+) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 1 ET - Now that this line has climbed to as high as a 7.5 as of early Sunday morning, it is "go time" with this one. Rookie Chargers QB Hebert is making his first ever road start but I like what I have seen from this LA offense. In fact statistically they rank much better in yardage than the Bucs. The fact is, based on stats, the Chargers should have more points than the Buccaneers early this season but that is reversed right now and that results in value in spots like this. Last week the Chargers outgained the Browns by 134 yards and had a 26-14 first down edge and yet lost the game outright. That results in line value in a situation such as this particular one and TB doesn't exactly have a good history as a home favorite. In fact, the Buccaneers have covered just 5 of their last 22 when in that role! With the defenses about equal and the Chargers offense averaging 425.7 ypg comparted to just 334 ypg for the Buccaneers, I am grabbing the big dog value in this one. 8* LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Game of the Week – Scott “The Bulldog” Rickenbach CFB Rotation #154 Saturday 10* Top Play Georgia Bulldogs (-) vs Auburn Tigers @ 7:30 ET – The Bulldogs just might have the best defense in the nation. I know the offense didn’t look sharp in their win over Arkansas last week but they at least got some confidence with their 32-point outburst in the 2nd half of that game (helped by turnovers). After working out the kinks last week against the Razorbacks, look for the Georgia offense to be a little stronger this week and, again, there is no questioning how good this Dawgs defense is! As for Auburn, though they won their game against Kentucky by a double digit margin last week, they were quite fortunate! The Tigers actually were outgained by the Wildcats by a margin of 60 yards. Auburn was fortunate to have a 3-0 turnover edge and that helped set them up on a short field for some late scoring. The Tigers truly benefited throughout the game as every key call and bounce of the ball seemed to go their way. With Auburn off that deceiving final score, there is excellent line value here on the Bulldogs as I am projecting a win by a double digit margin here. Georgia has won 6 of its last 7 games both SU and ATS plus the home team has covered 10 of the last 13 games between these teams. Having home edge and the much better defense and an offense that built up some momentum with last week’s performance in the 2nd half, the Bulldogs are the play here in a game they should win big as they wear down Auburn as the game goes on. Lay the points. 10* GEORGIA

Earliest Cash – Scott “The Bulldog” Rickenbach CFB Rotation #118 Saturday 8* West Virginia Mountaineers (+) vs Baylor Bears @ Noon ET – This is a tough spot for Baylor. They are playing just their 2nd game of the season and first road game. They have a first year head coach and missed a lot of valuable time when spring practice schedules were disrupted by the pandemic. Yes, the Bears did roll to a big win on the scoreboard in their first game but that was against a bad Kansas team. Also, Baylor only outgained the Jayhawks by 24 yards so the huge margin of victory was quite deceiving. Neal Brown is in his 2nd year as head coach of the Mountaineers. This is a West Virginia team that returns quite a lot of experience from last year’s team and will be extra motivated to bounce back at home this week after losing their Big 12 opener by a two TD margin at Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers have revenge on their minds here as they lost at Baylor last season. I like the defense of West Virginia and they also returned 8 starters on offense (including QB Doege) this season. Look for the home team to improve to 6-3 ATS in the last 9 meetings between these Big 12 foes. The more experienced team and in their 2nd year under their head coach’s new systems, etc compared to a Baylor team that will have some early season growing pains under 1st year head coach Aranda. Grab the value here with the small home dog. 8* WEST VIRGINIA

Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #715 Friday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 9 ET - Ever heard the expression that it is the wounded dog that bites the hardest? It is very true! The Heat are wounded in more ways than one here as they got embarrassed by their ugly loss in Game 1 plus suffered multiple injury issues. With the situations involving Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo look for Kelly Olynyk and Kendrick Nunn to step up big time in Game 2. The Heat still have plenty of talent on this team and they are very upset that they played like garbage after jumping out to a solid double digit lead in the first quarter. Keep in mind the line on Game 1 ended up at 4.5 but now the line on Game 2 is up to a 10 as of early Friday morning. I understand the viewpoint of the marketplace but that doesn't mean I agree with it. The Heat didn't get this far without being well-coached and making proper adjustments and they will be ready for Game 2. Do they win this one outright? Probably not BUT it would not totally shock me that is for sure. The fact is I do expect them to keep this game to a single digit margin as they fight all the way through it. There is no quit in this Miami team and they have yet to lose back to back games in this post-season. Watch Heat players simply playing out of their minds in this game! They will be that fired up and ready to respond and will stay aggressive throughout this game! The Lakers 4 games prior to the blowout win in Game 1 featured 1 SU loss and 3 SU wins ALL by 10 or less points. We've got great line value here. I'll take it. 10* MIAMI

Thursday Thrasher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #101 Thursday 10* Top Play Denver Broncos (+) @ New York Jets @ 8:20 ET - Do you think the odds makers didn't know about the QB situation for the Broncos? Or that they were clueless about everything when they set this line in the -2 or -2.5 range on Denver? In fact, a few days ago this line had the Broncos favored by 3 points and then now they are a 2-point underdog? Long-time followers know how I feel about line moves like this and I'll absolutely grab the value here with the Broncos after a 5-point line swing! The fact is both these teams have injuries on both sides of the ball and it is an ugly match-up as each team is 0-3 to start the season. Of course many will argue that the Jets have the home field edge but, again, the odds makers knew where this game was being played when they made the line! I expect QB Rypien to have a solid start for the Broncos against a bad Jets defense. The fact he got some work in the last game and threw a pick on his final pass (after 8 straight completions) is actually a good thing. If he gone 9 for 9 with a TD pass he might have lost focus here. That interception, which did not cost the Broncos the game by the way, was actually the best thing that could have happened to him. Watch this Denver team come into East Rutherford fully focused on both sides of the ball and get their first win of the season. Keep in mind, the Jets haven't even been close this season. New York has lost all 3 games by a double digit margin and their average margin of defeat is 19 points. The Broncos lost last week was their first ugly one. They lost their first two games by a COMBINED 7 points. Both teams have struggled early this season as their 0-3 records indicate BUT the Broncos have been the more competitive team and we'll see that again in this one. I'll gladly take the points here. 10* DENVER

Perfect Matchup - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #701 Wednesday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 9 ET - The Heat are 12-3 SU in the post-season and one of those 3 defeats came by just 3 points in overtime. Miami got past the Bucks and Celtics. The Lakers are a bit fortunate as they missed facing Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers and, instead, got a tired Nuggets team. Denver had gone too far in seeing each of their first two series turn into 3-1 deficits before rallying to win each series in 7 games. That left them out of gas in terms of facing the Lakers and once Anthony Davis hit that game-winning last second shot in Game 2 of the series that was the handwriting on the wall for a tired Nuggets team. Denver managed just 1 win in the series with Los Angeles. The only time the Lakers won Game 1 of the series in this post-season was when they caught the Nuggets in a very tough spot for Denver as they were worn out after rallying against the Clippers to take that series in 7 games. The Lakers now face a much tougher test than a tired Nuggets team. Just like their first two series of this post-season, Los Angeles drops this opening game. As added insurance I am grabbing the points here but I am expecting an outright upset. The Heat present some different defensive looks that could give the Lakers some trouble until they adjust. By the time they do, it could be too late for Game 1 and this Heat team has been shooting lights out from beyond the arc. More of the same here. 10* MIAMI 

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #490 Monday 10* Top Play Baltimore Ravens (-) vs Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:15 ET - Two very strong teams but the Ravens have won 14 regular season games in a row SU and are at home for this game and have revenge from last year's loss at Kansas City and have the much better defense in this match-up. Indeed, even though the Chiefs have not allowed a lot of points this season their defense statistically (based on yardage allowed) comes into this week ranked poorly. The Ravens defense comes into this week ranked as one of the best in the NFL and that was the case last season as well. By the way, Chiefs ranked in middle of pack defensively last year. KC wins games with their offense and, also, their defense is known to not travel as well. The Chiefs D is known for being tougher when at home. That said, I really like the Ravens in this key early season match-up and possible AFC Championship preview. The better D, the home field, the revenge factor, and Baltimore is on an 11-1 ATS run. The Ravens have quite a solid offense as well even though the Chiefs get more of the hype. That said, we'll fade the hype and lay the small number to have a highly motivated small home favorite in this one. This is a statement game for the home team against the defending Super Bowl champs. 10* BALTIMORE

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #488 Sunday 8* New Orleans Saints (-) vs Green Bay Packers @ 8:20 ET - I know these teams had identical 13-3 records last season but didn't it seem like almost every break imaginable went the Packers way last year? That type of "magic" is, of course, unlikely to be repeated again this year and, in fact, things usually play out in opposite fashion after a year like that. I know Green Bay is already 2-0 this season but they beat a Vikings team that has some major issues (how about that performance, coming off a loss, against the Colts last week?) and the Packers other win was against a bad Lions team. The Saints won in week 1 against a Bucs team many feel has a great shot at a super bowl run with Brady now at QB. Now off a loss in week 2 against a Raiders team that felt like it had to lift the city of Las Vegas onto its shoulders as it opened up the new stadium Monday night, look for New Orleans to respond off defeat. The Saints were on a 12-3 ATS run prior to the loss to the Raiders. Also, I like the fact this line was a -6 when it opened and it has crashed all the way down to a -3. I am aware of the injury situations for both teams and this line move is simply not justified in my opinion. Saints at home and off a loss and taking on a Packers team that hasn't been truly tested yet this season. I like this set-up a ton and will lay the short number. 8* NEW ORLEANS

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #718 Sunday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 7:30 ET - The Heat were outrebounded by a double digit margin in the Game 5 loss. Miami also made just 19% of their 3-pointers in Friday's loss. The Heat lost the game by 13 points but were outscored by 15 points (5 threes) from beyond the arc as the Celtics were the better shooting team Friday. If you think any of the above stats are going to be repeated on Sunday you have another thing coming. The fact is that Miami is the better team in this series and now, after a loss and wanting to avoid a Game 7 where anything can happen, the Heat are the hungrier team. Boston was a little hungrier in Game 5. Now the shoe is on the other foot. This one is all Heat. I am expecting an outright win as I just don't see Jimmy Butler and Company being denied in this one but I will grab the insurance of having the points - as high as 3.5 as of game day morning - as added insurance in this one. 10* MIAMI

Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #484 Sunday 10* Top Play Denver Broncos (+) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 4:25 ET - This line has shot up from a 3.5 to as high as a 6.5 and, of course, that is mostly based on Broncos QB Lock being out for this one. However, Driskell actually played quite well in relief of Lock and that was against a tough Steelers defense. Now he takes on a Bucs team that was one of the worst teams in the league last year against the pass. Also, I am not sold just yet on Tampa Bay. They have all this hype now because of Tom Brady at QB but last time I checked this is still a team that didn't have a winning record last season. Now they are on the road against a Broncos team that finished up last season on a red hot streak in home games. I know they are 0-2 this season but Denver played a pair of tough teams and lost the games by a combined total of just 7 points. Look for the Broncos to be in this game all the way. Denver has a respectable defense and, even without a stadium full of fans the Broncos have an extra home field edge do the elevation there. That is something visitors are not as use to. That is part of the reason the Broncos have failed to cover only TWICE the last DOZEN times they have been a home dog. The Buccaneers were helped by 4 Carolina turnovers last week and they lost their opening game (and only road game) to the Saints thus far. I feel this TB team is way over-rated and an outright upset here would not surprise me which is why I am elevating this play (at plus the points) to my highest level. 10* DENVER

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #474 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Eagles (-) vs Cincinnati Bengals @ 1 ET - Third time will be the charm for the Eagles (and for me). I would not be touching this game if the line had moved 2.5 points the other way but the way this line moved we have strong value with the home favorite in this one. The Eagles opened as high as 6.5 in many books. If the line had gone to a -9 then of course I am not touching them. But the line went the other way to a -4 and the Eagles are a in a great situation here at home and off a home loss. Yes each team is 0-2 to the start the season and I understand Bengals QB Joe Burrow has looked good thus far. But are people forgetting Cincinnati went 2-14 last season while Philadelphia won 4 straight games to close the season out with a winning record and a playoff berth? These teams have not changed that much that they are now essentially equal! Keep in mind teams are normally assessed about 3 points for their home field edge. I know the home field edge is different early this season because of the whole covid-19 situation but the betting markets pushing this line to a 4 are very close to saying the Bengals and Eagles line would be almost a pick'em on a neutral field. I certainly don't see it that way. Philly is angry and has 3 turnovers in each of their first two games. Cincinnati played teams that went a combined 11-21 last season. I know the Eagles also matched up with a weak team (Washington) in game one but they gave that game away after amassing a 17-0 lead. Last week they played a tough Rams team that still has plenty of talent. I think the markets are all wrong with their current assessment of these teams and the Eagles offer great line value at this low number. The Eagles are healthier on the offensive line and defensive line than they've been in their other games early this season and they will win the wars in the trenches in this one. This is a VERY angry and proud team that will show up at home for this one and I see them winning by at least a full TD. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach EPL Rotation #200106 Sunday 10* Top Play Manchester City -1.5 goals -110 vs Leicester @ 11:30 AM ET - Manchester City has some injury concerns heading into this game but so too does Leicester. On the money line Manchester City is a huge favorite but we can lay the -1.5 goals to have much better value here and I do expect them to win this one in blowout. Insuring the proper focus is the fact that Leicester brings a perfect 2-0 mark into this fixture. However, Leicester's first two matches were against a pair of clubs that just got promoted to the Premier League this season. Now they go all the way to the "top of the class" per se and face a Manchester City team that is projected by most to win the league this season. Not only that, this is on their home pitch. Manchester City has played only 1 match so far this season and they won 3-1 at Wolverhampton against a respectable team. That was an impressive win. Now in their home opener I look for a win by at least that margin again. Keep in mind Leicester won just 7 of their 19 away fixtures last season. Conversely, Manchester City (even though they had a bit of a disappointing overall campaign compared to expectations) dominated on their home pitch. Not only did Manchester City have a record of 15-2-2, they had a positive goal differential of +44. The fact is a win by a 3 goal margin here would indeed not surprise me in the least and I am definitely expecting a victory by 2 or more goals. Lay it! 10* MANCHESTER CITY -1.5 goals -110

TNT Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #711 Saturday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 9 ET - Though the Lakers Anthony Davis is listed as questionable I am sure he is going to play here. Still I like the Nuggets in this one. Even though LA had a dozen more free throw attempts in Game 4, the Lakers still only won the game by a half dozen points. That says something right here. What we also know about this Denver team is there is no quit in them. They were down 3-1 in each of the prior two series and rallied to win both. I am not saying that happens here but I am expecting them to go toe to toe with the Lakers in this one all the way. If the Nuggets do fall short look for it to be on a buzzer beater type scenario like how Davis beat them on the late 3 in Game 2. The fact is the Nuggets have been hanging tough with the Lakers in each of the past 3 games and I see no reason that won't continue here. That being the case, give me the points! 10* DENVER

Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #454 Saturday 10* Top Play Virginia Tech Hokies (-) vs NC State Wolfpack @ 8 ET - This line was as high as a 10.5 earlier this week and now fell to as low as a -6. The fact it is below the key number of 7 as of early game day morning is leading to excellent line value in this match-up. I know NC State has an advantage in terms of having a game under their belt but they just allowed 42 points to Wake Forest. The Wolfpack hung on for the 3-point win but certainly were not overly impressive on the defensive side of the ball as the Demon Deacons piled up 32 first downs in that game. Now they take on a Virginia Tech team that returns nearly the entire defense from last season. The Hokies are undervalued here because some expect them to struggle in their first game without defensive coordinator Bud Foster. I definitely do not see it that way and I also like the fact that a lot of players got valuable experience last season by being "thrown into the fire". Enduring those growing pains last season has the Hokies positioned well for success this season. Justin Fuente is a solid coach and this is the best-looking roster he has had since the 2016 season and Virginia Tech won the ACC Coastal Division that season. History is certainly on the side of the Hokies as they have won 4 straight meetings with NC State and each of the last 3 were double digit wins. Virginia Tech can't wait to get back on the field as they were 8-3 last season before losing their season finale to Virginia and then the Hokies also lost their bowl game. They have waited a long time to again taste victory and they'll be ready here. As for the Wolfpack, they had actually lost 6 straight games to close out last season and barely hung on for 3-point win last week. NC State won't be so fortunate this week as they drop to 1-7 SU their last 8 games. Hokies roll to double digit win. 10* VIRGINIA TECH

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #451 Saturday 8* Texas State Bobcats (+) @ Boston College Eagles @ 6 ET - The Eagles are off a win at Duke but, though they won that game by 20 points, the yardage stats were nearly equal. That is helping to give some value with this line and, from a situational standpoint, I feel we have tremendous value here. The Bobcats are already rounding into mid-season form. Yes, it may be early in the season for many teams but this will be the 4th game already for Texas State. After two tight losses to open up the season, the Bobcats got a huge confidence boost with a road win at UL-Monroe last week. Keep in mind, Texas State lost the game prior to that in double-OT and then their season-opening win was an impressive hard-fought loss by a single possession to a solid SMU team. The Bobcats have a respectable offense with two QB's equally capable of leading the team to big points. With Boston College off an ACC win and having another big ACC game versus North Carolina on deck, I just can't see the Eagles being fully focused here. The Bobcats are in their 2nd year under head coach Jake Spavital and they already look much better in the 2nd year of his systems. Look for them to play the role of "scrappy underdog" in this one and, as a result, it will be tough for the Eagles to build up much of a margin in this one. 8* TEXAS STATE

Afternoon Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #416 Saturday 8* Oklahoma State Cowboys (-) vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 3:30 ET - Never over-react to just one game but that is exactly what the betting markets have done in this case. A line that was nearly a 10 has dropped to under the key number of 7 and I won't hesitate to get involved here. Yes, I am aware of the Cowboys QB injury situation but they have options at the position as they proved in surviving a scare from Tulsa last week. That tight win over the Golden Hurricane is helping to give us line value this week because it was unimpressive. However, it was still a win and OSU allowed just 7 points in the game. I know West Virginia is off a bye and they won their first game of the season 56-10 but they played an FCS school, Eastern Kentucky, who has now lost their first two games by a combined score of 115-10. No the Colonels didn't play Alabama in their first game, they played Marshall and lost 59-0 to the Thundering Herd. The point is that Eastern Kentucky is not a good barometer for an FBS team to test themselves against. The Mountaineers take a big step up in level of competition this week in this Big-12 match-up and Oklahoma State is 5-0 SU/ATS in the last 5 meetings between these teams. The Cowboys, of course, are not happy with their performance in last week's win over Tulsa and will be much better this week as they roll to a big home win. 8* OKLAHOMA STATE

Scott “The Bulldog” Rickenbach NBA Rotation #715 Friday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 8:30 ET – This line opened up at a -2 on Boston and is already up to a 3.5 as of Thursday afternoon. I fully understand the line move since the Celtics are in a “win or go home” situation but the odds makers set this number very low for a reason. In typical contrarian fashion I am against the move here. I will gladly grab the extra points being offered but it is certainly not without reasoning! The fact is that the Heat seem to have Boston’s number. No matter the situation, no matter the score, Miami just keeps battling and finding a way and they have frustrated this Celtics team and shattered its confidence. Look at the box score from Wednesday’s Game 4 and you will see that Boston actually shot better from 3-point land than the Heat did plus the Celtics made 4 more 3-pointers than did Miami and yet they still lost the game. It speaks volumes that Boston outscored the Heat by 12 points from beyond the arc and yet still lost the game by 3 points. Whether it is Herro or Butler stepping up, the Heat just keep coming at the Celtics and keeping them on their heels and that makes for a very dangerous underdog. I’ll take the points here. 10* MIAMI

Scott “The Bulldog” Rickenbach CFB Rotation #455 Friday 10* Top Play Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (+) @ UTSA Roadrunners @ 8 ET – Why would the odds makers open up UTSA as a favorite of slightly less than a TD against a Middle Tennessee State team that has been blasted by a combined score of 89 to 14 in their first two games? Precisely! That -6.5 on the Roadrunners looked quite enticing and sure enough the early action has been on UTSA and has driven the line up to the key number of 7 which makes this an easy choice for me. I am happy to grab the +7 with a hungry underdog that takes a step down in level of competition here against a team that is a bit over-valued right now. First off the Roadrunners are 2-0 but faced an FCS team, Stephen F Austin, last week and a Texas State team that is annually a bad team and coming off a 3-9 season last year. The Roadrunners are on an 8-16 ATS run as a home favorite. Also, these teams have met twice in recent years and the road team won each game. Also, UTSA was originally scheduled to face Memphis but then the Tigers covid-19 situation changed all that so now bring in MTSU. This is a match-up the Runners may think they want but I have a strong feeling this will be upset city. The Blue Raiders are not a great team but they are certainly much better than the performances they have shown against Army and Troy. The key is that MTSU, in my opinion, is the best team that UTSA will have faced so far this season while the Roadrunners are the weakest team the Blue Raiders have faced this season. Don’t let the records fool you here. Great situation for an angry underdog playing with a chip on its shoulder in this one. 10* MIDDLE TENNESSEE 

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #710 Thursday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 9 ET - The Nuggets were in a bit of a tough spot in Game 1 as they were off a grueling 7 game series where they rallied from a 3-1 deficit against the Clippers. Likewise, in that series they had lost Game 1 to the Clippers after rallying from a 3-1 deficit to knock the Jazz out of the post-season. The point is that maybe the Lakers weren't really that good in Game 1 of this series but rather that Denver was simply out of gas. The Nuggets have now been the better team in each of the last two games and only lost Game 2 because of a miraculous last second shot by Anthony Davis. In other words, there is no way I would lay big points here with a Lakers team that has been the lesser team so far in this series and that has given all the momentum to the Nuggets in this series. Denver believes. Let me repeat that...Denver believes! They have confidence because of what they've been able to accomplish when everyone has counted them out throughout this post-season. As a result, even if they did go down 3-1 in this series they still would not be shaken in their confidence. I actually don't expect that though. I expect the Nuggets to continue to outplay the Lakers and to get the upset win here. I will grab the value of the points however because if the Nuggets do fall short I expect it to be by only a bucket or two. They are 4-2 SU their last 6 games and the only big loss was Game 1 of this series and we all understand that was not the best situation, to say the least, against a rested Lakers team. 10* DENVER

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #301 Thursday 10* Top Play Miami Dolphins (+) @ Jacksonville Jaguars @ 8:20 ET - The first lines on this one were as low as a "pick'em". Keep in mind this is a match-up of teams featuring an 0-2 Dolphins team and a 1-1 Jaguars team that did win their only home game. In other words, it is "too easy" right? Just take the home team to win and, of course, that is what everyone is doing as the line has been driven up to a -3 on Jacksonville as of early gameday morning. In typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side of the line move. Dolphins hungry for that first win of that season and wrapped up last season on a 3-2 ATS run their last 5 road games. Their first road game this season was at New England and they failed to cover. However, though the Jaguars might be improving some they are not the Patriots! Also, the Jags are now 3-7 SU their last 10 games overall. I'll grab the points here. 10* MIAMI

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #713 Wednesday 10* Top Play Boston Celtics (-) vs Miami Heat @ 8:30 ET - The Celtics got back into the series with a win in Game 3. Keep in mind they were up 5 late in the 4th quarter of the Game 2 loss and they lost Game 1 in overtime. In other words, and considering Boston had big leads in each of the games too, the Celtics could easily be up 3-0 in this series. Now that's not to say Miami doesn't deserve to be here because they most certainly do and they have earned their 2-1 series edge. However, my key takeaway from all this is two-fold. One is that the Celtics have confidence from the ability to establish double digit leads in games. Two is that Boston has swung momentum after finally hanging on for a win in Game 3. Another added factor that has me backing the Celtics here is the extra time off. Keep in mind that gave Hayward extra rest as he recovers from injury and having him back and as healthy as he has been in a long time is a big plus for Boston. After losing Game 3 on Saturday you know Miami couldn't wait to get back on the floor. Instead they've had to wait around for extra days due to the scheduling quirk. This favors a Celtics team and head coach Brad Stevens as he was able to make even more adjustments and is generally regarded (and rightfully so) as the best coach in the NBA. I wish the number was a little lower but even at the -3 range the Celtics are the play here for sure as they should take this one by at least half a dozen points. 10* BOSTON

Game of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #708 Tuesday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 9 ET - Murray and Jokic combined to hit just 3 of 13 from beyond the arc in Game 2 and yet the Nuggets still should have won the game outright. Denver was outrebounded by a double digit margin Sunday night by the Lakers and yet still should have won the game outright. Only an incredible clutch shot by Anthony Davis bailed out Los Angeles in that one and I am expecting another strong game from a desperate Nuggets team here. Look for Denver to be stronger on the boards here and also hit better from long-range. Additionally, one has to like the fact that the Nuggets had 33 free throw attempts compared to just 19 for the Lakers. I liked the way Denver was aggressive and attacking and resilient as the game went on. They just never gave up and it has been their MO throughout the playoffs and they are showing they are certainly not going to stop now in the Western Conference Finals either...not on your life! There is simply no quit in this resilient Nuggets team and I am expecting their best game of the series tonight. Denver, including regular season and post-season, is 7-3 SU when they enter a game on a SU losing streak of 2 or more games. The 3 losses saw 2 of the defeats come by 5 or less points. The Lakers are favored by 6.5 in this game. I feel the Nuggets have a great shot at the outright upset here and, as you can see from the above, +6.5 in this situation would have netted a 9-1 ATS record in the Nuggets 10 such prior occurrences. Like I said, you are going to see the best of this hungry underdog tonight! 10* DENVER

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach MLB Rotation #951 Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Phillies Run Line -1.5 runs +105 @ Washington Nationals @ 3:05 ET (Game #1 of Double Header) - The Phillies Aaron Nola walked 5 in his most recent start and that is a career worst for him and yet he is the staff ace. The Nationals Austin Voth is coming off his strongest start of the season in his most recent outing and yet this is still a guy who is winless on the season with a 7.17 ERA. You can see where I am going with this. Nola is 5-3 with a 2.92 ERA and off a bad performance while Voth has struggled badly this season but is off a strong performance. That means value with the Phillies here on the run line. Of course I am not going to lay the nearly -200 price on the money line here but on the run line there is even some plus money out there on the Phillies because this is just a 7 inning game. In theory that would make it tougher for the Phillies to get a big lead since they only get 7 innings of hitting instead of 9 innings. However, this shortened game actually works in favor of the Phillies since their bullpen is so bad. Don't be surprised if Nola pitches a complete game and the Phillies pound Voth and the other Nationals pitchers who enter this one and it turns into a road rout. 8* Philadelphia Run Line -1.5 runs (Game ONE of double header)

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #289 Monday 10* Top Play New Orleans Saints (-) @ Las Vegas Raiders @ 8:15 ET - Interesting that the Raiders barely beat the Panthers last week and the Saints were quite dominant against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers and then when you look at yesterday's results. Tampa Bay really "took it" to Carolina yesterday. You can see where I am going with this. I just feel that the Saints are the much better team than the Raiders and that this is especially true at this early stage of the season. New Orleans was better defensively last week and last season in comparison with the Raiders. I know this is the first game in the new stadium here in Las Vegas where I live but it is not the same atmosphere that it would have been had fans been allowed to attend. That said, it is not a huge home field edge really and with the Saints having opened up at nearly a full 7 point favorite and now being available at -5.5 I won't hesitate to step in. The Raiders, though off a win in Week 1, wrapped up last season on a 1-6 run. Also, 6 of their 9 losses last seen came by a margin of 18 or more points! The Saints are off a 13-3 season but very hungry after getting bounced in their first game of the post-season last year. In other words, this is a team on a mission and I don't see them losing a game like this. Not at this early stage of the season at least and based on the Raiders penchant for blowout losses I am comfortable laying the -5.5 here. 10* NEW ORLEANS

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #288 Sunday 8* Seattle Seahawks (-) vs New England Patriots @ 8:20 ET - This is a contrarian play. But being a contrarian is perhaps most important in the NFL over any other sport in the league. Everyone is enamored with the Patriots here because they are an underdog which is so rare with a Bill Belichick team. Well this New England team has problems. Yes they beat the Dolphins at home in Week 1 but who wouldn't beat the Dolphins at home in Week 1? Now Cam "full of himself" Newton is going to visit Seattle and get crushed by a Seahawks defense that honestly got caught looking ahead to this game and were fortunate to get past the Falcons last week. Oftentimes when team lookahead they lose but Russell Wilson completed a ridiculous 31 of 35 passes and wouldn't allow that to happen as they escaped defeat at Atlanta. Over 300 yards passing and 4 touchdowns for Wilson as he led them to victory. Now a Patriots defense that lost a couple of key players to the Lions over the off-season is going to try and stop Wilson and company on the road. It won't happen. What will happen is that the Seahawks defense plays much better at home than they did on the road. This is the norm for Seattle. The Seahawks had a rough year defensively last year and are anxious to make up for that here and will be fired up for their home opener and a Sunday night game. Seattle has gone 13-4 ATS its last 17 home openers. The Patriots are just 5-5 (including playoffs) since their 8-0 start to last season. Also, Brady now plays in Tampa Bay in case you haven't heard. In all seriousness though, the oddsmakers set the opening line on this one at Seahawks -3.5 for a reason and I look for a home win by double digits in this one as the much-weakened Patriots get exposed in their first true test after the Tom Brady era. 8* SEATTLE

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #705 Sunday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 7:30 ET - The Lakers shot 53% from the field, 42.3% from beyond the arc, had 37 free throw attempts...and still only won Game 1 by a dozen points. If I am Los Angeles that is cause for concern. Don't be surprised when the Nuggets get an upset win here in Game 2 but if they do fall short it will be by much less than a dozen points because I don't expect any of those ridiculous stats to be repeated for the Lakers in Game 2. Give me the generous points here in this one as the Nuggets are 3-1 SU the last 4 times they have been off a SU loss and they respond big in this one. Everyone watched the Lakers blast Denver in Game 1 but this line has not moved from the Friday number for a reason. The sharps are on the Nuggets in this one while the public will continue its love affair with the Lakers here. I expect this to cash easily as we grab an angry, hungry, and determined underdog in this one. 10* DENVER

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #703 Saturday 10* Top Play Boston Celtics (-) vs Miami Heat @ 8:30 ET - The Celtics have blown huge leads (each were double digit margins) to lose each of the first two games in this series. Certainly credit is owed to Jimmy Butler and the Heat but the Celtics have the best coach, Brad Stevens, in the NBA. Also, Boston's players are fired up and were angry after the game two loss. In that game, after blowing yet another double digit lead, the Celtics battled back to go up by 5 points with about 3 minutes to go in the game. Boston still ended up on the wrong end of the final score and now it is payback time. The only time the Celtics were off back to back losses in this post-season they then blasted the Raptors by 22 points in the next game. Including regular season occurrences too, Boston is 7-2 SU this season when they enter a game off 2 or more consecutive losses. With this line having dropped down from a 3 to a 2.5 there is even more value with taking the Celtics to bounce back large in this game. Look for them to do just that. 10* BOSTON

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #134 Saturday 8* Tulane Green Wave (-) vs Navy Midshipmen @ Noon ET - The situation at Navy is a mess. It is about more than just the embarrassing 55-3 loss to BYU to open the season (by the way, that was a HOME game for the Midshipmen). The fact is that Navy's offensive line lost key players from last season and, for an option team, the blocking patterns of your offensive line and how they function together are critical. Already without their star QB from last season, now the next guy up (Perry Olsen) has indicated he is transferring out of the program. The QB position is critical for any football team of course but especially for one running the triple option like the Midshipmen do. That said, the offense is a mess and lets not forget the defense got thrashed by the Cougars in their season opener. As for Tulane, yes they are off a non-covering win but they rallied to get it and that was on the road. After playing much better in the 2nd half than the 1st they have some momentum here. Speaking of rallies, the Green Wave rallied multiple times after digging a 24-0 hole at Navy last season but ultimately lost the game on a late field goal. Tulane has revenge here as a result and now they are at home for this one. I liked the way the Green Wave defense responded after a poor 1st half on the road in their season opener. Additionally, their offense got a little more comfortable as the game went on and this is a unit that averaged 33 points per game last season. With Navy's offense a mess right now, the Midshipmen won't be able to keep up in this one as it turns into a home blowout. Like the line move from an opener of 8 down to as low as a 6 for this one. 8* TULANE

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #733 Friday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 9 ET - The Lakers have won 8 of 9 games and all 8 wins have come by 8 or more points. So what did the books use as an opener for this game? 6.5 which of course is already attracting Lakers money. That opening line tells me the book makers (arguably the "sharpest people in the room") like the Nuggets here. Going against the public bettors in typical contrarian fashion here I am with the book makers and on the other side of the public. I am grabbing the Nuggets - currently a +7 as of early Friday morning. Keep in mind the Lakers did lose Game 1 of each of their series OUTRIGHT and I am not saying that will happen here but that is certainly a good sign that Denver could surprise the Lakers a bit in this first game. There could be some rust for Los Angeles too since they have not played since Saturday - a span of nearly a full week. A little rest is good but too much rest is certainly not. As for the Nuggets, they have won 3 straight and 7 of 10 games. Also, in those 10 games only 2 were defeats by more than 6 points. Additionally, Denver has a good cycle of consistently playing without any long layoffs. That is because the Nuggets have seen each of their first two series go 7 games. Everyone continues to doubt Denver but they just beat the Clippers. Yes, the LA team led by Kawhi Leonard who knows a thing or two about winning NBA championships. In other words, give the Nuggets some credit and don't be surprised when they are in this game to the final buzzer. 10* DENVER

Puck Line Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #7 Tuesday 7* New York Islanders Puck Line +1.5 goals -165 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:10 ET - Note my rating on this play as it is reduced and it is not a top play. That is because I am laying a price here and that is not something I do very often. I expect the Islanders to battle very hard in this elimination game but I respect the Lightning tremendously and would not be surprised to see this game decided by a single goal and possibly even go to overtime. As a matter of fact, the Bolts first two playoff series have each seen them eliminate their opponent in an overtime game! Prior to their big win in Game 4 of this series, Tampa Bay was 12-4 in this post-season but only 3 of those 12 wins came by more than a single goal. Riding the fantastic play of Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes, the Lightning have made a living off winning tight games in these playoffs. I am not saying they necessarily win this game but, if they do, you can see why I am forecasting the victory to come by just one goal. Keep in mind, Brayden Point (arguably the best player in the entire NHL post-season) left Game 4 early and the Lightning might rest him here. If he plays he will likely be less than 100 percent. The one game the Bolts lost in this series was Game 3 and Point missed that game. Yes, he is that important and him being a question mark and the Bolts penchant for tight games has me going with the Islanders +1.5 goals on the puck line as the best value in this one. New York was 12-7 in this post-season prior to the loss in Game 4 and 6 of those 7 losses came by a single goal. The only exception was the 8-2 blowout loss in Game 1 of this series but that was a horrible situational spot for the Isles. Tuesday's situation is most definitely not. The Isles, when off a loss in this post-season are 5-2 and both losses came by just 1 goal. That means that New York at +1.5 goals when off a loss in post-season has a perfect 7-0 record! 7* NEW YORK ISLANDERS Puck Line +1.5 goals -165

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #731 Tuesday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:40 ET - The Celtics are off a 5-point win to close out Toronto but that was preceded by losing 3 of 4 to the Raptors. Also, Boston's win that preceded the tough 1-3 stretch came by just 3 points. The point is that the Celtics have only 1 blowout win in their last 6 games and I like having the value of the couple points here with the rested Heat in this one. I know one could argue that Miami has had too much rest and could be rusty here but I just don't see Jimmy Butler and company staying rusty for more than a few minutes into this game - if even that! The Heat are 8-1 in the playoffs and the lone loss came in overtime! Miami won the one game between these teams in the bubble (August 4th victory) and I look for them to get the upset win in Game One of the Eastern Conference finals as well. Grab the points with the Heat on Tuesday. 10* MIAMI

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #479 Monday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Steelers (-) @ New York Giants @ 7:15 ET - Continuity matters in a season like this that is being played without a normal off-season to say the least. Not only that, no pre-season either. That said, can a situation be any worse than that of the Giants. They brought in a new head coach, new offensive coordinator, and new defensive coordinator. New York begins the season by taking on a Steelers team that gets a big boost with the return of QB Ben Roethlisberger under center. The Pittsburgh offense stumbled badly in 2019 without him but were solid in 2018 with him. As for the Giants, a number of concerns along the offensive line and I expect the Steelers to dominate this game in the trenches. New York will struggle to establish the run as a result and this will turn Giants QB Jones into a sitting duck for the Steelers blitz-heavy packages. This one can (and should) get ugly and I am laying the points with the road team. Yes it may seem a bit much but it is justified. In fact, the Giants are on a 1-10 ATS run as home dogs! Also, the Steelers are on a 6-2 ATS run against NFC opponents and New York has failed to cover eight straight home openers! This one turns into a road rout. 10* PITTSBURGH

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #478 Sunday 8* Los Angeles Rams (+) vs Dallas Cowboys @ 8:20 ET - Speaking of hype machines, there tends to no team getting more positive press coming into each season then America's Team. This season is no different and the Cowboys once again are penned by many as a team to beat this season. I know they now have McCarthy at coach but I think it is an organizational issue in Dallas that trickles down from the top level down through the staff and players and the results are not pretty. So now this Cowboys team that lost 5 of its last 7 road games is favored on the road against a Rams team playing with a chip on its shoulder after a disappointing 2019. I am not done yet. Dallas had 3 road wins last season and they came against teams with the following "impressive" records: 4-12, 3-12-1, 3-13. Super Bowl contenders, eh? Dallas first needs to prove they can win a road game against a decent football team! They never did it last season and I challenge them to do it right away here in Week 1 against a Rams team that has revenge from a 44-21 loss at Dallas last season. What happened in that game? LA was off back to back divisional wins and had just beaten Seattle 28-12 plus had another divisional game on deck at San Francisco. Scheduling situations don't get much worse than that. In other words don't let last season's result between these teams fool you. Rams are fully focused here and that is bad news for an overly hyped Cowboys team that can't beat a good team on the road to save their life. I'll gladly grab the home dog here. 8* LOS ANGELES RAMS

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #476 Sunday 10* Top Play New Orleans Saints (-) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 4:25 ET - Remember all the hype last season about the Browns? Then Cleveland began the season with a 43-13 loss in their season opener on their way to a 2-6 start. The Browns also lost their final 3 games of the season to finish 6-10 for the year. Now certainly I am not saying the Bucs are down so low that they are on the same level as Cleveland. But what I am saying is sometimes playing against the "hype machine" is one of the best things you can do. TB is so over-rated right now in my opinion because of Brady and Gronkowski. Let me remind some people of some facts about this Buccaneers team. Tampa Bay is off a losing season, ranked 24th in the NFL for rushing yardage, near the bottom of the NFL in both punt returns and kick returns, 30th in the NFL for pass defense and 29th in the NFL for scoring defense. Now they are very small 3.5 point dogs ON THE ROAD against a Super Bowl contender coming off a 13-3 season and very hungry after losing their playoff game in overtime. The Saints have covered 11 of their last 14 games overall and this line was up closer to 6 and now is down near a field goal. That is big time value especially when you consider that Tampa Bay has covered just 3 of its last dozen games. I really enjoy watching over-hyped teams get blasted and am confident that we will see exactly that right here. 10* NEW ORLEANS

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #463 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Eagles (-) @ Washington @ 1 ET - Hungry football team here with the Eagles off the disappointing playoff loss. So here you have a playoff-caliber team taking on a Washington team that doesn't even know what its name is. Washington also is having off-field issues relating to its front office and truly this is an organization that I have pegged as the worst team in the NFC. Washington is on a 1-7 ATS run in their last 8 home openers and the Eagles are confident when facing this team. Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings and this line (currently 5.5 and having dropped from opening at -7) offers great line value. The Eagles average margin of victory in those 5 wins is 13 points per game. Philadelphia has covered 6 of its last 7 as a road favorite in divisional action. Washington, against NFC East foes, is on an ugly 4-15 ATS run. The much better team rolls to a double digit win here as they get rid of the bitter taste of last year's playoff defeat at the hands of the Seahawks. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #723 Saturday 10* Top Play Houston Rockets (+) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 8 ET - The Rockets lost Game 4 by 10 points and that was with Harden making just 2 of 11 shots from the field! That said, and in a "win or go home" situation for Houston in Game 5, I am looking for an underdog bounce back in this game. After getting the upset win in Game 1, the Rockets have lost 3 straight games but none by more than 10 points. I realize the smallest margin of defeat in this series has been 8 points but if Houston falls short in this one look for it to be by a bucket or two. When the Rockets have entered a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games this season they went 4-2 SU and one of the two losses came by just 5 points which means, at today's number, Houston would be 5-1 ATS in this role. After a disappointing effort in Game 4, look for the Rockets to respond here. Keep in mind, prior to that one, they had won Game 1, led Game 2 going to 4th quarter, and were tied in Game 3 going to 4th quarter. I don't see the Lakers being able to pull away again here against a fired up and determined underdog playing for their playoff lives. 10* HOUSTON

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #429 Saturday 10* Top Play Tulane Green Wave (-) @ South Alabama Jaguars @ 7:30 ET - Long time followers know I am a contrarian and so, of course, this match-up caught my eye. You have Tulane laying double digits on the road against a South Alabama team that just won outright at Southern Miss last week. Huge mistake by the odds makers, right? Long time followers also know how I feel about that! The fact is that the old expression "on any given Sunday" that is talked about in NFL is also true in College Football. It is the "anything can happen" that happened for the Jaguars against the Golden Eagles but this is still a South Alabama team with a lot of issues and that went just 5-19 the past two seasons combined. As for Tulane, they crushed that same Southern Miss team in their bowl game last year to cap off a winning season. The Green Wave are a much better team than they used to be and have some true game-breakers at the RB position. I look for Tulane to run all over the Jaguars in this one. South Alabama still not use to facing the option attack and are not a very good team defensively. They allowed over 300 yards rushing last season against Georgia Southern (option team) and the Green Wave variation will prove even tougher to stop. Also, the Jags QB did throw two picks last week and was seen limping off the field late in the game. I know he is "good to go" here from what I am hearing but neither one of those things is a good sign and I just can't see South Alabama stopping this Green Wave offense and, therefore, it turns into a road rout. 10* TULANE 

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #718 Friday 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 9 ET - The Raptors have won 3 of the last 4 games but the public doesn't want to hear that. Undoubtedly Toronto is certainly no longer an attractive team to the betting masses as Kawhi Leonard jettisoned to LA to join the Clippers after winning it all with the Raptors. Now the Celtics are the popular choice in the east and have some of the bigger stars that the betting masses tend to fall in love with when the reality is something different. Grit, hard work, determination, momentum...those are some of the key factors that lead to wins in games like this. That said, when Boston was up 2-0 in this series and felt like they could take their foot off the gas they ultimately paid for it by losing 3 of the next 4 games in this series. That has not only, of course, given the Raptors life it has also given them confidence. I expect them to close out a great comeback with yet another win tonight but if they do fall short it will be by the slimmest of margins in my opinion. That said, there is value in having the points on your side in this one. Grab the underdog as the Raptors proved again in Game 6, there is no quit in this team. I really like what I am seeing from this group and expect it continue with a Game 7 win. So, as per usual, I am going contrary to the popular choice, give me the points. 10* TORONTO

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NFL Rotation #452 Thursday 10* Top Play Kansas City Chiefs (-) vs Houston Texans @ 8:20 ET - Continuity is always very important in the NFL from year to year. It helps a team get a season off to a good start. There has probably never been a year that it has been more important then 2020! With all the issues relating to the pandemic this year it has certainly been an unusual off season, training camp, etc. That said, I give a big edge to the Chiefs here and am happy to grab the line value here as well. This line was in the 10.5 range when it opened but has now dropped to as low as a -9 as of early game day morning. I'll grab the value and lay the points here. Keep in mind, the Texans made some changes at the skill positions of RB and WR. How quickly will everyone "click" and "mesh" and this could be even more problematic when you are on the road and playing in the rain (which is expected throughout the game at Arrowhead tonight). Also, how confident can the Texans be here. They had a 24-0 lead in the post-season game and inexplicably got outscored by a 44 point margin the rest of the way. Yes, JJ Watt is back for this game but he can't play defense all by himself for Houston. I also don't necessarily agree with whom they have at defensive coordinator now either. 40 year old Anthony Weaver will be the one play-calling here and trying to stop Patrick Mahomes and company. What a way to start your career as a DC for the first time! In any event I know Romeo Crennel, former DC, is still on the staff as assistant head coach but he couldn't figure out how to stop the Chiefs either! I just don't see the Texans as being able to get enough stops here to stay within single digits here and don't be surprised if their offense has some miscues early considering some of their personnel changes. 10* KANSAS CITY

Thursday Thrasher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #393 Thursday 10* Top Play UAB Blazers (+) @ Miami Hurricanes @ 8 ET - The Blazers already played last week and they defeated Central Arkansas. The fact they gave up a lot of points in the 45 to 35 win is deceiving. Just look at the yardage stats for the real story as Central Arkansas certainly didn't do much. Now, this week of course it is a major step up in class for UAB as they travel to Miami. However, this line is much different too as a result and the Hurricanes are over-priced in my opinion. The last two times the Blazers faced teams from Power 5 conferences they lost badly both times but the yardage starts told a different story. That is similar to the value we're seeing because of last week's "unimpressive win" for UAB. The point is that value gets baked into the lines as a result and especially after the markets start pushing them around. With this one now climbing up to as high as a 14.5 as of gameday morning, it is go time for me. The Blazers have a lot of talent and a lot of returning seniors still hungry to put last season's disappointing ending to the season behind them. Remember they lost in the CUSA Championship game plus lost their bowl game. The Hurricanes probably do find a way to win this game but they are working in a transfer QB (King) and could be a little overconfident too as they take on a team from Conference USA. Also, the game under the belt edge is one that should not be ignored. Give me the big points. 10* UAB

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #709 Wednesday 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - Brad Wanamaker scored 15 points off the bench for the Celtics on Monday. The rest of the Boston bench scored a TOTAL of 3 points! To put that in proper perspective, the Raptors bench scored 44 points in Monday's loss. Yes, the Celtics starers vastly outplayed Toronto's starters in Game 5 but I don't see that happening again here in Game 6. You know the Raptors, whom had won 2 straight before Monday's ugly loss, will respond big. I also certainly don't expect the Celtics to shoot 49.4% from the floor while the Raptors shoot just 38.8% from the floor like we saw in Game 5. Nor do I expect the Celtics to go to the line 27 times while the Raptors get just 13 free throw attempts. Boston is a popular choice in this one but the line move is giving us even more value with the Raptors now getting as much as 3.5 points as of early game day morning. I'll take it! I am expecting a Game 7 to result in this series and if the Raptors do fall short here look for it to be by just a bucket. Grab the points! 10* TORONTO

Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CFB Rotation #243 Monday 10* Top Play BYU Cougars (-) @ Navy Midshipmen @ 8 ET - This line is right around a pick'em so the first thing I want to mention is that if you can not get BYU at plus points then I would recommend playing the money line with Cougars rather than laying points. Of course line movement could impact that decision but just keep that in mind when you go make this wager. Many saw Army, another option team, blast Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon and are likely siding with Navy here under the same angle that a defense will struggle badly against the option attack. However, there are some key factors here that have me thinking contrarian to that. One is that, unlike the Blue Raiders, BYU has a strong defense and they return the majority of their top tacklers from last season's defense. Another factor here is that Navy lost their QB from last season and he was truly a special performer, a true star for the program, and is a key loss. Overall, when you look at returning personnel from last season, it is a huge edge for the Cougars in this one in terms of experience level on the roster compared to that of the Midshipmen. Additionally, even though this game is being played at Navy the Midshipmen won't have the usual crowd edge and plus it is a night game so it is no problem for the body clocks of BYU coming from out west. Sometimes when a team like the Cougars has an early game (Noon ET) back east those types of situations can be a problem. Again, no issue with that here and Brigham Young's offense battled a lot of injuries last season but look for the now much healthier unit to surprise some people with how successful it will be early this season. 10* BYU

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #702 Monday 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - Sometimes a series can turn on one shot and that is what you're seeing here in this one. When the Raptors got the last second 3 to win Game 3, they took that momentum right into Game 4 and now have won back to back games. Keep in mind, Toronto won 7 of 8 regular season games in the bubble, had won 4 straight regular season games prior to the pandemic-forced shutdown and now have won 6 of 8 playoff games. In other words, this is a Raptors team that has won 17 of its last 20 games. Certainly Boston is a very good team and also has the best coach in the NBA. However, some self-doubt is creeping in as they are not knocking down shots like they had been and the Raptors are the much more confident team right now. That said, I am happy to fade the line move here and grab the couple points now being offered with Toronto. Keep in mind the Raptors also led Game 2 by 8 points heading into the 4th quarter. It is a tight series and I like having the momentum and the points on my side! 10* TORONTO

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #745 Friday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Miami Heat @ 6:30 ET - Now we play the Bucks. After losing Game 1 everyone jumped on Milwaukee in Game 2. I had the Heat as you know. Why? Because I am a contrarian capper by nature and I saw the world jumping on the Bucks so, of course, I was on the other side. Now you have a case where there are finally non-believers about this Milwaukee team and we're seeing a lot more attention on Miami. So what do I do? Pound the Bucks here! After coming so close to a win in Game 2 but ultimately falling just short, Milwaukee puts it all together here and gets a resounding win by a double digit margin. You can almost feel it before it happens and there will just be a special focus from the Bucks (a very talented team of course) in this one after the way the game on Wednesday was decided late in such frustrating fashion for Milwaukee. Now it is payback time. The last 3 times the Bucks entered a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games they are a perfect 3-0 SU and the average margin of those 3 wins was 11.3 points per game with none of the victories coming by less than 7 points. That certainly works for our purposes here! 10* MILWAUKEE

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #729 Wednesday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 6:30 ET - Everyone will be on the Bucks to bounce back here in Game 2. In typical contrarian fashion, I'll be on Miami! The Heat played (and swept) a tough team in round one of the post-season when they knocked off the Pacers. Milwaukee got a "cake walk" match-up with facing the lowly Magic and yet they struggled to pull away from Orlando often in those games. Yes, the Bucks did win 4 straight from the Magic after dropping the opener but I am just talking about the fact that there were long stretches where Milwaukee just looked a bit "out of sorts" in that series. The bad news for Bucks fans is now they are facing a Heat team that is much stronger than the Orlando team they faced in round one. Miami is scrappy and that helped lead the way to a lot of Bucks turnovers in Game 1 and the Heat were active on the offensive glass. Jimmy Butler is a very driven player and is helping lead his teammates to victory. Until (unless?) Giannis Antetokounmpo does the same for the Bucks there is some concern in Milwaukee for sure. Also, the Bucks Eric Bledsoe is dealing with a strained hamstring too and will not be 100 percent even if he plays tonight. As I mentioned in the intro here, the world will be lining up on the Bucks off a loss but there is a reason the odds makers opened up Game 2 with a line of Milwaukee -4. As fully expected, the betting markets feel the odds makers made a mistake and have run this line to a -5 and I would not be surprised to see it go higher as the day goes on but I want to get this play out to all customers early. 10* MIAMI

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #17 Tuesday 10* Top Play Vancouver Canucks Puck Line +1.5 goals -130 vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:45 ET - I am well aware of the fact that there has not yet been a game decided by a 1-goal margin in this series. But I feel strongly we see a tight one in the Edmonton bubble tonight. The Canucks aren't going away without a fight and they are fired up after taking a 3-2 lead to the 3rd period against the Golden Knights on Sunday only to ultimately lose. Vancouver gave up 3 goals in a span of about 6 minutes of the first half of the final period in Game 4 and it is payback time here. I have tremendous respect for the Knights however and that is why I wouldn't be surprised to see an overtime game like we saw last night when the Bruins were facing elimination against the Lightning. Boston forced OT before finally losing to Tampa Bay in the 2nd overtime. In this case, of course would be nice to have a big money line payback on the Canucks should they win outright but I would not be surprised if they play a fantastic game and yet ultimately fall just short in a one-goal loss as Vegas looks to close them out and move on. Vancouver had won 5 of 6 when coming off a loss but that was entering Game 4. After that defeat, the Canucks are now 5-2 the last 7 times when entering a game off a loss. Look for Vancouver to bounce back here and note that the Golden Knights entered Sunday's game having gone just 4-3 the last 7 times they were off a win by a multiple goal margin and 3 of those 4 wins came by just a single goal including 2 in overtime. In other words, if you just played the puck line +1.5 goals against Vegas in those 7 games you went 6-1 with your bets! Of course that angle is now 6-2 after the Golden Knights 2-goal win in Game 4 but I'll gladly take that 75% angle with the Canucks here as I don't see them exiting this series quietly. 10* VANCOUVER Puck Line +1.5 goals -130

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #719 Monday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 6:30 ET - The Heat are well-rested after sweeping the Pacers in the first round. The Bucks did win 4 straight over the Magic after the losing the first game but went stretches where they truly didn't play that well against an Orlando team that they really should have dominated. Keep in mind, Miami faced a much tougher team in the first round than did Milwaukee. The Heat took on an Indiana team that finished 17 games over .500 while the Bucks took on an Orlando team that finished 7 games under .500 in the regular season. Also, Milwaukee seems more distracted by the incidents taking place in Kenosha, WI which makes sense, of course, because that city is practically a suburb of Milwaukee. The Heat didn't have that distraction come up until after they had already finished off the Magic in round one and I like what I am hearing and seeing with the Miami players heading into this first game of the round two series. Combining the factors above with the fact we get a handful of points here and I have no hesitation in grabbing the dog in this one. 10* MIAMI

Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #713 Sunday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 8:30 ET - The Nuggets won Game 5 and this followed a Game 4 loss that came by a margin of just 2 points. Denver also could get Gary Harris back for this game. He has worked his way back to be being closer and closer to a return. Now, after some extra time off because of the postponement of games, Harris might actually be ready to see some action here. The return of a starter, though he would likely come off the bench in this one, would be a boost to the Nuggets for sure. Either way, I like Denver in this one as they most certainly have proven they are not going down without a fight in this one. Remember Games 2 and 3 were blowout losses for the Nuggets but they have responded since then for sure. A Game 7 in a first round playoff series would be good for the NBA wouldn't it? Looks like they just might get it with this series. Keep in mind the Nuggets were a 4.5 point favorite in Game 1 of this series which they won in overtime. Now they are a 2.5 point dog in Game 6 of this series. I feel the line value here is clearly with Denver in this spot. The Nuggets, as noted above, got their tails kicked in with the ugly losses in Games 2 and 3 but they have since responded and the hungry dog bites the hardest as they say. Great line value with the underdog in this one especially when you factor in the potential return of Harris. Either way, for me, this is a great situation for backing the dog that is still down 3-2 in this series and welcomed the extra rest. 10* DENVER

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #703 Saturday 10* Oklahoma City Thunder (+) vs Houston Rockets @ 6:30 ET - Now, thanks to the extra time off afforded by the boycotts and resulting postponement of NBA games, Russell Westbrook is expected back for the Rockets for this one. However, he could be on a minutes limitation and also will Houston be able to seamlessly adjust with him back on the floor? Keep in mind, we're still seeing a struggling James Harden from 3-point land as Luguentz Dort continues his strong defensive play on the perimeter for the Thunder. After falling into an 0-2 hole, Oklahoma City changed things up in a bit and went to a smaller lineup at times and it has certainly worked as this series is now tied up at 2 games apiece. Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder, a pair of point guards, have picked up their level of play and the small ball approach has paid dividends for OKC. I am expecting more of the same here in Game 5 and am happy to grab the handful of points being offered. We're getting even more value here now because the markets have reacted to the Westbrook news and have pushed the Houston spread higher. The Rockets continue to jack up a lot of threes and I fully understand that is part of their normal game but with Harden making just 11 of 39 the last three games (thanks in part to Dort covering him in these games) Houston is just a bit "off" right now. Will they be able to easily adjust to Westbrook being back on the floor? I am not so sure about that! This (Rockets being just a bit "off" in recent games) has opened the door for the Thunder to take advantage and they will do so again here. Grab the points! 10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #714 Tuesday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 6:30 ET - The Nuggets had a miracle cover in Game 4 when Murray hit a "meaningless" 3-pointer in the final seconds to get in the backdoor for the cash for Denver backers. From that standpoint, it would seem that Utah would be the play here. After all, the Jazz had no business not winning ATS in Game 4. However, a closer look shows something very different. The Nuggets had 100 shots from the field and shot 49% while the Jazz had just 73 shots from the field and yet Denver did not win that game outright! Are you kidding me? So what happened is that the Jazz hit a ridiculous 14 of 29 three pointers. Also, Utah had 36 free throw attempts compared to just 13 for the Nuggets. These unusually statistical disparities are highly unlikely to repeated here in Game 5 and I am riding with the highly motivated underdog here in Game 5. Not only did Denver come up just short in Game 4, the Nuggets are also highly motivated as this a win or go home game. The Jazz have a 3-1 series lead. Look for that to be a 3-2 lead for Utah after tonight's game goes into the books. 10* DENVER

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #744 Sunday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 3:30 ET - The Mavericks announced that Luka Doncic's MRI showed "nothing alarming" and that he would be a game-time decision. That is another way of saying everything is fine but we just don't to announce it yet so everyone can wonder whether Doncic will play or not. Of course his ankle was hurting him bad after he got hurt and then it stiffens up on you and you can't move well out there on the floor once that happens. But now after receiving treatment ever since, Doncic will be ready to go here I am sure. We have strong big dog value here with the Mavericks in my opinion. The two losses they have had in this series each came by 8 points and that includes Friday's loss which featured a team-record 45 point 2nd quarter from the Clippers. Note that the Mavs beat the Clips by double digits in Game 2. Now, down 2-1 in this series and facing a key Game 4, Dallas is going to battle tooth and nail throughout this contest with Kawhi Leonard and company. That said, if the Mavericks do fall short look for it to be by a margin of only a bucket or two. Grab the big points! 10* DALLAS

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #736 Saturday 10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder (+) vs Houston Rockets @ 6 ET - The Thunder got a boost defensively in Game 2 as Dort returned to the lineup. He is the best perimeter defender Oklahoma City has and he was a big part of the reason the Rockets Harden was held to 5 of 16 from the field. Though the Thunder still ultimately lost the game their confidence is up after leading the game going to the 4th quarter. The Thunder had too many turnovers compared to Houston and that cost OKC the game. Oklahoma City is a perfect 5-0 SU the last 5 times they have entered Game 3 of a playoff series down 2 games to none. This is a contrarian play as the line has moved toward the Rockets and I love the Thunder in this spot as they finally put it all together on both ends of the floor after playing much better defense in Game 2. Look for Game 3 to be a complete game for the underdog. 10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Contrarian Crusher – Scott “The Bulldog” Rickenbach NBA Rotation #716 Thursday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Orlando Magic @ 6 ET – It was the first game in a week for Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday (he missed the final game of the regular season after the head butt incident) and, overall, the Bucks looked like the same team that casually went through bubble play as there was no real need to push hard. Now, the push needs to come after they got embarrassed by the Magic and lost by a double-digit margin as a double-digit favorite. While many will look to again grab the big dog here (how can they again be favored by so much after Game 1 played out like it did?) I am on the other side of this game in typical contrarian fashion. Remember last season the Magic beat the Raptors in a Game 1 upset and then proceeded to lose the next 4 and get ousted from the playoffs. I am not saying the same thing happens in this one but I just know the Bucks got their “wake up call” and will be ready to respond in a big way here on Thursday. Look for Milwaukee to be much better on the defensive end and I also do not expect Middleton and Lopez to again combine for 6 for 21 from the field. Off the bench Connaughton and DiVincenzo combined for 2 for 10 from the field. Again, unlikely to be repeated! Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks teammates bring their “A game” to this one and the Magic aren’t going to again hit nearly 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point land, nor 95% from the free throw line. Everything clicked for Orlando in Game 1 but the Bucks give them a dose of reality here and that is why I am more than willing to play the big number for a top play in this one. 10* MILWAUKEE

TNT Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #705 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - This line makes no sense really except that sentiment is very anti-Sixers right now. The fact is this line is very close to the same it was for Game 1 even though the 76ers led Game 1 outright by 6 points early in the 4th quarter. Additionally, Gordon Hayward (played 34 minutes in Game 1) is now out for the rest of the series with a Grade 3 ankle strain. He'll be replaced by Marcus Smart but that further weakens a Celtics bench that the Sixers Alec Burks outscored all by himself as he had 18 points and the Boston bench had just 8 points in the opener. As much as I don't 100% trust Joel Embiid I do expect him to finish this game much better than he finished the Game 1 match-up as he couldn't get the big buckets when he needed to. The Sixers are desperate to even this series up and the situation is perfect for them to do just that after falling just short in Monday's game and now Hayward being out. The Celtics are short-handed and Philly is hungry and did win 3 of the 4 regular season match-ups between these teams. I'll gladly grab the points here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #772 Tuesday 10* Top Play Houston Rockets (+) vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 6:30 ET - The big story for Game 1 of this series is the Rockets Russell Westbrook not playing. The story that is not getting as much press but is a key factor here is Luguentz Dort not playing. The Thunder guard is earning a reputation as a lockdown defender and did a fantastic job stifling James Harden when these teams met in January. However, he is not going to play in this game and a massive game from Harden can be expected. The Rockets version of small ball is not easy to play against and Oklahoma City head coach Billy Donovan spoke about the length and physicality that Houston plays with even though they are not a big team. Yes the Rockets enter the post-season off 3 straight losses but how motivated were they for those games? Houston did beat the Lakers and the Bucks earlier in bubble action. Also, the Rockets just wrapped up a 72-game season and only twice did they have a 4-game losing streak. I don't see this streak reaching that 4-game mark as you can see Houston having a 4-game losing streak is rare. We are getting some extra value here because the market move is toward OKC in early trading action. In typical contrarian fashion, I am grabbing the value on the other side as Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni (2x NBA Coach of the Year winner) wins the Xs and Os battle in this one. 10* HOUSTON

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #755 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - The 76ers won 3 of the 4 meetings in the regular season but lost the most recent game after winning the first 3. Philly is also seeking revenge for their 2018 playoff ouster at the hands of the Celtics. That series turned when Boston rallied from a 22 point deficit to win Game 2 and then took Game 3 in an overtime win. Now the Sixers have Al Horford going against his former team and seek payback beginning Monday evening. There is a lot of anti-Sixer sentiment since Ben Simmons was lost to injury but the 76ers have shown signs of playing better since he went out. They raise their game to another level here and possibly shock the Celtics in game one. Look for a tight game here late and if the Sixers fall short I expect it only be by a bucket or two. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #723 Saturday 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies (+) vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 2:30 ET - Portland was the much hotter team in the bubble but they certainly haven't looked that impressive recently in terms of blowing teams out. Yes, the Trail Blazers are on a 3-game winning streak but the 3 wins came by a combined total of 7 points! The Blazers barely got by a Brooklyn team that was playing for nothing on Thursday night! Now Portland comes into this game favored by a half-dozen points and I understand that from the standpoint that the Grizzlies have underachieved under the bubble. However, lets not forget that Memphis is the better team on the defensive end and, though just 2-2 in their last 4 games, this a must win game or their season is over. Perhaps the Grizzlies ultimately fall short by a bucket or two but, again, I am happy to take the better defensive team in a game that could turn into more of a "grinder" than most are expecting based on the high total posted on this game. Look for the dog to stay within this number and possibly even spring the upset! Give me the points! 10* MEMPHIS

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #764 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 6:35 ET - The Raptors are locked into the #2 seed for the post-season and already know they'll be facing the Nets to open up the playoffs. The 76ers are dealing with injury issues and certainly can't afford to lose any more key players. That said, this game is a battle of back-ups. Keep in mind yesterday the 76ers played back-ups against a very hungry Suns team that was highly motivated and undefeated under the bubble. Phoenix finally pulled away in the 4th quarter but the Sixers were down by just 3 points with under 8 minutes to go in that game. Keep in mind, that was a game the Suns had to have while the 76ers were just playing back-ups for the most part. Now today's game is a game of back-ups and Toronto is not motivated. That said, I love the underdog value being offered to Philly in this one. Don't be surprised if they get an upset win but certainly they should manage at least the cover against the Raptors in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #731 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 6:35 ET - As I suspected the 76ers, whom have won 3 straight games SU but had not been covering, finally got their first cover in their most recent game. They played an Orlando team desperate for wins and it did not matter. With Al Horford back in the starting lineup because of Ben Simmons likely being out for the year, the Sixers played loose and relaxed and got the win. Look for a similar result here. Portland is desperate for wins and will be a popular choice here but a lot of pressure is on them to win and they are in a back to back spot. They totally blew their game against the Clippers and LA didn't even play Kawhi Leonard as he was rested. That was inexcusable on the part of the Blazers and now they are in a back to back spot and facing a rested 76ers team that has nothing to lose and is playing winning basketball and I look for them to make it 4 straight SU wins but will gladly grab the points being offered. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #748 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 8 ET - This one is all about the value. Yes, the Sixers lost to the Pacers Saturday but Philly led that game by 10 points with under 9 minutes to go. Now Philadelphia catches the Spurs in the 2nd night of a back to back. Also, the 76ers dominated the glass and outrebounded Indiana by about 20 boards in the defeat but were done in by a late collapse and by being outscored by 15 points from 3-point land. Here is what is most interesting about this spot and is why there is so much value here. The 76ers are favored by nearly the identical spread in this game that they were favored by in the game against the Pacers. Anybody looked at the standings lately? Yes the Spurs are off back to back wins but their record is not even close to the Pacers. Also, San Antonio beat two teams (Kings and Grizzlies) that each have losing records and they barely won each game. Give them credit of course but the point is that they are very over-valued here especially with this being a back to back spot. Look for an angry Sixers team to take out their frustration on a short-handed San Antonio team that will grow weary as this game goes on. Keep in mind the Spurs do not have Aldridge plus Belinelli and Forbes have been banged up. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #732 Sunday 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies (-) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 4:05 ET - Memphis is off a tough OT loss to Portland Friday and it was a game that the Grizzlies allowed to get away from them late in regulation. They'll make up for that here. Even though Memphis fell short to the Trail Blazers they did a great job of getting to the free throw line. They simply were outdone from three point land. The difference in 3-point shooting means so much in the NBA game and the Spurs hot hand from beyond the arc certainly played a role in their win over the Kings on Friday. From a situational perspective, this one sets up well with the Grizzlies off a tight loss but against a stronger team (in my opinion) than the Spurs faced. Also, San Antonio pulled away late in that game so don't be fooled by the final score. Again, the 3-point shooting was also a factor and, in other words, I like the "overall game" of the Grizzlies better than the Spurs and barring another unusual 3-point disparity look for Memphis to win this one by double digits. While I respect San Antonio's veteran coach Popovich, Grizzlies young head coach Jenkins has impressed this season and was a Bucks assistant last season (and what season it was!) plus started his career in the San Antonio organization. Jenkins and his Grizzlies have taken 2 of 3 from the Spurs this season and get another one here to solidify their edge over the Spurs in the standings as Memphis looks to pull away from the field battling for the #8 spot out west. Grizzlies respond off loss. 10* MEMPHIS

Game of the Week Eastern Conference - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #723 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Indiana Pacers @ 7 ET - All you hear people talking about with the Sixers entering this NBA restart is how bad their road record was this season. Well guess what folks? This is NOT a road game. Not even close. There is NO TRAVEL between games. You are in a bubble and once you are there you stay there. No catching a flight between games, no changing from one hotel to another, no raucous fans for the opposition. This is a neutral site game with NO TRAVEL involved and there will be no travel throughout the remainder of the NBA season including playoffs. That said, lets now analyze this match-up for the teams involved. What I am hearing is Joel Embiid's calf strain is very minor and I feel they simply gave the big man some extra rest before this NBA restart got underway. The fact is that he has been looking to be in the best shape of his young NBA career as the time off during the sports shutdown really helped him. Another key here in comparing these Sixers to the team we saw pre-shutdown is that Ben Simmons is now back and healthy. That is huge for this team. For the Pacers the news is not so good. Domantas Sabonis, an All-Star, is out for this game. Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo both should play here for Indiana but neither is 100%. So while this line may look a little "off" to many, I absolutely not only see the logic with the line but embrace it. Look for the Sixers to make a HUGE statement in this opening game as they are sick of hearing about not winning away from Philly and they are the healthier and more talented team in this match-up and that will show today. 10* PHILADELPHIA

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #712 Friday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - The Bucks have two objectives here in the "regular season" portion of the NBA restart. #1 is to stay healthy and #2 is to lock up the top seed in the East. They are close to meeting that 2nd objective but they can't do it without risking the 1st one. In other words, I don't foresee the Bucks holding back until they've locked in that #1 seed and they are fired up and ready to go here. They were not happy with their performance in the scrimmage against the Pelicans earlier this week as they lost big. Yes it was only a scrimmage but they're also letting it serve as a "wake up call" and you'll see them play much better basketball here in this one now that it is time for games that count. The Celtics can't catch the Bucks for the top spot but the Raptors can. Even as unlikely as it is that Toronto would catch the Bucks for the top spot, until they've nailed it down, Milwaukee will give top effort. That is bad news for an outclassed Boston team. Yes the Celtics are well-coached and are a quality team but they are certainly not at the same level as the Bucks. What I also like about Milwaukee here is that they lost their final 3 games before the unexpected and sudden NBA shutdown. The Bucks have had plenty of time to think about their 3-game losing streak and how they will need to prove again that they can win again away from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. With all of the above factored into this one, I feel we have great line value with a determined Bucks team laying a short number and, though this is my only NBA play Friday, it has easily earned top play status! 10* MILWAUKEE

Game of the  Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #701 Thursday 10* Top Play Utah Jazz (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 6:30 ET - I am wasting no time in coming out with a big play to open up the NBA restart in Orlando but it comes with plenty of good reason. This line opened up in Vegas with the Jazz originally as a 1.5 point favorite but the line flipped and New Orleans is now up to a -2.5 choice as of Tuesday morning. Zion Williamson is back inside the NBA bubble in Orlando and is expected to be able to practice Wednesday. However, he has been away from the team for some time now and how effective (and how long) will he even be able to play in Thursday's opener. This is a very short turnaround for him. I am well aware of the fact of how important this game is for the Pelicans. However, this early line move is telling me people are overlooking the fact that the Jazz have 41 wins on the season and are the #4 seed currently in the West but have 3 teams with 40 wins hot on their tails. Do you really think Utah wants to possibly drop to the #7 seed which would lead to a match-up against a #2 seed to open up the playoffs in a couple weeks from now? That would likely mean a date with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. The Jazz absolutely do not want that to happen. In other words they are more motivated here than many realize and they're also hungry to let their play on the court do the talking to put an end to all chatter about the Donovan Mitchell - Rudy Gobert highly publicized "internal conflict" back in the spring at the time the entire pandemic and NBA shutdown started. The Pelicans won 10 of 19 games that Zion played in but there are a lot of question marks about him leading into this game. Additionally, the Jazz (even though without Bojan Bogdanovic) have a quality team. Bogdanovic averaged just 16 points and shot just 40% from the field over the last 10 games. Utah will be just fine without him here and this is a Jazz team that is 18 games over .500 for a reason! They lost their final game before the shutdown but that was preceded by a 5-game winning streak and the Jazz get right back to their winning ways immediately here to get the restart off to a strong start. 10* UTAH

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #912 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Run Line -1.5 runs vs Miami Marlins @ 4:05 ET – After getting upset by the Marlins Friday night look for the Phillies to bounce right back Saturday afternoon. The Phillies struggled at the plate last night but they have hammered Miami’s Caleb Smith 2 of the 3 times they have faced him in Philly. Smith is a decent lefty but struggles on the road compared to at home and he also is known for struggling with his command at times. This is particularly true on road and that is why Smith has a knack for allowing too many homers away from home.  A combination of too many free passes and missing with pitches in the strike zone will lead to some trouble at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park Saturday afternoon. At the same time the Phillies prized offseason addition, Zack Wheeler, is ready to make a statement. He is riding an emotional high right now as he became a father earlier this week on Monday, is making his regular season debut with this new team here, and this is a guy (former Met) who loves pitching in Philly. Wheeler had a 2.37 ERA in 3 starts in this park last season and in prior seasons’ outings in Philly he has an excellent hits to innings pitched ratio. He’ll shutdown a Marlins team that just happened to catch lightning in a bottle in a 4-run 6th inning yesterday but otherwise was rather quiet at the plate. The Phillies did struggle at the plate and credit is due to Sandy Alcantara for that but Smith will be a different story Saturday as his road struggles continue. Marlins slated to be one of worst teams in baseball again. Phillies came into this season with high hopes and are very talented and have a much better manager this season too. One game (yesterday’s loss) doesn’t change all those factors and the Phillies bounce back at home at a plus money price on the run line. I don’t like laying big prices and the money line is steep (understandably!) on Philly in this one so lets take advantage of the run line value and look for the Phils to win by 2 or more runs. 10* Philadelphia Phillies Run Line -1.5 runs

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #550 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons have been more competitive of late but they are still losing and, in this case, are in the wrong place at the wrong time. This one has blowout written all over it. Detroit is visiting Philly and the Sixers are at home off a loss and playing their one and only game in a span of a week. Between the 7th and the 14th this is the 76ers only game and they have had a chance to get healthier with the time off. Joel Embiid might be back for this one and Josh Richardson has been upgraded to probable. If both Embiid and Richardson play then Philadelphia will be fully healthy expect for Ben Simmons. That said, they won't show any mercy on a Pistons team they routinely dominate. The Sixers are 28-2 SU at home this season and they are 9-1 both SU and ATS in their last 10 games against the Pistons. In other words, the odds favor that any 76ers SU win is also likely to translate to an ATS cover! Detroit is an ugly 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games against an Eastern Conference foe. In February there were 3 occurrences in which the Sixers were at home off a loss. They went a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS in that situation and do it again in their first such situation in the month of March. Blowout time. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Power Five Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #671 Wednesday 10* Top Play Georgia Bulldogs (+) vs Ole Miss Rebels @ 7 ET - The Bulldogs just got hammered in their season finale against LSU but Georgia actually had 10 more field goal attempts than the Tigers and yet lost the game by 30 points. It was simply "one of those games" and is now giving us some line value here as a result. This is a revenge game for the Bulldogs as they have lost 3 straight meetings with Ole Miss. What better time for payback than the SEC tourney? Georgia finished the regular season with back to back losses to Florida and LSU but this was preceded by a 3-1 stretch in which they only loss the Bulldogs had was in overtime! The Rebels enter this game off a disheartening blowout loss to Mississippi State as those Bulldogs are their biggest rivals. That was the 5th straight loss for the Rebels in games played away from Ole Miss. The Rebels have allowed 73.2 points per game their last 5 games. The Bulldogs have averaged scoring 75.2 points per game in regulation of their last 6 road games prior to the ugly season-ending loss at LSU. The Dawgs were ultra-competitive in all those road games and the last five included an outright win and an OT loss. They get over the hump again here in a revenge game against a Rebels team getting a little too much respect from the betting markets in this one. The Bulldogs average 10.5 points per game more than the Rebels in comparing games played away from home this season for these two SEC foes. 10* GEORGIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #530 Tuesday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 7:05 ET - I am aware that the Pacers have some injury issues but the Celtics haven't exactly been 100% healthy either. Even guys that are playing are being limited somewhat. That said, I am going contrarian here (as usual) and fading this big move toward Boston. The line opened up around a pick'em but now the Celtics are all the way up to a 3-point favorite. Keep in mind, even as they have dealt with injury issues, the Pacers have been hot and have won 8 of their past 10 games. Boston, on the other hand, has lost 4 of its last 5 games. Also, after tonight's game, Indiana has only one game between now and the 18th. They can go all out here considering the situation and the Pacers still remember getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Celtics in April. Yes, Indiana already got some measure of revenge with beating Boston here in Indiana 3 months ago but, suffice to say, seeing the Celtics come to town brings out a little extra intensity from the Pacers. This is the team that ended their season last year. This is a key battle in the Eastern Conference playoff position standings and I am riding with the under-valued home underdog in this one. 10* INDIANA

Tourney Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #616 Tuesday 10* Top Play Northern Kentucky Norse (-) vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 7 ET - The Norse had a long layoff before yesterday's game and actually were playing just their 2nd game in a span of over 2 weeks! It showed as they struggled in the first half against Wisconsin-Green Bay. Once Northern Kentucky worked off the rust in the first half, they were a different team in the second half. The Norse rolled to a huge win over the Phoenix and will carry that momentum right into the Championship Game today. Northern Kentucky exploded for 51 points in the 2nd half of their win over UWGB yesterday. They catch Illinois-Chicago at the perfect time for a rout. The Flames got the upset win over Wright State yesterday. Certainly the Flames deserve credit for that and for playing a strong game against the Raiders. However, now UIC faces a Norse team which they blasted by 30 points at Northern Kentucky a little over 3 weeks ago. Keep in mind the Norse went 13-5 in Horizon action this season while Illinois-Chicago went 10-8. Northern Kentucky enters this game on a 13-3 SU run. UIC has also been playing well but the Norse are the better team and playing with revenge and I like the value with this line coming down from a -5 to a -4 here. We'll take it! 10* NORTHERN KENTUCKY

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #865 Monday 10* Top Play Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens vs Hofstra Pride @ 6 ET - Hofstra knocked Delaware out of the CAA Tourney last season. It is payback time here for the Fightin' Blue Hens. These teams met twice in the regular season and split the series. In the game in which Delaware won, leading scorer Nate Darling scored just 13 points! That is bad news for Hofstra as he made 5 of 8 three pointers in yesterday's win over College of Charleston and scored 25 points. If he is "on" again today and the rest of the Fightin Blue Hens play like they did in the first victory over the Pride this season, this one will be an upset by at least a half dozen points in my opinion. I like the fact Darling will be playing with a ton of confidence here because he is a big-time scorer when he is hot and he'll be tough for the Pride to slow down. I know Hofstra has been hot but the Fightin' Blue Hens had played them very well for 4 straight halves before a horrible 2nd half in the most recent meeting. Prior to that Delaware had outscored the Pride by 10 points over the 4 prior halves dating back to the 2nd half of last season's match-up in the CAA Tourney. I feel we've got great underdog value here with a very determined and confident Fightin' Blue Hens team that is poised for revenge here. 10* DELAWARE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #843 Sunday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Michigan State Spartans @ 4:30 ET - Both teams are red hot. Give me the points in a spot like this! The Buckeyes have won 9 of their last 11 games and are playing this game with revenge. The Spartans have won each of the last 3 meetings including knocking Ohio State out of the Big Ten tourney last spring. Michigan State does enter this game having won 4 straight. However, this was preceded by a tough 1-4 stretch for the Spartans. As for the Buckeyes, they started the season 11-1 and then hit one rough patch mid-season but are now wrapping up the regular season on a 9-2 run. Ohio State has been a streaky team this season as you can see and I look for that to continue here and am happy to have the 7 points on my side in this one. Look for it to be tough for Michigan State to pull away in this one. The Spartans have had struggles in tight late-game situations this season just like the collapse at home against Maryland three weeks ago. Michigan State is off back to back covers but this was preceded by a 1-6 ATS stretch and they are over-valued here by the betting markets. Upset alert here and, if the Buckeyes do fall short, I expect it to be by only a bucket or two. 10* OHIO STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #506 Sunday 10* Top Play Minnesota Timberwolves (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 3:35 ET - Of course many are backing the Pelicans here as they have revenge against the Timberwolves from the recent upset loss in New Orleans. That is why this line has risen from a 5.5 to a 7 as of early Sunday morning. In typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of the move. Minnesota is playing without pressure and looking to play the role of spoiler. The Wolves know they aren't going to the playoffs but if they can help further diminish an opponents chances they'll gladly do it. It is the Pelicans feeling all the pressure here and they had lost 3 straight games prior to beating the Heat on Friday. That said, I like the value here with the big home dog as Minnesota is hungry to redeem themselves following an embarrassing loss by 14 points against Orlando on Friday. That game followed back to back wins for the Timberwolves and they had been playing more competitive too with wins in 2 of their last 3 road games. So with this game at home and off a loss where they didn't show up at all on the defensive end, the Wolves come up with a much better effort in hopes of continuing to further spoil the New Orleans fading playoff hopes. If Minny does fall short here I expect it to be by only a bucket or two. In other words, great line value here for the home dog. 10* MINNESOTA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #566 Saturday 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 7:05 ET - This one is all about the situational value. The Jazz are off hard-fought win at Boston last night where they held the Celtics to just 94 points. Utah is 8-9 SU in their last 17 games and 5 of those 8 wins have been by 8 or less points. In fact 4 of them were by 5 or less points. Ton of value with scrappy Detroit as a home dog. The Pistons, unlike the Jazz, are rested here as they have been off since Wednesday. 6 of Detroit's last 9 losses have been by 7 or less points. With the rest edge and the situational edge, the home dog value here with the Pistons is far too much to pass up. They also have a 3-game road trip on deck so they want to make the most of this opportunity on their home floor. 10* DETROIT

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #646 Saturday 8* Virginia Cavaliers (-) vs Louisville Cardinals @ 4 ET - Great set-up here. The Cardinals are still going for the ACC title and Virginia has revenge on its mind plus a chance to play spoiler. It is also senior day and the Cavaliers will pull together to send off guys like starters Mamadi Diakite and Braxton Key with a big win! The Cavs lost at Louisville last month but Virginia actually was a perfect 9-0 the last 9 games in this series prior to that defeat. Also, since losing to the Cardinals, the Cavaliers have won 7 straight games while the Cards have gone just 3-3 SU including 3 straight road losses. The last two road defeats for Louisville each came by 15 points! This is another tough road match-up for the Cardinals and Malik Williams ankle injury (he is doubtful for this game) is not helping matters. On the season Louisville is just 7-5 SU on the road while the Cavaliers are 13-3 SU on the road. Of course this game is around a pick'em even though the Cavs are at home because the Cards are the higher-ranked team and many public backers will be liking the Cardinals in this spot. The sharp money, in my opinion, will be on a surging and motivated Cavaliers team. 8* VIRGINIA

Game of the Year - Rickenbach NCAAB Rotation #601 Saturday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ Noon ET - Huge coaching edge for the Wildcats here with Jay Wright over Georgetown's Patrick Ewing. However, the Hoyas had a rare "step up" game the last time Villanova visited DC and Georgetown won by a dozen points. Note that Hoyas wins in this series have been quite rare of late (Villanova beat them at home earlier this season) and now it is payback time for the Wildcats on this floor. As noted above, the Cats beat them in Philly earlier this season but the loss on this floor last season ended a streak of 9 straight wins for Nova in this series. When a team that has dominated a series like this loses on that opponent's floor they don't forget it about the very next time they visit. Villanova remembers the last time they stepped on this floor they were a ranked team that got upset by these Hoyas. They absolutely don't want a repeat of that here in what is their first trip to Georgetown since that meeting. Situations don't get much better than this. The Wildcats have road payback on their minds and they also are motivated by still having a shot at the regular season title for the Big East. With a win here and a Seton Hall loss at Creighton, the Wildcats would share the Big East title with the Bluejays and Pirates. Adding to the value here is that both Mac MacClung and Amer Yurtseven are listed as doubtful in this game. MacClung is Georgetown's leading scorer and Yurtseven is also a key player. I really don't expect the Hoyas to "force the issue" with those two guys as the smarter move would be to rest them in hopes of a return for the Big East tournament. That said, the Wildcats offer a lot of value here in a game which, though they on the road, they can still easily win by double digits. This game has road payback, motivation, health, coaching, all in favor of a road team that is favored by single digits! I'll take it! The Hoyas have lost 5 straight games and the only two closer losses were by 3 versus Xavier and 6 at DePaul. Villanova has won 6 of 7 and just won at Xavier by 9 and at DePaul by 20. So compare how those teams have performed recently against the same opponents. Yes, big difference between the level of these two programs and all the right ingredients are there to step up LARGE with this one. 10* VILLANOVA

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #537 Thursday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Clippers (+) @ Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - The Clippers have won 5 straight games. They had one "slip up" in the streak where they allowed 130 points to a wounded Sixers team. Other than that, the Clips allowed an average of only 96.5 points per game in the other 4 victories. The Rockets truly can only dream of defensive efforts like that. Houston has allowed 120.5 points per game in their last 17 games and that does not include the OT points allowed in their recent win at Boston. The Rockets will face a bound and determined Clippers team here as Houston has taken 2 of the 3 meetings this season including the most recent one at Los Angeles. It is payback time here. The road team has covered 4 of the last 5 meetings and that trend continues here as the Clips take their winning streak to 6 games with a big effort on both ends of the floor in this one. 10* LA CLIPPERS