Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #561 Monday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) @ Boston Celtics @ 7:35 ET - Bulls are off win at Detroit. While it is true that Chicago had been struggling prior to that, they did have an 18-point lead at Indiana in their prior game before faltering late in the game. That said, I feel the Bulls have been more competitive of late and they are catching the Celtics at the right time to be a dangerous underdog here. Boston is off a huge 140 to 105 win over New Orleans. That is the type of victory that can have a team feeling a little too "fat and happy" and they often have some struggles in their next game after one like that. Note that, prior to that game the Celtics had lost 3 straight games SU. Overall, Boston had lost 4 of 7 games SU prior to the win over the Pelicans. Also, 2 of those 3 wins came by a margin of 7 or less points. Per the above, you can see why I am happy to challenge the Celtics to win this game by double digits. The Bulls lost by 29 points in their lone visit here last year and did get throttled in 2 of the 3 meetings between these teams. That said, they'll be ready to go here! The Bulls stopped the bleeding with their win at Detroit Saturday and Chicago is 7-1 ATS this season when they enter a game having lost 6 or 7 of their past 8 games SU. After ending their losing streak they build some momentum with another strong effort here. Boston is 30-54 ATS long-term (and 1-3 ATS this season) when off a game in which they scored 120 points or more. 10* CHICAGO

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #555 Saturday 10* Top Play Charlotte Hornets (+) @ Phoenix Suns @ 8:05 ET - The Hornets fit the ugly dog theory here. Sure it may seem tough to back them given their record but we're able to fade a Suns team that, in my opinion, is overvalued with this line at 8 points. Note that Phoenix is just 4-11 SU in their last 15 games and NONE of those 4 wins came by more than 8 points. In other words if you bet the Suns at today's line in each of their last 15 games you won exactly ZERO out of 15 bets. It is too much in my opinion. Keep in mind this is also a revenge game for the Hornets since the Suns beat them last month at Charlotte. That victory came by a margin of just 5 points and I expect another very close game here. I also like the fact that the Hornets are off an ugly loss at Utah while the Suns are off a home win over Orlando. Charlotte is 4-4 SU in their last 8 road games and one of those losses came by just a bucket. Also, prior to their loss to the Jazz, the Hornets were on a 2-2 SU run and one of those losses was by just 2 points to the Raptors. The road dog is motivated and ready to go here and they seek revenge plus look to make up for a poor effort at Utah. 10* CHARLOTTE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #308 Sunday 8* Green Bay Packers (-) vs Seattle Seahawks @ 6:40 ET - Seattle took advantage of a wounded Eagles team and even inflicted further injury upon them by knocking Carson Wentz out of the game in last week's playoff victory at Philadelphia. Whether playing dirty or not it was an ugly way for Seattle to win a game and they now face a much tougher test this week. The Seahawks face a Packers team that is much healthier than the Eagles were and that also is coming off a bye week. Keep in mind, Seattle had lost 3 of their last 4 games prior to knocking off a badly depleted Philadelphia team last week. Also, the Seahawks have been held to 17 points or less in 3 of their last 4 road games. The Packers, on the other hand, have scored 21 points or more in all 8 of their home games this season. Green Bay has averaged 25.6 points per game as a host this season and we've got a small line to work with here. Seattle is a long-term 4-8 ATS when off a game in which they allowed 14 or less points. Green Bay is 4-0 ATS when off a win by 3 or less points. The Packers are 5-0 ATS when off a non-covering win. 8* GREEN BAY

Playoff Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #306 Saturday 10* Top Play Kansas City Chiefs (-) vs Houston Texans @ 3:05 ET - The Texans were fortunate to rally back from a 13-0 deficit last week and eventually beat the Bills in overtime. However, Houston was fortunate that Buffalo made key mistakes that also played a role in the comeback plus the Texans were at home for that game. This is a much different situation this week. Now Houston is on the road and facing a Kansas City team which is off a bye week and also has won 6 straight games. The Chiefs are playing this game with revenge from a rare home loss to the Texans earlier this season but, revenge or not, Kansas City is destined for a blowout win here. KC has outscored the opponents by an average score of 28 to 11 during this 6-game winning streak. Their defense has been fantastic and the Texans have been at the other end of the spectrum in terms of how they finished up the season. Houston was again outgained in last week's playoff win over the Bills and the Texans have now been outgained in 6 of their past 8 games. The Texans haven't just been getting nipped in the stats department either. Houston was outgained by an average of nearly 100 yards per game in those 6 games. The Texans are 1-6 ATS this season when coming off an ATS cover. When the Chiefs are off back to back covers as a favorite they have gone 9-3 ATS including 3-1 ATS this season. The KC defense has held 3 of their last 4 opponents under 300 yards of offense. Also, the Houston defense has allowed 26.6 points per game in its last 8 games. There is simply no comparison in terms of the way these two defenses have been playing of late and the Chiefs also have the rest edge and home field edge. 10* KANSAS CITY

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #822 Sunday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers (+) vs Michigan State Spartans @ Noon ET - The Boilermakers are catching the Spartans at the perfect time for an upset. Michigan State comes into this game red hot as they are 5-0 in Big Ten action this season and also on an overall 8-game winning streak. Every other Big Ten team already has at least 2 losses in Big Ten action. One of those Big Ten teams, Wisconsin, is on deck for the Spartans and that makes this a potential trap game for Michigan State. That's because Purdue is better than their recent results would lead you to believe. The Boilermakers have lost 2 straight games and 4 of their last 7 but this is still a team that is 7-1 in home games this season. The Spartans are 1-6 ATS in road games this season. The home team has won each of the last 4 meetings SU and I would not be surprised to see an outright upset here from the home dog. Also note that Michigan State has covered just once in its last six meetings with Purdue! The Boilermakers have won 17 of their past 20 January games and get back on track with a big win here. Grab the points though for added insurance should the fall just short of the outright upset. 10* PURDUE

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #534 Saturday 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (-) vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:05 ET - The Bulls are off another loss yesterday. Not only is this a back to back spot for Chicago but they have also lost 6 straight games both SU and ATS. Look for that trend to continue here for the Bulls as they face an angry Pistons team that just lost in overtime on their home floor against the Cavaliers on Thursday. Yes it is true that Detroit hasn't been winning much of late either but they had won 2 of 3 before that loss to Cleveland and certainly they have a big edge here playing at home and catching the Bulls in a tough scheduling spot. Also this is a big-time revenge spot as Chicago has won all 3 meetings so far this season. Pistons have something to say about that today and I look for them to avenge those losses in a big way! 10* DETROIT

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #301 Saturday 10* Top Play Minnesota Vikings (+) @ San Francisco 49ers @ 4:35 ET - That was a very strong Saints team which the Vikings defeated last week. Of course the 49ers have the rest edge here but I like what I have been seeing from this Minnesota team down the stretch run while the same can not be said for the 49ers. The Niners went 3-2 SU in their final 5 games of the season but all 3 wins came by 5 or less points. San Francisco is on a 1-3-1 ATS run in home games. The Vikings are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games and only 1 of the 4 losses came by more than 7 points. Both teams have solid defenses but San Francisco did give up 20 points or more in 8 of it last 9 games. The Vikings allowed 24 points or less in 14 of 17 games this season! Given those numbers, an outright upset here would not surprise and certainly value is on our side in having the full TD with the underdog. Long-term, San Francisco has covered just 5 of last 20 home games when they are a favorite. Look for that trend to continue here. 10* MINNESOTA

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #677 Saturday 10* Top Play Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (+) @ UTSA Roadrunners @ 4 ET - This one sets up perfectly in my opinion. I am very aware of the fact that Southern Miss has gotten off to a rough start this season but the Eagles have played a tougher schedule than the Runners. Also, they enter this game off B2B road losses and very hungry. As for UTSA, they are off a huge upset win as the Roadrunners knocked off Louisiana Tech as a 6.5 point dog on Thursday. The Roadrunners won that game by a double digit margin. The Bulldogs team that UTSA just beat is the same one that just blasted the Golden Eagles in back to back meetings. But, as the saying goes, that is why they play the games! In other words, don't be surprised if Southern Mississippi pulls off a shocker here. I like the fact that the Runners opened up an 8.5 and are now a double digit favorite here. The Golden Eagles won both meetings last season. As a general rule, when you go against a team that is now favored by double digits after they are off an upset win by a double digit margin is a VERY strong play. I am grabbing the big dog here and look for UTSA to come out flat in this game. Look for the Runners to struggle just to win this game let alone cover the big spread. 10* SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #512 Friday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs Miami Heat @ 7:35 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Nets have lost 7 straight games but there is a reason the Heat are such a small favorite here. The fact is that Miami is in a tough situational spot as they are coming off a big win at Indiana Wednesday. As for Brooklyn, they have been off since Tuesday so they hold the rest edge here. Adding to that rest edge is that the Nets were at home Tuesday while the Heat haven't played consecutive games in the same city the past two weeks and are on the road again here. The home team is a perfect 3-0 ATS the last 3 meetings between these teams. Also, Miami had lost 3 of 5 most recent road games prior to the big win over the Pacers Wednesday. The Heat are 1-5 SU this season when off an upset win as an underdog. Also, Miami is a long-term 3-11 SU when off an outright win by a double digit margin in a game in which they were an underdog. Brooklyn is 5-0 ATS this season as a home underdog and 4 of those wins have been outright wins. The Nets are also a perfect 6-0 in Friday games this season. Look for these trends to all continue here! 10* BROOKLYN

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #838 Friday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes (+) vs Maryland Terrapins @ 7 ET - The Hawkeyes have lost some players they would certainly rather have right now as Jordan Bohannon is out for the season and CJ Fredrick is listed as doubtful for this game. However, Iowa has adequate rest heading into this game and will be able to heavily use the players they do have available and I believe this line was set the way it was (pick'em) with good reason. Since opening up at just a pick it has moved to -2 (and as high as -2.5) on Maryland. However, the Terrapins are ranked #12 in the nation and are healthier than the Hawkeyes and yet the line opened up as a pick'em. Do you think the odds makers are crazy? Of course they are not! This game was priced this way with good reason and I like backing Iowa off back to back tight losses. Also, in terms of meetings with the Terrapins, the Hawkeyes are playing this game with revenge including a 1-point home loss versus Maryland last season. I sense and upset here. Iowa is catching the Terrapins off back to back big wins over Indiana and Ohio State. Also, Maryland has a perceived "tougher game" on deck at Wisconsin. That make this game, especially with the Terrapins off the win over the Buckeyes, a spot with "upset potential" for sure. In true road games this season (not neutral site), Maryland is 0-3 ATS. Also, the Terrapins are 2-6 ATS when off B2B Big Ten wins. When the posted total is in the 140s this season, Iowa is 7-2 SU and ATS. When off a road loss in Big Ten action, the Hawkeyes are 10-5 ATS. All these trends continue here on Friday. 10* IOWA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Thursday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) @ Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers had a double digit lead going to the fourth quarter against the Pistons on Tuesday but ended up losing the game by a bucket. It is payback time now and I don't foresee Cleveland being denied at Detroit in this one. Yes the Pistons have the better record on the season but they certainly are a different team without Blake Griffin. Also, the Pistons are just 6-11 SU in their last 17 games and only 2 of those wins came by more than 7 points and 1 of those was by just 8 points. The point is that the likelihood of a blowout by a double digit margin here for Detroit is very slim. I like the big points with the Cavaliers as despite still enduring some losses they have been much more competitive of late. Cleveland is just 4-6 SU their last 10 games but 2 of their last 4 losses have been by a margin of 3 or less points. Upset alert here! But grab the points as added insurance. The Cavaliers are 6-3 ATS in games in which the posted total is 220 points or more this season. The Pistons are 1-7 SU and ATS after a game this season in which they scored 115 points or more. 10* CLEVELAND

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #613 Thursday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 7 ET -  How often does a team score just 37 points? Not very often of course! Also, how often is a team held below 40 points in a game plus ending up on the wrong end of the scoreboard by a margin of more than 25 points? Even less often of course! I love backing quality teams that are coming off a "loss for the ages" and that is case here for Purdue after they were blasted 63 to 37 at Illinois in their most recent game. Michigan is off a loss too but it is of a different variety. The Wolverines are off a crushing loss at the hands of their biggest rivals, Michigan State, and that sets this one up well. Look for the Boilermakers to come out angry and focused while the Wolverines will still be lamenting their ugly loss to the Spartans, their most hated rivals. Give me the points in a spot like this. In terms of additional situational support, I like the fact that Purdue lost by 19 points at Michigan last season and the fact that this followed the Boilermakers getting bounced from the Big Ten Tourney by the Wolverines the prior season. Double revenge spot here! The Boilers are 5-0 SU the last 5 times they have entered a game off a road loss by a double digit margin. The Wolverines are 0-3 ATS in their last 3 games with a single digit line. Michigan's only impressive victories of late have been in games in which they were favored by 20 or more points. Once again, in a game projected to be a close one, I am happy to go against the Wolverines as they drop to 0-4 ATS their L4 games with a single digit line. 10* PURDUE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #574 Wednesday 10* Top Play Atlanta Hawks (+) vs Houston Rockets @ 7:35 ET - Russell Westbrook will miss this game as he rests up for a big game against his former team, Oklahoma City, tomorrow. That sets this one up well for a potential Hawks upset. I know Atlanta is off a home loss to Denver but they entered that game having gone 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS their 3 prior games. They have a shot here against the Rockets whom already could be thinking a bit about tomorrow's game. As for the Hawks, they are sure to be fully focused. Atlanta got thoroughly embarrassed in a 158-111 shellacking at Houston earlier this season. Teams don't forget about a beating like that and you will see a VERY focused effort from the Hawks in this one. The Rockets numbers on defense are a lot worse when on the road while Atlanta's numbers on defense are much better when at home. The fact we're getting big points here in a game in which the home dog Hawks are absolutely going to be hell-bent on revenge has me elevating this play to my highest level. Grab the generous points. 10* ATLANTA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #564 Wednesday 8* Charlotte Hornets (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:05 ET - The Raptors are in a back to back spot and are coming off the type of loss which is tough to bounce back from. Toronto lost at home to the Trail Blazers last night in a game in which they were ahead at the end of every quarter but then got outscored by 11 in the 4th quarter including losing the game on an Anthony shot game-winner with just a few ticks left on the clock. Now the Raptors go on the round and face a Charlotte team that is off a home loss but that had won each of its last two games with outright upsets as underdogs. The set up here is perfect as the Hornets were off yesterday and also have revenge from getting blown out at Toronto by 36 points earlier this season. It is payback time here for the home team. 8* CHARLOTTE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #781 Wednesday 8* St John's Red Storm (+) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 6:30 ET - Both teams are off back to back losses entering this one but the scrappy Red Storm are going to outwork the Hoyas in this one. Additionally, there are some situational edges I like here. St John's lost by double digits at home against Georgetown in their most recent meeting. It is payback time here and the Hoyas are certainly shorthanded compared to the team they were when they began this season. The biggest loss is James Akinjo as he averaged 30 minutes per game and was a significant scorer for Georgetown. However, don't discount the absence of 3 other players for the Hoyas that combined to average a full 40 minutes per game. Also now absent from this team are Josh LeBlanc, Myron Gardner, and Galen Alexander. Even if Georgetown had all hands on deck St John's is still the tougher team defensively and also a little more "hard-nosed" when the chips are down. That said, with each team off back to back losses I like having the Red Storm plus the points and playing with revenge to enjoy a strong game tonight. I expect the upset win but will grab the points as added insurance. 8* ST JOHN'S

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #552 Tuesday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - Tough spot for the Pistons. They just came back east from a tough road trip out West including wrapping up a game Sunday night versus the Lakers in Los Angeles. Also, Blake Griffin has been announced as out for this game and might even end up choosing season ending knee surgery. I know the Cavs come into this one as losers of 4 straight games but they also have a road trip on deck that will mean Cleveland's next home game is almost two weeks away. Look for the Cavaliers to make the most of this home game. They also have revenge on their minds here as they got blasted by 33 points by the Pistons right here in Cleveland in their most recent meeting which was just last month. Detroit enters this game having lost 9 of their last 11 so, as much as the Cavs have struggled, I still like the home dog here when you consider how tough of a spot this is for the Pistons. The team is really down and out with Griffin now on the shelf. 10* CLEVELAND

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #607 Tuesday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Maryland Terrapins @ 7 ET - The Buckeyes are off back to back losses and did struggle against Wisconsin in their first game without Kyle Young. However, I fully expect a bounce back effort as they'll be better adjusted in their 2nd game without him. Also, this is a double revenge spot for Ohio State as they lost both games against Maryland last season. The Terrapins are off B2B wins and the Buckeyes are off B2B losses. That sets this one up perfectly. Note that prior to covering their most recent win, the Terps had failed to cover 4 straight games. Ohio State lost both games against Maryland last season by a double digit margin. They haven't forgotten that and the Buckeyes are very hungry here off back to back losses. They catch the Terrapins at the right time for the upset since Maryland is off a big win over Indiana in Big Ten action. The Buckeyes are 1-2 in Big Ten action and the Terrapins 2-1. Time to do something about that here! Both teams are strong defensively but the Buckeyes have been the better shooting team this season and I expect a huge game from them here which means we have strong value with the road dog. 10* OHIO STATE

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #864 Monday 10* Top Play Oklahoma State Cowboys (+) vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 9 ET - Both teams off losses but, while the Mountaineers are off a tight hard-fought loss to Kansas, the Cowboys are off an absolutely embarrassing beating at Texas Tech. As a result I look for Oklahoma State to be the hungrier team and they will respond very well at home in this match-up. Yes, West Virginia is the ranked team but they are laying a small number in this game in what absolutely looks like a "trap spot" for the Mountaineers. Also, note that West Virginia is actually on a 5-14 SU run in January games. Additionally, the Mountaineers are 0-5 SU when they are off a game in which they were held to 55 points or less! That is the opposite of what you might expect but of course the numbers do not lie. The Cowboys are 8-3 ATS (and SU) when off a loss by a margin of 15 points or more. Big response from the home team here so don't be fooled by the fact that the ranked team is hardly favored here. 10* OKLAHOMA STATE

NBA TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #540 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 7:05 ET - No team in the NBA seems to need a home game as bad as the Sixers right now and I expect them to make the most of it. Philadelphia enters this game off of 4 straight losses - all on the road - and this included 2 by a single point. Keep in mind, the 76ers are now back home where they are 16-2 SU this season. I look for the hungry Sixers to bounce right back with a big win on their home floor and cover the number along the way in this one. Give the Thunder credit for sure as they have won 5 straight games but 4 of the victories were tight ones by slim margins and they are facing a truly tough road test in this one. Note that Oklahoma City's last 4 losses have come by an average margin of 9.5 points and only 1 of the 4 defeats came by a margin less than 7 points. The Sixers are hungry for revenge here as they lost at Oklahoma City in November despite outrebounding the Thunder by double digits and despite also attempting 14 more shots from the field than OKC did. It was simply "one of those nights" and now it is payback time for the 76ers. Lay the very fair number here with Philly and look for a home blowout in this one as the Thunder finally tire out. Oklahoma City is in the midst of a stretch that has them playing 6 of 7 games on the road and they are at Brooklyn tomorrow night for their 4th road game in 6 nights. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #526 Sunday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (-) vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 6:05 ET - The Heat are 16-1 SU at home this season. They are coming off an ugly road loss by 20 points at Orlando. The Blazers are 7-12 SU on the road this season. They are coming off a big win at Washington Friday. Portland also covered that game but they previously were on an 0-5 SU and ATS run. Miami won both match-ups with the Trail Blazers last season and each win came by at least 9 points. I am happy to lay the short number here (early line of -5.5) because each of the Blazers last 9 games have been decided by 6 or more points. As for the Heat, they have had some tighter games of late but when off a loss by a margin of 9 or more points, they have won their next game by 8 or more points in each of the last 6 instances. Look for that record to improve to 7-0 here and, of course, a win by 8 or more points means we're cashing our ticket in this one. Miami is a perfect 9-0 SU this season when off a loss. Given that and give their 16-1 SU home record, you can see why I am happy to lay a small number and back the Heat in this one as they respond again off a loss with a big home win. 10* MIAMI

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #148 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (+) vs Seattle Seahawks @ 4:40 ET - The Eagles have that "feel" of a team of destiny again this year just like their magical run to the Super Bowl two years ago. Now, the fact is that once they run into one of the true powers in this season's loaded NFC they are likely to be in trouble. For example, a team like the Saints or the 49'ers. However, against the Seahawks and playing at home the Eagles absolutely should advance. Yes they are banged up at the wide receiver position but they are expected to have Ertz back at TE for this one plus they have a solid TE in Goedert as well. Plus at WR others have stepped up. That is why, even without Ertz, the Eagles Carson Wentz still threw for nearly 300 yards last week. Keep in mind this is a team without its top receivers. Wentz has done an incredible job and Miles Sanders and Boston Scott have been huge out of the backfield. Scott also caught 4 passes for 84 yards in the playoff-clinching win over the Giants last week. Now of course the Seahawks are a much better team than the Giants but to close the season the Eagles faced 4 straight must-win games (including a very talented Cowboys team) and all 4 were against divisional foes that wanted nothing more than to knock them off. Resilient Philly survived it all even with all the injuries on offense. I certainly respect the Seahawks offense but this is a team that lost 3 of its last 4 games plus Seattle allowed an average of 27 points per game over their final 5 games. Philadelphia, on the other hand allowed an average of only 13.3 points per game over their final 6 home games. The Eagles are very tough at home and when the Seahawks beat them here in Philly in November it was a deceiving final score. Philly had 9 more firstdowns than Seattle in that contest. The Seahawks were outgained by 371 yards over their last 4 games. The Eagles have outgained their opponents in 4 straight games by 339 yards. Philly continues to find a way to win games and I don't see Seattle winning again here. Its payback time and the Eagles are loaded with confidence right now and their defense doesn't get as much respect as it should. They're going to give Russell Wilson and company trouble in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #835 Sunday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm (+) @ Xavier Musketeers @ 4:30 ET - The Red Storm have upgraded Mustapha Heron to probable for this game. They are 9-2 in games he has played this season and one of the two losses came by just two points. The senior guard will pay big dividends against Xavier in this match-up. St John's is a scrappy, hard-nosed team that plays solid defense. They are exactly the type of scrappy underdog I like to have in a spot like this catching significant points and with the X-factor (Heron coming back) being included in the situation. The Red Storm won't back down in this game and they catch Xavier off a hard-fought loss to Villanova. The Musketeers may have trouble responding off that loss and this is a team that has been under-performing ATS as they have failed to cover 6 of their past 9 games. The Red Storm have been the much better team ATS this season and the fact that Xavier has won 9 straight meetings between these teams has led to even more line value here as the Musketeers are priced higher than they should be. The underdog goes all out here and gets a boost from Heron and they are in this game all the way to the very end in a game likely decided by just a possession or two when all is said and done. 10* ST JOHN'S

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Sunday 8* San Jose Sharks Puck Line +1.5 goals -130 @ Washington Capitals @ 12:35 ET - This is a back to back spot for the Sharks but they have been getting strong goaltending from both of their goalies in recent games. Most recently that has helped lead the way to a 3-1 run for San Jose including last night's win at Columbus. This is a great spot as the Sharks are catching the Capitals off a huge win. Washington won at Carolina on Friday and that was a huge revenge game for the Caps. They could be a little slow out of the gate in this one as a result and San Jose enters this game starting to "feel it" and play with extra confidence. This spot is the perfect one for an upset but I still have plenty of respect for Washington and they could find a way to pull this one out very late or even in OT or the shootout should regulation time end in a tie in this one. That said, I am happy to lay the very fair price (currently -130 range) to have the +1.5 goals on the puck line in this one. 8* SAN JOSE Puck Line +1.5 goals 

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #143 Saturday 10* Top Play Tennessee Titans (+) @ New England Patriots @ 8:15 ET - The Patriots are at home and laying a short number in the playoffs and, of course, have the incredible long-term numbers that coach Belichick and QB Brady have put together through their many years of making New England a dynasty. However, this team is nowhere close to being a dynasty anymore. The Eagles proved that when they beat the Pats in the 2018 Super Bowl and truly it was a miracle that New England won it all again in February of 2019. The run has ended however and this Patriots team is a shell of its former self and is having major troubles on offense. Brady is not what he once was and also does not have the weapons at his disposal that he once possessed. The defense is now the Pats strength but can they hold down the Titans potent offense enough to be able to score enough points to win this game? My answer to that question is an emphatic NO! Tennessee has NOT been held below 20 points in any of their past 10 games. During this stretch the Titans have scored an average of 30.4 points per game! Compare that with a Patriots team that had a chance to secure a first round bye and possible long-term home field edge in the post-season but blew it last week by losing AT HOME to the Dolphins! Absolutely inexcusable and the Pats even scored 24 points in the defeat. The Pats have scored more than 24 points just once in the past 8 games and, prior to that contest 3 games ago, New England had been held to an average of just 17.6 points per game over a 5-game stretch. I also like the coaching angle here with Vrabel facing his former team (both as a player and a coach) and he bested Belichick and the Pats when they most recently met. That was a dominating 34-10 win last season for the Titans over the Patriots. While this game will be a lot closer I am expecting the Titans to get the win. If they do fall short look for it to be by just 3 or 4 points and this line is currently a 5. I'll gladly grab the points here as the Titans defense allowed 24 points or less in 13 of 16 games and they have the better offense in this match-up too. 10* TENNESSEE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #508 Saturday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 7:35 ET - I like fading the Thunder off a big win at San Antonio Thursday. The Cavaliers have a bad record of course but they have actually been much more competitive of late. Cleveland is coming off a tight 3-point home loss to Charlotte on Thursday. I am aware of the Larry Nance injury but the Cavs still offer tremendous home dog value in this spot. Like I said, Cleveland has been more competitive of late and they are 3-3 SU in their last 6 home games with NONE of those 3 losses coming by more than 6 points! Overall the Cavs had won 3 straight home games prior to the loss to the Hornets Thursday. Also, though the Thunder have been winning games they have not been winning by big margins. Oklahoma City is 8-3 SU in their last 11 games. However, 7 of the 8 wins came by 6 or less points. That means if you had laid the current number (6.5) on this game in each of the past 11 games for the Thunder you would have won just ONCE in their past 11 games. Look for another close win for OKC here (ATS win here for Cleveland) or perhaps even another SU home win for Cavaliers as I would not be surprised to see them get the outright upset in this game. 10* CLEVELAND

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #141 Saturday 8* Buffalo Bills (+) @ Houston Texans @ 4:35 ET - Everyone is jumping on the Texans here. They have the home field edge. They are getting JJ Watt back on defense. The Bills have a young quarterback making his first ever playoff appearance and it is coming on the road. So of course everyone jumping on Houston and laying the short number. In typical contrarian fashion here I am grabbing the road dog. When a line looks funny or a little off it pays to be mindful of that. In this case I feel Buffalo is much better than people realize and I expect the outright win but will grab the points. The Texans defense has allowed an average of 28 points per game in their last 6 games played in Houston. By comparison the Bills have allowed an average of just 15.6 points per game in their 8 road games this season. You saw the Texans average on defense at home the past 6 games, now note that Buffalo never allowed more than 24 points in ANY of their 8 road games this season! In fact the Bills allowed 20 points or less in 7 of 8 road games. Also I don't trust Texans head coach Bill O'Brien in a playoff game. He has gone 1-3 in the NFL playoffs since he came to Houston from Penn State. The Bills lost here last season but had the yardage edge in that game and I look for the Bills Josh Allen to have a big game against a suspect Texans defense. 8* BUFFALO

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #650 Saturday 10* Top Play Marquette Golden Eagles (-) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 2 ET - Here is a classic case of contrarian viewpoint which is a big part of my handicapping style. Here you have a ranked team that only has 1 loss on the season and so they look like an easy pick over a unranked team that has 3 losses on the season. Yes, Marquette is at home but they have 3 losses - all by 17 points or more - and Villanova has just one loss this season and it came by a single digit margin. These are the types of games that tend to persuade the majority of bettors to one side and that is most often when I am on the other side. Give me the Golden Eagles at home as they bounce back off an ugly loss at Creighton and they catch the Wildcats off a hard-fought win over Xavier. When Marquette is at home and off an ATS loss they have won SU all 3 times this season. Also, the Wildcats are off B2B hard-fought wins (SU and ATS to the closing numbers) but they had previously lost 6 in a row ATS. Value here on the home team to simply win the game! 10* MARQUETTE

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #277 Saturday 10* Top Play Tulane Green Wave vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles @ 11:30 AM ET - The Green Wave lost 5 of their last 6 games this season so it must be some kind of big mistake that this 6-6 Tulane team is favored by a TD over a 6-6 Southern Miss team, right? Of course long-time followers know how I feel about supposed mistakes by odds makers. Look for the Green Wave to blast the Golden Eagles in this one. Southern Mississippi lost their last two games each by a margin of 17 points or more and I expect a similar result here. When you look at their results this season, the Eagles wins almost always came against struggling and/or very weak teams. The Green Wave played a slightly tougher schedule and also hold a big edge in the running game in comparing these two teams. Tulane averaged more than twice as many yards per game on the ground (250) in comparison with Southern Miss (122). Look for the Green Wave to control the clock and control the ground game and wear down the Eagles as this game goes on. I look for Southern Mississippi to struggle with the QB McMillan and the option attack as the Green Wave will also do some damage through the air as the Eagles defense has to respect the ground game of Tulane. As for Southern Miss QB Abraham, he finished the season with a ration of just 6 TDs and 11 INTs in his last 6 games! I feel strongly that that Green Wave will prove to be the better team both on the ground and through the air in this one and I am aware of the fact that Southern Miss has won the last 6 meetings but these teams haven't met in nearly a decade and the Green Wave are a MUCH better football program in recent seasons than in the past. 10* TULANE

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #874 Friday 10* Top Play Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+) vs Temple Owls @ 9 ET - Not only is Tulsa 3-1 ATS in the last 4 meetings between these teams, one of Temple's SU wins in those 4 meetings came by just a single point. I love the value here with the Golden Hurricane getting nearly 2 buckets at home after this line opened up at a -2. I understand the move as the Owls are off to a great start this season and I have actually backed them multiple times. However, this is the perfect spot to fade them as they are now over-valued. Temple barely snuck by Central Florida for a win on New Year's Eve. Now they are trying to win back to back road games even though they are on shorter rest than Tulsa. Also, note that the Golden Hurricane are extra hungry after a 2-point loss as an 8-point dog in their most recent game. Tulsa is a perfect 4-0 SU and ATS in recent home meetings with Temple. The Owls drop to 0-3 ATS the last 3 times they have been off a loss in which they allowed 61 points or less. The Golden Hurricane improve to 4-1 ATS the last 5 times they have played in a game with a line in the single digits (dog or fave). Look for Tulsa to again thrive as an underdog and also to continue their home dominance of Temple. The Owls have been great on defense this season but the Golden Hurricane also have played well on that end of the floor and plus are shooting 47.6% from the field in home games while Temple is shooting just 38.8% from the field in road games. 10* TULSA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #569 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - This is the perfect spot to back the Sixers. They are off 3 straight losses. The first two defeats came by just a single point. The third one was an ugly one as Joel Embiid sat out with a sore knee and Philadelphia got blasted at Indiana. Embiid is expected back tonight and is no longer even listed on the injury report. The 76ers are catching the Rockets off a huge home win over Denver. Prior to that big victory for Houston, they had failed to cover 4 of their past 5 home games. The 76ers, despite the recent losses, have covered 4 of their past 5 games and had won 3 in a row straight up prior to the recent defeats. The Sixers have covered 4 of their last 5 games against Houston. The Rockets are 1-6 ATS last 7 January games and each of these teams is playing their first game of the new year. For Philly, this is their final game of a 4-game road trip and, after losing their first three, they are hell bent on getting the win here. Even if they do fall short of the SU win I would expect this one will go down to the wire in a very competitive game. I am expecting the outright upset but grabbing the points as added insurance here should the 76ers fall just short in their upset bid. 10* PHILADELPHIA

NBA TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #550 Thursday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (-) vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:35 ET - The Heat are a fantastic 15-1 SU at home this season. Miami enters this game off a SU loss at Washington. The Heat have been great when coming off a loss. The last 5 times the Heat are off a SU loss they have gone 4-1 ATS and a perfect 5-0 SU. I look for them to once again respond off a defeat and get the win here. Considering the current line on this game is only 5.5 the odds favor a SU win also equating to an ATS cover. The Raptors are off a big win but it came against a horrible Cleveland team. Prior to that Toronto had lost 3 of 4. Also, the Raptors continue to be without Siakam and also are now without Powell and Gasol too. The healthier team at home and in a strong situation is the play here. 10* MIAMI

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #58 Thursday 8* Boston Bruins Puck Line -1.5 goals (+120) vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - The Bruins are ready for a blowout win over the Blue Jackets. Yes this is a revenge game for Columbus as the Bruins knocked them out of the playoffs last year. However, Boston comes in angry off a loss which followed 3 straight wins. Also, Columbus is currently without their #1 goalie. I know that Elvis Merzlikins got a win over the Panthers at home but he was winless in his first 8 decisions this season as he has struggled on the road all season long. There is a reason he is the back-up to Joonas Korpisalo. The Bruins have the better penalty kill and the much better power play. 5 of Boston's last 6 wins have come by 2 or more goals. Of course I won't lay the -200 on the money line but I am happy to grab the +120 range odds by taking the Bruins on the puck line here. Look for a home blowout in this one. 8* BOSTON Puck Line -1.5 goals +120

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #617 Thursday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Purdue Boilermakers @ 7 ET - The Golden Gophers should have guard Payton Willis back for this game. Whether he plays or not though, I love the big dog value being offered with Minnesota in this one. The Golden Gophers have won each of the last two meetings with Purdue. I know that makes this a revenge game for the Boilermakers but Minnesota is playing very well right now and will be tough to beat in this game. That said, I like the big points being offered. Keep in mind, the Golden Gophers have won 3 straight games and they won all 3 by a double digit margin even though they were an underdog in 2 of the 3 contests! The Boilermakers are just 4-3 SU in their last 7 games and one of those 3 losses was as a double digit favorite. Minnesota has been the better shooting team this season. Purdue has the better defensive numbers on the season but the edge there is not huge. Plus the Boilermakers have allowed 70 points in 2 of their last 3 games. The Gophers have allowed 66 points or less in 5 of their past 8 games. 10* MINNESOTA

Thursday Thrasher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #272 Thursday 10* Top Play Cincinnati Bearcats (-) vs Boston College Eagles @ 3 ET - Similarly to when I used Cal over Illinois a few days ago, I really believe this is another great opportunity to fade a team that is fortunate to even be in a bowl. Yes, the Eagles finished the season with the requisite requirement of 6 wins just like the Illini did. However, just like Illinois, Boston College statistically is not a very good football team and they are fortunate to be here. The Eagles defense has been absolutely horrific this season. Now they take on a Cincinnati team known for its defense. That said, this is a big mismatch. Keep in mind, were it not for a final game upset over Pittsburgh, the Eagles would not have even made a bowl game. The Eagles are allowing 480 yards per game this season. Cincinnati, even though they had to face Memphis twice and Ohio State once, allowed 100 yards LESS per game than Boston College's defense. Other than the 2 games against the Tigers and the one against the Buckeyes, the Bearcats had one other tough performance on defense (a surprising one against East Carolina). But in their other 9 games this season Cincinnati allowed just 15 points per game. Their defense will be the difference in this game. Boston College, prior to the upset win of the Panthers, had allowed 38 points per game in their 6 prior games! The Eagles head coach Addazio was fired so Boston College is using wide receivers coach Gunnell as the interim HC in this game. All the way around this is simply not a good situation for the Eagles and I expect the Bearcats to roll. 10* CINCINNATI

Bowl Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #270 Wednesday 10* Top Play Georgia Bulldogs (-) vs Baylor Bears @ 8:45 ET - Value, value, value! The Bulldogs were an 8.5 point favorite and have dropped to as low as a 3.5 point favorite as of New Year's Eve before settling in at a -4. I know the prevailing theory is that Georgia is going to be so disappointed here since they had higher hopes this season before the loss to LSU in the SEC Championship. However, they were a 7 point dog in that game. Yes they got blown out by the Tigers in that game but their season is not defined by that game and it is not as if they went into the game as a 7 point favorite and then blew it. They were a 7 point dog and LSU proved to be too much. Using that as motivation as well as last season's loss to Texas right here in the Sugar Bowl, I expect the Bulldogs to come up with a tremendous effort here. Keep in mind Georgia faced a tougher schedule than Baylor. Keep in mind the Bears lost to Oklahoma twice and those were the toughest match-ups that Baylor faced this season. They fell short each time and the Bears have a history of struggling in big games against tough competition. Yes they won their bowl game last season but Baylor faced Vandy. Now they go from facing a perennial SEC doormat to an SEC team that is one of the best in the country year in and year out. I like the odds for the Bulldogs coming up with a big win here. They were upset by South Carolina this season but won the yardage battle by nearly 200 yards in that misleading game. Also, the Bulldogs only other loss was to LSU and we all saw what the Tigers just did to Oklahoma - the same Sooners team that handed the Bears their two losses this season. I feel strongly that Georgia is the better overall team in comparison with Baylor. Also, their 11 wins this season all came by 6 or more points. That is why this line move is truly giving us incredible value here. The Bulldogs remember what happened to them here in the Sugar Bowl last season and, as a results, they're playing this game with something to prove. The favorite rolls in this one. 10* GEORGIA

Rose Bowl Annihilation - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #268 Wednesday 8* Oregon Ducks (+) vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 5 ET - Two teams I respect greatly but I feel we have solid line value here with the Ducks as a field goal underdog in this one. Oregon allowed 17 points or less in 8 of their last 12 games. That included a blowout win in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Now of of course Wisconsin is a strong team offensively and they're going to get their fair share against the Ducks defense but you can see why I am giving some shading toward the Oregon D getting more stops than the Badgers D in this one. I like the way the Ducks O matches up with the Badgers D. Led by QB Justin Herbert, Oregon has a solid and balanced offensive attack and their offensive style presents similar challenges to the Wisconsin D that Ohio State did. That is certainly noteworthy as the Buckeyes put up at least 34 points in each game against the Badgers this season. The way the Ducks are built on offense, they will also give Wisconsin some trouble and this is particularly true of their young secondary. Oregon only has 2 losses this season and one came by just 3 points in an upset while the other came on a TD with just 9 seconds left in the game. The Ducks have not been blown out. Now I am not saying Oregon is Ohio State BUT I am saying they are similar and the Buckeyes got the best of the Badgers twice this season and the average margin of defeat was 22 points. Considering all of the above plus the fact we're getting a full field goal here, I am grabbing the dog. Keep in mind, the Badgers ended the regular season on a disappointing note with the loss to Ohio State while the Ducks are riding high and with plenty of momentum after what they did to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game. 8* OREGON

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #828 Wednesday 10* Top Play SMU Mustangs (-) vs South Florida Bulls @ 5 ET - The Bulls leading scorer is David Collins and he missed their most recent game. Though I do expect the junior guard to be back for this game, he will not be 100% as his ankle has been bothering him. The Mustangs are the better shooting team and the better team defensively and they are at home here. Though Southern Methodist won the most recent match-up between these teams they did lose their most recent home game versus South Florida by a single point last season. They haven't forgotten that and are seeking revenge here. I like the fact that the Mustangs have been so strong defensively and the only reason that their recent win against Georgia State was as close (9 points) as it was related to the fact that the Panthers kept hitting late threes. Overall SMU does a very good job defending the 3. By the way, Southern Methodist hitting close to 80% from the free throw line while USF is hitting just 60% from the free throw line. Look for the Mustangs to pull away as this one goes on. 10* SMU

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #257 Tuesday 10* Top Play Kansas State Wildcats (+) vs Navy Midshipmen @ 3:45 ET - This is an ideal situation in terms of the contrarian aspect that is a big part of my handicapping style. How in the world did an unranked 8-4 team open up as a 2 point favorite over a ranked 10-2 team? Exactly! So the whole world, of course, has jumped on Navy here and moved the line to a -3 for the Midshipmen. That means we now get Kansas State +3 when they were originally favored for a reason. Again, just reiterating I love contrarian spots like this. The fact is that the Midshipmen played a weaker schedule and, in addition to a special teams edge (often overlooked but an important aspect in football), the Wildcats are likely to be successful defending the option. Of course, as per usual heading into a bowl game, Kansas State has had extra time to prepare for Navy's option. But the big key to being able to defend it well is the fact that the Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman just came from spending 5 years as the HC at North Dakota State. He won 4 national titles in his 5 years there and the Bison had to defend the option in FCS action. Also, Klieman's staff includes personnel also experienced with defending the option. Look for Kansas State to hold this Navy offense in check throughout this game. While statistically the defenses look about equal in this match-up they really are not. It comes down to strength of schedule and the types of offenses they faced. The Wildcats faced much tougher tests in the Big 12 than what Navy faced. When the Midshipmen stepped up in level of competition they consistently allowed big point totals. Against Memphis, Tulane, Notre Dame, SMU and Houston it was an average of 39 points per game allowed by Navy. To put that in proper perspective, the Wildcats allowed 27 points or less in 10 of their 12 games this season. The only two they didn't were against Baylor and Oklahoma and it was only the high-scoring Sooners that really gave the Cats D trouble. You can see based on the defensive numbers above why it would not surprise me to see the dog win this game outright by double digits. I'll gladly grab the points here. 10* KANSAS STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #525 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Indiana Pacers @ 3:05 ET - The 76ers are off back to back heartbreaking 1 point losses. They have had two days off to stew about those defeats. They can't wait to get back on the floor and take care of business. Since this game is a road game against a respectable Pacers team we're getting line value in a situation that is a great spot to back the Sixers. Keep in mind, Philadelphia has won 3 straight games over Indiana by an average margin of 14.7 points per game and the 76ers are very hungry here. The Pacers are on a 1-3 SU and ATS run and have allowed 116 points per game during this stretch. The Sixers have been playing the better defense of these two teams and they won't be denied in this road contest as the 76ers knock off Indiana for the 4th straight time. Keep in mind the Pacers Macolm Brogdon is dealing with a hamstring injury and, of course, the Pacers still without Victor Oladipo too. That has been the case for months but they are simply not the same team without him. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #793 Tuesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (-) @ UCF Knights @ 2 ET - After a long layoff, first game in 10 days for each team, the importance of defense is even greater as both teams are likely to struggle to find their shooting rhythm early on. That said, I look for the Owls to prevail in this one. They have lost recent visits to UCF as this series continues to be dominated by the host. However, this looks like the ideal spot for Temple to break that streak. The Owls have responded very well under new head coach Aaron McKie. Additionally, Temple is the much better defense in this match-up. They are allowing just 62 points per game on 36% shooting and only 28% from beyond the arc. The Knights are actually allowing 68 points per game in home games this season. Also, Central Florida has allowed 42% shooting including 32% from 3-point land in home games this season. Those are still solid numbers but the Owls hold the edge as you can see and they have really bought into McKie's system following the retirement of long time head coach Fran Dunphy. Crazy stats have cost the Owls in their last two visits to UCF. Last season saw the Knights hit a ridiculous 60% from the field and the prior season's match-up at Central Florida saw the Owls shoot only 32% from the field. It is no wonder that Temple lost both those games and they make up for it in this visit as the Knights are still trying to get over a 1-point loss at Oklahoma prior to their Christmas break. 10* TEMPLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #292 Tuesday 8* Virginia Tech (-) vs Kentucky Wildcats @ Noon ET in Charlotte, NC - The Wildcats are a run heavy team as they switched up their offense after making the QB change to a dual threat QB and running an option offense. I expect the Hokies to do just fine defending the option here. With this expected to be Bud Foster's last game at defensive coordinator for Virginia Tech you know this defense is going to play extremely hard for him. They have had plenty of time to prepare to face Kentucky's option offense and I expect them to play it extremely well in this match-up. The Hokies offense has become stronger with Hooker at QB. Keep in mind they won 6 of 7 after making the QB switch and the only loss was by 1 point to Notre Dame - a game which Hooker was forced to miss with injury. Virginia Tech has the stronger passing game and also I like the fact they have a shot at controlling the ground game with the extra time to prepare for this one. After rare back to back strong games offensively, Kentucky gets held in check in this one as the Hokies go all out for Foster. The Wildcats are 12-23 ATS (8-27 SU) when off back to back games in which they scored 31 points or more. Virginia Tech is 5-0 SU when off a road game this season. Also, in the past 3 seasons combined, the Hokies are 4-1 SU when off an upset loss as a road favorite. 8* VIRGINIA TECH

TV Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #725 Monday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (+) @ Villanova Wildcats @ 6:30 ET - Revenge game for Xavier. I am well aware of the fact that Villanova has had their number in recent meetings and that this is particularly true when the Wildcats have the home court edge. However, the Musketeers have just two losses this season and each were by 5 or less points and Villanova is truly not quite as strong this season as they have been in other recent seasons. Remember the Wildcats have already been blasted by Ohio State this seasons and they lost by 9 points to Baylor. I project Villanova to have their hands full here with a Xavier team seeking revenge for a mid-March loss to the Wildcats. The Musketeers covered that game as they lost by just 4 as a 7 point dog. I look for the outright upset here but if Xavier does again fall just short look for it to be by just a bucket. Grab the points. The Musketeers catch the Wildcats off their big win over Kansas prior to Christmas. Prior to that victory Villanova had lost 6 straight games ATS. The ATS losing pattern resumes here for the Cats. 10* XAVIER

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #250 Monday 10* Top Play California Golden Bears (-) vs Illinois Illini @ 4 ET - Illinois is such a bad team statistically and yet they somehow battled and made it to a 6-6 record and a bowl game. The Illini thrived on turnovers as that was a key to the few victories that they did have over quality competition. That is unlikely to work in the favor of Illinois in this one as California is known for taking good care of the ball. That said, I look for the Illini to struggle badly in this one. Cal has a great defense and also their offense - though certainly no powerhouse - does play much better when QB Garbers is healthy and under center. The Bears have the much stronger defensive line (which will be a key in this game) and they played a tougher schedule overall and this bowl game is practically a home game for Cal with how close it is to their campus. The Illini had a fluke 4-game winning streak that involved some miracle wins but their last two games of the season (both losses by 9 or more points) and the fact their 4 most recent losses have come by an average margin of 17 points tell the full story here. Also, in Big Ten action Illinois benefited from not facing Penn State or Ohio State this season. My projection is a win in the 17 point range for Cal as their defense has allowed 24 points or less in 10 of 12 games this season and the Illini defense is going to struggle to stop the Bears offense now that Garbers is healthy again. Illinois gave up an average of 37 points per game in their match-ups with E. Mich, Nebr, Minn, Mich, Mich St and Northwestern. 10* CALIFORNIA

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #129 Sunday 10* Top Play San Francisco 49ers (-) @ Seattle Seahawks @ 8:20 ET - The Seahawks let an opportunity slip away with their inexcusable home loss to the Cardinals last week. Seattle has now allowed an average of 27 points per game their past 4 games and they are banged up on offense too. The Niners are ready to swoop in and take advantage of the situation. Things are very simple for the 49ers here as they control their own destiny across the board. A win not only clinches the division and a first round bye for them, it also clinches home field edge for the post-season! San Francisco is not going to let this opportunity pass them by. The Niners and the Saints look like the two best teams in the NFC hands down no questions asked. That said, I don't foresee SF slipping up here. Other than their recent game at New Orleans - an absolute shootout - the 49ers have allowed 14.3 points per game on the road this season! Compare that to a Seahawks team that has allowed 30.5 points per game in their last 6 home games. Seattle actually was better on the road than at home this season while the Niners were also better on the road than at home this season. Seattle once was a tough place to play and a tough venue to score points in but, as you can see per the above, that is no longer the case. Also, San Francisco also has revenge here from a home OT loss to the Seahawks last month. It is payback time for the Niners and they are the healthier team and are 6-1 SU on the road while Seattle is 4-3 SU at home on the season. Comparing these two defenses there is no comparison! That is why I am happy to lay the small points here with the 49ers in a game I fully expect to turn into a road rout! 10* SAN FRANCISCO

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Sunday 10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder (+) @ Toronto Raptors @ 6:05 ET - The Thunder have a huge scheduling edge here. Oklahoma City was off yesterday while the Raptors were at Boston. Big upset win for Toronto yesterday as they beat the Celtics by double digits even though they were a sizable underdog. That said, this is the perfect spot to fade the Raptors. The Thunder are playing with confidence as they won again Friday. What was most impressive about that win from my standpoint is that OKC won the game despite making just 5 of 31 from 3-point land. That is an impressive feat. That was the 5th win for Oklahoma City in their past 8 games. Also, the Thunder have won 5 of their past 8 road games. Don't be surprised if they step up again here for a road win. The road team won both games between these teams last season and the Thunder have won consecutive visits to Toronto. The Raptors are off back to back big games with the Celtics and the win at Boston yesterday will leave Toronto very flat for this game. Grab the points! The Thunder are 8-4 ATS as a road dog this season. The Raptors are 1-2 ATS the last 3 times they've played the 2nd game of a back to back and the lone win was a SU loss! Upset alert! 10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #679 Sunday 10* Top Play Arkansas Razorbacks (+) @ Indiana Hoosiers @ 6 ET - The Razorbacks are playing this game with revenge from a March Madness loss to the Hoosiers. These teams met in the regular season last year too. Both games were decided by 3 or less points and the average margin of the 2 games was just 2 points. I like the value here with this line now spiking up to 5.5 points. The Razorbacks not have revenge here, their defense has been fantastic this season. Arkansas is allowing just 59.5 points per game and only 21.8% from three point land! I am going to grab the points here with the revenge-minded Razorbacks as their strong defense leads the way to victory here. I am expecting the SU outright upset but if Arkansas does fall short look for it again be a game decided by 3 or less points. The Razorbacks are a long-term 11-2 ATS when playing with 7 or more days of rest between games. Hoosiers are off a tight win over Notre Dame as a small favorite in their most recent game. Indiana is a long-term 9-18 ATS in games against SEC opponents. 10* ARKANSAS

Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #115 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (-) @ New York Giants @ 4:25 ET - The Eagles certainly have injury issues but they are not significant enough to prevent them from winning the NFC East. With a win Sunday at New York over the Giants they accomplish that goal. We are getting line value here because of the injury situation for Philadelphia. Now lets examine some important facts here. The Giants are just 4-11 this season. One of the wins came at Tampa Bay against a Buccaneers team that has won just TWO home games this season. Another Giants win came against a Dolphins team that is 4-11 this season. The other two New York victories came against the 3-12 Redskins. The point is that the Giants haven't won a challenging game all season. Sure New York would love to spoil the Giants division title hopes but I look for Philadelphia to dominate the ground game on both sides of the ball in this one and that will be a key. With rainy weather expected in East Rutherford, New Jersey this afternoon and into the evening, look for the ground game to be of particular importance. The Eagles are one of the best teams in the league at stopping the run. The Giants defense is bad overall and that includes stopping the run. New York's recent home games,, in terms of run defense, have included allowing 122 yards to Miami, 172 yards to Dallas, and 156 yards to Arizona. The Eagles run defense has had one bad game (versus Seattle) in their past 8 games. In the other 7 games they allowed 74.3 rushing yards per game. The Philadelphia defense has allowed 17 points or less in 6 of its last 8 games. The Giants defense has allowed 31 points or more in 5 of its last 8 games. Everyone focused on some Eagles injury issues here but their defense is quite healthy. The absence of CB Darby (constantly getting burned for big plays prior the injury) is honestly a case of addition by subtraction. The Philly secondary is better off without him. Look for the Eagles defense to lead the way here. The Giants D, on the other hand, has allowed an average of 29 points per game in its past 5 home games. Making that stat even more alarming is the fact that two of the games came against teams that currently have 5 or less wins on the season. This is a case of incredible line value because of the Eagles injury issues on offense. Yes, they have had injury issues at WR and now have lost TE Zach Ertz too. But Dallas Goedert has been strong at TE and Greg Ward has stepped up at WR with Whiteside also coming up with big catches. The backfield has plenty of options too with Miles Sanders, Boston Scott and now Jordan Howard is back from injury as well. The Eagles will get the ball into the hands of those guys as well including through the air. Philly has covered 5 of their last 6 as a divisional road favorite while the Giants are on a 1-4 ATS run as a divisional home dog. On both sides of the ball, the Eagles are strong in the trenches (and could have Lane Johnson back on the offensive line too) and I look for them to wear down the Giants as this game goes on. The last 15 times the Giants have been a home dog of 7 or less points they have gone 2-13 SU and 3-12 ATS. Look for the Eagles to win this one in a road rout and I'll take advantage of the small number posted on this game. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #124 Sunday 8* Detroit Lions (+) vs Green Bay Packers @ 1 ET - The Packers need to win. As a result, they are severely over-priced here. Lets not forget this is a short week for Green Bay (played on MNF) and they were on the road last week (at Minnesota) and now are on the road again. Yes the Lions have been struggling but what better way to end the season than coming up with a big home win as a double digit dog against a division rival that needs to win? I am not saying that I am predicting Detroit to win this game outright. However, I do feel they keep this game within single digits and, in fact, most likely a game decided by 7 or less points. Green Bay rallied to beat the Lions in their first match-up this season which was at Lambeau Field way back in mid-October. Ironically that 1-point loss to the Packers was the last time that Detroit has registered an ATS cover. This has led to extreme line value here. Yes the Lions have issues but they were only a 3-point dog in the first meeting despite being on the road. Now Detroit is at home for the second meeting and they are a 13-point dog. Even just using the normal 3 point home field edge that means the betting markets are saying the Lions are now 16 points worse than the Packers on a neutral field because keep in mind the original line would have meant the teams were about equal on a neutral field. This a 16-point line swing and it is way too much to ignore. The Packers are 12-3 SU this season but when you look at their yardage stats and game by game statistical results this is NOT a typical 12-3 team and they are definitely over-priced here. Look for the hungry Lions to make a game out of this one. 8* DETROIT

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #243 Saturday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) vs Clemson Tigers @ 8 ET in Fiesta Bowl @ State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ - I feel we're getting excellent line value here. Of course both teams are undefeated on the season but the Buckeyes have played a much tougher schedule. The Tigers were favored by at least 24 points in 12 of their 13 games this season! Clemson really hasn't been tested this season. As for Ohio State, they faced a tough Wisconsin team twice and also did battle with Penn State and had to play at Michigan this season. All of those were true battles where the Buckeyes had to up their game. Did they do it? You bet! They didn't just win those games...they dominated. Ohio State won those 4 games - all against quality competition - by a combined score of 156-72. That works out to an "average" score of 39 to 18 and there is certainly nothing "average' about that when you consider the quality of those opponents. The only time Clemson was favored by less than 24 points was when they faced Texas A & M. Though they did win that game by 2 TDs they only won the yardage battle by 100 yards. The Aggies were hurt by 2 turnovers and 85 yards in penalties. I respect Clemson (who wouldn't respect a 13-0 team?) but I feel strongly that the battle-tested Buckeyes are going to prove to be the better 13-0 team on Saturday! Keep in mind the Tigers were lucky to beat North Carolina earlier this season and won that game by just a single point. Compare that to an Ohio State team that has, without a doubt, played the tougher schedule, and yet has won EVERY game by a double digit margin. Look for Clemson to drop to 8-14 ATS when they enter a game on an ATS winning streak of 4 or more games. The Buckeyes, when the posted total is in a range from 56.5 to 63 points, have gone an incredible 45-1 SU the last 46. They win again in that role here as the Tigers offense (held under 400 yards by A & M and UNC this season) won't be able to keep up with Ohio State in this one. Keep in mind the Buckeyes defense has been fantastic this season even against tougher competition than the types of teams that Clemson faced this season. 10* OHIO STATE

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #563 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Miami Heat @ 8:05 ET - Perfect set-up here. The 76ers are off a 1-point loss yesterday. The Heat are off a 1-point win yesterday. Philadelphia has revenge as the Heat handed the 76ers their first home loss of the season 10 days ago in Philly. It is payback time here. The Sixers had beaten Miami SU in 6 of their last 7 meetings that preceded the home loss a week and a half ago. The 76ers, prior to a blowout loss in their last visit to Miami, had gone 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in South Florida. The Heat are 2-4 ATS the last 6 times they have been off a win by a margin of 11 or less points. The Sixers respond off yesterday's loss and get revenge. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #241 Saturday 8* Oklahoma Sooners (+) vs LSU Tigers @ 4 ET in Peach Bowl @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA - Too many points here. This line opened up at 11.5 and has gone all the way up to a 14 in most books as of early game-day morning. The Sooners defense has quietly become much better than people realize. That is helping to give us line value in this game because everyone still thinks of Oklahoma as only being a powerhouse on offense but OU has proven they can get some stops when they need to. As for LSU, of course it goes without saying that they have had a fantastic season but many are overlooking the fact that the Tigers defense actually has allowed more yardage than the Sooners defense on the season. LSU has played a tougher schedule BUT only slightly tougher. This Tigers team is simply not two touchdowns better than Oklahoma. No way. Because Oklahoma has one loss and LSU is undefeated on the season, we're seeing a bit of an inflated line here. That is also because the Sooners are on a 2-6 ATS run their last 8 games. Keep in mind the Tigers have allowed 37 points or more 4 times this season! Oklahoma has allowed 27 points or less in 9 of 13 games this season. The Sooners only loss came by just 5 points. LSU has had 3 wins of 7 or less points. I am looking for this game to go down to the wire and if the Tigers do pull it out, look for it to be by a single possession. Look for OU to improve to 4-1 ATS the last 5 times they have been an underdog. Grab the big points in this one. 8* OKLAHOMA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #629 Saturday 10* Top Play Louisville Cardinals (+) @ Kentucky Wildcats @ 3:45 ET - The Wildcats are at home and have dominated this series in recent seasons. Kentucky has won the last two games by an average margin of 21 points per game. Yet the line on this one, even though it is being played in Lexington, was a pick'em. As expected, everyone piling on UK here and the line is up to a -2. In typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of the move. The Cardinals are the better team so far this season and I expect that to play out as such on Saturday afternoon. Kentucky is off back to back losses while the Cards have just one loss this entire season. Louisville has been the better team on defense this season and they also have been the better shooting team including much better from three point land. The Cardinals have been hot ATS and they are 9-3 ATS the last dozen time they have entered a game having covered 4 of their last 5 games. That is the situation here and I expect another ATS cover to come via an outright upset in this game. Look for the Cards to knock off a Wildcats team which has a history of poor ATS performances in a situation like this. Kentucky drops to a long-term 4-8 ATS when entering a game off B2B close losses (by a margin of 6 or less points). 10* LOUISVILLE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #233 Friday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes (-) vs USC Trojans @ 8 ET in Holiday Bowl @ SDCCU Stadium in San Diego, CA - With USC having won 5 of their past 6 games and also playing this game practically in their back yard, many will be siding with the Trojans here. In typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side in this one. Iowa is the much better defense in this match-up and here is an intriguing stat for you about this one: the favorite won ALL 12 Hawkeyes games this season SU. Look for that trend to continue here and, as only a 2 point favorite in this one, any SU win by Iowa here is likely to also be an ATS win. After 3 straight seasons of allowing less than 400 yards per game, the Trojans defense regressed this season. USC allowed 415.2 yards per game on the year and 28 points per game. The Hawkeyes defense allowed less than HALF that average as they gave up just 13 points per game this season. Iowa is also highly motivated to try to get a 10-win season while USC's best finish would be a 9-win season and the fact is coach Helton already appears to be off the hot seat since the Trojans went 5-1 after a 3-3 start this year. Southern Cal is on a 5-15 ATS run in December games. USC also has gone 0-6 ATS the past two seasons when they entered a game on a winning streak of 3 or more games SU. The Hawkeyes are 5-1 ATS when playing with 2 or more weeks of rest between games. I am going with a motivated team that has the much better defense in this one. Look for Hawkeyes QB Stanley, whom did have some big games this season against lesser defenses, to take advantage of facing a rather mediocre defense in this one. 10* IOWA

NBA TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #547 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Orlando Magic @ 7:05 ET - At first glance this looks like a great spot to fade the Sixers. After all, the 76ers are off a huge win over the NBA-best Bucks on Christmas Day plus Philly has a revenge game on deck at Miami tomorrow night. However, upon closer inspection, there is really no way in the world you can pass up on this chance to take Philadelphia laying a small number at Orlando. Why? I say that because the 76ers also have revenge against the Magic. Yes, the Sixers lost at Orlando earlier this season and guess what ladies and gentlemen...that is the ONE AND ONLY time this season that the Magic have beaten a decent team. All their other wins this season came against teams that not only have a losing record on the season as of now...they are all teams that are well below .500 on the season! We're getting a short number with the 76ers here because of the Bucks - Heat sandwich that they are in. I won't hesitate to take advantage because the Magic have shown a consistent inability to beat good teams with one exception this season. The fact that the lone exception - in a season that is already 30 games in - came against the Sixers is what sweetens this spot even more. 10* PHILADELPHIA

ESPN Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #231 Friday 10* Top Play Oklahoma State Cowboys (+) vs Texas A & M Aggies @ 6:45 ET in Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX - The Aggies went 7-5 this season. NONE of the 7 wins came against a team that finished the regular season with a winning record. All 5 times that Texas A & M stepped up in class (in terms of the level of opponent they were facing) they lost all 5 games! That said, Oklahoma State is no cupcake and I like the Cowboys in this match-up! Oklahoma State was 8-3 this season prior to losing their regular season finale to the Sooners. Though known for their offense, note that the Cowboys actually held the high-powered Oklahoma offense to their season low in total yardage this year! Though Aggies head coach Fisher led them to a big bowl win last season, he entered last year's bowl with a mediocre 4-3 record in bowls. Cowboys coach Gundy has a 9-4 record in bowls! Last year's Texas A & M bowl win was their first since 2014 and I still don't trust them in bowls. One game doesn't change everything. This is the 14th straight bowl for the Cowboys and Gundy's 9-4 mark in bowls is no fluke. The fact that we also get them as a sizable dog in this match-up and the fact that they have the definitive edge on offense is why I am backing OSU big in this one! Keep in mind the Aggies scored just 7 points against LSU in their regular season finale. That is the same LSU team that, though very powerful on offense, allowed 37 points or more 4 times this season and yet Texas A & M scored a measly 7 points against them! Aggies won't be able to keep up with the Cowboys in this one. 10* OKLAHOMA STATE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #537 Thursday 10* Top Play New York Knicks (+) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - The Nets are off a win and are the better team but look for the layoff to hurt them here. While the Knicks were in action on Monday, Brooklyn has not played since Saturday. Rest is a good thing generally but not when it is too much. Look for New York to be rested but look for the Nets to be rusty. That makes a difference here. There is a bit of a rivalry here between these two teams and I love having a sizable dog in a spot like this. Keep in mind each of the first two meetings between these teams this season have been decided by 4 or less points. Brooklyn has won 4 straight meetings SU and the Knicks are hell-bent on getting revenge here. While the Nets are off a win, New York has lost 3 straight SU and ATS but they faced some tough match-ups and plus this was preceded by a 4-0 ATS run for the Knicks. I look for them to come up with a huge game in this spot after falling just short against the Wizards. Keep in mind New York's two prior games were against tough teams - the Bucks and Heat. 10* NEW YORK

Thursday Thrasher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #224 Thursday 10* Top Play Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (+) vs Miami Hurricanes @ 4 ET in Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA - The location of this game certainly favors the Bulldogs as they are about 70 miles east of Shreveport. The Hurricanes certainly have a history of disappointing in bowl games and I don't see them being too excited for this one. Also, as a favorite of 31 points or less this season, Miami went 2-6 ATS this season! 5 of those ATS losses were also SU losses as the Canes are no strangers to upsets. Another one could be on tap here! The Bulldogs have won 5 straight bowl games while the Hurricanes have lost 8 of their last 9 bowl games. Louisiana Tech is on a 4-1 ATS run in bowls while Miami is on a 1-7 ATS run in bowls. Of course looking at this regular season the Hurricanes have played the much tougher schedule but are they really ready to play here? Certainly going to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport was not something on the preseason "goals list" of the Canes. Conversely, the Bulldogs are certainly hungry to go for a 10-win season here and to be able to do that so close to home. Motivation is a key in a match-up like this and I am grabbing what is, in essence, a home dog in this one. The Bulldogs also benefit from being as high as a +7 in some spots as of game day morning. 10* LOUISIANA TECH

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #826 Wednesday 10* Top Play Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (+) vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 6:30 ET - The Yellow Jackets could have some trouble with motivation here and I love fading the line move in this one as the Rainbow Warriors have gone from being the favorite to being the dog in this one. Keep in mind Georgia Tech came here to win this tourney not to be playing for 3rd place. As for Hawaii, this is nothing new. They have NEVER played in the Championship Game of this tournament which has been going for a bout a decade now. But Hawaii has won 3rd place twice in recent seasons (2014 and 2015). In other words, they are at home and playing for pride on their home floor and have proven in the past that they can get up for a game like this. I also love the fact that the Warriors shot horrifically bad in their their loss to a ranked Washington team on Monday. That is why Hawaii lost the game by 11 points despite having 22 more shots from the field than the Huskies had! Sometimes crazy things happen in these games and the key to capitalizing is to catch the "rebound effect". In this case look for the Warriors to "bounce back" after that unusually bad shooting night on their home floor. I know that Georgia Tech has played the tougher schedule this season but the situational edges for Hawaii are the key to the value in this one. I don't see the Warriors being denied. They had won 7 of 9 before the loss to Washington. The Jackets have lost 4 of their past 5 games and all 4 defeats have come by a double digit margin. Motivated home team is the play here and they earn 3rd place for the 3rd time in the past 6 Christmas tournaments. 10* HAWAII

TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #526 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Bucks @ 2:35 ET - The Bucks look like an easy choice here and, sure enough, after opening up at a -2 Milwaukee's line got driven higher. However, it was priced this way for a reason and I am grabbing the home dog. The Sixers had avoided a home loss all season before recent back to back losses. However, they have bounced back overall with back to back wins, one at home and one on the road and Philly is ready to go here in this "barometer test" game. The Sixers are anxious to see how they stack up with the NBA best Bucks and I am expecting a huge effort from Philadelphia at home in this one. Milwaukee is off a big win over the Pacers and they are 1-3 ATS this season when off a home win over a divisional foe. The Bucks are 1-3 ATS as a road favorite of 6 or less points. The 76ers are 4-2 ATS this season as an underdog. Philly is on a long-term 6-2 ATS run as a home dog. The Sixers lost to the Bucks in their most recent meeting and are hungry for revenge in this one. Milwaukee has allowed 111.2 points per game in its last 5 road games. The 76ers have allowed just 101 points per game at home this season. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #481 Monday 10* Top Play Green Bay Packers (+) @ Minnesota Vikings @ 8:15 ET - Winning breeds confidence no matter the opposition. The point is that Green Bay comes into this game with plenty of confidence as they are on a 3-game winning streak and allowed 15 points or less in all 3 games. Granted, none of those teams have a winning record on the season but, as my opening sentence stated, winning leads to confidence. The Packers have only lost 3 games on the season and one of those was to Philadelphia when they did outgain the Eagles by a large margin. Another loss was to a Niners team that looks like one of the best teams in the NFL this season. The Packers really have had only one ugly defeat and that was that game at LA against the Chargers when they played like a team that didn't even show up for the game. Trust me, Green Bay is showing up for this divisional showdown with the Vikings. Also, the Vikings have been hot too and are on a 4-2 SU win but two of those four wins came by just 4 points. That means that laying the points that Minnesota is in this game, they would be on just a 2-4 ATS run. Green Bay is going to be tough for the Vikings to put away here. QB Aaron Rodgers is a big game player who has had many huge efforts in primetime action. Certainly for QB Kirk Cousins that is not the case. In fact, Cousins teams are 0-8 SU and ATS in Monday Night games! 8 LOSSES and ZERO wins! The Packers have a great shot at the outright upset here and if they do fall short I expect it to be by a field goal or less. Look for quite the game in Minneapolis Monday. Look for the Pack to improve to 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings with the Vikings. 10* GREEN BAY

NBA TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #504 Monday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (-) vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:05 ET - Perfect set up  here. The Raptors are off a win that saw them rally from 30 points down with just 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter! That huge comeback win at home last night was their largest comeback win in franchise history. It was also the biggest comeback win in the NBA this decade! Off a huge win like that on their home floor and now going on the road in a back to back spot (and already being a bit short-handed in terms of players) this is a horrible spot for Toronto. Making the situation even tougher is that they're taking on an angry Pacers team. Indiana got blown out in the 2nd half at Milwaukee yesterday. Now they come back home ready to respond off that ugly loss. Keep in mind, the Pacers had won 5 straight and 8 of their last 13 prior to yesterday's loss to the Bucks. Also, Indiana has won 8 of its past 9 home games. The Raptors won and covered their most recent road game but Toronto had entered that one a 1-4 ATS run in road games. The series between the Raptors and Pacers has been dominated by the home team and I love the situational edge here for the host in this one. 10* INDIANA

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #808 Monday 10* Top Play SMU Mustangs (-) vs Georgia State Panthers @ 7 ET - The Mustangs are off a double OT loss at Georgia but they dominated the rebounds, had less turnovers, and had more field goal attempts than the Bulldogs. This SMU team is a high-quality team but off back to back losses. They have had two days to recuperate since the loss at Georgia and this is their final game until the new year. The Mustangs want to make the most of this and certainly don't want to wrap up 2019 on a 3-game losing streak. SMU has a very strong frontcourt while that is the weak area for the Georgia State team they are facing. I look for the hungry Mustangs to be very aggressive here and I look for them to dominate the glass. The Panthers are a little over-rated right now because they are off to a hot start but they are on short rest here as they hosted Texas State on Saturday. While the Mustangs are playing just their 2nd game in a span of 16 days, Georgia State is playing its 3rd game in 5 days. Big situational edge for Southern Methodist University and I look for them to dominate and win this home game by at least a dozen points. The Panthers are a good team but they are still a middle of the pack SunBelt Conference team and the Mustangs are very hungry and at home in this one. Georgia State drops to 1-4 ATS when off a game against a conference foe in which they scored 80 or more points. The Mustangs improve to 5-0 ATS when off a game in which they allowed 85 or more points. 10* SMU

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #219 Monday 10* Top Play Marshall Thundering Herd (+) vs Central Florida Knights @ 2:30 ET in Gasparilla Bowl @ Tampa, FL - The Knights, as you can see from the big line posted on this one, are no doubt the much better team in this match-up. However, how motivated will they be here after playing on a much bigger stage in recent bowl seasons and now being relegated to the Gasparilla Bowl on the Monday before Christmas. UCF had actually been playing on New Year's Day bowls in recent seasons. As for Marshall, their certainly happy to be here and have played well in Tampa in recent bowl seasons. The Thundering Herd also are lead by a coach (Doc Holliday) whom has great success in bowls - 6-0 SU and ATS his last 6. Now I am certainly not projecting an outright upset here but I am projecting that the Herd will have no problem staying within two TDs here and I actually expect them to lose by just single digits. Marshall has a respectable defense and prior to their season-ending 30-27 win, had allowed 24 points or less in 6 of 7 games. In those 6 games the Thundering Herd allowed an average of just 17.5 points per game and keep in mind that is what the spread on this game opened up at. In other words, great value considering Marshall is certainly not going to get shutout here! The Herd are taking on a UCF defense that allowed just 7 points in their season finale but the Knights entered that game having allowed 21 points or more in 9 straight games! When coach Holliday's teams are an underdog they have produced a 10-3 ATS record the last 13 times. Look for another cover here as the Thundering Herd take advantage of a Central Florida team lacking in motivation in this one. 10* MARSHALL

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #480 Sunday 8* Chicago Bears (+) vs Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:20 ET - The Bears are eliminated from playoff contention but you won't see them laying down in a spot like this! Here Chicago is playing their final home game of the season and it is a big primetime Sunday night game hosting Patrick Mahomes and company. The Bears will go all out here to win their final home game of the season and that means we have exceptional line value being offered here. Chicago is available at nearly a full TD as a home dog in this spot. Prior to their loss at Green Bay last week, the Bears had won 3 straight games. The Chiefs have failed to cover 2 of their past 3 true road games (also faced the Chargers in Mexico). Chicago is a perfect 3-0 SU in their last 3 home games. Kansas City has been hot but they are 1-7 ATS when they enter a game after having won 6 or 7 out of their prior 8 games. The Bears are 8-1 ATS the last 9 times they have been a home underdog! Look for them to surprise the masses and get the job done again in that role here. 8* CHICAGO

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #581 Sunday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:05 ET - The Bucks, it goes without saying, have been the best team in the NBA this season. But this is a tough spot for Milwaukee and I happy to grab the rested, revenge-minded divisional dog in this one. The Bucks are in a back to back spot plus travel is involved as they were at New York last night. Additionally, that big win over the Knicks was preceded by a big showdown victory over LeBron James and the Lakers. Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo has been bothered with some back discomfort and this is a back to back spot so the Bucks may be careful with him. Either way I like the rested Pacers whom also got embarrassed by Milwaukee earlier this season. Yes Indiana held the Bucks to only 102 points in the game but they themselves scored only 83 points in that one. This was despite 100 shots from the field as the Pacers had one of their worst shooting nights of the season and hit only 32% from the field. Indiana will make up for that here and will prove to be the much hungrier team. The Pacers have a great shot at the outright upset and, should they fall short, look for it to be by only a bucket or two at the most. 10* INDIANA

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #787 Sunday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (+) @ TCU Horned Frogs @ 5 ET - The Musketeers are the stronger team and are expected to have leading scorer Naji Marshall back for this one after he missed their previous game. The Horned Frogs are a little over-rated right now as they have played a much weaker schedule in comparison with Xavier. I had the Musketeers as a Top 25 team entering this season. As for TCU, they came into this season projected to be at the bottom of the Big 12 standings this season. The Horned Frogs are off to a strong start this season but it is because of their schedule. The only two times TCU has had a single-digit line this season they lost both games outright! Every other game this season Texas Christian has been favored by a dozen or more. The Musketeers, on the other hand, have played 5 games with a single digit line this season and have won 3 of them. The other two games were the only 2 losses that Xavier has this season and each defeat came by 5 or less points. As a road dog of 6 or less points the Musketeers are on a 9-3 ATS run including a perfect 3-0 ATS run the last 3 time they have been a road dog of 3 or less points. TCU faced Lamar over a week ago so they could be a bit rusty. Lamar is not a good team so it is not a big surprised that the Horned Frogs held them to just 50 points. Note that Texas Christian is a long-term 20-40 ATS including a long-term 0-3 ATS in recent seasons when they are off a game in which they allowed 55 points or less. 10* XAVIER

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #476 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (+) vs Dallas Cowboys @ 4:25 ET - The whole world seems to be lining up on the Cowboys here and you know how that usually plays out! In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the big move toward Dallas here but certainly it is not without good reasoning. Yes the Eagles have some injury issues - namely at WR but also RT Lane Johnson. However, this is a big-time revenge game for Philadelphia going against their most hated rival and this time the game is at Philly. Plus the Eagles rely a ton on their TEs and are strong at that position plus they've seen WR Greg Ward step up. Yes Dallas is off a blowout win over the Rams but they had lost 3 straight games prior to that. The Cowboys are a very inconsistent team from week to week prone to mistakes and certainly coach Jason Garrett is not exactly highly regarded. Watch him get out-coached in this one. The rematch will play out much differently than the first game. Dallas was at home last week but now returns to the road where they have lost 4 of their past 6. The Cowboys have 3 road wins on the season and ALL 3 came against teams that have just 3 wins on the season! Giants and Redskins are 3-11 and the Lions are 3-10-1. The Eagles are 18-6 SU in their last 24 home games. Philadelphia is 4-0 SU when off a game in which they scored 35 or more points. The Eagles, after failing to cover the spread in 4 out of their last 5 games, have gone 6-1 SU. Look for the Cowboys to drop to 2-5 ATS the last 7 times they've been a road favorite of 3 or less points. The Eagles defense is going to make up for an embarrassing performance the last time these teams met. Also, the Dallas defense has allowed 27 points or more in 2 of its last 3 road games. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #464 Sunday 8* Tennessee Titans (+) vs New Orleans Saints @ 1 ET - The Saints have been playing very well and I am well aware of the fact they are still motivated here in terms of playoff positioning in the NFC. However, the Titans motivation is even stronger as they are fighting for their playoff lives. Also, Tennessee is a home dog and I like catching New Orleans on short rest here plus, literally, out of their element as this is an outdoor game the running game may end up being of a little more importance here. The Titans have the stronger ground attack on offense, the home field edge, and they're catching as much a field goal in this one as a home dog. After falling just short versus Houston last week, look for the home team to respond in a big way this week. Also, after the Saints played so flawlessly well against the Colts on Monday Night Football, don't be surprised if we see a big drop-off here. Look for the Titans to grab the outright win to keep their playoff hopes alive. 8* TENNESSEE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #215 Saturday 10* Top Play Washington Huskies (-) vs Boise State in Las Vegas Bowl @ 7:30 ET - Just one loss on the season and playing already on December 21st? Say hello to Boise State. An underdog even though playing a 7-5 team? Say hello to Boise State. Ranked and facing an unranked team and yet still not favored? Say hello to Boise State. You get the point. The Broncos might fool the masses here but they're not fooling me. This line is set this way for good reason. I am taking the unranked 7-5 team. Sure the Huskies had bigger hopes this season but when the Pac-12 portion of the schedule starts 2-4 SU your fate is pretty well sealed. What happened since then? Washington won 2 of their last 3 games including blasting rival Washington State in their season finale. The Huskies are playing hard for coach Petersen here in his final game. Lets also not forget he use to coach Boise State. Some nice added motivation here for sure. The Broncos lone loss this season was at BYU in OT. That is the same Cougars team that Washington (also facing them on the road) smashed by 26 points! The Huskies have played the much tougher schedule this season. Also their defense is very good this season. In road games the Huskies allowed an average of 19 points per game. Boise State, in road games this season, allowed 26.5 points per game this season. Strength of schedule, intangibles, the coaching factor, the neutral site, it all adds up to a ranked team being the dog here for all the right reasons. The Huskies roll by double digits in this one. 10* WASHINGTON

AFC East Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #453 Saturday 10* Top Play Buffalo Bills (+) @ New England Patriots @ 4:30 ET - The Patriots crushed Cincinnati last week but it was thanks to 5 turnovers! The Bengals actually outgained New England in that game. Speaking of misleading scoreboard results, the Patriots won the first meeting with Buffalo this season but the Bills outgained New England by 151 yards and had more than twice as many first downs. The Patriots offense continues to struggle and the Bills are a high-quality football team that is just one game in back of the Pats in the AFC East. Buffalo is on an 11-4 ATS run and also 7-1 ATS run as a divisional away dog. Don't be surprised if the Bills get the outright upset here and, if they do fall short, look for it to be by only 3 or 4 points. Grab the points in this one. 10* BUFFALO

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #204 Friday 10* Top Play Utah State Aggies (-) vs Kent State Golden Flashes @ 7:30 ET in Frisco Bowl @ Arlington Stadium in Frisco, TX - Give Kent State credit for getting here but they were fortunate to say the least. It wasn't that long ago that the Golden Flashes sat at 3-6 on the season and they were trailing 27 to 6 against Buffalo before a fantastic rally (or collapse by the Bulls!) saw Kent State rally for a miracle win. Without that win Kent State wouldn't even be here and I feel strongly they are outclassed here and are going to get steamrolled. Aggies QB Jordan Love will be entering the 2020 NFL draft and he is about to put on a show here on Friday night. Love had a great 2018 season with a 32-6 ratio. This season his ratio is 19-17 so he had a big dropoff to say the least. Now, against a MAC defense that is one of the worst in the nation in pass defense efficiency and that also generated just 21 sacks on the year, is about to be picked apart! The Golden Flashes can't just focus on the run either. That's because Utah State has a very capable ground game and, by the way, Kent State allowed 249 rushing yards per game this season. This is a sizable mismatch and the fact the line was up near 10 was more in line with where it should be as this one will be a blowout by a double digit margin. The fact this line fallen below a 7 means superb value with the favorite and I won't hesitate to go to my highest rating in this one. 10* UTAH STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #843 Friday 10* Top Play SMU Mustangs (+) @ Georgia Bulldogs @ 7 ET - The Mustangs were 8-0 SU on the season and allowing an average of only 59.6 points per game on the season. They then faced Georgetown in a game in which the Hoyas were hitting everything in sight. It simply did not matter what SMU did, Georgetown was on fire in that game including hitting 14 of 27 three pointers. These types of games happen from time to time. But the point is that Southern Methodist is a great defensive team and they are in bounce back mode here and I am happy to take the points and go against Georgia in this one. The Bulldogs are also off an ugly loss. However, Georgia is a much different team from the Mustangs. The Bulldogs don't focus much on the defensive end. In fact, Georgia has had just two games this season in which they've allowed less than 72 points in game. In their other 7 games they have allowed an average of 80.7 points per game. SMU is allowing just 38.6% from the field this season while the Bulldogs are allowing 45.4% from the field. Also, the Mustangs are the much better team in terms of defending the arc. SMU also shoots the 3-ball better and is much better at the free thrown line (79%) than the Bulldogs (67%). I am going with the defensive-minded road dog in this one. Also, they have only had leading scorer and leading assist man Kendric Davis for the past 5 games. The Bulldogs have been without Amanze Ngumezi for the past two games due to suspension. He is not a star for Georgia but he is a key rotation player. Mustangs getting stronger, Bulldogs getting weaker. Give me the hungry dog. 10* SMU

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #532 Thursday 10* Top Play Atlanta Hawks (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 7:35 ET - This is the perfect spot to back an ugly home dog. The Hawks are not a very good team of course but, after allowing 143 points on the road at New York, professional pride kicks in as they are back on their home floor for this one. After getting thoroughly embarrassed by the Knicks, look for a much stronger game from Atlanta in this one. They have won (SU and ATS) 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams. The Jazz enter this game on a 3-game winning streak but that is a situation that has seen them go 1-3 (SU and ATS) this season. In non-conference games Utah is 2-6 ATS this season. The Hawks are 13-6 ATS when off a game in which they allowed 130 points or more. Atlanta is 3-1 ATS this season as a home dog of 6.5 to 12 points. Yes the Hawks are on a losing streak but they are 8-4 ATS this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. This is the Hawks final home game until after Christmas. They are focused here. The Jazz have tougher road games coming up after this one as they face Charlotte and then Miami. Look for Utah to get caught sleep-walking a bit in this game. 10* ATLANTA

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #704 Thursday 10* Top Play St Joseph's Hawks (+) vs William & Mary Tribe @ 7 ET - Set-ups don't get much better than this one. Yes the Hawks have struggled this season but the Tribe come into this game over-rated and the situation here strongly favors St Joseph's. The Hawks are off an embarrassing 108 to 61 loss at Temple on the 10th. Looking at that score it seems hard to believe but it is true that St Joseph's had just as many field goal attempts in the game as did the Owls. The problem was that Temple made twice as many shots as the Hawks! That said, after that horrific loss and knowing that this is their only game between the 10th of December and 2nd of January, St Joseph's is going to make the most of this opportunity which is also their only home game in a span of 4 weeks! The Hawks don't want to go into this winter break period on a 9-game losing streak. Yes it has been a rough start to the season for St Joseph's with the coaching change and player losses from last season but they have played a much tougher schedule than William & Mary. The Tribe enter this game off a huge 90-30 win over Goucher. Of course there is a reason you have never heard of Goucher! Overall William & Mary has a great record this season but they entered the season projected to be one of the worst teams in the Colonial Athletic Association and certainly the Atlantic Ten is the tougher conference. Last season these teams met at William & Mary and the Hawks led by 14 at the half but ended up losing a heartbreaker. It is payback time here. Off a home win by a double digit margin the Tribe are just 5-8 SU their last 13 and here they are laying points on the road too. As for the Hawks, they are 4-1 ATS after allowing 90 points or more and also 8-3 SU and ATS when off a road loss by a double digit margin. Bounce back time and payback time for the home team! 10* ST JOSEPH'S

TV Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Wednesday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Puck Line -1.5 goals +160 @ Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:05 ET - Great set up here. The Avalanche are off a loss that got away from them versus the Blues in a 5-2 defeat at St Louis Monday. The Blackhawks are coming off a big win over the Wild 5-3 on Sunday. I don't like to lay prices in money line sports so even though the Avalanche are available at a moderate price (-150 range) on the money line, I like going for the big payback here with the puck line. At -1.5 goals, the Avs are available at a great comeback price (+160 range). Note that 16 of Colorado's 21 wins this season have come by a margin of 2 or more goals. Also, the Avalanche had earned points in 9 straight games (8-0-1 run) prior to the loss to the Blues and 7 of those 8 wins came by 2 or more goals! The Blackhawks, prior to their win versus Minnesota, had lost 10 of 13 games! 7 of those 10 losses for the Hawks came by a margin of 2 or more goals. In fact 11 of Chicago's last 16 defeats have come by a margin of 2 or more goals. The Avs have won 8 of the past 12 meetings with the Hawks and EACH of the last 7 Colorado wins have come by 2 or more goals. In two meetings this season the Avalanche have won those games by a combined score of 12 to 5. The last 5 times the Avs were off a loss they won 4 of them. 3 of the 4 victories came by a margin of 2 or more goals. They are angry after what happened at St Louis and they'll make the Blackhawks pay in this one. 10* COLORADO Puck Line -1.5 goals +160

TV Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #660 Wednesday 10* Top Play Cincinnati Bearcats (+) vs Tennessee Volunteers @ 7 ET - Everyone jumping on Tennessee here as they are a ranked team and coming off a big season plus they enter this game off a loss. Additionally, Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes is in search of his 700th victory. The Bearcats don't want that happening on their home floor and I love home dogs in a spot like this. Look for the Cats to scratch and claw their way to victory in this one. Cincinnati is 4-1 at home this season. Tennessee is playing their first true road game of the season. All the Vols other games were at home or at a neutral site. On the season the Bearcats have faced a tougher schedule and the Volunteers are a highly regarded team but enter this game having lost 2 of 4 and one of the two wins was by the slimmest of margins. I look for UC, off back to back losses including an embarrassing one as a double digit favorite against Colgate, to bounce back strong here on their home floor and get a big win. They returned more starter this season than did the Vols and this is the type of game - especially since they are at home - where I expect Jarron Cumberland to step up and have a huge game. He has struggled in head coach's John Brannen first season with the Cats but watch him come up big at home in a game like this. The Volunteers are on a 1-4 ATS run. I know the Bearcats are on an ugly ATS run too BUT this is still a team that is 18-2 SU in their last 20 home games. I love having them on their home floor as an underdog in a game in which they will absolutely be amped up and ready to go! Off back to back losses, the Cats come out fighting in this one and they do have the size edge in the paint too. They win the front court battles and Cumberland and company come up big on the wings also! 10* CINCINNATI 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Tuesday 10* Top Play Sacramento Kings (-) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The early line move was toward the Hornets here. Certainly I can understand the move as Charlotte is getting Marvin Williams back tonight most likely and they are coming off an ugly loss. The Kings are coming off a blowout win on the road at Golden State Sunday so now they go coast to coast. I can see what some are looking at here and why they're backing the home dog. However, in typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side of the line move but it is not without good reasoning. For one thing the Kings are also expected to get a key player back tonight. De'Aaron Fox is expected to be back in the lineup and the point guard will certainly help as Sacramento's win over the Warriors was an ugly one in terms of turnovers. Another reason I like the Kings here is they have won 3 straight road games and the other two wins came over Dallas and Houston! Sacramento has a lot of momentum right now and positive energy is evident with this team as recent wins pile up. Last but certainly not least, the Kings have revenge here as they lost at home to the Hornets in late October. It is time for payback here and we've got a great small number to work with in this one. The Hornets are struggling without PJ Washington and even could use the help of role player Nicolas Batum but he is doubtful for tonight's contest. The Hornets have been held to 85 points or less in their past two games. The Kings have averaged 110 points per game their past 5 road games. Charlotte won't be able to keep up here and the road favorite eventually pulls away to win comfortably. 10* SACRAMENTO

Monday Night Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #333 Monday 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts (+) @ New Orleans Saints @ 8:15 ET - Both teams are off tight losses last week but the Saints are off an absolute war against the 49ers. In fact New Orleans did lose key players to injury including two starters on the defensive line both out for this game and likely for the season as well. While the Saints have already locked up their division and a playoff spot plus lost their best chance at home field edges in the post-season by losing to San Francisco last week, the Colts are fighting for their playoff lives. They should renewed spirits too as the Steelers loss to the Bills last night was good news for Indianapolis. Both Pittsburgh and Tennessee are 8-6 on the season and the Colts can move to 7-7 on the year with a win here. That would put them 1 game back of the other two teams fighting for the last wild card spot and this is with two games to go. Now I am not forecasting the outright upset here but I do feel the points being offered are very generous given the situation. Both teams are struggling on defense but those D-line injuries for the Saints move the needle a lit bit in favor of the Colts defense here. Also, the Indy offense could get a boost with TY Hilton returning at wide receiver tonight. I know that is not a certainty and the Colts are being coy about it but I am expect him not to miss a game like this. Tonight is Indy's season essentially. Of course I respect Drew Brees and the Saints offense tremendously but Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich is a great coach and will have his guys ready here. The Colts have 7 losses on the season but only ONE by more than 7 points! The Saints have 10 wins this season but only TWO by a double digit margin! I like the odds here in favor of a tight finish in this game. Look for this one to be decided by a single possession on the scoreboard. 10* INDIANAPOLIS

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #584 Monday 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies (+) vs Miami Heat @ 8:05 ET - When you look at this game it looks so easy to take Miami (19-7) over Memphis (9-17) based on their overall SU records this season. However, you know what usually happens when something looks easy! In typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side of public perception here. First off the Heat are off an OT win at Dallas. Not only do teams generally have a tendency to struggle after an OT road win like that, also note that the Mavericks lost star player Luka Doncic very early in the 1st quarter of that game. That certainly had a lot to do with the Heat victory. Speaking of injuries, Miami is without both Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow for this game Memphis will have both Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke on the floor for this one. They missed the only game recently that the Grizzlies have lost (to Milwaukee). In their last 3 games with both Morant and Clarke playing, Memphis is a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS. One of Miami's worst losses this season was by 27 points at Philadelphia. On deck for the Heat is another trip to Philly so they could be peeking ahead at that game for sure. As for Memphis, there is no way they are focused on anything but this game. One of their ugliest losses this season was on opening night at Miami when they lost by 19. Payback time here and if they do fall short look for it to be by just a single possession. I am grabbing the points here! 10* MEMPHIS

Sunday Night Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #321 Sunday 10* Top Play Buffalo Bills (+) @ Pittsburgh Steelers @ 8:20 ET - The Steelers have won 7 of 8 games with the lone loss coming at Cleveland. However, many of those wins have been against bad teams. In fact the only team that Pittsburgh has beaten this season that currently has a winning record is the LA Rams. Note that the Steelers lost to high-quality teams like the Patriots, 49ers, Ravens and Seahawks. That said, with a 1-4 record against winning teams, the Steelers are in trouble here against a surging Bills team. I know Buffalo fell just short versus the Ravens last week but this is a very strong team that also has traveled well this season. The Bills are 5-1 SU in road games on the year. One certainly could question Buffalo's schedule as well but I like the fact that they played the Ravens very tough and also lost by just 6 to New England earlier this season when the Patriots offense was firing on all cylinders but the Bills defense stifled them. The Bills also did defeat the Titans at Tennessee. Of course this is a key battle in the playoff race and I feel the QB edge for the Bills here will prove to be huge. While the Steelers have been bouncing between Rudolph and Hodges at QB since Roethlisberger went out with injury, the Bills are set with Josh Allen under center. Allen has been even stronger on the road than at home this season. Away from home he has averaged 246.5 passing yards per game. Also, he has a 7-1 TD-INT ration in his last 5 road games. The Bills have the much better rushing offense in this match-up and that will help open up the passing attack for Buffalo downfield. The Bills have NOT had an ATS loss in any of their past 9 road games! Look for the Bills to improve to 4-0 ATS this season when off a SU loss. Pittsburgh, when they enter a game after having won 8 or more of last 10 games, has gone 1-6 ATS. Look for that trend to continue here as they are over-valued and the public money is pouring in on the Steelers. The sharp money, and ours, is on the other side! 10* BUFFALO

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #804 Sunday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) vs Ohio State Buckeyes @ 6:30 ET - The Buckeyes have been red hot but the Golden Gophers are also a much better team than they showed in their Big Ten opener on the road at Iowa. With this game being at home for Minnesota and with Ohio State possibly being rusty after not playing at all since the 7th, the Golden Gophers could surprise here. Minnesota also has revenge from losing last season at Ohio State and also losing to the Buckeyes in a neutral site game the prior season. The Golden Gophers have played the tougher schedule in comparison with Ohio State early this season. The Buckeyes are 0-3 SU and ATS in a road game with a posted total in the 120s and the fact the odds makers set such a low total here confirms the fact that Minnesota is expected to turn up the heat on defense in their own barn here on Sunday. The Golden Gophers are 5-1 ATS when off a road loss in which they were held under 60 points. I know it may seem tough to fade a streak Ohio State team but with a little rust on their part after the layoff coupled with an intense effort from the hungry dog here, I look for this one to go down to the wire! That means we have great value with having the points on our side here. 10* MINNESOTA

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #570 Sunday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 6:05 ET - Playoff revenge game for Brooklyn. This is the first shot at the 76ers for the Nets since Philadelphia won 4 straight games to knock them out of the playoffs after Brooklyn scored the upset win in Game 1 of April's first round series. I know this is a back to back for the Nets but nobody played truly excessive minutes in yesterday's loss at Toronto. Also, the Sixers Horford is dealing with a hamstring injury. The 76ers are hot right now but they have been helped by a home heavy schedule of late. Philadelphia, in fact, has lost 7 of its past 10 road games SU. I am going to challenge the 76ers (most recent road game was a win at Boston) to actually win consecutive road games for the first time since the opening weeks of the season. I am fading the line move here too as Philly is attracting some betting action here. Keep in mind the Nets are off B2B losses but only one time this season have they lost 3 straight games. Prior to these B2B defeats the Nets had won 8 of 10 and I look for them to bounce back here with a strong effort. Philadelphia can't help but be peeking ahead at a much tougher match-up on deck as they host Miami on Wednesday. That said, the Nets are the more focused team for this match-up and if they fall short of avenging their playoff exit I do expect them to stay inside the number here in a game that they will play with a warrior-like mentality...desperate for a win. 10* BROOKLYN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #313 Sunday 8* Houston Texans (+) @ Tennessee Titans @ 1 ET - Titans off a big win on the West Coast at Oakland. Coming back east after a trip out west is not the easiest trip to make for sure. Making matters even more challenging for Tennessee in this one is the fact that they're facing an angry Texans team here. It took Houston awhile to wake up in last week's game versus Denver (perhaps the Texans were looking ahead to this showdown) and, by the time they did get going, it was far too late. I like having the +3 on my side with the road dog in this one! Houston blasted the Titans in their second meeting last season and that makes this a revenge game for Tennessee. With the Texans off an ugly loss, note this stat entering this season for coach Bill O'Brien: 11-2 ATS when his team is off a SU/ATS loss and facing an opponent playing with revenge. Of course that system fits perfectly here and Houston is fired up after losing by double digits as a nearly double digit favorite last week! It was ugly! In the 4th quarter of a season (Games 13 through 16), Tennessee is 1-10 ATS when they enter a game off consecutive SU wins and are facing a team that is off a non-divisional game. Also, when the Titans are at home in divisional action and off a game in which they scored more than 35 points, they are 1-8 ATS! The above angles combine for a 29-4 ATS spot in favor of the Texans. I'll take it! 8* HOUSTON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #549 Saturday 10* Top Play San Antonio Spurs (+) vs Phoenix Suns @ Mexico City, MX @ 5 ET - Both teams coming off disappointing losses but the Spurs, even with a weaker record, opened up as a 1.5 point favorite. The markets, as if telling the odds makers they don't know what their doing, have flipped the favorite here and now the Suns are a 2 point favorite. I like to play opposite of moves like this (in typical contrarian fashion) but only when the situation makes sense and, in this case, it certainly does. The last time these teams met in Mexico the Suns got the tight win behind a 39-point effort from Devin Booker. That is the same Booker whom is the leading scorer for the Suns this season. Also, the point guard is listed as questionable for this game with a wrist injury. While I do expect him to play I expect the wrist to continue to bother him. He had trouble with getting his shots to fall against Memphis and Booker did not even practice yesterday due to the wrist injury. Facing an angry Spurs defense won't help matters. They blew their game at home against Cleveland Thursday as they had a late lead and then went on to lose in OT. Unacceptable. While San Antonio certainly has fallen off this season they had entered that game off back to back wins. Look for them to respond big here as the Booker injury is not getting the respect it should. All signs are pointing to the best player on the court for Phoenix being much less than 100%. Fade the line move here. 10* SAN ANTONIO

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #763 Saturday 10* Top Play Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens vs Villanova Wildcats @ 2 ET in the Never Forget Tribute Classic @ Newark, NJ - The Blue Hens entered this season needing to be a much better defensively and they've accomplished that goal. Granted they have faced a light schedule early this season but they had won 9 straight games before finally losing to George Washington last Saturday. Delaware is allowing just 63.3 points per game and holding opponents to 39.5% from the field. Granted, the Fightin' Blue Hens will most certainly have their hands full with a top notch opponent like Villanova but I foresee their solid defense helping to turn this game into a bit of a grinder. The Wildcats are on an 0-5 ATS run and none of those games were decided by more than a dozen points. Even the one decided by 12 points was a deceiving final score as the game was tight in the final minutes before Nova finally pulled away. The team chemistry has been fantastic for the Hens this season and they are excited about this opportunity and view it as a challenge to compete against top level competition. The way Delaware has been playing early this season and the fact they are coming off a loss, I look for a very strong effort from the big dog in this one. The Wildcats get the win but I see it coming by a single digit margin as they have bigger fish to fry. In fact the Cats next game will be against Kansas. This is a "win and move on" type game for Villanova and they are being overvalued by the betting markets here as this line has already moved up from a 13 to a 14.5 in early trading. 10* DELAWARE

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #523 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Boston Celtics @ 8:05 ET - Boston is in a back to back spot here. Also, Kemba Walker scored 44 points last night at Indiana and the Celtics still lost the game! That doesn't bode well for what to expect tonight from Boston as Walker only scored 12 points and made just 4 of 18 shots when he faced the 76ers defense in the season opener. The Sixers have the rest edge here and the health edge too. The Celtics have been without Marcus Smart (eye) and now the recently activated Gordon Hayward might miss tonight's game after taking a shot to the head in last night's game against the Pacers. Philadelphia has won 7 of its past 8 games. The Celtics are undefeated at home but there is a reason this game is priced the way it is! Philly is playing some of its best basketball of the season and they are the healthier team here plus have the rest edge. Also, I am expecting a huge game from former Celtic Al Horford in his first game back at Boston since going to the Sixers. This is an early season battle for the top spot in the division and I love being a contrarian and going against a Celtics team that is 11-0 at home this season. Boston is favored by the slimmest of margins in this one with good reason. Upset time! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #636 Wednesday 10* Top Play Rutgers Scarlet Knights (-) vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 7 ET - Nice set up here with the Badgers off a huge 20 point win versus Indiana and the Scarlet Knights off a tough loss by a dozen at Michigan State. Note that Wisconsin has been great at home this season but has struggled (0-4 SU) in games played on the road or at a neutral site. This game is being played at Rutgers and that is noteworthy not only because of the Badgers struggles away from Madison, also note that the Scarlet Knights are a perfect 6-0 in home games this season. The home/road dichotomy is too strong to ignore here as we can lay a very small number with Rutgers whom had won 6 of 7 games this season before back to back losses (both on the road). The Badgers had lost 3 straight games before their huge win over the Hoosiers. Last season Wisconsin beat the Scarlet Knights by 5 but they were at home for that game and Rutgers actually led the game by 5 at the half. Now it is payback time for the Scarlet Knights and I expect them to take care of business on their home floor. 10* RUTGERS

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #576 Tuesday 10* Top Play Charlotte Hornets (+) vs Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards are still without Isaiah Thomas. Another starter, Thomas Bryant, has been downgraded to out for this game. Also, in terms of depth off the bench, they were already without CJ Miles and this was already after being without star point guard John Wall. I know the Hornets are not a great team but their current situation is much better than that of the Wizards plus they are at home for this game. Now catching 2.5 points as a dog after opening up at a pick'em, I also like the added line value with Charlotte in this one. The Hornets got good news on PJ Washington (ankle) as he has been upgraded to probable for this game. I know Charlotte just got beaten badly at home by the Hawks but Atlanta got insanely hot in the 2nd half and ended up hitting 18 three-pointers. The Hornets lost because the Hawks outscored them by 21 points from beyond the arc and I look for Charlotte to bounce back here. The Hornets can (and will) take advantage of horrible defense (122.5 points per game) and a short-handed Wizards lineup. Charlotte lost the first meeting between these teams this season and this was after winning the final three meetings last season. It is payback time for the Hornets now and I look for them to improve to 4-1 SU in their last 5 meetings with division rival Washington. 10* CHARLOTTE

TV Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #604 Tuesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (-) vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7 ET - The Hawks have been hurt by the loss of Taylor Funk to a hand injury as he was their leading returning scorer for this season. St Joseph's was already considering a "work in progress" for this season before he got hurt and their overall numbers are living up to the sub-par billing. The Hawks enter this game on a 7-game losing streak and each of the last 4 losses have come by at least a dozen points. Ironically that is also what this line has dropped to this morning as Temple has gone from being a 15-point favorite to a 12-point choice. I am backing the favorite here as head coach Aaron McKie has had the Owls firing on all cylinders early this season. That all came to a grinding halt however with a double digit loss to Missouri in Temple's most recent game. The Owls are still 6-2 on the season and their other loss came against Maryland, a highly ranked team. I look for Temple to take advantage of St Joe's being in a down cycle right now and the Owls are in need of a blowout win after losing by 10 to the Tigers even though they favored in the game. It was a rare hiccup for the Owls who entered that game having allowed only 56.7 points per game in their 6 wins this season. That great number in terms of defensive play certainly holds significance here as Temple is facing a St Joseph's team that has allowed 70 points or more in all 10 of their games this season. In fact the Hawks are allowing an average of 80 points per game on the season. The Owls take advantage and win this Big Five game in Philly (part of the annual Philadelphia Big Five battle) in an absolute rout. 10* TEMPLE

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #160 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (-) vs New York Giants @ 8:15 ET - The Eagles have won 5 straight games against the Giants. Also, in games played in Philadelphia they have won 7 straight games against New York. The Eagles are 4-1 in Monday Night games under head coach Doug Pederson. The Giants enter this game having lost 8 in a row and now have to go back to Eli Manning at QB as rookie QB Daniel Jones is injured. Manning struggled badly early this season and that is why New York turned to Jones and a look at the future. Of course Manning and company would love to play the role of spoiler here but he is likely to be rusty seeing his first game action since September and Philly enters this game angry and with plenty of motivation. Philadelphia has lost 3 straight games but keep in mind two of those defeats came against a pair of teams (Patriots and Seahawks) that entered this weeks's action with identical 10-2 records on the season. The loss to the Dolphins last week was, however, inexcusable and I expect the Eagles defense to stand up strong after that horrific effort at Miami. Note that Philadelphia is 10-1 ATS when they are off a SU loss as a non-divisional favorite and now facing a divisional foe that is off a SU loss. Of course with the Eagles ugly loss as a big favorite at Miami coupled with the Giants 8th straight SU loss last week, that 91% system fits perfectly here. The Eagles were a double digit favorite last week and lost outright to the Dolphins as Miami hung 37 points on them. That is noteworthy here as the Giants are 2-12 ATS when they face a divisional foe that is off an ATS loss by a double digit margin in a game in which they allowed more than 35 points. As you can see here we have a pair of systems combining for 22-3 (88%) ATS mark favoring the Eagles and going against New York. The points are big but Philly can tie Dallas for 1st place in the NFC East with a win here (and they face the Cowboys in two weeks too) so the highly motivated Eagles are very likely to dominate the hapless Giants here. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #557 Monday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) @ Boston Celtics @ 7:35 ET - This is the ideal flat spot for the Celtics and, as a result, the perfect spot to back the "ugly dog" Cavaliers in this one. Boston is viewing this game as a reprieve from their schedule and a bit of a "warm up" game if you will. That is why Gordon Hayward has been upgraded to questionable for this game. They might even try to get Hayward some time on the floor to work off some rust and get back into game shape. The fact is that the Celtics are off back to back huge wins over good teams - the Heat and the Nuggets. On deck for Boston is three more quality opponents - the Pacers, 76ers and Mavericks. The point is that this game against the Cavaliers is not one that is going to bring about a lot of energy from the Celtics. They just want to win the game and move forward and that is why I expect this win to come by a single digit margin. The Cavs are struggling of course but off a blowout of epic proportions like they just suffered at Philadelphia, I fully expect professional pride to kick in and Cleveland will play much better tonight. Keep in mind, the Cavaliers are already 2-0 ATS this season when off a game in which they allowed more than 130 points. The Celtics are 0-3 ATS this season when they enter a game on an ATS winning streak of 3 games. They've not been able to make it 4 straight this season and I look for that pattern to continue here. Boston is 1-3 ATS when off a home win by a double digit margin and also 0-2 ATS when they enter a game having scored 105 points or more in 5 consecutive games. 10* CLEVELAND

NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #33 Monday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets Puck Line +1.5 goals -130 @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - You have to lay about a 130 price to have the Blue Jackets +1.5 goals but I feel strongly that having the goal and a half is well worth that price. Prior to an ugly 4-1 loss at Florida on Saturday, Columbus last 26 games had featured 11 wins, 9 losses by a single goal and just 6 defeats by a margin of 2 or more markers. The point is that if you had the Blue Jackets at +1.5 goals throughout this stretch you cashed in 20 of 26 times which is nearly an 80% win rate. Columbus is fired up after the 4-1 loss to the Panthers and I feel they're catching Washington at a great time to spring the upset here. The Capitals just got back from a long road trip out west which included a very rare sweep of the California teams. The first game back east after a lengthy road trip out west tends to be very tough on teams and Washington is feeling a little too good about themselves right now too. That said, the Blue Jackets are going to prove to be the hungrier and scrappier team in this one and I see them hanging around throughout this game. If Columbus does fall short look for the defeat to come by just a single goal. As strong as Washington has been this season note that they have only won 7 of their past 20 games by a margin of 2 or more goals. That's right, since late October the Capitals have won a game by 2 or more goals just 35% of the time. On the season Washington has played 14 home games and only 5 of the 14 have resulted in a win by two or more goals. Given the above as well as the situation, back the road dog here. 10* COLUMBUS +1.5 goals on the Puck Line

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #158 Sunday 8* Los Angeles Rams (+) vs Seattle Seahawks @ 8:20 ET - The Rams and Seahawks met earlier this season in Seattle and the line was nearly identical to today's line. What that means today is that we're getting some fantastic value considering this game is being played at Los Angeles. The line should have swung at least 6 points considering the 3 points (at least) of value given to teams based on home field. Of course the reason the line did not move at all is because the Seahawks are undefeated on the road this season and everyone is enamored with Seattle right now while a lot of people are very down on the Rams this season because they have had ups and downs. The result in a spot like this is superb value and I won't hesitate to get involved here. The Seahawks did have a very impressive road win at San Francisco in OT this season but the other 5 wins have come against teams with a combined record of 23-36-1 on the season. The Rams have some swagger back after the blowout road win at Arizona last week. Also, Los Angeles has faced a very tough home slate as 4 of their 5 games thus far in LA have been against teams with a combined record of 37-12! The result here is that the Rams are perceived to be a weaker team than they really are. The fact is that their schedule has been brutal and they could finish the season very strong and still make the playoffs. They have their work cut out for them but a win here is critical to keeping the hopes alive. After falling just short at Seattle by a single point in the first meeting, look for them to get revenge here. The Rams strength on offense is the passing attack and the Seahawks are one of the worst teams in the league defending the pass. Look for the LA aerial attack to key the victory in this NFC West showdown. The Rams have the rest edge here too since the Seahawks played on Monday night. 8* LOS ANGELES RAMS

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #544 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Toronto Raptors @ 6:05 ET - Even though the 76ers are in a back to back spot here they so completely crushed the Cavaliers yesterday that they were able to rest guys in that game. Also, Joel Embiid did not even play in that game as he rested his hip for tonight's game. Remember he made headlines for not scoring in the 76ers first meeting with the Raptors this season. Since that game Embiid has averaged 26.8 points per game his last 5 games. I am expecting a monster game from him here. Also, the home team has won 9 of the past 12 meetings between these teams. Keep in mind this is a playoff revenge game for the Sixers as they were eliminated from the post-season in that epic last-second Game 7 loss ("the shot" by Kawhi Leonard now with the Clippers) at Toronto last spring. The 76ers first shot at revenge this season saw them lose by just 5 points and that was even with Embiid not scoring a single point plus the game was at Toronto. Now Sunday's rematch is at Philly and a rested Embiid is ready to explode here plus the Sixers catch the Raptors reeling a bit off back to back losses. This one will be ALL Philly. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #739 Sunday 10* Top Play North Carolina Tar Heels (+) @ Virginia Cavaliers @ 4 ET - It looks easy to take the Cavaliers here so, in typical contrarian fashion, I am on the Tar Heels in this one! Virginia is at home and has won each of the last 3 meetings between these teams and plus the Cavs are laying a short number here. That will have people looking to line up on the defensive-minded host in this one. However, I am expecting North Carolina to say "enough is enough" and come up with a huge game here. The Tar Heels have faced the tougher schedule early this season so we are getting some line value in this one in that regard. Also, the Cavaliers could have a little bit of unbeaten letdown here as they were 7-0 on the season before getting absolutely demolished by Purdue by 29 points! The Cavs are averaging just 53 points on the season. The Heels are also off an ugly loss in which they did not score well. However, prior to that defeat, UNC had scored 75 points or more in 6 of their first 7 games this season. The Cavaliers are on an 0-6 ATS run and I expect that streak to reach 7 straight ATS losses here in a game in which an outright upset for the revenge-minded road team would certainly not be a surprise. Roy Williams and the Tar Heels are highly motivated here against Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers. I feel that Virginia is going to be caught reeling a bit here and doubting themselves in terms of ability to be able to score enough here. They have always relied on defense but their offense has been a little too ugly this season to get past a team like this. Look for the Tar Heels to get it done here. 10* NORTH CAROLINA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #132 Sunday 10* Top Play Buffalo Bills (+) vs Baltimore Ravens @ 1 ET - The Bills have the home field edge here plus the rest edge here as they played Thanksgiving Day at Dallas. The Ravens are off a physical battle with the 49ers Sunday in Baltimore and now must go on the road knowing they have a short week ahead too as their next game is Thursday! This is a really tough spot for the Ravens and I am happy to grab the Bills catching nearly a full +7 here as a home dog. Buffalo has played very well this season and they also have had this game circled after the Ravens introduced them to the 2018 season with a 47-3 beating at Baltimore last September. Buffalo would like a little payback at home in this one. Baltimore is 10-2 on the season but, keep in mind, the Bills are 9-3 on the season and two of Buffalo's 3 losses have come by 6 or less points. The Ravens certainly have been red hot but note that the Bills are 3-0 SU and ATS their last 3 games. Baltimore is 1-9 ATS the last 10 times they have faced a non-division opponent off B2B SU/ATS wins. That system fits in this one and I look for the home dog Bills to cash in here. They have a great shot at the outright upset and if they do fall short I expect it to be by a field goal or less. 10* BUFFALO

Power Five Top Play - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #117 Saturday 10* Top Play Georgia Bulldogs (+) vs LSU Tigers in SEC Championship Game @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA @ 4 ET - LSU opened up around a 3 point favorite in this game and now the line has been driven up to the Tigers becoming a 7 point choice in this match-up. It makes sense because offense is what grabs the public's attention but it is the Bulldogs edge on defense that I feel gives the underdog a significant edge in this one. Georgia is a 7 point dog here and, keep in mind, this is a team that has NOT allowed more than 17 points in regulation time of ANY game this ENTIRE season! I know the Tigers offense has been fantastic this season but lets not discount what the Bulldogs defense is capable of here. Last year Georgia lost badly to LSU but that was a turnover-driven defeat plus this year's Bulldog's defense is way ahead of last year's D. The Dawgs are allowing an average of only 10 points per game this season! Note that LSU has allowed 28 points or more in FIVE games this season! Also, in games played away from home, the Tigers allowed 37 points or more in FOUR of FIVE games! Their offense is great but those are scary numbers for the LSU defense when they are away from home. Look for Georgia to take advantage and I would not be surprised to see the Bulldogs get the upset here and certainly they are in line for the cover. The Bulldogs are on a 7-1 ATS run in neutral site games. The Tigers are on a 1-4 ATS run when they enter a game off a 2-game homestand. The LSU defense has not traveled well this season and I look for that trend to reach 1-5 ATS when the final gun sounds on this one! 10* GEORGIA

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #113 Saturday 8* Cincinnati Bearcats (+) @ Memphis Tigers in AAC Championship Game @ 3:30 ET - The Bearcats rested QB Desmond Ridder in last week's game against Memphis because the contest had no bearing on anything for Cincinnati. I am well aware of the fact Ridder has been struggling but he had been hurt too. This was effecting his play. He could have played last week but the Cats held him out to make sure he could heal up even more for this game. That means he is essentially coming off a bye week and that is certainly noteworthy. Ridder has thrown for 5 TDs against just 2 INTs plus run for 169 yards and 8 yards per carry in the two games he has played this season when coming off a bye week. Look for fresh legs and arm from Ridder in this one but also note that back-up QB Ben Bryant got some valuable work in last week's game against the Tigers. The Cincy offense is in good shape here and in terms of comparing the two defenses, the Bearcats certainly hold the edge. Prior to last week's loss (again a meaningless game for Cincinnati) the Cats defense has allowed an average of just 18 points per game over 9 preceding games. The Tigers defense, prior to a win over South Florida and then last week's game which meant nothing to Cincy, had allowed 33 points per game their 6 preceding games. The Bearcats are going to be tough for the Tigers to defeat here, let alone cover the large spread! The Cats are 10-2 this season with the only losses coming to powerful Ohio State and then last week's meaningless game against this same Memphis team. I am grabbing the big points here. 8* CINCINNATI

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Saturday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line -1.5 goals +125 vs Ottawa Senators @ 1 ET - This is a perfect set up to back the home team. The Senators are off a road trip to western Canada which was capped off with a big 5-2 win at Edmonton Wednesday. However, prior to that big win Ottawa had lost 5 straight games and each of their last 3 on the road by a combined count of 15 to 5. Not only that, the Senators have big divisional games on deck with Boston and Montreal after this game. As for the Flyers, they are coming off a rare home loss here. It was just the 2nd loss in regulation on home ice for Philly this season. Philadelphia, after this game, is off until Wednesday and also note that their next home game is not until a week from Tuesday! In other words, this is a VERY important bounce back home game for the Flyers and I look for that to show up in the way they play here too! Philadelphia's last two home wins each came by a score of 6 to 1 and another big home win is likely for the Flyers here. Of course I would never lay 2 to 1 money line odds here but, rather, the value here is with the puck line at -1.5 goals which gets us a payback in the +125 range! 8* PHILADELPHIA puck line -1.5 goals

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #733 Saturday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions (+) @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ Noon ET - The Buckeyes are undefeated this season, at home, and ranked very high. All the pressure is on Ohio State here. Also, the Buckeyes are off a huge win over North Carolina on Wednesday night. This is a tough spot for Ohio State now as they take on a Penn State team that very quietly has also been playing a lot of ultra impressive defense and is going to be tough for the Buckeyes to pull away from in this game. Also, the Nittany Lions have been enjoying great success in recent meetings between these teams but did fall just short here last year. That makes this a revenge game for Penn State as they lost to the Buckeyes last season despite taking 16 more shots from the field in that game! It was simply "one of those nights" and yet PSU still lost the game by only 4 points. Look for a similar result here as the scrappy Nittany Lions have a great shot at the outright upset here. If they do fall short expect it only be by a bucket or two. The Buckeyes are on a great ATS run this season but they can't keep hitting the high percentage of shots they have been and the Nittany Lions come into this one having played great defense this season too! 10* PENN STATE