Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #813 Sunday 8* Temple Owls (+) @ Central Florida Golden Knights @ Noon ET - This line opened up at a -3 and, of course, everyone jumped all over 11-4 Central Florida at home over 7-7 Temple on the road. In typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side here. The Owls were swept by the Golden Knights last season and it is time for revenge. Also, 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams have been decided by just 2 points each! In other words, with this line having moved up to 4.5 there is a lot of value with the dog in this match-up. Yes, Central Florida has the better record but Temple has played the tougher schedule. The Owls enter this game on a losing streak of 4 straight games but the last two losses have each come by 3 points or less. Also, Temple is 4-0 ATS when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. 8* TEMPLE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Game #649 Saturday 10* Top Play Kansas Jayhawks (-) @ TCU Horned Frogs @ 9:15 ET - This is a huge revenge game for Kansas. They were knocked out of the Big 12 Tournament in the quarterfinals last year in a tight loss to TCU. The fact that this game is in Texas actually helps because it means the line is manageable. In fact, the line is basically a pick'em which is a great value. Yes the Jayhawks looked awful in their loss to Texas Tech but that was a wake-up call for this team and clearly Kansas was also likely peeking ahead to this game which was circled on their calendars. The Jayhawks are 57-12 SU (including 6-0 past 2 seasons) when they are off of a loss in Big 12 action. Also, Kansas is 75-15 SU when off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more! In recent seasons, the Jayhawks are 56-12 SU against teams with a winning record while the Horned Frogs are 24-36 SU. I fully realize that TCU is an improving basketball program but they're still catching a revenge-minded Jayhawks team at absolutely the wrong time and Kansas (and head coach Bill Self) will be ready to go here! The Horned Frogs are 12-31 SU in conference games in recent seasons. The Jayhawks are 35-7 SU over the same time period. 10* KANSAS

NFC Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Game #103 Saturday 10* Top Play Atlanta Falcons (+) @ Los Angeles Rams @ 8:15 ET - The Falcons regular season certainly may not have played out exactly like they wanted it to. But the fact is they are here and that means part one of their mission is complete. Rest assured Atlanta has been on a mission ever since the sickening loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl last year where they blew a huge lead and lost in overtime. To get another chance they've got to get a few wins and I expect win number one here which is why I love the big points being offered here. The Rams are an up and coming team there is no doubt about that but they still are young and unproven when it comes to a big playoff match-up like this. Also, they played in the much more meager NFC West where Seattle dealt with injuries and struggled and the other two teams went a combined 14-18 with many of the 49ers wins coming late in the season. The point is that the Falcons played in the NFC's elite division this year as the Saints and Panthers each won 11 games and prevented Atlanta from taking the division title. The battle-tested Falcons have a huge edge over the Rams in this regard. Also, Atlanta is the much better team on defense (particularly against the run) and I expect that to be a factor here. Certainly the Rams have proven all season long they don't have much of a crowd edge in LA either! Los Angeles went 3-4 SU in home games this season while Atlanta went 5-3 SU in road games this year! The Falcons are on a 6-1 ATS run against NFC West opponents. The Rams are on an 0-4 ATS run in home games with a posted total between 45.5 and 49 points. Give me the proven, veteran team here. Grab the points but I do sense an outright upset here. 10* ATLANTA

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Saturday 8* Tampa Bay Lightning Puck Line -1.5 goals +150 @ Ottawa Senators @ 7:05 ET - The Bolts are off of a 2-1 loss and will be fired up to respond huge. Of course as long-time followers know I am not an advocate of laying big prices on the money line. That said, I am certainly not going to lay 2 to 1 odds on this road favorite. However, there is plenty of reason to believe Tampa Bay comes up with a road rout in this match-up and that is why I am happy to lay the 1.5 goals and take a shot at the +150 return! The Lightning have the best record in the NHL and a big reason for that is that they certainly know how to respond off of a loss. The Bolts are 9-1 when off of a loss this season. Their average margin in those 9 wins was 2.1 goals. Overall, Tampa Bay's last 13 wins have featured 10 by 2 goals or more. On the season the Lightning have 13 road wins and 10 have come by a multi-goal margin. Ottawa enters this game off of a wild 6-5 win yesterday. That makes this a tough back to back spot for the Senators and they've been held to 2 goals or less in 15 of their last 18 losses. That certainly holds significance here because the Lightning have averaged 4.2 goals per game in their last 12 victories. In other words, don't be surprised if you see at least a 4-2 game here in favor of the road fave. Ottawa has lost 18 of their last 23 games and this is a mismatch and the Bolts are motivated. 8* TAMPA BAY puck line -1.5 goals +150!

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFB Game #368 Saturday 8* James Madison Dukes (+) vs North Dakota State Bison @ Noon ET in FCS Championship Game in Frisco, TX - The Dukes are the defending champs but the Bison had won 5 straight FCS Championships before falling short last year. While the markets are heavily favoring North Dakota State to take the title back, there is a lot of value with the points being offered here. These are truly two very evenly matched teams and the only common opponent, South Dakota State, they faced this season created much different results. For the Bison it was a loss and a yardage deficit of 136 yards. For James Madison it was a win and a yardage edge of 97 yards. In a true #1 vs #2 battle in this year's FCS Championship I am happy to grab the generous points with the undervalued underdog. After opening up at a 3.5 this line has moved up to a 4.5 as of Friday evening and the added value here is truly a bonus. 8* JAMES MADISON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #805 Friday 8* Minnesota Timberwolves (+) @ Boston Celtics @ 7:05 ET - Perfect set up here with the Timberwolves off of a tight one point loss at Brooklyn on Wednesday while the Celtics are off of a huge double digit revenge win over the Cavaliers the very same night. Boston can't help but be a little flat here after that key victory while Minnesota comes into this one very hungry. Also, Minny is playing this game with double revenge as they lost both match-ups to the Celtics last season. Additionally, Minnesota has not lost back to back games since prior to Thanksgiving. This team has done a great job of bouncing back off of a loss and I expect them to do it again here. 11-3 SU is the Timberwolves record when off of a loss this season and here we are getting them plus a few points so I'll gladly take it. Boston is 8-13 ATS when they enter a game having played each of their prior games at home and this is definitely a spot in which they are likely to be complacent after the huge win over LeBron James and company. 8* MINNESOTA

TV Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #828 Friday 10* Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+) vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 7 ET - The Badgers are very banged up in the backcourt right now with three guards listed on their injury report. Wisconsin has won 5 of 6 meetings with Rutgers but it was no mistake when the oddsmakers opened up this game at very nearly a pick'em price. The betting markets have given us a lot of value here as they have driven this line all the way up to as high as a 3 as of early gameday morning. This offering solid home dog value to the Scarlet Knights. Admittedly the Badgers have played a tougher schedule than Rutgers has. However, the injury situation in the backcourt is certainly concerning for Wisconsin. Also, the Badgers are allowing 46% shooting from the field (including 36% from three point land). By comparison, Rutgers is allowing only 37.6% from the field (including a paltry 30.2% from beyond the arc). The point is that the Scarlet Knights have been more attentive to defense this season and the Badgers are still adjusting after losing a lot of key players coming into his season and now having some key injuries on top of that! Wisconsin is 3-8 ATS this season when playing against a team with a winning record. Also, the Badgers are a long-term 1-6 ATS in road games with a posted total in the 120s. Even though Rutgers is playing on short rest here, they are 5-2 ATS when playing with 1 day or less of rest between games. Also, the Scarlet Knights are a perfect 5-0 ATS this season in their home games! 10* RUTGERS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #572 Thursday 8* Morehead State Eagles (-) vs Eastern Illinois Panthers @ 6 ET - The Panthers are in a tough spot here. They've struggled badly on the road and are still trying to adjust to the fact that their most important player, Terrell Lewis, is out with an ankle injury. He is a point guard that led Eastern Illinois in minutes last season and was averaging 35.4 minutes per game this season before he got hurt. The Panthers miss their floor leader and, as noted above, they have been struggling badly on the road. Eastern Illinois is shooting only 36.5% from the field on the road with an awful 29.6% from three point land in away games. They now face a Morehead State team that, although rebuilding, is responding well to new head coach Preston Spradlin. The Eagles are shooting 50.8% in home games this season including 37.9% from three point land and, as a result, laying the small number on Morehead State here should prove well worth it. The Eagles are 9-3 ATS when off of a loss in Ohio Valley Conference action. The Panthers are 2-9 ATS (including 0-5 this season) when off of a game where they were held to 60 points or less. 8* MOREHEAD STATE

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Game #781 Wednesday 10* Top Play Oklahoma State Cowboys (+) @ Oklahoma Sooners @ 9 ET - Yes, this is a huge revenge game for the Sooners after getting swept by the Cowboys last season. Yes, Oklahoma returned more key players this season than Oklahoma State did. However, the key here is that Oklahoma State has responded very well to Mike Boynton whom has taken over the head coaching reigns from Brad Underwood. The Cowboys play with confidence, they're playing well on the defensive end, and they believe in themselves. Yes, Oklahoma State did lose at home to West Virginia and they blew a decent lead in doing so. However, that type of loss only makes them hungrier coming into a rivalry game like this. Though Oklahoma has the more impressive shooting stats and puts up big numbers on offense, Oklahoma State is the better team defensively. The Cowboys have allowed 12.7 points less per game plus they defend the 3-ball much better than OU does. The Sooners are 3-6 ATS as a favorite this season and, in my opinion, they are over-priced again here. Remember, revenge tends to get over-played and over-valued and I expect the Cowboys - off of a loss - to come up with a very strong effort here. Look for Oklahoma State to improve to 4-0 ATS in road games with a posted total in the 160s while Oklahoma drops to 4-8 ATS in games with a posted total in the 160s. The Sooners are 6-12 ATS when off of a win in conference action. Also, OU is on a long-term 17-29 ATS run as a favorite. 10* OKLAHOMA STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #763 Wednesday 8* Indiana State Sycamores (+) @ Loyola Chicago Ramblers @ 8 ET - Since point guard Clayton Custer has been out with an ankle injury for the Ramblers, they've had 3 lined games and gone just 1-2 SU and the win came by only 7 points. There is good value here with the big dog Sycamores. While Loyola Chicago is off of a win, Indiana State is off of a tight 3-point loss thanks to hitting only 19% from three point land. The Sycamores are hungry as a result and they're also playing with revenge here as they have lost 3 straight to Loyola Chicago with both defeats last season coming by double digits. Suffice to say it is time for some payback here and Indiana State, though only 5-6 SU in their last 11 games, has seen 5 of those 6 losses come by 8 points or less. In other words, give the Sycamores +8 in each of their last 11 games and you would have only lost 1 bet! Look for Indiana State to improve to 4-1 ATS the last 5 times they've been a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points. Loyola Chicago drops to 1-4 ATS in games with a posted total in the 130s this season. 8* INDIANA STATE  

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #706 Wednesday 8* Orlando Magic (+) vs Houston Rockets @ 7:05 ET - The Rockets already were struggling and now things went from bad to worse with James Harden's hamstring injury. Houston had lost 5 straight games before their non-covering multiple overtime win over the Lakers on Sunday. That ATS loss dropped the Rockets to 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games. The Magic are off of a tough non-cover at Brooklyn Monday as they were as high as a 2-point dog but blew a late lead and lost the game by 3. Orlando actually had 14 more field goal attempts than the Nets in that game but poor shooting did them in. Look for them to bounce back here. The last 4 times that Orlando has been held under 41% from the field, only once have they lost their next game by more than 7 points. Look for the Magic to stay tight with the wounded Rockets tonight as it certainly helps that Orlando is at home for this one too. Also, Houston has a huge home game with Golden State on deck for tomorrow night! The Magic are a surprising 3-1 ATS and SU against Southwest Division opponents this season and certainly could catch the Rockets looking ahead here. Also, Houston is an ugly 6-12 ATS when off of a game where they scored 130 points or more. 8* ORLANDO

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #549 Tuesday 10* Top Play Arkansas Razorbacks (-) @ Mississippi State Bulldogs @ 9 ET - There has been a big move toward the Bulldogs here but I feel it will prove to be a big mistake. The Razorbacks have played a much tougher schedule than Mississippi State has this season. Even with that Arkansas is 9-4 ATS this season while the Bulldogs are 2-6 ATS on the young season. Also, the last time the Razorbacks played a true road game was exactly one month ago to the day. Arkansas lost that game by 26 points at Houston and they have been anxious to make amends for that defeat and prove what they can do on the road. They'll be ready to make a statement here in Starkville where they did lose their last visit in a blowout loss. The Razorbacks also lost at home to the Bulldogs last year in January so payback is on order in this one. Arkansas has earned their ranking and Mississippi State, despite one less loss, is not ranked for a reason. The Bulldogs schedule has been so weak and they just are not at the talent level that the Razorbacks are. Also, Arkansas is the better shooting team, including much better from 3-point land. The Razorbacks are 16-6 SU after a game in which they allowed 80 points or more. The Hogs are also 5-1 ATS (and SU) when they face a team that is allowing 64 points or less per game. The Bulldogs are 6-11 ATS after a game in which they scored 80 points or more. 10* ARKANSAS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #514 Tuesday 8* Xavier Musketeers vs Butler Bulldogs @ 7 ET - The Musketeeers catch the Bulldogs off of their huge upset win over Villanova Saturday. How did Butler pull it off? Insanely hot shooting as they shot 60% from the field and 68.2% from three point land. Keep in mind that game was at home though and now they are on the road and they shot just 14.3% from beyond the arc in their most recent game away from home. That is a big key here because Butler is making just 25.2% of their three pointers on the road this season and the Bulldogs are shooting just 39.9% from the field overall this season when on the road. Xavier is the much stronger shooting team given they have this game at home and the Musketeers are shooting 51.4% overall on the season and 37.2% from three point land on the season. Xavier knocked Butler out of the Big East tourney last season but the Bulldogs won both regular season games including the game at Xavier. That said, the Musketeers also have revenge on their minds here because they remember what happened the last time they hosted Butler. Couple that with the fact that the Bulldogs are off of that huge upset of #1 ranked Nova and you have the makings of a home rout in this one. 8* XAVIER

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #523 Tuesday 8* Indiana Hoosiers (+) @ Wisconsin Badgers @ 7 ET - Simply put, Wisconsin is not what they once were. The Badgers are a work in progress early this season and that means we have great underdog line value here. The last 4 regular season meetings between these teams have been decided by an average margin of just 4 points. Keep in mind, that was also when Wiscy was a much tougher team. Adding to the value here, the Badgers did knock the Hoosiers out of the Big Ten Tourney last March so Indiana has plenty of motivation for this one. Wisconsin has won 4 straight games SU but faced plenty of weak opposition. Their ATS numbers tell the full story this season as they are on a 4-9 ATS run. The Badgers also have been hurt by injuries that have impacted their backcourt. Indiana has failed to cover just once in their last six games. Their schedule this season has been slightly tougher than the Badgers thus far as well. Wisconsin is allowing an uncharacteristic 46% shooting from the field while the Hoosiers are holding opponents to 43.7% from the field. Indiana is 13-2 SU (and 10-5 ATS) when they are off of a game where they held their opponent to 60 points or less. The Badgers are just 3-7 SU (and 2-8 ATS) in their games against teams with a winning record this season. This has great potential for an upset and certainly grabbing the points is the way to go as they offer huge value. 8* INDIANA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #274 Monday 10* Top Play Clemson Tigers (+) vs Alabama Crimson Tide @ 8:45 ET in Sugar Bowl @ Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana - Alabama started the season with a tough match-up versus Florida State. Even though the Crimson Tide won that game by 17 points, they only outgained the Seminoles by 19 yards! Alabama was then a huge favorite for many consecutive weeks and basically it was Roll Tide Roll week in and week out. However, looking their final 4 games of the season, including some tougher match-ups finally, I believe shows that the Crimson Tide are not quite what they once were in recent years. Of course one of the final four games was against Mercer so remove that from the equation but, looking at the other 3 games shows some keys. Alabama only beat Mississippi State by 7 points. Also, the Crimson Tide did beat LSU by 14 points bur they were outgained in that game. Then, Alabama's other game saw them get crushed by Auburn as they lost by double digits! As for Clemson, their schedule had many more challenges sprinkled in it throughout the year and the way the Tigers responded in facing regular more consistent challenges will serve them well here. The fact this is a revenge game for Alabama and, with the long-term reputation the Crimson Tide has, this line may look funny to some. However, the line is perfectly fine as, the fact is, it is offering exceptional value to a Clemson team that did face a tougher schedule than Alabama did. Also, while both teams are strong defensively, the Tigers do have the stronger defensive line and I look for that key battle in the trenches to be a key to an upset victory for the dog in this one. Alabama has lost each of their last 3 trips to the Sugar Bowl while Clemson is on a 7-0 SU/ATS run in bowl games. The Tigers are on a 5-0 ATS run as an underdog and I'll grab them again here in their preferred role. 10* CLEMSON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #701 Monday 8* Orlando Magic (+) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - Both these teams are hungry as they are coming off losses. However, the big difference is that the Nets played yesterday while the Magic have been off since Saturday. That is certainly significant as Brooklyn is just 1-6 SU this season when in the 2nd game of a back to back and their record in this situation the past 3 seasons combined is 4-32 SU! Definitely not a good spot to lay the points with the Nets! Look for the rested Magic to get the W here as they also seek revenge for losses in each of their last two visits to Brooklyn. Look for the Nets to drop to 6-30 SU when off of a divisional game. 8* ORLANDO

Ranked Rout - Rickenbach CBB Game #712 Monday 10* Kansas State Wildcats (+) vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 5 ET - The Mountaineers have won 12 straight games and got the better of me when they rallied to beat Oklahoma State at Stillwater on Friday. However, we'll get it back today on Monday. West Virginia allowed the Cowboys to hit 51% of their shots in that game and now face a red hot shooting Wildcats team. It is so hard to win road games in the Big 12 and especially back to back affairs in a tough situation. Kansas State will be ready and wants this game badly as the Mountaineers knocked them out of the Big 12 Tourney last March. The Wildcats have shot 50% or better from the field in 4 of their last 6 games. The Mountaineers, despite all their winning, have gone 10 straight games without a single game where they've knocked down half their field goal attempts. The schedule is starting to toughen for West Virginia and the Wildcats are going to own this game at home. Kansas State is on a 30-10 SU run in home games including 7-0 this season. Also, the Wildcats are 16-8 SU when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. The Mountaineers are only 6-6 ATS in games against good defensive teams (allowing 64 points or less per game). KSU was known to have plenty of scorers but the attention to defense has been a big surprise early this season and the Wildcats are riding that D to wins. They get their revenge here. 10* KANSAS STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFB Game #269 Monday 8* LSU Tigers (-) vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ 1 ET in Citrus Bowl @ Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida - The Irish are hurt by suspensions at WR and TE. Though the Tigers also have concerns at a key position with injuries effecting their LB corps, LSU has more depth at LB than Notre Dame does at WR and TE. The Fighting Irish love to run the ball but now they'll very nearly be one-dimensional due to all the issues at WR and TE as they don't have the usual passing targets they would have. The LSU defense, thanks to a stout defensive line, will be up for the challenge in terms of stopping the run. The Tigers are on a 6-0 ATS run and the Irish are on an 0-4 ATS run. That means we have a combined 10-0 ATS streak here favoring LSU. Also, the Tigers are 8-2 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points while Notre Dame is on a 2-9 ATS run in January games. 8* LSU

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #710 Monday 8* Cleveland State Vikings (-) vs Youngstown State Penguins @ 1 ET - The strength of Youngstown State coming into the season was the backcourt but the knee injury for Francisco Santiago changed all that. The only two wins the Penguins have this season were non-lined games and they were back when Santiago was on the floor. Currently Youngstown State is on a 9 games losing streak. Also, of their 11 losses this season the Penguins have 9 defeats by 13 points or more. That is why I am comfortable laying the points here with Cleveland State. Even though the Vikings have issues of their own, they are still at home and playing with revenge here and they'll take advantage of a Penguins team allowing 84.4 points per game on shooting of 52.6% from the field including 37.8% from three point land. Cleveland State is not only better defensively, they are the better team on offense as well with better shooting in all three categories in comparison with Youngstown State. The Penguins are 0-10 in lined games this season and have gone only 2-8 ATS in those games. The Vikings are 13-7 ATS when facing a team with a losing record and that includes a perfect 3-0 ATS this season. 8* CLEVELAND STATE

Non-Conf Game of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Game #815 Sunday 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (+) vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 8:05 ET - Phoenix has been a different team since guard Devin Booker has returned. Overall, the Suns have won 5 of their last 7 games and they now host a 76ers team that is off of a big road win at Denver last night but that had previously lost 10 of its last 12 games. With Joel Embiid slated to play tonight for the Sixers and with this being a revenge game for Philly, the line has been skewed toward the 76ers here. However, the Suns as a solid home dog here is a great value. Phoenix has covered 10 of its last 14 games and they are playing just their 2nd game in 5 nights. The Suns will have very fresh legs here. The 76ers are on a 4-13 ATS run and are playing their 5th straight road game. Not only is this spot a back to back for Philadelphia, they also are playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. Philly is playing this game with home loss revenge but they are 15-55 SU in this situation the past 2+ seasons. Also, the Sixers are 0-4 SU and ATS this season when playing the 2nd night of a back to back. The past 2+ seasons the 76ers long-term record in this situation (2nd of B2B) is 6-35 SU! The Suns are 5-2 ATS when off of a divisional game and also 5-2 ATS this season versus Atlantic Division opponents. 10* PHOENIX

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NFL Game #327 Sunday 10* Top Play Arizona Cardinals (+) @ Seattle Seahawks @ 4:25 ET - This is expected to be Bruce Arians last game as head coach of the Cardinals. They would love nothing more than to prevent the Seahawks from making the playoffs by notching a huge upset win at Seattle. Granted, the Hawks could win and still not get in if Atlanta defeats Carolina. However, the point is that Arizona can make sure Seattle doesn't get in by getting the upset win here. I feel the Cardinals have a great shot at the upset here which is also why this play (getting big points) easily earned Top status for me. The Seahawks were actually outgained by 147 yards in their win at Dallas last week! Seattle's offense has averaged a paltry 142.5 yards per game the past 2 weeks! It is hard to cover a large spread when you're not moving the ball well and the Cardinals defense won't do them any favors this week. Keep in mind, Arizona's defense has still been solid this season. In fact, they're allowing less yards per game than Seattle is! Also, the Cardinals did outgain the Seahawks in their home loss in the earlier meeting this season! Also, home field has been worthless in recent meetings between these teams. The road team is 4-0-1 in the last 5 games. That's right, the home team has not a single SU win in the last 5 meetings and there was of course also the infamous 6-6 tie last season. I look for another very tight game here with Arizona going all out with 100% effort in this one for Arians. The Cardinals are 5-2 ATS in games with a posted total between 35.5 and 42 points. The Seahawks are only 2-5 ATS in games played in Seattle this season! 10* ARIZONA

Earliest Cash Side - Rickenbach NFL Game #321 Sunday 8* Chicago Bears (+) @ Minnesota Vikings @ 1 ET - The points are simply too much here. This is a divisional game so the Bears are still going to bring a strong effort though their season has long been over. The Vikings do still have something to play for here (first round bye) but that also means that if they get up big they could take their foot off the gas and put things on cruise control. The fact is Minnesota may not ever get such a big lead. The Bears are known for close games as the favorite had covered only 2 of the last 10 games before Chicago won as a favorite versus Cleveland last week. With Bears games trending toward the dog, there is big value here as statistically, these teams are not as far apart as the line would lead you to believe. The Bears defense allows only 37.6 yards per game more than the Vikings. Minnesota's offense gains only 65.8 yards per game more than Chicago's offense. Also, 6 of the Bears last 7 losses have come by a margin of 10 points or less. This game is projected to be low-scoring which makes it even tougher to cover a large spread. The fact is that the Bears are 12-1 ATS in games with a posted total between 35.5 and 42 points the past 3 seasons. 8* CHICAGO

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Game #555 Saturday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) @ Butler Bulldogs @ 4 ET - Butler expended a lot of energy in their double-overtime win at Georgetown on Wednesday. They were down huge at the half so really had to put in a lot of effort just to force overtime and then the game actually ended up going 2 extra stanzas! While it is true that the Bulldogs have had two days off since that win, it is also true that those are the types of wins that take a lot out of a team and top ranked 13-0 Villanova is coming in to this game as the much fresher team. Also, the Wildcats have revenge from losing both games to Butler last season. One could say that the Bulldogs have had the Cats number in recent meetings but one could also say that Butler certainly didn't impress in Wednesday's game versus the Hoyas as Georgetown had played a very soft schedule this season. Now the Bulldogs take on a Wildcats team that has played just as tough of a schedule as Butler has. The Bulldogs are 1-3 ATS as an underdog this season and also 2-7 ATS in recent seasons when they are off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Villanova is 9-1 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record. Also, the Wildcats are a long-term 22-11 ATS when they face teams that are averaging 77 points or more per game on the season. Keep in mind, Butler is averaging a solid 78.6 points per game this season but Nova shoots the ball much better and is averaging 87.8 points per game this season. Also, Butler's weakness on D is against the 3-ball (allowing 37%) and the Wildcats are hitting a ridiculous 42.2% of their threes this season! That will likely play out as a key factor in this one. 10* VILLANOVA

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CFB Game #259 Saturday 10* Top Play Iowa State Cyclones (+)  @ Memphis Tigers @ 12:30 ET in Liberty Bowl @ Liberty Bowl Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee - Memphis is 10-2 and they are at home for this game and yet they opened up as only a 3-point favorite over a 7-5 Iowa State. Sure enough the masses jumped all over the Tigers and drove this line to as high as a 4.5 in some spots. It has settled in around a 4 as of gameday morning and I am very happy to back the Cyclones in this spot. Iowa State played a much tougher schedule than Memphis did. The Big 12, of course, is much tougher than the American Athletic Conference. Also, the Cyclones have the much better defense. Even with facing a number of tough offenses that reside in the Big 12, Iowa State allowed only 21 points and 368.4 yards per game on the season. As for the Tigers, they allowed 33.4 points and 476.2 yards per game. Of course the Memphis numbers on offense look great but let's keep level of competition in mind when evaluating that offense. Also, note that the Cyclones held Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech to a combined 291 yards below what those 3 potent offenses typically average per game. Iowa State is a solid 11-6 ATS the past 3 seasons combined when facing a team with a winning record while Memphis is an ugly 5-11 ATS over this same span. Also, as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points, the Tigers are a long-term 17-33 ATS. Both teams lost their regular season finale but Memphis allowed a whopping 726 yards in their loss while the Cyclones allowed a paltry 264 yards in their loss. Big difference between the defenses of these teams and I love defensive-minded dogs in bowl games! 10* IOWA STATE

Contrarian Crusher - CFB Game #256 Friday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (-) vs USC Trojans @ 8:30 ET in Cotton Bowl @ AT & T Stadium in Arlington, TX - The Buckeyes were in the discussion for a playoff spot. The fact they didn't get it means they come out fired up and with something to prove in this game. You can't expect anything less from a Meyer-led team. They are going to prove they should have belonged by coming up with a huge game here. Keep in mind, both of these teams have very dangerous offenses but, when you look at the defenses, there is no comparison. The Trojans allowed 405 yards per game while the Buckeyes allowed only 292 yards per game. Also, though both teams played equally tough schedules, Southern Cal's scoring margin on the season was 8.2 points per game while Ohio State's scoring differential was 22.6 points per game. That is a variance of 14.4 points and indeed I am expecting the Buckeyes to win this game by 2 TDs but they are only favored by about one. Ohio State rates the edge on both the offensive line and defensive line and I love backing teams that can win those battles in the trenches! USC is on a 1-7 ATS run as an underdog, an 0-5 ATS run in neutral site games, and December has not been kind to the Trojans either - a long-term 5-14 ATS mark. After their miracle comeback win over Penn State in last year's bowl action, they won't be so fortunate here against the mighty Buckeyes. Ohio State is a long-term 13-4 (SU and ATS) against Pac-12 opponents. Also, the Buckeyes Meyer is on a long-term 10-3 (ATS and SU) run in bowl games. 10* OHIO STATE

Big 12 Blowout - Rickenbach CBB Game #826 Friday 10* Top Play Oklahoma State Cowboys (+) vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 7 ET - The Mountaineers come into this game having won 11 straight and they are highly ranked and yet they opened up as a very small favorite here. Don't fall for the trap! The fact is that, while "Press Virginia" is playing very good defense as usual, Oklahoma State has come a long way with their defense too. The Cowboys have been solid on that end of the floor and have done a great job of forcing turnovers and clogging passing lanes. The fact that this game is in Stillwater of course helps even more. Oklahoma State is 8-1 at home this season and they're hosting a West Virginia team that has played only one true road game this season. That was at Pittsburgh and the Mountaineers only beat the Panthers by single digits despite shooting 12 percentage points higher from the field. In other words, West Virginia is likely to be in trouble here in a much tougher road test. Oklahoma State's defense against the 3-ball has been better than that of the Mountaineers this season. Also, the Cowboys are 3-1 ATS this season in games with a posted total in the 150s. West Virginia is 1-3 ATS this season in a game with a posted total in the 150s. 10* OKLAHOMA STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFB Game #249 Friday 8* NC State Wolfpack (-) vs Arizona State Sun Devils @ 3 ET in Sun Bowl @ Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, TX - I am well aware of the fact that the Sun Devils have a solid ATS record as an underdog while the Wolfpack have struggled ATS as a favorite. However, the edges are just too big for me to ignore in this one. I particularly like the fact that NC State has the stronger offensive line and defensive line. That means that the Wolfpack certainly should control the trenches in this one and that is such a critical aspect of the game. NC State has the stronger passing game on offense, and on defense they do rate an edge both against the run and defending the pass. The Wolfpack are 3-0 ATS as a neutral site favorite of 3.5 to 7 points. Also, NC State is on a 7-3 (SU and ATS) run in games played on turf. Arizona State is a long-term 5-9 ATS in bowl games and a long-term 0-4 ATS against ACC teams. The Sun Devils are 5-10 (SU and ATS) in games played on a neutral field and also 2-5 ATS when they enter a game on a winning streak of 2 games or more. The past 3 seasons combined, in non-conference games, Arizona State is 3-7 ATS. More of the same here! 8* NC STATE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CFB Game #244 Thursday 10* Top Play Oklahoma State Cowboys (-) vs Virginia Tech Hokies @ 5:15 ET in Camping World Bowl @ Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL - The Hokies will be without WR Cam Phillips and this is a significant absence as he was their leading receiver (by far) for both catches and yardage! That is going to make it even tougher for Virginia Tech to keep up with the high-flying Cowboys. Yes, I know that Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster has a great long-term reputation and that Virginia Tech's defense did bounce back this year after some tough seasons in recent years. However, the Hokies D was rarely challenged by strong passing attacks (schedule was friendly in that regard) but now Virginia Tech faces an OSU attack that will give them a ton of trouble. Note that in the Hokies games against West Virginia, East Carolina, and Pittsburgh, they allowed an average of 308 passing yards per game! As for Oklahoma State's offense they average nearly 600 yards per game including nearly 400 yards per game through the air! The Cowboys have faced the tougher schedule this season and Virginia Tech is a long-term 1-4 ATS as a neutral field underdog of 3.5 to 7 points. OSU is 3-0 ATS long-term against ACC opponents and also went 3-0 SU and ATS in non-conference games this season. Long-term they've won 40 of 53 games SU (and gone 31-22 ATS) when they are a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points. All but 1 of the Cowboys wins came by at least 7 points this season and all 3 of the Hokies losses came by 6 points or more! With that said, we've got a great number to work with here! 10* OKLAHOMA STATE

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach CFB Game #275 Wednesday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers (+) vs Arizona Wildcats in Foster Farms Bowl @ Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California @ 8:30 ET - The Boilermakers faced a much tougher schedule than Arizona did this season. Also, Purdue is the much better team on defense. The Wildcats allow 34.1 points per game while the Boilermakers allow only 19.3 points per game. Purdue has gone 4-2 ATS their last 6 as a dog and they are 3-0 ATS after a bye week as well as 3-0 ATS in non-conference action! In games with a line range from -3 to +3, the Wildcats have gone an ugly 2-6 SU and ATS! Of course when you have a poor defense you often struggle to win close games and that is likely to be the case again with Arizona here. While the Wildcats stumbled late in the season by losing each of their last 2 games and 3 of their last 4, the Boilermakers have the momentum edge as they won each of their last 2 games as well as 3 of their last 4. Arizona's strength on offense is their ground game but the Boilermakers are very strong against the run and allowed only 84 rushing yards per game their last 5 games of the regular season! 10* PURDUE 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #704 Wednesday 8* Indiana Pacers (-) vs Dallas Mavericks @ 7:05 ET - Nice set up here as the Pacers got blasted by 24 at Detroit last night while the Mavericks got a home dog upset win over the Raptors last night. Last night's results plus the fact that the Pacers lost at Dallas in their most recent meeting last December means that Indiana will prove to the be the hungrier team here. The Mavs had lost 9 of 11 prior to last night's win. The Pacers had won 7 of 10 prior to last night's loss. The Mavericks are 3-9 ATS this season in games against teams that score an average of 106 points or more per game. The Pacers are 11-2 SU and 9-4 ATS in games where they are the favorite. Lay it! 8* INDIANA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #721 Wednesday 8* Butler Bulldogs (-) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 6:30 ET - The Hoyas have the better record (10-1 compared to 10-3) and they're at home here. So why are they the dog? Exactly! The fact is that Georgetown has played a weak schedule so don't be fooled here. Not only is Butler the better team, the Bulldogs also have revenge from a 4 point home loss to the Hoyas in their most recent meeting in late January. The road team has actually covered each of the last 3 meetings between these teams. The Hoyas are  2-5 ATS at home this season and an ugly 12-25 ATS in home games the last 2+ seasons! Butler is 9-4 ATS when playing with 5 or 6 days of rest between games. Also, the Bulldogs are a perfect 8-0 SU (and 6-2 ATS) as a favorite this season. They should easily cover the small number here. The difference in strength of schedule so far this season is the key. 8* BUTLER

Divisional Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Tuesday 10* Utah Jazz (+) @ Denver Nuggets @ 9:05 ET - Of course this is a revenge spot for the Nuggets as they lost at Utah by 29 in late November. However, is Denver really thinking that much about that here? The fact is that the Nuggets are off of a win over the NBA Champion Warriors in their final game before the NBA break. Also, Denver has another revenge game (at Minnesota) for tomorrow night and the Nuggets most recent home loss was to the Timberwolves just last week. You can truly see why Denver may not be fully focused here and they are going to have their hands full with a Utah team coming off of home loss to Oklahoma City. The Jazz are fired up as they've endured a tough stretch recently that has seen them lose 8 of their last 10 games. The best thing that could have happened for Utah was a break in the action and I look for the Jazz to come out renewed and refreshed after the Christmas break. As for the Nuggets, they are 1-9 ATS this season when off of a win by a double digit margin and that was a huge road win at Golden State on Saturday. Also, Denver is 12-30 SU long-term when off of an upset win as an underdog! As for the Jazz, they are a long-term 27-13 SU when off of a divisional game and, the fact they lost that divisional match-up at home against the Thunder means extra hunger for the road dog in this one. 10* UTAH

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #503 Tuesday 8* Indiana Pacers (+) @ Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons are off of a win but previously they had lost 8 of their last 11 games. Detroit has failed to cover 8 of its last 12 games. The Pacers have been the much stronger team of late as they've won 7 of their last 10 games. Also, one of those 3 defeats was a home loss to the Pistons less than 2 weeks ago. Indiana will be ready to get revenge here against a division rival. The Pacers were on an 8-2 SU and ATS run in this series prior to that loss. In other words, Indiana has had Detroit's number in recent seasons and I look for that dominance to resume here. The Pistons have been held to 43.2% or less from the field in 8 of their last 10 games. The Pacers have shot 45.8% or better from the field in 10 of their last 15 games. Indiana is 9-4 ATS when playing with revenge this season including 4-1 ATS when playing with home loss revenge. Detroit is 6-10 SU this season in games against teams with a winning record. 8* INDIANA

Primetime Punisher Top Play - Rickenbach NFL Game #131 Monday 10* Oakland Raiders (+) @ Philadelphia Eagles @ 8:30 ET - The Raiders got eliminated from playoff contention with Sunday's results but they already knew their chances were slim as tough losses have helped lead the way to a tough 6-8 record entering this match-up. The point is that the elimination is not a total shock and I fully expect Oakland to still want to perform well in a primetime Christmas night performance when they know all of the NFL world will be watching. The fact is that now all the pressure here is on the Eagles as they are still trying to secure the #1 see in the NFC. Also, with Nick Foles now in for Carson Wentz, the Eagles certainly are not quite as explosive on offense. Philly is 2-1 their last 3 games and both wins came by 8 points or less. The Raiders are 3-3 their last 6 games and one loss was by just a field goal and another by 11 points. In other words, the big points here are certainly offering big value. The Eagles have allowed 29.3 points per game the past 3 weeks. By comparison, the Raiders have allowed only 19.3 points per game their last 4 games! Philadelphia is a long-term 12-22 ATS when playing in a home game with a posted total between 45.5 and 49 points. The Raiders are 4-1 ATS when on the road in non-conference action and facing an opponent with a winning percentage of .401 or greater! The Raiders have covered 4 of the last 5 against Philly and though I expect the Eagles to get the win here I expect it to be by just a single possession as Raiders go to 5-1 ATS L6 versus Philadelphia. 10* OAKLAND

Daytime Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #704 Monday 10* Golden State Warriors (-) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 3:05 ET - The Warriors are without Stephen Curry of course. However, the line has gone from as high as -7.5 to as low as -4.5 as of gameday morning and the betting markets are treating this as if the odds makers weren't aware that Curry was out when they set the line. The fact is that this is great line value on Golden State at home and laying a small number. The Warriors just had their 11 game winning streak snapped on Saturday and likely were caught looking ahead to this game. The fact is that Golden State has been playing better defense than Cleveland. The Warriors are allowing an average of just 98 points per game their last 8 games. The Cavaliers are allowing an average of 109 points per game their last 6 games. Opponents are shooting 49% from the field in the Cavs last 5 games. The Warriors are allowing just 41% from the field their last 8 games. Defense is a big deal in games like this. Yes the Cavs want revenge from last year's finals but Golden State will be up for this game on Christmas Day, particularly after being held to just 81 points on Saturday on their home floor! Cleveland is just 3-11 ATS after scoring 115 points or more in their prior game. The Warriors are 30-5 SU (including 6-0 SU this season) when off of an upset loss as a favorite. GS was embarrassed on Saturday and they'll respond BIG here. 10* GOLDEN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #701 Monday 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ New York Knicks @ 12:05 ET - Horrible stretch for the Sixers has seen them lose 11 of 14. Also, Philadelphia is on an ugly 2-12 ATS run. That said, why did they open up such a small dog for this early Christmas match-up at New York? Exactly! Don't be fooled here as this has the makings of an upset. The Knicks are 15-5 SU and ATS in home games this season and yet they opened up as a 1 point favorite here even though the Sixers have endured their roughest stretch of the season! It doesn't make sense does it? Precisely! This is another example of when it pays to be a contrarian. The last 4 meetings between these teams have been decided by a total of just 6 points. In other words, even at only 3 points, this is a fantastic underdog value. The Sixers are ticked off and ready to respond here after their worst defeat in awhile. Most of the 76ers losses had been tight but they got blown out at Toronto on Saturday and they'll make up for it here. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Christmas Eve Special - Rickenbach CFB Game #228 Sunday 10* Top Play Fresno State Bulldogs (+) vs Houston Cougars in Hawaii Bowl @ Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii @ 8:30 ET - The Bulldogs played at Hawaii in mid-November when they got a 31-21 win over the Warriors. Fresno State having already made the trip here for that game, plus having played in the Hawaii Bowl multiple times in the past, gives them an edge here. The Cougars are without their offensive coordinator for this game. That negates one of the edges they were anticipated to have here as Houston's offense was their advantage in this match-up. The fact is that the Bulldogs are the much stronger defense, they are motivated by recent bowl losses, and they have a significant coaching edge with Tedford over Applewhite. The Bulldogs are 9-1 ATS (including 5-0 ATS this season) in games against teams with a winning record. Also, Fresno State is 4-0 ATS the last 4 times they've been involved in games with a line between +3 and -3. The Cougars are 3-5 SU and ATS against Mountain West Conference opponents long-term while the Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS against teams from the American Athletic Conference. Coach Tedford has done great things with the Bulldogs in his first season here after coming over from Cal and they want to carry momentum right into next season with a big bowl win. Houston is at the other end of the spectrum and just not the same team they were under coach Tom Herman. The public perception is still "off" on these two teams and I'll step in and take advantage. 10* FRESNO STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NFL Game #127 Sunday 10* Top Play Seattle Seahawks (+) @ Dallas Cowboys @ 4:25 ET - The Cowboys have won 3 straight games and they're getting Ezekiel Elliott back this week and they are at home. Dallas has become an "automatic play" for many public bettors as a result this week. After all, the public watched the Seahawks get destroyed by the Rams last week in Seattle. In fact, the Seahawks have now lost two straight games so everyone is very "anti-Seattle" at this point in time. The Seahawks are a long-term 50-32 ATS when off of back to back SU losses. Seattle is also a long-term 70-39 ATS in December games. The Cowboys are known for fading late in the season. Yes, they are off of 3 straight wins but those teams have a combined record of 14-28 on the season! That is noteworthy here because Dallas is facing a much tougher challenge this week and, when the Cowboys, in the 2nd half of a season, face a team with a winning record on the year they have gone an ugly 2-9 ATS! Dallas is a long-term 11-20 ATS and the value is with the very hungry underdog Seahawks here. After getting thoroughly embarrassed (at home no less!) last week, they are relishing this opportunity to take down "America's Team" at "Jerry's World". Grab the generous points here but you shouldn't need any! 10* SEATTLE

Rickenbach NFL Game #105 Sunday 8* Detroit Lions (+) @ Cincinnati Bengals @ 1 ET - The Lions are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and they won't let the hapless Bengals stand in their way. Cincinnati has lost 3 straight and has been blasted by an average margin of 18.7 points per game in those 3 defeats. The Bengals have scored just 7 points in each of their last two games and they've been held to 20 points or less in 6 of their last 7 games. By comparison, Detroit has scored at least 20 points in 7 straight games and has averaged 26 points per game during this hot streak that has seen them win 5 of 7. With this number down to a 3, there is a lot of value in taking the Lions with such a small spread to cover. In the 2nd half of a season, when facing a team with a losing record, Detroit is a long term 12-1 SU while the Bengals, when facing a team with a winning record, have gone 1-10 SU. That's a combined 22-2 SU factor favoring the Lions to win in this one! 8* DETROIT

Rickenbach NFL Game #115 Sunday 8* Atlanta Falcons (+) @ New Orleans Saints @ 1 ET - The Falcons are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and they have had the Saints number. Yes, this is a revenge game for New Orleans as they lost at Atlanta two weeks ago. However, that was their 3rd straight loss in this series as they were swept last season. Sometimes a team just has another teams number and lets not forget that the Falcons played in (and should have won) the Super Bowl last season. This Atlanta team won't quit here as this is a team on a mission. The Falcons are off of a non-covering win at Tampa Bay but they were in a poor scheduling spot as they were off of playing the Saints and Vikings and with another big game versus Saints and then a regular season finale versus the Panthers on deck. Prior to that ATS loss, Atlanta had covered 4 of their last 5 and they have SU wins in 5 of their last 6. The Falcons are a 6 point dog here and that is significant as they have only 1 loss by more than 6 points this season! New Orleans is on a 1-4 ATS run as the betting markets have over-valued them after their hot run. That appears to be the case again here and one glance at the injury report tells you that the Saints are the more banged up team too. New Orleans is 2-7 ATS when they are at home off of a double digit SU win. The Falcons are 9-1 ATS when off of a Monday game! 8* ATLANTA

Rickenbach NFL Game #120 Sunday 8* Kansas City Chiefs (-) vs Miami Dolphins @ 1 ET - A second straight cold weather game for the Dolphins and I expect them to struggle here just like they did in Buffalo. The Chiefs are playing their home finale and looking toward locking up the AFC West. There is no way that Kansas City comes out flat here even though they are are off back to back big divisional wins. The fact is that too much is at stake here for the Chiefs to be flat and their defensive dominance (known for that at Arrowhead Stadium) is likely to key the win. KC has forced 7 turnovers the past two weeks and Miami has turned the ball over 3 times or more in 4 of the past 5 weeks. As you can see from those numbers, the Dolphins are in trouble here and the average margin of their 8 losses this season is 17 points! So, yes the points look big here but don't worry about the Chiefs covering double digits. This should be complete dominance. The average yardage allowed by Kansas City in their last 4 home games is just 302 yards per game. The Dolphins defense, on the road, has allowed 431 yards per game in their last 3 games. Miami is 2-5 ATS on the road this season. The Chiefs are 7-3 ATS in games played on grass this season. Lay the big points! 8* KANSAS CITY

NFC North Game of the Year NFL Game #104 Saturday 10* Top Play Green Bay Packers (+) vs Minnesota Vikings @ 8:30 ET - The Packers certainly have had their share of ups and downs without Aaron Rodgers at the controls but one thing is for certain, there has been no quit in this Green Bay team. The Packers continue to battle hard including road losses by just a single possession at Carolina and Pittsburgh! Yes, Minnesota has been ultra hot this season but here the Vikings are laying more than a TD on the road in very cold conditions where points could be at a premium. You know the Packers would love nothing more than to knock off a hated division rival in a big upset and there is no doubt Green Bay is going to be up emotionally for this game. GB is attempting to avenge the 13 point loss at Minnesota earlier this season. The Packers are on a 6-3 ATS run when playing with revenge and also an 8-3 ATS run in December games. In road games with a posted total between 38.5 and 42 points, the Vikings are on a 1-6 ATS run. In true road games this season (played Browns at neutral site), Minnesota is 4-2 SU and the average margin of their 4 wins was 5.75 points with not a single win by more than 8 points! That creates fantastic value here and the hungry Packers are in this one all the way! 10* GREEN BAY

Bowl Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #226 Saturday 10* Top Play Toledo Rockets (-) vs Appalachian State Mountaineers @ 7 ET in Dollar General Bowl in Mobile, AL - The Rockets seek revenge from last year's 31-28 loss to the Mountaineers in bowl action. Of course you can't just blindly play revenge. However, in this case it plays very well because Toledo is the much stronger team in my opinion. Appalachian State played one of the weakest schedules in the nation and lets not forget they lost on the road at Massachusetts and Louisiana Monroe this season! Those two teams each ended the season with 4-8 records. The Rockets hold big edges over Appalachian State in terms of offense and on special teams. Also, the Mountaineers pass defense got picked apart by Coastal Carolina and Louisiana Monroe and they face a much tougher challenge here. The Rockets are averaging 220 yards per game on the ground this season while also throwing for nearly 300 yards per game! Appalachian State is 0-6 SU (and only 2-4 ATS) the last 6 times they've been an underdog and I like the fact this line has now dipped below a 7 as of gameday morning. The Rockets are a long-term 31-16 ATS as a favorite in a range of 3.5 to 10 points. 10* TOLEDO

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CFB Game #224 Saturday 8* San Diego State Aztecs (-) vs Army Black Knights @ 3:30 ET in Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, TX - Both teams are run-dominated but what I like about San Diego State here is that head coach Rocky Long is known for great success when facing option-based offenses. Long has gone 11-1 SU (and 8-4 ATS) when facing an opponent that runs the option. Army was fortunate to defeat Navy two weeks ago but that win still resonates with the betting markets and is helping to keep this line lower than it should be. The Aztecs are the superior team and finished up the season with a 4-0 SU and ATS run with no win by less than a margin of 19 points! San Diego State has won in blowouts in their bowl games each of the past two seasons and I expect another here. Army is 3-21 SU (and 8-16 ATS) long-term when facing a Mountain West opponent. The Aztecs are 19-3 SU (and 16-5 ATS) when they enter a game on a winning streak of 2 or more games. That means we have combined angles (from all of the above) of 44-17 (72%) ATS supporting backing the fave in this one! 8* SAN DIEGO STATE

Earliest Cash - CBB Game #530 Saturday 8* George Washington Colonials (-) vs Harvard Crimson @ Noon ET - Crimson guard Bryce Aiken is questionable for this game with a knee injury and he is their leading scorer. Harvard forward Robert Baker is also questionable for this game and he is part of the regular rotation for the Crimson. Being short-handed and a little banged up is not good news for a Harvard team playing on short rest (they beat Boston University Thursday). As for the Colonials, they bounced back from a pair of poor shooting efforts to knock off New Hampshire on Wednesday. Certainly the win was not that impressive but getting that victory gets this team headed back in the right direction and George Washington has played a much tougher schedule than Harvard so that is a big plus here. The Crimson are 6-17 SU the last 23 times they've been an underdog. So odds point heavily toward the Colonials getting the SU win here and covering the small number should not be a problem. Harvard is 1-3 ATS in games with a postd total in the 120s. GW is 3-1 ATS in home games with a posted total in the 120s. The fave rolls here. 8* GEORGE WASHINGTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CFB Game #219 Friday 8* Central Michigan Chippewas (+) vs Wyoming Cowboys in Famous Idaho Potato Bowl @ Albertson's Stadium in Boise, ID @ 4 PM ET - The big news here is that Cowboys QB Josh Allen will play. The earliest lines on this game had it at a pick'em but now Wyoming is -3.5 as of gameday morning. I love the value with the underdog here. Keep in mind, Allen's shoulder is not 100%. His performance this season also was not that impressive. I know he has the size and some skill sets that have the NFL scouts enamored but others tell it like it is that his field vision and accuracy both are lacking...the latter of which won't be helped by a sore shoulder! Of course the Cowboys aren't exactly loaded with talent around him and that has also hurt Allen. The bottom line is that Central Michigan has the better offense here as they averaged 392.1 yards per game compared to just 286.9 for Wyoming. While some may expect the Cowboys to bounce back after their upset loss at San Jose State as a huge favorite in their regular season finale, Wyoming is actually 0-7 ATS as a fave of more than 3 points when off of a straight up loss as a favorite. Also, the Cowboys are 1-5 ATS when facing an opponent off of a straight up win as an underdog. The Chips knocked off Northern Illinois as a small dog in their regular season finale. That brings the Chippewas to 5-0 SU and ATS in their last 5 games. Wyoming is on an 0-2 ATS run. Add up all the ATS factors and streaks here and you have a 19-1 (95%) ATS spot favoring the underdog! Grab the points! 8* CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #819 Friday 8* Temple Owls (+) @ Georgia Bulldogs @ 1 ET - The Owls are the more rested team as they've been off since Saturday. The Bulldogs will be playing for the 2nd time since Saturday and they also are off of a huge, emotional win over Georgia Tech Tuesday. Of course beating the rival Yellow Jackets is always important to Georgia and they could be a little flat for this game as a result. The early start time won't help them either. As for Temple, they are 7-3 on the season with a pair of those losses coming by just 4 points each. Many of the Bulldogs wins this season have been tight ones and the 3 points here for the Owls is offering great value as I expect an outright upset but should Temple fall short I expect it to be by just a single possession. The well-rested Owls are 4-1 ATS when they enter a game with 5 or 6 days of rest between games. Also, Temple is 5-0 SU (and 3-0 ATS) when they enter a game having failed to cover the spread in each of their three prior lined games. The Bulldogs put forth a great effort on defense in their win over the Yellow Jackets and that could leave them a little spent here. Georgia is 4-11 ATS in recent seasons (and 51-80 ATS long-term) when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. 8* TEMPLE

Earliest Cash Day Game - Rickenbach CBB Game #512 Thursday 8* Tulane Green Wave (-) vs South Alabama Jaguars @ 1 ET - I realize that the Jags are 7-1 ATS on the season but this line is double digits for a reason! South Alabama has lost all 4 of its road games and averaged just 63 points per game in those contests. The Green Wave have won all 6 of their home games and have averaged an impressive 87.2 points per game in those contests. Tulane also is rolling with momentum after outscoring Nicholls 48-24 in the 2nd half of their game on Monday evening. That was a big comeback win for the Green Wave and they'll be some carryover to this early afternoon game Thursday. Tulane is fully focused on remaining perfect on their home floor heading into the Christmas Break. The Jaguars just don't have the firepower to keep up. The Green Wave have proven difficult to defend early this season and this is a tough match-up for a South Alabama team projected to finish near the very bottom of the Sun Belt Conference this season. 8* TULANE

Earliest Cash Eve Game - Rickenbach CBB Game #735 Wednesday 8* North Texas Mean Green (+) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 7 ET - The Hoyas are off of a tough OT loss to Syracuse Saturday and that was their first loss of the season. However, Georgetown is truly nothing special. They have simply played a very weak schedule. In fact, the Hoyas strength of schedule so far this season is weaker than that of the Mean Green. North Texas is rejuvenated under new head coach Grant McCastand. There were some early season growing pains but they've already gotten those out of the way and the Mean Green are off of a big OT win at San Diego on Saturday. While normally one may look to fade a team off of a game like that, keep in mind, this program is in an early growth phase under McCastand and this is their final game until after Christmas. The Mean Green are excited about the opportunity to take on Georgetown in the nation's capital and the points are too much here for the Hoyas. Yes, the home team may "hang on" for the win here but North Texas is very talented and the win at San Diego was a huge confidence builder for this team. The Hoyas schedule has been so weak that 3 games were non-lined and 4 games had them favored by 20 or more. Note that Georgetown's only two challenging games this season saw them lose by 7 and win by 6. This will be another "challenging" game here and I expect it to be decided by single digits. The Mean Green are 5-1 ATS this season. The Hoyas are on a 10-25 ATS run in home games including 0-5 ATS this season. 8* NORTH TEXAS

Daytime Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #747 Wednesday 10* St Joseph's Hawks (+) vs St John's Red Storm @ 4:30 ET @ Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT in Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase - The Red Storm are 9-2 this season but the 5-5 Hawks have played the tougher schedule so far this season. Also, St John's really misses guard Marcus LoVett in a game like this. The Red Storm have not been shooting the ball well at all. They've been held under 39.7% from the field in 3 straight games. It is hard to cover a big spread when the shots aren't falling and now this game is being played on a neutral floor. St Joseph's is not without their own issues but certainly they've been ultra-competitive this season and I feel they are being vastly undervalued by the betting markets in this one. 3 of the Hawks last 4 losses have come by 6 points or less. The only exception was a blowout loss versus Villanova and, of course, St John's is no Villanova! Look for scrappy St Joseph's to be in this one all the way and improve to 6-3 ATS when facing a team that allows 64 points or less per game. In the process the Hawks will improve to 21-12 ATS the last 33 times they've been an underdog. St John's is an ugly 3-10 SU and 3-9 ATS in games played on a neutral court! 10* ST JOSEPH'S

Earliest Cash Day Game - Rickenbach CBB Game #752 Wednesday 8* Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (+) vs Bradley Braves @ 2 ET - The Redhawks are seeking revenge for a tough loss at Bradley last season. Despite having 13 more shots from the field and winning the turnover battle 15-5, Southeast Missouri State lost to the Braves by 6. I expect payback here at home as Bradley had high hopes for Antoine Pittman coming into this campaign and he is now out for the season. Pittman often covered the opponents best player. Also, JoJo McGlaston (another starter) is currently out due to suspension. I know Bradley has the better record in comparing these two teams early this season but the Redhawks have played just as tough of a schedule as the Braves and Bradley continues to have trouble with turnovers. They are turning it over 17 times a game on the road this season while Southeast Missouri State is averaging just 11 turnovers a game at home. Also, the Redhawks got dominated on the boards by the Braves last season but 6'9 freshmen Justin Carpenter is already having a huge impact for the Hawks early this season and that continues here. Bradley is 5-10 ATS (and 4-11 SU!) in recent seasons in games against teams that average 77 points or more per game. A lot of points expected here and the Redhawks are 22-9 ATS (including 5-1 ATS this season) in games with a posted total in the 140s. 8* SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #523 Tuesday 10* Top Play Northern Kentucky (+) @ Texas A & M @ 8 ET - Not a lot of respect being given here to a Northern Kentucky team that made a huge run last March and returned most of that team this season. I realize the Norse have played a weaker schedule than the Aggies have. I also realize that Northern Kentucky is off of a disappointing loss at Maryland-Baltimore County. However, the Norse were likely looking ahead to this special opportunity tonight where they have a chance to knock off a top ten ranked team. Of course I am not forecasting an upset win here but I certainly do expect Northern Kentucky to stay within single digits in this one. Texas A & M has a size edge of course but the loss of guard Admon Gilder for this one is significant plus big man Robert Williams is questionable for this game. The Aggies still have enough depth to get the win here but I don't expect it to be a blowout. Keep in mind, the Norse loss to Kentucky in March came by just 9 points! In games with a posted total in the 140s Northern Kentucky is 5-1 ATS this season and 16-6 ATS all-time! As a road dog of 12.5 points or more, the Norse are 7-3 ATS all time! As a home fave of 12.5 points or more, the Aggies are 2-5 ATS in recent seasons and 18-28 ATS long-term. Too many points! Grab the value with the big dog for a big play. 10* NORTHERN KENTUCKY

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #503 Tuesday 8* Sacramento Kings (+) @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:05 ET - Tough scheduling spot for the Sixers. Yes, Joel Embiid rested last night (he didn't even make the trip to Chicago) but the rest of his 76ers teammates gave all they could in a loss to the Bulls. Now off of back to back tight losses (lost in crazy multi-OT game to OKC Friday), Philadelphia is in a tough spot here. The Kings are playing for just the 2nd time since Thursday while the Sixers are playing for the 2nd time in 2 nights! Sacramento, like Philly, is off of back to back losses but the Kings are the more rested team and they haven't lost 3 straight in over a month. The Sixers have lost 6 of their last 7 and they are on a 2-9 ATS run! By the way, Philadelphia has not won a game by more than 6 points in over 3 weeks! I'll gladly grab the generous points being offered here. The Kings are 14-7 ATS in Tuesday games and, even though the Sixers are in bounce back mode, they are 0-6 ATS this season when off of an upset loss as a favorite. 8* SACRAMENTO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #704 Monday 8* Indiana Pacers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 7:05 ET - The Pacers are in a back to back spot here but one could argue they have quite a few edges here, including scheduling. Even though it is a back to back for Indiana they are at home playing with revenge and they catch the Celtics playing their 6th game in 9 days. Also, Boston is off of a win but has not won back to back games the past two weeks. The Pacers have revenge from a 10 point loss to the Celtics in late November where Indiana blew a 13 point 3rd quarter lead. The key to the rematch is that the Pacers will have Victor Oladipo and they did not have him in the first meeting. Indiana is 8-4 SU and ATS when playing with revenge this season and 3-1 SU and ATS when playing with home loss revenge. Boston is off of a win and cover at Memphis but they have definitely cooled off since their red hot start to the season. Prior to the win over the Grizzlies, the Celtics had failed to cover 5 of their last 6 games. The Pacers have won and covered 11 of their last 16 games and they continue their hot run here! 8* INDIANA 

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Game #330 Sunday 8* Oakland Raiders (+) vs Dallas Cowboys @ 8:30 ET - The Cowboys are off of a road win at New York but the Giants have clearly thrown in the towel on the season. The Raiders, despite a loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City last week, certainly don't fall into the same category as the Giants. The betting markets have moved this line from around a pick'em to now a -3 on Dallas and, keep in mind, that was their line last week at New York. So are you telling me the 6-7 Raiders are in the same category as the 2-11 Giants? No way...and this is absolutely the definition of line value. Sure the Cowboys are still fighting to keep playoff hopes alive but so too are the Raiders and there is no way Oakland is going to bring anything less than 100% in this situation. This is Oakland's home finale and the Raiders are off of a road loss and haven't lost back to back games since the first half of October. As for the Cowboys, they are off of back to back wins but only one time this entire season have they managed to win 3 straight. Also, in road games this season the Cowboys have defeated the Giants, Redskins, and 49ers but those teams all have 5 wins or less on the season. In fact the combined record of those teams is 10-29. The Raiders have 6 wins just like the Cardinals team that Dallas also defeated on the road earlier this season but the Cowboys were outgained by Arizona in that match-up. Couple that with the fact that the 'Boys other two road games this season saw them lose at Atlanta and Denver by a combined score of 69-24 and I like my chances here with a Raiders team whose backs are against the wall. Oakland is 8-1 ATS when off of a SU loss in divisional action (lost at KC last week). The Raiders are also 4-1 ATS after facing the Chiefs. Dallas is on a 2-6-1 ATS run in games played in the final 4 weeks of a season. Fade the masses! 8* OAKLAND

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #807 Sunday 8* Cleveland Cavaliers (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 6:05 ET - Everyone is taking Washington here as the line has made a big move. I understand this is a back to back for Cleveland but here is no denying that LeBron James and company are in the zone right now! The Cavaliers win versus the Jazz last night makes them 17-1 their last 18 games and I am happy to take them as a dog here after they opened up as the favorite. The Cavs are 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS as an underdog this season! The Wizards are only 5-12 ATS as a favorite and I find it hard to trust a team that is only 6-5 SU against teams with a winning record this season. By comparison, the Cavaliers are 7-3 both SU and ATS against teams with a winning record on the season. Washington is only 4-9 ATS in home games this season and they are getting too much respect here. The Wizards are off of back to back wins but faced the struggling Grizzlies and Clippers. Prior to those two wins Washington had lost 8 of 13. Also, the Wizards are on a 6-9 ATS run and now taking on the hottest team in the league. 8* CLEVELAND

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Game #820 Sunday 8* Stanford Cardinal (-) vs San Francisco Dons @ 6 ET - The Dons are 6-3 on the season while the Cardinal have a losing record. However, Stanford has played a much tougher schedule. Couple that with the fact that Stanford is at home for this one and coming off of a win and I look for the Cardinal to get a big win here and build some momentum heading into much tougher games up ahead. Stanford is motivated to get back to .500 on the season before facing Kansas before Christmas and then starting their Pac-12 schedule immediately after the Christmas break. The Dons are 9-29 SU long-term when they are a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points while the Cardinal are 36-11 SU long-term when they are a home fave of 6.5 to 9 points. With that said, a home win is likely but, what about the cover? San Francisco's 3 losses this season have all come by 7 points or more with an average margin of defeat of 12.3 points. As for Stanford, all 6 of their wins this season have come by 9 points or more and only 1 of their 7 defeats came by less than 8 points. As you can see, odds favor a home win and a big margin. I'll take it. 8* STANFORD

AFC Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Game #326 Sunday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Steelers (+) vs New England Patriots @ 4:25 ET - The Steelers have won 8 straight games. Clearly Pittsburgh was looking ahead to this game as they struggled to get past the Ravens last week. Even though that was a divisional game for the Steelers they have been talking about this match with the Patriots for many weeks now. The Pats beat them in the regular season last year when the Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger and then the Patriots eliminated them from the post-season with a big January win in Foxboro. This time however the Steelers host and this time Pittsburgh has a simply massive edge on defense. New England actually ranks as one of the worst defenses in the league this season while the Steelers are up near the top of the league as usual. This will prove to be a big difference-maker in this match-up. The Steelers offense has been "clicking" to say the least and Pittsburgh put up 39 points against the Ravens last week. The Steelers are 6-1 ATS when off of a game where they scored more than 35 points. Pittsburgh is 12-6 SU and 10-5 ATS in games with a line between +3 and -3. The Patriots are 1-3 ATS as a road fave of 3 points or less and they lost all 3 of those games outright! I expect another outright loss here as the Steelers get their revenge but I'll gladly grab the available points. 10* PITTSBURGH

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NFL Game #323 Sunday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Rams (+) @ Seattle Seahawks @ 4:05 ET - The Seahawks won the first meeting (in Los Angeles) despite being outgained by 134 yards. The key for Seattle was being +3 in turnovers. Not only was that a bit of a "phony final" the fact is that this is a very tough spot for the Seahawks as they had to travel all the way down to Florida for last week's game - a loss at Jacksonville. Seattle still holds the attention of the public due to their long-term success (particularly at home). However, the Seahawks only real home win of note this season was against the Eagles and Seattle was outgained by over 100 yards in that victory too. Again the Hawks benefited from turnovers in that one. This is still a Seattle defense that is hurting due to the loss of Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman to injury. The Rams come into this game hungry off of a home loss to those same Eagles. Look for Los Angeles to get their revenge here as they are 5-1 SU in road games this season. The Seahawks have struggled in games projected to be tight ones as they are 1-4 SU and ATS in games with a line between +3 and -3 this season. The Rams are a stellar 10-1 ATS when they are on the road in divisional action after scoring 35 or more points in their prior game! After the high-scoring loss to the Eagles last week, LA takes out their frustration on an over-rated Seattle team that is not as strong as they've been in the past. 10* LOS ANGELES RAMS

Earliest Cash Side - Rickenbach NFL Game #314 Sunday 8* Buffalo Bills (-) vs Miami Dolphins @ 1 ET - The Dolphins are off of a huge upset win over the Patriots on Monday night. As impressive as that was, one should not lose sight of the fact that Miami had turned the ball over 11 times in their 3 prior games. Also, the Dolphins have won just once in their last six games away from home and those 5 losses came by an average margin of 23.2 points per defeat! The Bills are 5-2 at home this season and battling hard to stay alive in the playoff race. This is their home finale and with a tough game at New England on deck before traveling to Miami for their regular season finale, Buffalo knows that a sweep of the Dolphins is likely essential to their playoff hopes. The Fins won both games from the Bills last season and Buffalo is ready for revenge this season. It begins with this match-up. Miami is a long-term 13-28 ATS after playing on Monday Night Football. The Bills are a long-term 43-24 ATS in home games with a posted total between 38.5 and 42 points. The Dolphins are also 1-6 ATS when they are on the road off of back to back SU wins and now facing an opponent with a winning record. The Bills are favored by 3.5 in some spots and that is noteworthy here as Buffalo is 5-0 ATS when favored by more than 3 points against a divisional foe that is off of an upset win as an underdog. The back to back wins for Miami including the big upset win over the Pats and the fact it is a short week for the Dolphins combine to make this a great spot for the Bills. 8* BUFFALO

AFC West Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Game #305 Saturday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Chargers (-) @ Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:25 ET - The Chargers and Chiefs both have solid offenses (particularly in the passing game). However, they key to the value here is that Los Angeles is much better in terms of pass defense in comparison with Kansas City. Of course that is why you're seeing this line right around a pick'em despite the fact that the Chiefs have won 7 straight in this series and also have the home field edge here! Don't be fooled, the Chargers are priced this way for a reason and I am jumping all over them in this spot. KC finally got back into the win column last week but they had previously lost 4 straight games. As for red hot LA, they come into his game having won 4 straight games! The Chargers are a long-term 15-7 SU (and ATS) as a road fave of 3 points or less. Los Angeles is also on an 8-4 ATS run when playing with revenge. LA has averaged 32.8 points per game their last 4 games. The Chiefs have averaged only 18.6 points per game their last 5 games. The Chargers pass defense has allowed only 181.5 passing yards per game their last 4 games while the Chiefs pass defense has given up 248.5 passing yards per game on the season! Kansas City was on a 1-6 SU and ATS run prior to last week's win versus Oakland and I don't see them getting two straight wins over very hungry division rivals! 10* LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Game #508 Saturday 10* Miami Heat (-) vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 8:05 ET - The Heat and Clippers are both in a back to back spot here but Miami certainly has the advantage of being at home while the Clips are playing their 3rd straight road game and have a big Western Conference match-up with the Spurs at San Antonio on deck. The Clippers have covered 4 straight games but they've done it with some smoke and mirrors as they were held under 38.9% from the field for the 2nd time in 3 games yesterday. As for the Heat, they have shot 50.5% from the field in their last 5 games. The Clippers have a number of injury issues while the Heat have certainly had to grow use to playing without Hassan Whiteside so that adjustment has already taken place as he has missed a lot of time this season. The Heat have played the tougher schedule on the season which makes their superior record even that much better than the Clippers losing record. By the way, Miami is 9-0 SU (and 7-2 ATS) in games against teams with a losing record this season. Also, the Heat are on a 21-13 ATS run when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. Los Angeles is 0-4 SU (and 1-3 ATS) this season when playing the 2nd night of a back to back. The Clips are 3-11 SU as an underdog this season and that holds plenty of significance here as the Heat have failed to get the cover just ONCE (and that was by HALF A POINT) when they get a SU win. In other words, when the Heat have won, odds are strong they also cover. More of the same here. 10* MIAMI

Non-Conf Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #557 Saturday 10* Top Play Oregon Ducks (+) @ Fresno State Bulldogs @ 6 ET - The Bulldogs top player, Jaron Hopkins, is dealing with a back injury. Even if he plays he won't be as effective as usual and he led Fresno State in scoring, assists and steals last season plus he was on the MWC all-defensive team. Suffice to say he is a very important player. Even though Oregon has dropped off from last season's level they are still projected to rank among the top five teams in the Pac-12 when all is said and done. By comparison, Fresno State WITH a healthy Hopkins is projected to finish in the top five of the Mountain West Conference. Of course I'll take the Pac-12 over the MWC any day of the week and I also like the fact that the Ducks have been the much better team on defense early this season. Oregon is allowing only 37.8% from the field and 29.3% from three point land while the Bulldogs are allowing 43.5% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc. There have only been 3 games this season where Fresno State was "challenged". In the two games they were favored by less than 7 points they failed to cover each time plus lost one of them outright. In the one game where the Bulldogs were an underdog they lost by 8. The gap may have closed on these teams but, especially with Hopkins hurting, there is still a gap and the Ducks will prevail. 10* OREGON

Contrarian Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #208 Saturday 10* Top Play Colorado State Rams (-) vs Marshall Thundering Herd @ 4:30 ET @ Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque, NM in New Mexico Bowl - Marshall certainly has been the popular choice here as the markets have pushed the Rams line all the way down to just 3.5 as of early game day morning. I love the value here we're getting with Colorado State. Trend players are all over the Thundering Herd because they have good recent history in the bowls and because the Rams don't! Also, Colorado State failed to cover their final 6 games of the regular season. However, that big Rams win over Fresno State by 28 points in the season finale did wonders for the confidence of this team heading into this bowl match-up. Also, even though their offensive coordinator has left to join Tennessee, the strength of the Rams is the offense and they'll be just fine here. The issue for CSU this season has been the defense but I expect an absolutely huge effort from the D in this one because Colorado State's defensive coordinator (Marty English) will be coaching the final game of his career! Look for every Rams defender to have a great "motor" in this game as a result as they go hard all game long to send English out the right way! Keep in mind, Marshall lost 4 of their last 5 games and they have a lot more questions on their injury report than do the Rams heading into this one. Colorado State averages a full TD more per game than the Thundering Herd do. Marshall's edge here, in normal circumstances, would be the defense but I expect CSU to step up big given this situation. Also, the fact the Rams have lost 3 straight bowls has them highly motivated here and they're use to playing in Albuquerque while this is certainly an unusual location for Marshall. The Thundering Herd are 2-4 ATS when they enter a game off of 2 or more consecutive SU losses. The Rams are a long-term 8-4 ATS against CUSA foes and also did face the tougher schedule this season. Fade the masses and lay the points here! 10* COLORADO STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Game #303 Saturday 8* Detroit Lions (-) vs Chicago Bears @ 4:30 ET - Sure the Bears numbers looked great last week at Cincinnati but they caught the Bengals off of a heart-breaking loss to the division rival Steelers. Cincy was about as flat as a team could be last week and give Chicago credit for taking advantage. However, the Bears now take on a Lions team that is in a fight to stay alive in the playoff race and I don't expect Chicago to be able to keep up here. Detroit has averaged 27 points in their last 6 games. By comparison, the Bears had averaged 14.3 points per game in their 6 games prior to the big win against a deflated Cincinnati team. That big margin of victory last week for Chicago has led to exceptional line value here as the Lions are the vastly superior team. Keep in mind, the Bears had averaged just 244.7 TOTAL yards per game their 6 prior games. The Lions are averaging 268.2 PASSING yards per game on the season. Chicago may hang around for a little bit in this game but the Lions will pull away as the game goes on and that makes the small number here a very manageable one. Detroit is 12-4 SU (and 11-5 ATS) when facing a team with a losing record. The Bears are playing with revenge here but have gone 0-6 SU (and 1-5 ATS) in that situation! 8* DETROIT

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFB Game #203 Saturday 8* Georgia State Panthers (+) vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers @ 2:30 ET @ Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL in the Cure Bowl - The Hilltoppers are getting all the attention here with this line being driven up to a 7 as of game day morning. In my opinion, Western Kentucky is being vastly over-valued. The Hilltoppers are horrible running the ball (2.1 ypc) and also allowed 3.5 sacks per game. They just don't hold enough of an edge to justify being a full TD favorite here. There was a concern about Panthers WR Penny Hart but Georgia State's leading receiver (foot injury) has been upgraded to probable for this game. It is Western Kentucky that has been bit by the injury bug this season and the Hilltoppers did lose 4 of their last 5 games The Panthers won 3 of their last 5 games and they lost their season finale because of turnovers as Georgia State did outgain Idaho by 60 yards in that 24-10 loss. The Hilltoppers have had 3 weeks off and are likely to be the rustier team compared to a Panthers team that has just had 2 weeks off. Western Kentucky is on a 3-8 ATS run in non-conference games including 0-3 ATS this season. Also, as a favorite this season, the Hilltoppers have gone an ugly 1-6 ATS. The Panthers enter this game off of back to back SU losses and that is a situation that has seen them respond by going 7-2 ATS! Look for another cover here! 8* GEORGIA STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #595 Saturday 8* Butler Bulldogs (+) @ Purdue Boilermakers @ Noon ET - A lot of pressure on the Boilermakers here as they haven't been able to get over the hump against the Bulldogs. Maybe this indeed will be the year they finally do it but this line is still a generous one that is offering great value on big dog Butler. In other words, a non-covering win for Purdue would not surprise. The Bulldogs shooting has been red hot in December and that makes for a very dangerous dog. Both teams have been hot but the Boilermakers have not been covering at the rate that Butler has. What says a lot about Purdue is that this will be their toughest challenge since they faced Maryland as a 3.5 point favorite. Though the Boilermakers did get the cover, they only won the game by 5 points despite shooting 51% from the field while the Terrapins shot just 35% from the field. That says a lot right there! Also, Purdue is on a 1-5 ATS and SU run versus Butler. The Bulldogs are an incredible 77-37 SU (and 73-37 ATS) long-term in neutral court games. 8* BUTLER

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #824 Friday 8* Illinois-Chicago Flames (-) vs Dartmouth Big Green @ 8 ET - Both teams have disappointed early this season but this looks like the perfect spot for the Flames to turn it around. The Big Green annually are one of the worst teams in the Ivy League and, once again, they are projected to finish dead last this season. On the other hand, the Flames are projected to be one of the top teams in the Horizon League this season. Though UIC is currently without point guard Tarkus Ferguson, they have a lot more depth than Dartmouth does. That is significant here because the Big Green being without forward Evan Boudreaux and guard Guilien Smith is absolutely a big deal. Illinois-Chicago has yet to cover a game this season but they certainly have played a tougher schedule than Dartmouth. In fact, nearly of the games for the Big Green have been non-lined match-ups. UIC is 6-2 ATS in recent seasons (and 41-25 ATS long-term) when they enter a game with rest of 5 or 6 days between games. Dartmouth is 2-10 ATS in recent seasons (and 6-18 ATS long-term) in games with a posted total in the 140s. The Big Green simply won't be able to keep with the hungry Flames here. 8* ILLINOIS-CHICAGO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #511 Thursday 8* Valparaiso Crusaders (+) @ Northwestern Wildcats @ 8 ET - Northwestern just absolutely destroyed Chicago State 96-31 Monday. As for Valparaiso, they started the season 8-0 but have now lost 2 straight including a blowout defeat at Purdue by 30 points. As a result, it is no surprise that the Wildcats have gone from an opener of -8 to as high as a -10.5 in most spots as of early Thursday morning. Even though the Crusaders are without Tevonn Walker, they still have plenty of firepower to hang around in this one against a Northwestern team that will be feeling a little too good about themselves after their win by a ridiculous 65 point margin to begin this week. Keep in mind, the Wildcats have played 10 games this season and only 1 of them was a lined game that was decided by more than 9 points. That being the blowout win over Chicago State this week. In other words (and especially with a game at DePaul on deck for Saturday), the Cats are getting way too much respect from the betting markets here. Northwestern is on a 6-10 ATS run in home games with a posted total between 140 and 144.5 points. Also, this season, the Wildcats are a poor 1-5 ATS when off of a non-conference game. Valparaiso is 5-2 ATS this season and certainly use to winning. Off of back to back losses I expect them to respond in a big way here! The Crusaders are 28-15 SU against teams with a winning record and I am glad to grab the double digits here! 8* VALPARAISO

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Wednesday 10* Top Play Portland Trail Blazers (+) @ Miami Heat @ 7:35 ET - The Trail Blazers are hungry as they have lost 5 straight games. Portland has played better in their last 2 games and covered both of those. In fact, the Blazers are now 16-8 ATS when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. Miami is off of back to back SU wins but they are 0-4 ATS when they enter a game on a winning streak of 2 or more games this season. Also, the Heat are also 0-3 ATS this season when they enter a game on an ATS winning streak of 2 games or more. Miami has not fared well at home this season as they've covered just 2 of 11 games as a host this season! The Heat were a small dog at Memphis Monday and they got the outright win. Miami is 1-4 ATS this season when off of an upset win as an underdog. The Heat have covered only 3 of 10 as a favorite this season. Miami also has a divisional game on deck at Charlotte and could look right past this non-conference match-up. Portland will absolutely not look past the Heat here as the Blazers are hungry to end their longest losing streak of the season. The road team is 24-15 ATS long-term in the meetings between these teams and the hungry road dog gets the cash again here! 10* PORTLAND

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #705 Wednesday 8* Oklahoma City Thunder (+) @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Thunder have failed to cover 9 games in a row and are 3-10 SU away from home this season while Indiana is 10-4 SU at home. That said, how is that the odds makers opened this one up at Oklahoma City -1? Exactly! Don't be fooled ladies and gentlemen. The odds makers know what they are doing and yet the betting markets are already helping us with the line move now having the Pacers as the favorite by 1.5 points. Of course this is the return of Paul George to Indiana and you know Russell Westbrook and all of his Thunder teammates are going to do everything they can to help the return to be a victorious one! Even though OKC defeated Indiana in late October in the first meeting between these teams, George only played 19 minutes due to foul trouble and ended up fouling out in just 19 minutes of action. Even with that, the Thunder still won that game by 18 points and they are hungry again tonight for another big win due to having lost 7 of their last 12 games overall. The Pacers are off of a big win and that holds significance here as they are 2-5 ATS when off of a win by a double digit margin this season. Indiana is also on an 8-16 ATS run against Northwest Division opponents. OKC is off of an ugly loss and they are 20-11 SU and 19-12 ATS when off of a loss by double digits. Also, the Thunder are 3-0 SU this season (30-13 SU long-term) when off of a game where they allowed 115 points or more. Look for the Thunder to improve to 5-1 SU against Central Division foes on the season. 8* OKLAHOMA CITY

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #728 Wednesday 8* UNC Greensboro Spartans (-) vs UNC Wilmington Seahawks @ 7 ET - Both these teams were projected to fall from their usual respective positions near the top of their conferences. However, the Seahawks returned just 1 starter and have clearly fallen even further than the Spartans who returned 3 starters from last season's team. UNC Wilmington has a little more name recognition since they play in the Colonial Athletic Association. That said, the odds makers certainly weren't stupid when they made UNC Greensboro, a Southern Conference opponent, a double digit fave in this one. Yet the markets have clearly over-reacted as they've been pounding the Seahawks and driving this line all the way down to as a low as a -7 for the Spartans as of early gameday morning. UNC Wilmington's defense has been atrocious this season with 92 points per game allowed on 50% shooting from the field. Conversely, UNC Greensboro is allowing only 59 points per game on 40% shooting from the field. Also, the Seahawks are allowing 41% three pointers while the Spartans are allowing only 28% from downtown! UNC Wilmington is 0-4 ATS this season overall. Also, as a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points, the Seahawks are a long-term 12-27 ATS! As for UNC Greensboro, they are 4-0 ATS overall this season plus on a 6-3 ATS run when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. Also, in Spartans games with a posted total in the 160s, they are 4-1 ATS long-term. 8* UNC Greensboro

Philly Insider - Rickenbach CBB Game #720 Wednesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 7 ET - The Owls returned 4 starters from last season's team. The Wildcats are currently the #1 team in the nation. Temple would love nothing more than to get the upset of a Philly rival and #1 ranked team tonight at home at the Liacouras Center. While I feel the Owls will likely fall short in terms of that endeavor, I expect their defeat to be by only a bucket or two. With that said, tremendous home dog value here. Keep in mind, Temple has played a tough early season schedule. In fact, their strength of schedule so far this season does rank higher than that of the Wildcats. Villanova has dominated this match-up recently, including winning by 18.5 points per game in the past two meetings. However, it is with good reason that the odds makers opened this one up at "only" a -7 and yet the markets are driving this one higher which means even more value as the Owls are now available as high as a +9 as of gameday morning. Temple's defense has been solid and that will prove to be a key here against the high-flying Wildcats. The Owls are actually on a 12-2 ATS run in their games against teams that average 77 points or more per game! The Owls are on an overall 20-11 ATS run as an underdog while Villanova is on a 4-10 ATS run in Wednesday games. While Temple has a Saturday game on deck, the Wildcats are off until NEXT Friday the 22nd after this game. Could the undefeated Cats get caught looking ahead to their long break that starts tomorrow? Absolutely! 10* TEMPLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #503 Tuesday 8* Denver Nuggets (+) @ Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons have lost 6 straight games. Detroit is also an ugly 4-9 SU this season when facing teams with a winning record. We're getting line value here with the Nuggets because they haven't performed well on the road overall. I am glad to grab the big points being offered with a Denver team that is 8-4 SU in non-conference games this season. The Nuggets are also 5-1 SU this season after allowing 115 points or more and 7-1 SU this season when off of a loss by a double digit margin. Denver will be fired up after Sunday's loss at Indiana and the Nuggets have been shooting the ball much better than the Pistons. Detroit has been held under 44.4% from the field in 6 straight games and under 41.5% in four straight games! 8* DENVER

ESPN Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #505 Tuesday 10* Los Angeles Lakers (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - The Lakers are off of back to back wins plus playing for just the 3rd time in 9 days! Fresh legs and confidence are both on the side of Los Angeles in this one. They've had 2 full off days since winning by double digits at Charlotte Saturday. As for the Knicks, they barely hung on for a tight win Sunday versus Atlanta and they now will be playing for the 3rd time in just 4 days! Certainly New York's situation is much different than the favorable scheduling situation of LA here. Also, the Knicks have a divisional game against city rival Brooklyn on deck! NY is 1-4 ATS this month. Also, the Knicks are on a 26-44 SU run against Western Conference teams and also 13-33 SU run against teams that average 106 points or more per game. The Lakers are 42-29 ATS against Eastern Conference foes in recent seasons. Also, this season, Los Angeles is 3-0 ATS when off of a win by a double digit margin and LA is also 4-1 ATS when they enter a game on an under streak of 3 games or more. 10* LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #520 Tuesday 8* Boston College Eagles (-) vs Columbia Lions @ 7 ET - The knee-jerk reaction from most here will be to fade the Eagles since they just topped the #1 team in the nation (Duke) on Saturday. However, the key to the value here is the line has already been adjusted for that and the fact is that Columbia is annually one of the worst teams in the Ivy League. This is just their second season under coach Engles and he is a good coach but it is often not until the 3rd season that even a good, quality coach can get a poor team like the Lions turned around. Now, with their annual long Christmas break on deck, Columbia could get caught sleep-walking through this game. They are an ugly 1-9 on the season and the Eagles hot shooting against Duke is unlikely to cool here. Boston College has Central Connecticut State on deck so there is certainly no lookahead here. Look for the Eagles to build off the big win over the Blue Devils with another dominant win tonight. Columbia is 2-4 ATS in December games. The Eagles improve to 7-3 ATS in their last 10 lined Tuesday games. 8* BOSTON COLLEGE

Divisional Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Game #134 Monday 10* Top Play Miami Dolphins (+) vs New England Patriots @ 8:30 ET - The Patriots need one more win to clinch the AFC East and, indeed, the Pats are likely to get that here. However, they are vastly over-priced in my opinion. Of course this is what happens when you have the long-term reputation that New England does plus when you come into a game on an 8-game winning streak! Also, the Patriots have covered 6 straight games after a ridiculous ATS run last season (including the playoffs and their miracle Super Bowl comeback win). The point is that the Pats are highly regarded by the betting markets as a result and, in this case, they have become over-priced. Keep in mind, New England has a huge game on deck with the Steelers at Pittsburgh. The Patriots, though they would say otherwise, can't help but be peeking ahead at that showdown with the other top team in the AFC. Also, this is part of a stretch of 5 road games in 6 weeks and I feel it finally catches up with the Pats here. The Dolphins are 3-2 in home games this season and one defeat came by 10 points (despite a yardage edge for Miami of over 100 yards) and the other defeat came by just 3 points. The Patriots find a way to win this one but the Dolphins stay well within the inflated number! Miami is 9-2 ATS when they are at home against an AFC opponent on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Also, the Dolphins are 10-1 ATS when they are at home in a divisional game and they have a losing record and are playing with revenge against an opponent with a winning record. The Patriots are 1-4 ATS when on the road after a game in which they allowed less than 10 points. New England is also 0-7 ATS as road favorite of more than 8 points against an AFC opponent that has a winning percentage of .201 or greater on the season. Also, the Pats covered by double digits versus Buffalo last week and they are 2-11 ATS when playing in divisional action and off of a divisional game where they covered the spread by 10 or more points. Add it all up and you have angles that combine for 41-6 (87%) ATS supporting the Dolphins. 10* MIAMI

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #703 Monday 8* Miami Heat (+) @ Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:05 ET - Even though the Heat are off of a game at Mexico City Saturday, this will be just the 3rd game in the past 8 days for Miami. They do have fresh legs. As for Memphis, they will be playing their 3rd game in just 4 days and things have not been going well for the Grizzlies. Memphis has lost 3 straight games and 14 of their last 15 games! The Heat are a small dog here and that is certainly noteworthy as they are a PERFECT 7-0 SU this season in games against teams with a losing record. Memphis is 1-7 SU and ATS in their games against teams with a losing record this season. 8* MIAMI

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 8* Pittsburgh Steelers (-) vs Baltimore Ravens @ 8:30 ET - The Ravens have won 3 straight games and that certainly looks very impressive on the resume but they've benefited from 11 turnovers in those 3 games. Also, the combined record of 16-20 of those 3 opponents is certainly unimpressive. Baltimore faced Green Bay without Aaron Rodgers and Houston without Deshaun Watson and then beat the Lions by 24 despite only having a total yardage edge of just TWO yards in the game. The result is line value here as the Steelers should win this game by at least a TD. They blew out the Ravens in Baltimore earlier this season and it was no fluke as they won by 17 in a game they were up 19-0 at the half and a game in which Pittsburgh dominated the ground game. As an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points, Baltimore is 5-8 ATS and 1-12 SU so, as you can see, the likelihood of an upset here is remote. That is significant here because the Steelers are a long-term 51-30 ATS as a home fave of 3.5 to 7 points. Also, the Ravens are just 3-3 SU against teams with a winning record this season while the Steelers are 3-0 SU and ATS versus teams above .500 on the season. Baltimore has lost each of its past two games against the Steelers and that sets up an interesting system here. Entering this season Pittsburgh is 10-2 ATS when facing a divisional opponent off of a SU win that is now facing the Steelers with double revenge. Also, the Steelers entered the season 8-1 ATS when facing a divisional opponent that is off of a non-divisional game where they scored more than 35 points. As for the Ravens, they are an ugly 2-12 ATS when they enter a game with a winning record and are off of a non-divisional game and now facing a divisional opponent with a winning record. They already failed to get the cover in this scenario earlier this season versus the Steelers and I look for them to again fall short in the same scenario in the rematch. 8* PITTSBURGH

Situational Slam - Rickenbach NBA Game #512 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Knicks (-) vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - Both teams are in a back to back but the Knicks will prove to the be hungrier team. The Hawks are off of a home win (albeit against an Orlando team that doesn't travel well) while New York is off of a tight 2-point road loss at Chicago and will be ready to respond here. The Knicks also have additional motivation as they lost at Atlanta earlier this season. Also, New York lost each of the final 3 meetings versus the Hawks last season by an average margin of only 2.7 points per defeat. Time for payback here and Atlanta is 0-5 SU in the 2nd game of back to backs this season. Also, the Hawks are 0-4 SU this season when off of a game where they scored 115 points or more. The Knicks are 6-1 SU (and ATS!) as a favorite this season. Also, New York is 11-5 SU and 12-4 ATS in their home games this season. The Knicks are hungry after the way yesterday's game ended and we'll see the response here. 10* NEW YORK KNICKS

Blowout Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (+) @ Los Angeles Rams @ 4:25 ET - The Eagles are done. They're left for dead. After that loss to the Seahawks on primetime last week it proves they are a fraud and really aren't a very good football team. I jest of course as really it is funny to listen to the so-called experts talk about the Eagles after last week's loss. Turnovers happen, it is part of the game and sometimes it can be the turning point in a game too. Last week the Eagles went into Seattle and piled up over 400 yards of offense and yet still ended up with only 10 points on the scoreboard. It was one of the craziest results you'll ever see and you better believe they're going to be ready to bounce back big this week. They're catching the Rams at the right time too as Los Angeles is off of back to back wins over a strong Saints team and then a divisional foe last week. That sets this one up very well and another key here is the way these teams match up. The Eagles have one of the best rushing offenses in the league while the Rams are among the worst teams in the league for rush defense. On the other side of the ball, Philadelphia is the best defense in the league against the run. This will force Jared Goff to have to beat the Eagles defense through the air while Carson Wentz gets the luxury of beating the Rams defense both ways, through the air and overland. Los Angeles is only 2-8 ATS when at home playing with revenge (lost at Philly in 2014) and off of a divisional road game. Also, LA entered this season with an 0-11 ATS mark when playing with revenge against a non-divisional foe that has a winning record! The Eagles are 14-3 SU the last 17 games that Lane Johnson has played in. He is a key member of the offensive line and the Eagles went 5-1 in his starts last season and are 9-2 in the 11 starts he has made this season. Johnson and the rest of a strong offensive line power a huge ground game for the road victory here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Rickenbach NFL Sunday 8* Carolina Panthers (+) vs Minnesota Vikings @ 1 ET - The Vikings have covered 7 straight games and are on an 8-game winning streak. However, last week's tight win at Atlanta was the first time this season that Minnesota has a road win over a team that currently has a winning record. Keep in mind, the Vikes got blasted at Pittsburgh earlier this season. Not only is this a 3rd straight road game for Minnesota, the Vikings are facing a Panthers team that is angry off of their double digit loss at New Orleans last week. The line has continued to move this week and the Panthers are now a field goal underdog in this match-up. I love the value here as Carolina is also 8-0 ATS when they are an underdog and facing an opponent who is off of an upset win as an underdog! The Vikes were a small dog against the Falcons last week and won outright so that system is in play here! Also, Minnesota is 1-5 ATS when on the road after an upset win as an underdog. 8* CAROLINA

Rickenbach NFL Sunday 8* Cleveland Browns (+) vs Green Bay Packers @ 1 ET - The Browns have very few chances left to earn a victory this season and I look for them to make the most of this one. Green Bay is off of a win versus Tampa Bay last week but they were fortunate as they were outgained by 119 yards in that game. QB Aaron Rodgers could be back next week but, in his absence, the Packers have certainly struggled badly. Prior to the win over the Buccaneers (again, a fortunate win!), Green Bay had lost 5 of their 6 prior games. Of course it is still hard to tout an 0-12 team but the Browns have a small sense of optimism this week as there were finally some front office changes made that could indicate a new direction for the team after another strategy failed in hapless Cleveland. The Browns did cover versus the Chargers last week. Though they failed to cover their most recent home game, 3 of their first 4 home games were losses by just 3 points apiece. The point is that Cleveland does play better at home and they've been right on the cusp of getting over the hump. I am projecting this is the week they do it and will grab the points but I don't expect to need them. Green Bay is 1-5 SU and ATS as a road fave of 3 points or less. 8* CLEVELAND

Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Saturday 10* Houston Rockets (-) @ Portland Trail Blazers @ 10:05 ET - The Rockets lost by 10 in their last visit to Portland so it is time for a little payback here. The Blazers are hurt (literally) by the ankle injury to Jusuf Nurkic here as he is likely to miss this game and he is tied for the team lead in rebounds, leads the team in blocked shots, and is also their 3rd leading scorer. Portland has lost 3 straight games and the average margin of defeat has been 11 points even though all 3 games were at home. That said, I don't see them shutting down a Rockets team that has won 14 of 15 games! What has been most impressive about this win streak for Houston is that only 1 of those 14 wins has come by less than 11 points. The Rockets aren't just winning, they are dominating teams! That is why this has been an 11-4 ATS run for Houston and I don't see them slowing down here. They remember what happened in their last visit to Portland. The Trail Blazers also have the defending champion Warriors on deck! Though the Blazers are off of an upset loss as a favorite that doesn't mean they'll bounce back here. In fact, Portland has just 1 cover in 7 games when playing in that situation. The Rockets are a stellar 9-3 ATS on the road this season. 10* HOUSTON

Rickenbach CBB Game #764 Saturday 8* Oklahoma State Cowboys (+) vs Wichita State Shockers @ 4 ET - The markets are making a push toward the Shockers here. The result is excellent line value with the underdog Cowboys. While it is true that this is a revenge spot for Wichita State and that they are a ranked team that has played a tougher schedule than Oklahoma State, it is also true that the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater is not too friendly for visitors! Also, this O/U opened up in the 150s and the Shockers are 0-5 ATS the past 3 seasons in games with a posted total in the 150s. The Cowboys have a long-term mark of 15-4 SU in home games with a posted total between 150 and 154.5 points. Both teams are playing well early this season but the Cowboys have allowed just 40% from the field in their last 3 games combined while the Shockers have allowed 49% from the field in 2 of their past 4 games. Grab the value with the home dog here that is very fired up for this opportunity hosting a ranked foe on a Saturday afternoon. 8* OKLAHOMA STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Saturday 8* Los Angeles Clippers (+) vs Washington Wizards @ 3:35 ET - The Los Angeles Clippers have been struggling as they've been beaten by the injury bug (Patrick Beverley and Blake Griffin). However, they have a couple of key edges here against the Wizards. The Clips have the home court edge and they also catch Washington playing an early game after enjoying the Friday "night life" of LA. Even though the Wizards have won 2 of 3 on this road trip, those victories came against the slumping Blazers and a bad Suns team. With the Clippers playing just the 2nd time in 6 days and the Wizards playing for the 4th time in 6 days (each game in a different city), this is a big scheduling edge for LA. Of course we get line value here with the Clips as a home dog due to their recent struggles as well as the corresponding injury situation. The Clippers are 19-4 SU against Southeast Division opponents. The Wizards are 5-8 ATS as a favorite this season. 8* LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CFB 8* Navy Midshipmen (-) vs Army Black Knights @ 3 ET - Army will be the popular choice here as they have the better record and also have the chance to win their first Commander-in-Chief Trophy in 21 years! However, in typical contrarian fashion (but not without proper reasoning) I am going against the masses in this one. The fact is that Navy played a much tougher schedule this season. Also, last year the Midshipmen lost to the Black Knights to snap a 14-game winning streak for Navy in this series. They'll be ready for payback here and now all 3 of their quarterbacks are healthy. Abey, Lewis, and Perry are all available here and the Midshipmen haven't lost back to back games in this series in over 20 years. Rest is a good thing but too much rest can lead to rust. The Midshipmen have been off for 2 weeks which is good as they enjoyed a bye week last week. However, the Black Knights have been off for 3 weeks as they haven't played since a loss at North Texas 3 weeks ago. While Army is off of a loss, Navy is off of back to back losses and that is noteworthy here as they are 10-2 ATS when off of back to back SU losses and facing an opponents off of a SU loss. Army is 2-8 ATS the last 10 times they've been a dog of less than 5 points. Also, the Black Knights are a horrible 0-8 ATS when playing with rest and facing a team playing with revenge. Certainly the record of the Midshipmen is unimpressive this season after they started the year well but their quarterbacks are now healthy and they played the much tougher schedule than Army and they have revenge against the Black Knights. I'll gladly lay the small number. 8* NAVY 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #521 Friday 8* St John's Red Storm (+) vs Arizona State Sun Devils @ 8 ET @ Staples Center in Los Angeles, California - This game is part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The Sun Devils are a ranked team. Even though this game is considered a neutral site game, the location certainly favors Arizona State. Also, the Red Storm are expected to still be without Marcus LoVett. With all that said, how can the Sun Devils have opened up as just a 4.5 point favorite? Exactly! You think the odds makers are stupid? They know that the aggressive defensive style that St John's plays is going to really test the high-powered Sun Devils offense here. Also, as nice as it would be for the Red Storm to have LoVett back on the floor for this one, the fact is that he had made only 9 of 34 shots in his past two games and, arguably, was hurting more than helping. So a ranked ASU team with the location edge for this game and an undefeated record on the season opens up as a very small favorite. I am not buying it! Going contrarian here and telling you that the Red Storm are going to surprise a lot of folks here. Looking for the upset but if St John's does fall short I expect it to be by a single possession. The Sun Devils are 1-4 ATS when playing with 5 or 6 days of rest between games, 4-8 ATS in neutral court games, 3-8 ATS against Big East foes, and 0-4 ATS in neutral court games with a posted total between 155 and 159.5 points. The Red Storm are 8-4 ATS in games with a posted total in the 150 to 159.5 point range. 8* ST JOHN'S

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Friday 10* Indiana Pacers (+) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - The Pacers just played a Bulls team that has the longest losing streak in the NBA. Clearly Indiana was looking ahead to this match-up with the team that has the longest winning streak in the NBA. After barely getting by the Bulls (and with Myles Turner listed as questionable due to his knee) we are getting a nice home dog spot here on the Pacers. Indiana is 8-4 SU at home this season and 65-34 SU at home the past 3 seasons combined. Keep in mind, the Cavs (even with their current hot streak) have been money burners at the betting window as a fave. Cleveland is 4-15 ATS as a favorite this season! Also, the Cavaliers are on an ugly 16-28 ATS run versus division opponents. The Pacers are a fantastic 27-13 ATS their last 40 versus divisional foes. Indiana has failed to get the cash only ONCE in their last SIX games versus the Cavs. There is a reason the odds makers but such a low number on the favorite here even though they've won 13 in a row. Don't be fooled by it. Upset time here. 10* INDIANA

TNT Explosion Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (-) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 8:05 ET - The Lakers have lost 5 straight and 10 of their last 13. Also, 7 of those 10 losses have come by 8 or more points. When the Lakers lose (often) they generally lose big and the Sixers are in a good spot to take the Lakers behind the woodshed and lay the lumber on Los Angeles! Philadelphia is angry off of a home loss to Phoenix where they were lethargic from the opening tip onward. The 76'ers are 3-1 SU and ATS when off of a game where they allowed 115 points or more this season. Also, the past 3 seasons combined, Philly is 14-5 ATS in games with a posted total of 220 points or more and also 50-21 ATS in non-conference games including a fantastic 19-7 ATS in games against Pacific Division opponents. The Lakers are 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in road games this season. The Sixers, off of a loss and with a road trip on deck that will take them away from Philly for a week, are going to make the most of this home game. The 76ers have had two full off days since the loss to the Suns so anger and frustration has built up and is ready to be unleashed on the slumping Lakers. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #710 Thursday 10* Purdue Boilermakers (-) vs Valparaiso Crusaders @ 6:30 ET - Long-time followers know I rarely lay big points in basketball. However, this play easily fits in as a rare exception. Purdue is ranked, at home, and loaded with veteran players. Valparaiso has their attention as an in-state foe with an undefeated record. The Crusaders are 8-0 but they are a young team as most of their minutes come from freshmen and sophomores whereas most of the Boilermakers minutes come from underclassmen. Not only has Valparaiso played a weak schedule, they now face a team that can not only match their size but exceed. Purdue is loaded with size in the paint including a 7'3 freshman that is one of the nation's top shot-blockers. One of the big keys here is that the Crusaders have not played in over a week. As I have always said, too much rest can lead to rust and Valparaiso is really not that great of a shooting team to begin with. I know some of their overall stats this season will lead you to believe otherwise but the fact is that Valpo has been held under 35.8% from three point land in 6 of their 8 games. By comparison, Purdue has shot 43% or better from three point land in half their games this season. The Boilermakers won't overlook the Crusaders because the 8-0 record means Purdue wants to make sure they hand this in-state foe their first loss and I expect them to do it in an emphatic way. I realize that Valparaiso has some impressive numbers on defense this season but they truly have not played anyone of real significance. They're going to be tested in a big way with this veteran Boilermakers team and I sense a huge blowout win. Purdue also has a 9-man rotation and their bench will do just fine when called upon in this game even if it is mop-up / garbage time late in the game which is another reason I am comfortable laying the big number here. The off-time for Valpo won't help their shooting and neither will playing at a tough venue, Mackey Arena. The Crusaders are 1-5 ATS when they enter a game after a lay-off of 7 or more days. Purdue is on a 16-1 SU run (and 13-3 ATS) in December games! Also, the Boilermakers are 13-4 ATS when facing a team that allows 64 points or less per game. Lay the big points in this one! 10* PURDUE

Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #561 Wednesday 10* New Mexico Lobos (+) @ Colorado Buffaloes @ 9 ET - The Lobos haven't won a game away from home this season and the Buffaloes haven't lost a game at home this season. Couple that with the fact that Colorado is projected to move up some in the Pac-12 this season while New Mexico is projected to drop down some in the MWC this season and you can see why most will be enticed to back the Buffs here. I am going contrarian in this spot and would not be surprised to see the Lobos get the outright win which is why I certainly love them plus the big points here. Colorado is off of their first loss of the season and it was at rival Colorado State. Not only does that give the Buffaloes unbeaten letdown here it is also a flat spot scheduling-wise as they just faced the rival Rams and they have a huge game on deck with a highly-ranked Xavier team! Look for New Mexico to prove to be the hungrier team here. They just lost by double digits at UTEP Saturday but simply shot the ball very poorly. Overall, in comparison with the Buffaloes, the Lobos have played the tougher schedule this season. Also, New Mexico is 4-1 ATS as a road dog in a range of 6.5 to 9 points and the Lobos are 4-0 ATS in road games with a posted total in a range of 150 to 154.5 points. Colorado is 1-5 ATS against Mountain West opponents. 10* NEW MEXICO

Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach NBA 10* San Antonio Spurs (-) vs Miami Heat @ 8:35 ET - The Spurs are always up for the Heat. Of course the back to back battles in 2013 and 2014 and the fact these non-conference foes only meet twice a season helps make these match-ups special. The Spurs are at home and getting healthier. The Heat are on the road and continuing to struggle without Hassan Whiteside. Miami has lost 3 of 4 SU and ATS while allowing opponents to hit a ridiculous 53.3% from the field. The Spurs have failed to cover their last 3 home games but the margin those 3 games failed to cover by was a COMBINED 2.5 points and San Antonio had started the season 8-2 ATS in home games! In other words, a big home win for the Spurs would not surprise in the least in terms of this match-up. Each of Miami's last 7 losses have come by at least 9 points and the average margin of those 7 defeats was 18.3 points. I sense another blowout here as the Heat also could be distracted by their Mexico City trip on deck as they face Brooklyn there on Saturday. The Spurs are a long-term 24-9 ATS in December games and 90-52 ATS in games against teams from the Southeast Division. Look for Miami to drop to 4-8 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record. 10* SAN ANTONIO

Rickenbach Wednesday NBA 8* Atlanta Hawks @ Orlando Magic @ 7:05 ET - Sure the Hawks have had their share of struggles this season but anytime I can get significant points like this and go against a team (Magic) that has lost 11 of 13 straight-up, I am in! Only ONE time in their last 13 games has Orlando won a game by more than 5 points. As for the Hawks, they are 8-2 ATS the last 10 times they have allowed more than 105 points in a game and they're angry again here as they are off of an ugly 110-90 loss to Brooklyn. The Magic were held by the Hornets to just 94 points in a 10 point loss on Monday. Orlando is on a 2-7 ATS run when they are off of a game where they were held to 105 points or less! Also, this is the 3rd game in 4 nights for the Magic while the Hawks are playing for just the third time this month. Atlanta does have revenge from a 19 point loss at Orlando in their most recent match-up. While it is true that the Hawks have not played well this season, the Magic aren't great either and are known for playing down to the level of their competition. Orlando is 18-31 ATS against teams allowing 106 points or more per game. Also, the Magic are 2-5 ATS (and SU!) this season against teams with a losing record. 8* ATLANTA

Rickenbach CBB Game #526 Wednesday 8* Temple Owls (-) vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 7 ET - The Badgers lost 4 starters from last season's team while the Owls return 4 starters. Temple's starters play a lot of minutes but that is not a problem in a scheduling situation like this where they are playing just their 2nd game this month. Also, the Owls are finally playing their first home game of the season and I expect them to make the most of it. They do have revenge here from an ugly loss at Wisconsin two years ago. The Badgers are a much different team now compared to that team of two years ago and the Owls veteran players will be the difference-maker in this match-up. Temple has shot 48% or better from the field in 3 straight games and 4 of their last 5. Keep in mind this is without having played on their home floor. Wisconsin is off of a very tight 1-point win at Penn State but that was preceded by losses in 5 of their 6 prior games. Prior to the win over the Nittany Lions the Badgers had been held to 41% or less from the field in 4 of their 6 previous games. As a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points Wisconsin has a SU record of 13-30. Given those strong odds of a Badgers loss here, I like my chances with the hungry Owls (off of a loss) in terms of covering this short number at home. Temple is 15-5 SU in games against teams with a losing record and also 18-10 ATS in games against non-conference opponents. 8* TEMPLE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #728 Tuesday 10* Top Play Arizona Wildcats (+) vs Texas A & M Aggies @ 9 ET - Here you have the #7 ranked team in the country with a 7-0 record and a 4-2 ATS mark facing an unranked foe that is only 5-3 SU this season and also an ugly 2-6 ATS and yet the line opened up in the pick'em range. Even more remarkable about this opening number is that this isn't even a true home game for Arizona as it will be played at the same arena as the NBA's Phoenix Suns use. The point is that this is absolutely a "trap line" in my opinion. Now, when I say "trap line" I don't mean that the odds makers intentionally set trap lines, I just mean that public opinion can absolutely make a line a trap and that is the case here. Public players will look at this game and say "wow...I can get an undefeated highly ranked team that is undefeated and playing on a neutral floor and facing an unranked 3-loss foe". That will be the prevailing wisdom and, of course, I feel strongly that this mindset will prove to be wrong in a big way. That is what my contrarian plays are all about and it also why I am raising the level of this play to my highest level. The Wildcats are ticked off. They are fired up and starting to turn the corner after those 3 losses in the Thanksgiving Tourney. After those 3 straight losses they got the type of big win a team needs to get swagger back as they crushed Long Beach State. The Wildcats then faced UNLV and got a hard-fought OT win which is the type of win a team that has struggled early absolutely needs to get over the hump. Remember the Wildcats were highly touted coming into the season and they are extremely well coached. They are a bargain in this spot and I'll grab them as they get the marquee win they have needed to prove they are for real. Those 3 losses Thanksgiving Week will prove to be the best thing that could have happened to a team that many projected to be in the final four coming into this season. They'll start leaving up to the hype no doubt. 10* ARIZONA

Rickenbach CBB Game #711 Tuesday 8* Ball State Cardinals (+) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ 7 ET - The Cardinals are the perfect type of team to play as a huge dog. They have a lot of depth. So that means that even when they're making use of their bench they can hang around in a game and that is precisely what I expect them to do in this spot. The Fighting Irish have a 7-1 record on the season but Ball State has actually played a tougher schedule on the season than Notre Dame. Also, the Cardinals did get embarrassed at Oklahoma and Oregon and they are ready to make up for those two ugly losses here. I expect this one to end much closer than many are expecting. The Cardinals have the added confidence of 3 straight wins and hot shooting coming into this game. The past 3 seasons combined the Cards are 20-11 ATS as an underdog. Also, as a road dog of 15.5 to 18 points, Ball State is 7-3 ATS long-term. As a home favorite of 12.5 or more points, Notre Dame is a long-term 27-45 ATS! Also, in a home game with a posted total in the 150 to 154.5 range, the Irish are an ugly 6-14 ATS long-term including 1-4 ATS the past 3 seasons. Against MAC opponents, the Fighting Irish are a long-term 3-9 ATS and I fully believe they'll again prove to be over-priced in this spot. 8* BALL STATE

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Monday 8* Pittsburgh Steelers (-) @ Cincinnati Bengals @ 8:30 ET - The Bengals are 5-6 on the season and off of back to back wins. However, Cincinnati has not beaten a single team that currently has a winning record this season. The Bengals best win would be over a 6-6 Bills team. Their other wins include 2 over the 0-12 Browns and 1 each over the 3-9 Colts and 3-9 Broncos. Cincy's last 2 wins have been over a Cleveland team that has lost 13 straight dating back to last season and a Denver team that has lost 8 straight games. The Steelers 9 wins this season include a dominating win in Pittsburgh over these Bengals in late October. Of the other 8 wins the Steelers have, only 2 have been against teams that currently have a losing record this season. Also, Pittsburgh has beaten teams that have the following current winning records: Vikings (10-2), Titans (8-4), and Ravens (7-5). Until the Bengals prove they can step up against a quality opponent I am backing a 9-2 Steelers team that has plenty of motivation here. If Pittsburgh loses this game then their division lead over the Ravens could quickly slip to 1 game with a loss versus Baltimore next week! I am aware of WR Antonio Brown's questionable status for tonight's game but the Steelers are loaded with plenty of weapons in comparison with the Bengals. Also, Cincinnati is 0-7 ATS as a divisional home dog of more than 4 points. The Steelers are 10-0 ATS as a favorite when they are off of a game where they allowed 28 points or more. Also, the fact that they allowed 28 points versus Green Bay is a bit deceiving as the Steelers outgained the Packers by 155 yards but lost the turnover battle 3-0. That result (a 3 point non-covering win as a 2 TD fave) is resulting in line value this week. 8* PITTSBURGH

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Monday 8* Michigan Wolverines (+) @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ 6:30 PM ET - The Buckeyes upset the Wolverines as a 9 point dog in Michigan last season and they also defeated them when they most recently met at Ohio State 2 years ago. Payback is in order here and I love the fact that everyone is jumping on the home team (in early wagering action here) as if it is some type of gift that the odds makers opened with a line of very nearly a pick'em in this game even though the game is in the Buckeye State. Don't be fooled ladies and gentlemen, the Wolverines are the better team and are poised to get their revenge here. Early season projections have Michigan slated in the top five of this 14-team conference while Ohio State was projected to finish near the bottom. The fact that the Buckeyes are off of their huge win over Wisconsin Saturday where they shot a ridiculous 66% from the field including 54% from beyond the arc does not mean Ohio State is suddenly a top team. The Buckeyes had lost 3 of their 4 prior games and are now facing a 7-2 Michigan team with 1 of those 2 Wolverines losses coming by just 2 points. The Wolverines are off of a win versus Indiana but defense keyed that win and they've had the better overall defense in comparison with the Buckeyes so far this season. Also, Michigan is 10-4 ATS when playing with 1 day or less of rest while Ohio State is 2-4 ATS with 1 day or less of rest. The Buckeyes also are 6-13 ATS when off of a win against a conference rival. The Wolverines also are 13-2 SU in December games while Ohio State is 5-10 SU when facing teams that allowed 64 points or less per game! 8* MICHIGAN

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (-) @ Seattle Seahawks @ 8:30 ET - The Seahawks are still without defensive end Cliff Avril who started all 16 games the past 3 seasons and totaled 20.5 sacks the past 2 seasons. Seattle also is without cornerback Richard Sherman and strong safety Kam Chancellor. Also, when you look at the Seahawks overall injury report heading into this game, they've got a number of newer injuries which have resulted in guys being listed as doubtful or out for this game. This is why we're getting extreme line value here. Seattle is simply not healthy and they're now taking on the top team in the league that also is the only team in the league to score at least 20 points in all 11 games this season. The Eagles have won 9 straight games and they've covered 8 straight games and yet the WOUNDED Seahawks are getting a lot of attention from the betting markets this week. Everyone likes to point to Seattle's great home record and their success in primetime but, ladies and gentlemen, this Hawks team is very short-handed right now on defense! As for the Eagles defense, they are one of the best in the league and they are also healthier than they've been for much of this season. QB Carson Wentz is NOT the type of quarterback to struggle in a tough road venue like CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Yes, the Eagles lost here last year but that was his rookie season and was part of a 2-9 stretch for Philly. They are a different team this year and, remember, they went 5-1 last season when offensive tackle Lane Johnson was available. This season Philadelphia has lost only one game with him in the lineup. Look for the Eagles to make it 10 straight wins and 9 straight covers while dropping Seattle to 1-5 ATS in home games this season. Keep in mind, the Seahawks only have one win against a team with a winning record this season and that was when they were healthier and faced the Rams and won despite being outgained by 134 yards! In other words, a fortunate win. Seattle won't be so fortunate here against an Eagles team that is rolling! 10* PHILADELPHIA