NFL AFC North Total of the Year - 10* Top Play OVER 44 in Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens @ 4:25 ET - Decent weather expected in Pittsburgh considering it is December. Even though this is a rivalry game, 3 of the last 4 have gone over the total. I am expecting big games from Roethlisberger and Jackson in this one. Both signal-callers were a part of turnover-filled games last week and both guys are fully capable of huge bounce back efforts here. Ben has a 14-6 TD-INT ratio this season and Lamar is also an NFL MVP. Jackson will bounce back in a key big game here and same for Big Ben. The over is 5-2 in the Steelers last 7 games and I look for that trend to continue here. The Ravens have a dangerous ground game and Pittsburgh struggles to stop the run. Both teams can air it out and I expect that to be the case in this game as well. This is just one of those rare situations where you have two strong QB's both in a bounce back situation and both i a huge game and the way all this fell with this scheduling situation and the solid weather too, all factors came together for a big play here. 10* OVER 44 in Pittsburgh

NFL Earliest Rout - 8* Philadelphia Eagles -5 @ New York Jets @ 1 ET - This line dropped significantly because of QB Hurts is expected to miss this game and Minshew will get the call. Minshew has 2 seasons in the NFL under his belt and threw for 37 touchdowns against 11 interceptions and he played those two years for a Jacksonville team that went a combined 7-25. Read that sentence again. Do you see my point? He played for a bad team and yet put up some incredible numbers. I just do not think this is even worthy of a drop in the line. Philly is off a frustrating loss to the Giants and will bounce back huge against a very bad Jets team. Note that the Jets are off a win but over a bad Houston team and, prior to this, they had lost 8 of 10 games and all but one of those losses were by 7 or more points. The Eagles had won 3 of 4 before the loss to the Giants and all 3 wins were by double digits. I expect this victory will also be by 10+ points. Lay it. 8* PHILADELPHIA -5

CFB Total of the Year - 10* Top Play OVER 57.5 in California Golden Bears vs USC Trojans @ 11 PM ET - Both teams are 4-7 now with no shot at bowl eligibility. This a rescheduled game from about a month ago when covid forced a cancellation. It is hard to imagine there being much defensive intensity for this game considering the circumstances. That said, consider that USC is off a high-scoring game with BYU that saw the teams combine for over 900 yards of offense! The Trojans prior game was against UCLA and totaled 95 points. Southern Cal has a lot of talent on offense and skilled players that can do some damage against this California defense in the open field. The issue for USC is their defense has been failing them this season. Since they started the season 3-2 SU the Trojans have since gone 1-5 SU and allowed 39 points per game! They allowed at least 31 points in each game! I know Cal is off an ugly effort on the road at UCLA but they will score better here at home. The Golden Bears had scored 41 at Stanford the prior week and California's last 4 home games saw one clunker against Washington State but the Bears averaged 36 points per game in the other 3 games. Keep in mind, both teams have no pressure here. The offenses can operate with all systems go and playbooks fully open. There is no pressure to win here but you can bet each team will do the best they can to one-up the other on offense. I have a strong feeling this one gets crazy high-scoring because USC has the skill on offense to make some big plays early and often in this one but their sieve-like defense will struggle against a Bears offense determined to get back on track at home. 10* OVER 57.5 in California

CFB SEC Rout - 10* Top Play Alabama Crimson Tide +6.5 vs Georgia Bulldogs @ 4 ET - Getting this many points with a high-quality team like Alabama that is in a rare dog role and 4-1 ATS last 5 as an underdog means I am in! Yes Georgia is having an incredible season but this is now Alabama's Super Bowl for the season per se and I just don't see them being denied here. I am not saying the Tide will indeed win outright but they should keep this close enough to at least get the cash. Two fantastic defenses and the Bulldogs do rate an edge there but, statistically, the Crimson Tide rate a bigger edge on offense. Look for that to be a difference maker in this one in a game that is likely to go down to the wire and that means having the points is a huge edge for us as an outright upset would not surprise me here. Grab the the points for added betting value. 10* ALABAMA +6.5

CFB MWC Blowout - CFB 8* Utah State Aggies +6 vs San Diego State Aztecs @ 3 ET - So many of the Aztecs wins are tight wins. San Diego State just does not have the offense to win games by huge margins and I feel the Aggies will keep this one close. Utah State has the better offense in this match-up and in games against common foes, the Aggies were more impressive statistically. Don't be surprised when, in this one, it translates to at least an ATS win and possibly even an outright upset win. Grab the points in this one. 8* UTAH STATE +6

CFB Pac-12 Game of the Month - 10* Top Play Oregon Ducks +3 vs Utah Utes @ 8 ET - This is a chance at right back revenge after the Utes got the better of the Ducks two weeks ago in a game played at Utah. That game was at Utah. This one is at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as it is a neutral site game for the Pac-12 Championship. Oregon is 4-0 SU all time in the Pac-12 Championship while Utah is 0-2 SU all time in this game. All those games occurring since 2014 so this is not ancient history by any means. I look for the Ducks to keep that trend going as they will be much more relaxed in the rematch after playing with "playoff pressure" in the first meetings as they still had hopes, at that time, of making the CFP group of four. Look for the Ducks offense to be much better in this rematch and to do enough for the outright win but we'll grab the points as added insurance. 10* OREGON +3

NFL Thursday Thrasher - 10* Top Play Dallas Cowboys -5.5 @ New Orleans Saints @ 8:20 ET - Good news for Cowboys fans is that this game is not in Dallas. All kidding aside, the fact is that Dallas was 4-0 ATS in road games this season before that recent ugly loss at Kansas City. The Cowboys have had some recent struggles but this passing attack is averaging nearly 300 yards per game this season and I just don't think the Saints can keep up here. Taysom Hill is back at QB for New Orleans this week but what makes him dangerous is his running ability and he is coming back from a foot injury. I don't 100% trust Hill in the passing game and the Saints are averaging less than 200 yards passing per game on the season. New Orleans also is a poor 1-3 SU and ATS in games played in the Superdome this season. They struggle again here and the Cowboys take out some anger and frustration after suffering back to back losses for the first time this season. Look for the Saints to drop their 5th in a row SU and I am confident that the road favorite can win this by 7 or more for the all important cover. 10* DALLAS -5.5

NFL Primetime Punisher - 10* Top Play Seattle Seahawks +1 @ Washington Football Team @ 8:15 ET - Russell Wilson was not great but he was better in his 2nd start back from the finger injury. Keep in mind that was against an Arizona team with a solid pass defense that is now 9-2 on the season. Yes, Taylor Heinicke is off a strong start last week but it was against his former team and that Panthers team dropped to 5-7 on the year with an embarrassing performance yesterday at Miami. I know that Washington's win at Carolina did follow a huge home dog upset over the Bucs but upsets do happen from time to time. The fact is that Washington was 0-4 ATS at home this season before knocking off Tampa Bay. I will take Wilson and a hungry Seahawks team off B2B losses against Washington (plays in the NFC Least Division!) team led by Heinicke that is off rare B2B wins any time any place. Wilson and the fired up Seahawks make a statement on the road in a Monday Night game with all their NFL peers watching. 10* SEATTLE +1

NFL Primetime Punisher - 8* Cleveland Browns +3.5 @ Baltimore Ravens @ 8:20 ET - The Ravens are 1-3 ATS last 4 home games. Baltimore also had failed to cover 3 straight games before the ugly win at Chicago last week. I know Lamar Jackson is expected back at QB for this one but will he be 100%? The Browns have lost 3 straight meetings with Baltimore and out for revenge here. The Ravens have had one dominating effort, versus the Chargers, at home this season but in the other 4 games as a host Baltimore has allowed an average of 33 points per game and, again, this is at home! The Browns have held their opponents to 16 points or less in 4 of last 5 games! Like the Ravens, Cleveland is off an ugly win as they barely got by Detroit but here they will make up for an ugly road loss at New England. Prior to getting embarrassed by the Patriots, the Browns had gone 3-1 ATS in road games this season. I look for a statement game here from the road dog as they finally step against the "big brother" in the division and knock off Baltimore. I will grab the points as added insurance here but do expect an outright win. 8* CLEVELAND 

NFL Game of the Month - 10* Top Play Los Angeles Rams -1 vs Green Bay Packers @ 4:25 ET - Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers will play through a broken toe here in the freezing cold in Green Bay. Does not sound like fun. This is particularly true against a tough Rams defense. Additionally, that LA defense is angry and rested as the Rams are off their bye week. That was preceded by B2B losses but Los Angeles has only failed to cover the spread twice the last nine times they were off a bye week. In other words, look for the Rams to get the win and cover here. They have plenty of motivation too because they lost at Green Bay 32 to 18 last season. Los Angeles is in dire need of a win here, has revenge, and they have a rest edge. The Packers have lost 2 of 3 and are off a road loss at Minnesota last week. This one is all Rams and, trust me, there is a reason the Packers are a dog here even though they are at home and have the better record on the season. Don't let the line fool you. 10* LOS ANGELES RAMS -1

NFL Earliest Cash - 8* Tennessee Titans +7 or +7.5 @ New England Patriots @ 1 ET - Yes the Titans have had injury issues and the Patriots have been rolling but this line has gone too far. Tennessee is off a loss at Houston but that was due to a rare 5-0 turnover deficit. The Titans actually outgained the Texans by a margin of 420 to 190 in that game! The fact Tennessee lost that game 22-13 on the scoreboard despite the big yardage edge is what is helping to give us some line value here. The Patriots are hot but are actually just 2-4 SU at home this season and are 5-0 SU on the road. The point is that, playing the road team in New England games this season nets you a 9-2 SU record and we are getting a full TD with the Titans here. I'll take it as I look for them to bounce back off last week's sloppy loss. Tennessee is 4-1 SU and ATS in road games this season. Titans on a long-term 5-1 ATS run as a road dog. 8* TENNESSEE +7 or +7.5

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

CFB Daytime Dominator - 10* Top Play OVER 63 in Virginia Cavaliers vs Virginia Tech Hokies @ 3:45 ET - I know this is a rivalry game and that tends to raise defensive intensity. However, the last meeting here between these teams totaled 69 points and I am expecting at least that here. Virginia has a potent offense but can not stop anyone, expect Duke in that shutout win last month. The Cavaliers other 8 games since mid-September, so not including the Blue Devils game, saw Virginia allow 42.5 points per game! The Hokies definitely have the better defense in this match-up but, keep in mind, Virginia Tech is facing a Cavs offense that has helped lead the way to them scoring at least 30 in 9 of 11 games this season. In fact, in those 9 games Virginia has scored an average of 41.2 points per game! The Hokies have scored 37 points per game past two games and will enjoy success here against a struggling Cavs defense. The Cavaliers are particularly bad (5.7 ypc) against the run and once Virginia Tech establishes the ground attack here that opens things up through the air. This one turns into quite the back and forth shootout as a result. 10* OVER 63 in Virginia

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

ACC Total of the Month - CFB 10* OVER 61.5 in NC State Wolfpack vs North Carolina Tar Heels @ 7 ET - This total has been dropping and now is offering solid line value on the over as weather conditions in Raleigh will be excellent this evening as well. The Wolfpack are averaging 37 points at home this season. I know NC State has a solid defense but the Tar Heels offense is a rock solid one with Sam Howell under center. Howell missed last week's game versus Wofford but is expected back for this one. North Carolina has averaged 40 points per game last 10 games. So you can see why I am expecting both teams to score well here because this Tar Heels offense is one of the top units in the country. But this UNC defense, in looking at last 8 games against FBS opponents (Wofford is FCS) the Tar Heels had one good effort - allowed 7 points versus Duke. In the other 7 games the Heels allowed an average of 41.4 points per game! The over is 6-3 in North Carolina's last 9 games against FBS schools. The over is 4-1 in last 5 home games for Wolfpack. Those trends continue here. 10* OVER 61.5 in NC State

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

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

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

NFL Non-Conf Total of the Month - 10* Top Play OVER 51.5 in Dallas Cowboys vs Las Vegas Raiders @ 4:30 ET - Both teams hungry to get back on track. The Cowboys and Raiders are each off very disappointing low-scoring losses and each will be better for it this week. Dallas scored 43 points in their most recent home game. I know Las Vegas has been struggling to score much for an extended stretch but the Cowboys are not a great pass defense and Carr and the Raiders will take advantage. Prescott-led Dallas will take advantage of facing a Raiders defense that struggles against the run. Getting the Cowboys ground game going will open up the ability to attack through the air and Dallas has one of the top offensive units in the league and Prescott has the ability to pick them apart when he is on like he was in most recent home game. More of the same here and, with the Cowboys offense being very aggressive off a loss and scoring plenty of points here, it will force the Raiders to have to pass a ton to try and score enough to keep up here. The end result will be plenty of points. 10* OVER 51.5 in Dallas

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

CFB Tuesday Crusher - 10* OVER 58.5 in Ball State Cardinals vs Buffalo Bulls @ 7 ET - The Bulls lost QB Kyle Vantrease to season-ending injury and he did not play last week's game. But that allowed Matt Myers to get action last week. He actually has a TD-INT ratio of 4-1 this season and also has scored 4 TDs on the ground! Myers is leading a Bulls team that will play without pressure this week because their OT loss to Northern Illinois last week ended their hopes of becoming bowl eligible. As for Ball State, the hosts in this one need one more win for bowl eligibility. The Cardinals should have no trouble scoring plenty against a Buffalo defense that has allowed 45 points per game last 3 games. Also, on the road this season - other than a dominating win at Akron against a bad Zips team - the Bulls allowed 39 points per game in 4 road games. With the Cards having scored at least 28 points in 5 of 6 games before last week's tough game against Central Michigan, I fully expect a huge bounce back for the  Cardinals offense in this one. 10* OVER 58.5 in Ball State

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

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

NFL The Total of the Year - 10* Top Play OVER 50.5 in Las Vegas - The Raiders have run into major issues this season but this is still a team that can score a lot of points. Particularly this is true when taking on a Bengals team that has allowed a total of 75 points last two games. Also, electric environment for Vegas home games and the over is 4-1 when Raiders have hosted this season. The over is 3-0 in Cincinnati's last 3 games overall. Look for these over trends to continue here. Both teams strength on offense is the passing game so that helps overs too. This is particularly true when dealing with a Bengals pass defense that ranks in the bottom 25% of the league. Also, the Raiders pass defense got torched for over 400 yards last week by a Chiefs offense that had been struggling. That does not bode well for the LV defense Sunday as they face a Bengals offense that has had two weeks to prepare for this game and certainly paid attention to how the Chiefs torched the Raiders defense last week. Yes, Cincinnati got hammered and scored just 16 points in the loss to Cleveland before their bye week but the Bengals had scored an average of 35 points the 3 prior games. Raiders had scored more than 30 points in 3 of 4 games before last week's dismal effort versus the Chiefs and they will bounce back here. 10* OVER 50.5 in Las Vegas

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

CFB Big 12 Total of the Month - OVER 55.5 in Texas Tech - Yes the Oklahoma State defense has been playing very well but lets not forget two things. One is that the Cowboys have huge game with Oklahoma on deck. Secondly, this Red Raiders team just put up 41 points against a very solid Iowa State defense here in Lubbock. The fact is that Texas Tech is known for scoring well at home and they will build momentum off that huge upset win last week too. The Red Raiders have seen the over go 3-1 in last 4 home games and those 3 overs each totaled at least 75 points. Also, the last two times the Cowboys faced Texas Tech, the games both went over an each totaled at least 80 points. Yes I understand the total posted here based strictly on defensive numbers for OSU but could some of their defensive intensity be held back for the Bedlam game versus rival Oklahoma next week? At the same time the Cowboys offense is off a 62-point outburst and should have no problem easily rolling through a Red Raiders defense that has allowed an average of 39 points last 7 games. Texas Tech QB Donovan Smith played very well last week and that continues here as this Red Raiders offense continues to build up confidence. By the way high temperatures near 80 Saturday afternoon in Lubbock and the winds subsiding by kick-off so no factor there either. 10* OVER 55.5 in Texas Tech

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

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

Earliest Cash - 10* OVER 48.5 in Louisiana Tech - I know Southern Mississippi has trended under and wants to slow games down but this total is just too low especially after moving lower. Louisiana Tech scores well and they are at home and they will dictate the pace in this game. The over is 7-3 in Bulldogs games this season. The last two meetings between these teams also have gone over and the most recent game here in Ruston totaled 75 points. 10* OVER 48.5 in Louisiana Tech

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

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #313 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 60 in Duke Blue Devils vs Louisville Cardinals @ 7:30 ET - The Blue Devils defense has been atrocious this season but at home the offense has performed well as Duke has averaged 36.6 points per game. Whether or not Gunnar Holmberg is back this week, both the #2 and #3 Blue Devils quarterbacks got some work last week and I expect Duke's success scoring points at home to continue here. The issue for the Blue Devils however is their defense can stop no one. Duke has allowed 42.4 points per game last 7 games. Louisville comes into this one averaging 30 points per game this season and they will enjoy special success greater than that against a bad Blue Devils defense tonight. The key here is the hosts should score well also and note that the Cardinals are allowing 32.8 points per game away from home this season. More of the same here and plenty of points in this one as a result. 10* OVER 60 in Duke

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

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

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

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

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #259 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 49.5 in Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks @ 4:25 ET - Packers get Aaron Rodgers back at QB and they have their full complement of wide receivers back. Seahawks get Russell Wilson back at QB this week. It is snowing Sunday morning in Green Bay but the fact this is a later game helps us in that regard. The snow will be gone and the winds will be subsiding by the time this game kicks off. The weather, though chilly of course, should not be a factor here. Also, like the fact the Packers are off a ridiculously low-scoring loss at Kansas City but had Jordan Love at QB and now are back home with Rodgers at QB and taking on a Seahawks defense allowing 402 yards per game this season. The Packers defense has some impressive numbers on the season but the Seattle offense is one of the more dangerous ones in the league when Wilson at the controls. I look for both teams to have wide open playbooks as they are so happy to have their star QB's back and ready to turn them loose so don't be surprised if this game turns into a back and forth shootout! 10* OVER 49.5 in Green Bay

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

Money Line Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #249 Sunday 8* New Orleans Saints +140 @ Tennessee Titans @ 1 ET - For those of you without access to the money line of course you can play the Saints at +3 here. I am recommending, and will be graded at, the money line on this selection because I love having the solid plus money in a game I feel New Orleans will not lose. The Saints rallied from a big deficit last week but still fell short at Atlanta on a late field goal. The Titans won their game last week and the 28-16 final looks impressive but it was anything but impressive! Tennessee actually was outgained substantially as the Rams nearly nearly doubled them up 347 to 194. After that trip to the West Coast and, being that it ended in an upset win, the Titans are in the perfect to fade here. The Saints, angry off a loss, have covered 7 of last 8 as a road dog and I feel strongly we won't even need the points here as the road dog rides their defense to victory here. 8* NEW ORLEANS +140 

SEC Total of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #195 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 56.5 in Ole Miss Rebels vs Texas A & M Aggies @ 7 ET - I don't see Dontario Drummond missing this game. The leading wide receiver for the Rebels is listed as questionable for this game but he almost played last week and likely would have if it was an SEC game. Since it was a game against Liberty, he sat out. Either way, Ole Miss still threw for over 300 passing yards last week and this offense still has plenty of weapons despite some injury issues impacting them this season at the WR position. It is actually incredible, when you consider their incredible stats on offense this season, that the under has cashed in 4 straight Rebels games. This is particularly true because their defense is not good either and that is where the Aggies will take advantage but I certainly expect Ole Miss to score plenty at home too. Note that Texas A & M is off a low-scoring win versus Auburn but averaged 40 points per game in their first 3 games of their current 4-game winning streak. The Rebels are averaging 45 points per game when at home this season and I know the Aggies defense has some impressive numbers this season but they have played a lot of games against weaker offenses too. This was particularly true in non-conference action and now their defense will face, arguably, the toughest offense they have faced this season. Plenty of points in this one. 10* OVER 56.5 in Ole Miss  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #475 Monday 8* OVER 39 in Pittsburgh Steelers vs Chicago Bears @ 8:15 ET - The Bears Justin Fields is off a better game against the 49ers last week in which he looked more comfortable in the offense including the Chicago QB rushing for over 100 yards. However, though they scored 22 points in that game they allowed 33 points in that home loss to San Francisco. The Bears have now allowed an average of 32 points their last 3 games. The Steelers are off a solid 15-10 win at Cleveland. However, Pittsburgh entered that game having allowed 23.2 points per game their last 5 games. Given the above numbers I feel tonight's total is set too low. Pittsburgh will do some damage against this Bears defense which has not been a dominant recently. Also, the dual-threat Chicago QB Fields is going to give the Steelers defense some trouble since he is a running threat too. I know these teams are not known for scoring a lot of points but, in a primetime game with beautiful weather expected at Heinz Field, I am looking for the offenses to be a bit of a surprise in this one. With the low total, it won't take much for this one to get there and I will gladly grab the value. 8* OVER 39 in Pittsburgh

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

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 48 in Kansas City Chiefs vs Green Bay Packers @ 4:25 ET - Contrarian play. Rodgers out at QB for the Packers to this total has been heavily adjusted downward. I personally feel that Jordan Love is going to be a pleasant surprise at QB for Green Bay and he gets an added advantage here of making his first start against one of the worst defenses in the league. The Kansas City defense has underachieved all season long and I don't see that changing here. GB gets an added key weapon back too with the return of WR Davante Adams expected for this one. The Chiefs have been very strong on offense this season so I do expect them to score well but I expect their poor defensive play to continue. The result is that we get excellent line value with this total being in the upper 40s instead of mid 50s which is where it was before the Rodgers covid situation. Both teams are trending under of late but last week the Chiefs went right down the field to start the game and then turned it over on a tough INT and that is a momentum killer for an over when a game starts like that. As for the Packers upset win over the Cardinals last week, anyone who watched it knows that late game finish (at both ends of the field!) was one of the bad beats of the season for anyone who had the over (like we did right here). The point is that the under trending for each team is a little flukey. Keep in mind, Chiefs rank as one of best offenses in league but one of worst defenses. As for Packers, they have scored 24 points or more in 7 straight games! So if they hit 24 here and lose by 7 as the line suggests, you can see we should be at mid 50s in this one. I liked what I saw from Love in the preseason and feel he will fit in well with this Packers offense and they get the job done here but Mahomes and Company also deliver a monster effort on offense at home in this one. 10* OVER 48 in Kansas City

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

Total of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 52.5 in South Florida Bulls vs Houston Cougars @ 7:30 ET - The Cougars are favored by two touchdowns here with good reason. However, note that the Bulls have scored well at home this season. In fact, South Florida has not been held below 20 points in any of their games at home this season. In those 4 games the Bulls have averaged 31 points per game! So if they hit their average here and Houston rolls to a two TD win as expected that puts this game at 45-31 for a total of 76 points. I am not necessarily expecting that many here but these teams did combine for 77 points last season and note that the Cougars do come into this one rolling. Houston has won 7 straight games and has averaged about 40 points per game in those 7 victories. The Cougars do have a solid defense but they are off a key home win over SMU and could be a bit flat for this game as a result. Defensive intensity may be down some for Houston after that important win over the Mustangs. That said, I am expecting plenty of points in this one! The Cougars offense is just too much for the USF D but I also expect the Bulls offense to continue to produce the solid scoring they have had in home games this season. 10* OVER 52.5 in South Florida

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 51 in Minnesota Vikings vs Dallas Cowboys @ 8:20 ET - I know about the Dak Prescott situation but I truly feel he will play and this is more gamesmanship from the Cowboys trying to make the Vikings think he may not play or at least keep them guessing if it might be Cooper Rush under center. The fact is these are two of the better offenses in the league this year based on yardage production. Also, these teams are off bye weeks so they should be very fresh here and ready to attack on offense. These two strong units will be going against two defenses that truly rank as mediocre. Also, the over is a perfect 4-0 last 4 Cowboys games. The last two meetings between these teams both went over the total. This total was in the mid-50s earlier this week but has dropped to as low as a 51 as of early gameday morning. I'll gladly take the value on the other side of this move as Dallas has scored 35 or more in 4 straight games and Vikings have scored 30 or more in 3 of last 5 games. The Cowboys defense allowed at least 29 in 2 of 3 road games this season. The Vikings defense has allowed at least 27 three times in their six games. Also, as long as Prescott plays, this Cowboys offense will absolutely be the toughest test for the Minny D yet this season. Plenty of points likely in this one. 10* OVER 51 in Minnesota

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

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

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

Big 12 Total of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #187 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 66.5 in Oklahoma Sooners vs Texas Tech Red Raiders @ 3:30 ET - Both teams are off unders. However, this series has trended over and this match-up looks like another one set up perfectly to be a shootout. Low temperatures were near freezing this morning in Norman, OK but temperatures will warm up into the 70s by mid-afternoon on a gorgeous day with light winds. Perfect conditions for both offenses to be fully unleashed. Red Raiders off a 25-24 loss but had scored an average of 37 points per game last 5 games. Also, when Texas Tech played the Longhorns the game totaled 105 points. When Oklahoma played the Longhorns the game totaled 103 points. You get my point. I feel we have a lot of cushion with this rather low total considering numbers like that. I know both these defenses are better than the use to be but prior to their respective low-scoring games that each of them are off of entering this match-up, the Red Raiders allowed 39 points per game last 4 games and Sooners allowed 37 points per game last 3 games. OU is averaging 42 points per game on the season and I look for this game to get well into the 70s. 10* OVER 66.5 in Oklahoma

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

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

Thursday Thrasher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #107 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 50 in Arizona Cardinals vs Green Bay Packers @ 8:20 ET - I know the Packers have issues at wide receiver with both Adams and Lazard likely out. However, Green Bay is expected to get Marquez Valdes-Scantling back for this game as he did travel with the team and is listed as probable now. The other key WR is Randall Cobb as he is QB Aaron Rodgers primary target by a substantial margin. Also, the other healthy bodies, though less proven at the NFL level, are still solid wide receiving options that are in addition to Cobb and Valdes-Scantling. That being said, I feel we have excellent line value with this total now dropping to the 50 range after being near the mid-50s earlier in the week. Though Arizona has great defensive numbers this season, they also have faced teams with QB issues - injury or otherwise - and that has played a key factor. Now they face Rodgers and a Packers team that has averaged 27.5 points per game last 6 games! Keep in mind they have not scored less than 24 in any of those 6 games. They are a TD underdog here. That puts this game at 31-24 if GB just hits the minimum they have reached in 6 straight games. That said, you can see why I like the over plenty in this one. Green Bay's defense allowed only 14 points in most recent road game but, in their first 3 away from Lambeau Field this season, the Packers allowed an average of 29.3 points per game and this has been a recurring pattern for the GB D. Last season they were also much better at home than on the road. This Cardinals offense will be tough to stop as they are surging with confidence thanks to a 7-0 start to the season! Arizona has averaged 32 points per game this season and only been held below 31 points ONCE in SEVEN games! The Cardinals get into the 30s here and the Packers keep within about a TD. As you can see, that means we were looking at mid-50s at least in this one! 10* OVER 50 in Arizona

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #109 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 50 in Coastal Chanticleers vs Troy Trojans @ 7:30 ET - No matter who is at QB for the Trojans - Watson has played well in place of Powell - Troy should score well here. The Trojans are catching Coastal Carolina after their undefeated run came to an end last week and the Chanticleers defense really struggled against Appalachian State. Look for the Trojans, rested off a bye week, to enjoy success against the Coastal Carolina D here. Troy is a big dog for a reason though and that is why I expect this game to fly over the total. Coastal Carolina, prior to last week's loss, had scored 49 points or more in 5 of 6 games. Look for their success on offense to resume here as the Chanticleers offense is much tougher than many of the opponents Troy (strong ratings on D) has faced thus far this season. 10* OVER 50 in Coastal Carolina

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

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

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 48.5 in Las Vegas Raiders vs Philadelphia Eagles @ 4:05 ET - The Eagles are off a dismal effort on offense last week but faced Tampa Bay. Now they catch the Raiders off their emotional big win in first game after the change at head coach because of the Jon Gruden situation. Also, Las Vegas certainly not known for defense even though they have been a little better on that side of the ball this season. That said, I am looking for a lot of points in this one. The Eagles have allowed 32 points per game last 4 games and are a 3 point dog here. So if they allow 32 but stay within the number you are talking about a game that lands around 60. Philly will make up for their poor effort on offense last week and I also expect Las Vegas to be much better on offense than they were 2 weeks ago versus Chicago when the team was a mess as the Gruden situation was brewing at that time. The game was at home just like this one is and this is the Raiders first chance to make up for that one in front of their home fans. Note that they had scored an average of 32 points in their first two home games this season. More of the same here. 10* over 48.5 in Las Vegas

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

ACC Total of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #337 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 65 in Virginia Cavaliers vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 7:30 ET - Cavaliers are off a shutout win but they allowed 39 points per game over the preceding 4-game stretch. Now Virginia takes on a balanced Georgia Tech offensive attack and the Yellow Jackets have averaged scoring 32 points their last 3 games. The issue for GT is they won't be able to stop the potent passing attack of the Cavs. Note that the Cavaliers are throwing for over 400 passing yards per game and the Yellow Jackets have allowed 34 points per game their last 3 games. The Cavs were slowed in one game, versus Wake Forest, but have averaged 39.3 points in their other 6 games this season and this one shapes up to be an absolute shootout! 10* OVER 65 in Virginia

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

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

Money Line Mauling - Rickenbach CFB Friday 10* Top Play Memphis Tigers Money Line -122 @ Central Florida Knights @ 7 ET - I know it is hard to trust this Tigers defense but but Memphis is very good on offense and UCF is a much different team these days. The big key of course is being without QB Dillon Gabriel but also they have lost a top wide receiver and a top defensive lineman. Central Florida has lost 3 of last 4 games SU and is 0-5 ATS against FBS teams this season! The Knights recent losses included one against Navy and that is who Memphis just beat by 18 points. Also, one of the Tigers recent losses was to UTSA but the Roadrunners are now 7-0 this season and Memphis really gave that game away and never should have lost it. Perhaps lesson learned for the Tigers in how to close out a big game? Either way I like them here against a UCF team dealing with key injuries on both sides of the ball. I know this is a revenge game for the Knights but they are having a tough season and this is just not the same team at all that we saw last season. The Tigers roll here. 10* MEMPHIS -122

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Monday 10* Top Play Cleveland Browns Money Line -120 vs Denver Broncos @ 8:20 ET - Baker Mayfield is out but Case Keenum has experience working with head coach Kevin Stefanski as they are were together in Minnesota in 2017. That year was Keenum's best in the NFL and he might surprise many by coming up big in this Thursday night start. With the line at -2 in most places but the money line available as low as -120 in some spots, I am recommending grabbing the money line here. Look for the Browns to bounce back at home off an ugly home loss to the last remaining undefeated team in the league. By the way, the Broncos have lost 3 straight games as their early season 3-0 start proving to be a fluke. Denver's 3 wins are against teams that are a combined 3-14 on the season! Two of the Browns wins are against teams that are .500 on the season and their loss to a Chargers team that is now 4-2 on the season was a very tight defeat. The Broncos 3 defeats, on the other hand, have come by an average margin of 11.3 points. I am grabbing the home team that is available at a bargain price because of Mayfield being out for this game. 10* CLEVELAND money line -120 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 70.5 in SMU Mustangs vs Tulane Green Wave @ 7:30 ET - Both teams play fast. SMU is one of the fastest-paced teams in CFB and has averaged 44 points per game at home this season. Tulane is allowing 43.3 points per game on the road this season. The Green Wave should score plenty here though as the Mustangs did allow 37 points to Louisiana Tech and 34 points to TCU. As noted above, Tulane also likes to play fast on offense and the Green Wave did put up 35 points against Oklahoma earlier this season. The over is 5-1 in Tulane's games this season. I know SMU has trended under this season but the way they play on offense and the fact that the Green Wave can't stop anyone but also have a decent offensive attack has me eyeing the Mustangs under trending coming to a screeching halt in this game. 10* OVER 70.5 in SMU

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

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

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

Non-Conf Total of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #267 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 48 in Cleveland Browns vs Arizona Cardinals @ 4:05 ET - Due to some injury issues and weather concerns (wind) this total has dropped from the mid-50s to the upper 40s! After the drop of nearly a full TD, I feel we have excellent line value here as you know these two former OU quarterbacks (both were Sooners) are going to do everything they can to outduel each other here. The Cardinals are 5-0 on the season and off a shutout win but faced a 49ers team with a mess at the QB spot last week. Now they face Baker Mayfield coming off a huge game and plus the strength of the Browns offense is their ground game and the Cardinals struggle to stop the run. On the flip side, the Cleveland defense was abysmal last week and now face Kyler Murray and he has completed more than 70% of his passes in 4 straight games! The wind is expected to subside some as this game goes on and to average in the 17 mph range which is not too excessive. If this was a 1 ET game the wind would have been more of a concern but looks like it will not be hugely impactful on this game starting at 4 ET Sunday. These two teams rank as two of the best offenses in the league and with the Murray vs Mayfield friendly rivalry added to the mix I am expecting a shootout here! The Cards scored only 17 points last week but averaged 35 points the first 4 weeks! The Browns had one low-scoring win at Minnesota but have scored an average of 32 points in their other 4 games! 10* OVER 48 in Cleveland

8* Baltimore Ravens Money Line -140 vs Los Angeles Chargers @ 1 ET - We have a choice of here of laying a little extra juice on the -2.5 or, instead, just add a little more price to that and turn a 1 and 2 point non-covering victory into a win at the betting counter. That said, I am going to take the latter of the two choices and lay a -140 price on the money line here. Look for the Ravens to get the job done at home. They are the much better defensive team when it comes to defending the run. I also look for Baltimore to step up big here at home on defense after a bad effort versus the Colts on Monday night. The Ravens do have a very potent ground attack on offense and Los Angeles is the worst team in the NFL at defending the run. That said, this could be a key in how this game plays out. I look for Baltimore to pull away as the game goes on as their ground game wears down the Chargers defense. LA is playing right into the teeth of revenge here too as the Ravens lost at home to them in the 2018 playoffs. Yes that is a few seasons ago but this is the Chargers first visit since and teams do not forget home playoff losses! Los Angeles off to a great start this season but I feel they are a bit over-rated and have more confidence in the Ravens defense stepping up at home than the Chargers doing so on the road. Both offenses very potent for sure. 8* BALTIMORE -140

8* OVER 47 in Jacksonville vs Miami @ 9:30 AM ET (game played in London) - I know it may seem hard to be excited about these two offenses but the defenses have been so bad I am looking for plenty of points in this one. These are two of the worst defenses in the league and you have a match-up of two teams that are a combined 1-9 on the season! That means both teams will have the playbooks fully opened up and willing to take risks as, after all, what do they have to lose? Exactly! Nothing to lose here! Both offenses will be in attack mode and look to attack the weakness of each team which is certainly the shortcomings on defense! That said, the Jaguars ground game has been solid and they can use that to open up things through the air. Jacksonville allowing average of 30.4 points per game this season and Miami allowing average of 34.5 points last 4 games. 8* OVER 47 in Jacksonville

Total of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 51.5 in Boise State Broncos vs Air Force Falcons @ 9 ET - The Broncos have averaged 39.5 points scored in their last two meetings with Air Force. Yes, the Falcons overall defensive numbers look good this season but this team allowed 49 points to Utah State and will struggle to stop Boise State here. The Broncos are known for being a tough team to play against at Albertsons Stadium and they are also fired up to respond after recent home losses this season. I look for Boise State to make a statement in this game but, at the same time, I expect them to struggle to stop the Falcons option attack on offense. The Broncos have struggled some against the run this season and are also off a hard-fought physical win at BYU. Look for the Falcons to score plenty of points here too but the AF defense will not be able to stop the potent attack for the Broncos! Each of these teams is averaging in the low 30s for points scored this season and the weather is going to be very nice in Boise this evening as well. Look for this game to find its way into the 60s and yet this total is posted just north of 50. I will take it! 10* OVER 51.5 in Boise State

Money Line Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Saturday 10* Top Play Ole Miss Rebels -135 @ Tennessee Volunteers @ 7:30 ET - This line is currently a -2.5 but, with the money line available as low as -135, I feel it is worth laying the price to turn a 1-point or 2-point win for the road team from a loss to a win! Ole Miss has faced a tougher schedule than Tennessee. Yes the Volunteers defense has looked better than that of the Rebels but scheduling has had something to do with that too. The Rebels are 4-1 SU this season and the only loss was to an Alabama team that, despite the upset loss to A & M, is still one of the best teams in the nation no doubt. The two SEC teams that Ole Miss has faced are a combined 9-3 SU on the season. Tennessee, on the other hand, has two SEC wins over teams that are just .500 on the season and are a combined 0-5 in SEC games this season! Their only game against a tough SEC team saw the Vols get rolled 38-14 at Florida! Keep in mind the Volunteers also lost at home to Pittsburgh and the Panthers are another team that is just .500 on the season and is winless in their conference games. Yes Tennessee will score plenty of points here but they won't outscore Ole Miss in my opinion. The Rebels have the better and more dynamic offense and this is even with facing the tougher schedule overall. Also note that the Rebels are 5-1 ATS in last 6 meetings in this series for those of you that like historical data. 10* OLE MISS -135

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NFC East Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play New York Giants +7 @ Dallas Cowboys @ 4:25 ET - The Cowboys are 4-0 ATS this season and, as a result, are over-rated right now. The Giants are known for playing them very tough and this is a real tough spot for Dallas to cover in my opinion. New York is only 1-3 this season SU but get at least a little confidence back as they are coming off a win plus their two games prior to that were each losses but only by a combined 4 points. If you look at the stats of these two teams they are not very different but the betting masses are not seeing that. What the betting masses are seeing is a Dallas team that is 4-0 both SU and ATS on the season and also a Giants team that was 0-3 SU prior to notching their first win of the season last week. What generally happens in NFL betting in cases like this is that facing the market perception is your best bet and that is absolutely what I am going to do here. I am grabbing the generous points being offered here for my top side play of the day. 10* NEW YORK GIANTS +7

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 8* Pittsburgh Steelers +2 vs Denver Broncos @ 1 ET - I successfully faded an over-rated Denver team last week with the Ravens and am hoping for the same result here with the Steelers. Yes the Broncos are 3-1 SU / ATS on the season while Pittsburgh has underachieved and is 1-3 SU / ATS but I feel this is helping to give us line value here. Denver's wins were all against weaker foes and then they struggled at home against a solid Baltimore ream. The Steelers have had issues this season no doubt but they are still a tough team to face and this is particularly true at home and the Broncos have a huge divisional game on deck with Las Vegas. Look for Denver to be a bit beat up after going to war with a physical Ravens team last week and the hungry home team takes care of business here. 8* PITTSBURGH +2

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 45 in Atlanta Falcons vs New York Jets @ 9:30 AM ET in London - Early start here with game played in London. Jets coming off first win so they have some momentum. That gives the New York offense some confidence. As for the Jets defense they have allowed 24 points or more 3 straight weeks! The Falcons have allowed an average of 32 points the last 3 games! Atlanta's offense has averaged 24 points last 3 weeks. With a low total posted on this game I feel strongly that we have a lot of value here. I know the numbers on offense are not that impressive for these teams but watch what they do in this game against sub-par defenses and in a special setting like this over in London. 10* OVER 45 in Atlanta (game played in London)

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #394 Saturday 10* Top Play Western Kentucky Hilltoppers -3 vs UTSA Roadrunners @ 7 ET - I have been waiting for the right spot to fade UTSA and I believe we have that right here! Long-time followers know I am a contrarian and so it will not surprise you to see me making this bet. Western Kentucky is 1-3 this season while UTSA is 5-0 plus the Roadrunners have the much better numbers on defense and yet the Hilltoppers are favored. Looks funny does it not? Of course it does and you know that a situation like this is screaming "trap line" and I love the home team in this spot. UTSA has played the much weaker schedule and their luck runs out here. They had a dramatic come from behind victory at Memphis two weeks ago which was a game the Tigers gave away and had no business losing. Then last week the Runners barely got past a bad UNLV team. Now the Roadrunners are on the road and facing a Western Kentucky team that has played the tougher schedule and also is averaging over 500 yards of offense per game. The Hilltoppers defense is certainly not a strength but they will step up here at home in what is their first conference game of the season. On the other side of the field I just do not see UTSA as being able to get enough stops against the potent WKU offense. 10* WESTERN KENTUCKY -3

AAC Total of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #321 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 65 in Central Florida Knights vs East Carolina Pirates @ 6 ET - Both of these teams have been trending over and this total has gone from the 70 range to the 65 range and I feel we have excellent line value here as a result. East Carolina's defense has been abysmal but their offense has been picking up steam. The Pirates have scored 42 points per game last 3 games. East Carolina has allowed only 29.6 points per game this season but this is deceiving and that is why we have line value here because the Pirates have allowed 478.4 yards per game. Look for Central Florida to take advantage of this porous defense and another edge we have here is in terms of pace of play. UCF is averaging 86 snaps per game on offense when at home this season. East Carolina is averaging 78 snaps per game when on the road this season. Central Florida is averaging 41 points per game this season. They are 10 point favorites here which puts this game at a 41-31 type final based on averages. That said, you can see why we have value here and also consider that the Knights have won the past two games by an average score of 46-28 which is nearly 10 points above the current total posted on this game. Of course UCF is without QB Gabriel but Keene can get the job done and will be even better after helping lead the way to 30 points on the road at Navy last week. Now he is at home with a road game under his belt. They also have junior Gatewood available after he transferred from Kentucky. Either way this dangerous UCF attack will have no problems with the porous Pirates defense but I do like what I have been seeing from the East Carolina offense and I expect this one to turn into a shootout. 10* OVER 65 in Central Florida

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #358 Saturday 8* Auburn Tigers +15 vs Georgia Bulldogs @ 3:30 ET - Of course I have plenty of respect for the #2 team in the nation but this is just too many points in my opinion. Auburn has a lot of momentum after rallying for the win at LSU last week and have won 4 of 5 games this season. The Tigers lone loss was a game where they actually played Penn State very well in a game that, as the stats show, could have gone either way and that was on the road. At home for this battle, I look for Auburn to come up big against a very tough Georgia team. Keep in mind, the Bulldogs only other true road game was at Vanderbilt and so this is going to be first tough road test of the season for Georgia. The Bulldogs impressive win over Clemson earlier this season was a neutral site game and also has become less impressive because of the way Clemson has been underachieving this season. Just like that game, look for these Tigers to also put up quite a fight before ultimately falling short by just a single score. I like the value here as even a 2TD loss would still cash our ticket and I look for this to be tight throughout. The Tigers defense is quite good and the offense growing with confidence after sorting some things out at the QB spot. Grab the generous points being offered to the home dog as this one was a major mover from the early lines this season. Value! 8* AUBURN +15

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #308 Friday 10* Top Play UNDER 54 in Cincinnati Bearcats vs Temple Owls @ 7 ET - Bearcats off the huge win at Notre Dame plus have Central Florida on deck. That makes this the ideal spot for a Cincinnati letdown. However, I just can't trust Temple to score much (if at all!) against this Bearcats defense but I do expect Cincinnati to pull away as this game goes on. But it is just not the type of setting where the Bearcats are likely to run up the score. They just want to grind out a win and rely on their ground attack to run clock and just simply take care of business in this game. That said, I don't see it getting out of the 40s and would not be surprised if it ended in the 30s! Cincinnati has allowed just 14.5 points per game and Temple had an embarrassing season opening loss but has allowed only 22.5 points per game since then. Each team enters this game having recorded unders in 2 of last 3 games. Also, their last meeting (2019) totaled only 28 points. The Owls have injury issues on offense that is starting to effect their depth on that side of the ball. Bearcats grind out a solid home win likely very close to the 4 TD spread on this game but I expect it the form of a 28-0, 35-7, 38-10 type game and all those work just fine for our purposes here! 10* UNDER 54 in Cincinnati