Both teams have been involved in some low-scoring games, keeping and bringing the total down. This represents the lowest total for a Viking game all season. Both are still seeing their games average greater than 43 though. Jordan Love has gone through some growing pains of late but a game against a mediocre Viking defense will give him a chance to get right. He'll have to be effective to keep pace with Cousins. The Vikings just threw for 378 yards (452 overall) against SF! Minnesota's last 3 visits to Lambeau have produced 58, 47 and 50 points. We'll take advantage of the low number and go with the Over. *NFC North TOY

The Colts and Saints each endured tough losses in their last game. They've now each dropped two in a row. The Saints are in better position to get back on the winning track. Indianapolis QB Minshew has turned the ball over 8 times in his past 2 starts. New Orleans Derek Carr hasn't been perfect but I'll gladly take him over Minshew. Carr: "We're getting better and we're going to be OK. But there's no more time. The emphasis is on now. We have a lot of hope and encouragement, but we do feel the pressure to get a win." Benefitting from a few extra days in between games, New Orleans responds to the pressure with a victory. *Road Warrior

Cowboys are off a game where 82 points were scored. Their last 2 have both finished with more than 70 and their last 4 have all produced at least 50. Three of those went over the 60 mark. The Bearcat defense was strong at the start of the season but has now surrendered 30 or more points in back-to-back-to-back games and four of the past 5. Cincinnati offense put up 450 yards in last week's loss vs Baylor. They also accumulated 498 yards in their last road game, a 35-27 loss at BYU. The Cowboys will score a lot but the Bearcats won't go away. The end result? A game that goes over the total. *Big 12 TOY

Raptors fought really hard only to lose by a point to the Bulls last night. It was a game that they had seemingly locked up. Blowing the lead will hurt their play today. Philadelphia rested. The 76'ers won the last three meetings. Last game in Canada resulted in a 112-90 victory for the visiting 76'ers. The 76'ers are 91-34 from a straight-up perspective the past 125 times that they were favored. They're more talented than the Raptors and they'll have much fresher legs. With their coach looking to get back at his former team, the 76'er will improve on that record while also covering the pointspread. *Atlantic Div GOM

Both teams have 6 points. The Panthers have achieved that in 6 games. The Kraken needed eight to do so. Seattle was hot on the road for most of last year but that's already changed this season. They're 1-7 their last 8 on the road. Kraken are also 1-5 their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest. The Panthers are stronger at home and they have a road trip following this game. It starts with a difficult stop in Boston. So, you know they need to win this one. Florida is 13-3 the last 16 when its opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game. Make that 14-3 after Saturday. *Non-Conf GOM

On a losing streak, the Bulldogs are exactly who the Tigers want to see. Auburn has dominated the Mississippi State in games here. Last time here, the Tigers won by 9. The previous game here, the Tigers won by 23. The game before that, the Tigers won by 39. Before that, they won by 8. The common theme is Auburn home wins of greater than a touchdown. Tigers are 18-12 against the spread the last 30x they were home favorites of 3.5 to 7 points. Bulldogs pulled off an upset last week but are still only 1-3 ATS as underdogs. Playing back-to-back road games for the first time this season will showcase their weaknesses. Last week's scores might say otherwise but the Tigers boast the better defense. They'll win this game by more than a touchdown. *SEC GOY

Grabbing all the points with the Mountaineers. The Knights gave it everything they had last week but fell just short. That's a tough pill to swallow. Knights are 1-6 against the spread their last 7 tries as home favorites falling in the 3.5 to 10 range. They've lost four straight. WVU's last 2 road games were both decided by 3 or fewer points, a 2-point loss at Houston and a 3-point win at TCU. UCF coach Malzahn knows that the Mountaineers are going to be tough: "They are No. 7 in the country in time of possession. They run the football, they get off the field, and they are good on third down. They're No. 15 in the country in penalties, so they are a disciplined team." Let's go WVU. *Road Warrior

I backed Brentford against Burnley. That was an easy 3-0 waltz in the park but Chelsea is an entirely different animal. The Bees have previously kicked the Blues while they've been down. Chelsea has turned things around and will settle that score. Prior to 2022, Chelsea had always dominated Brentford. Currently in top form, the Blues will turn back the clock and go back to beating up on the Bees. *EPL GOW

Give me the extra +1.5 runs with Gallen and the visitors. Gallen held the Rangers to one run through 6 innings back in January. He struck out 11. Arizona won 6-3. He's allowed 3 runs or less in all 3 starts versus Texas. Eovaldi is tough but he's not unhittable. His season-long numbers are very similar to Gallen's. His first starts in the Houston series resulted in a 1-run game. These playoffs have shown us that homefield doesn't always amount to an advantage. Grab the extra +1.5 runs. *WS GM 1 Dominator.

Charlotte games have been low-scoring but this is a historically low total for a game between the Owls and 49'ers. Eight meetings between these teams. The O/U lines all fell in a range from 54.5 to 65.5. Six of the past seven finished with at least 43 points. Five of those finished with 47 or more. Last year, they combined for 56 points. On the subject of 56 points, FAU scored that many all by itself the last time it was on the road. FAU games are averaging more than 49 on the season. This one will get over the small number. *AAC TOW

An extra +1.5 goals is the way to go on Friday night in New Jersey. The Sabres are 3-3 last 6 with 2 of the losses coming by 1 goal. The Devils have played five 1-goal games in their last 7. Five of 10 meetings in the series were 1-goal games. Sabres off a 6-4 win. The Devils off a 6-4 loss and the Sabres are 5-0 against the money-line in their last 5 when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game. Go with Buffalo on the puck-line. *GOW

We played against the Lakers in their Opening Night loss. That was at Denver, Jokic and the defending champions were getting their rings. A home game against a Suns team expected to be without Beal is a different story. Phoenix is only 30-41 ATS last 71 after allowing 105 points or less. Lakers beat the Suns by 14 last meeting here. The home team won all four meetings by double-figures. Lebron and the Lakers get it done in front of the home fans. *Western Conf. GOM

These teams are on different levels. Every team has had a bad game or two. Buffalo included. The Bills are still a Super Bowl contender. The Bucs can't say the same thing. Tampa is pretty solid on defense. Buffalo is even better. On the offensive side, the Bucs are terrible and the Bills are great. Buffalo averages 28.3 points. Tampa averages 17.2. Speaking of the offense, Josh Allen is 5-0 on Thursday Night Football and he's got a passer rating of 107.7 in those five games! The Bucs, 2-11 ATS their last 13 Thursday games, are only 2-7 ATS their last nine as underdogs. Bills are 10-2 straight-up their last 12 against NFC teams. They'll move to 11-2 by blowing out the Buccaneers on Thursday night. *Hot Route

Ottawa is off back-to-back losses giving up 5 and 6 goals. That won't cut it against New York. The Islanders are 7-2 in their last 9 when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game. Favorite is 10-2 last 12 in the series. Islanders are 5-1 last 6 meetings in New York. Islanders are 10-3 last 13 meetings overall. Senators weren't nearly as good on the road as at home last season and are already 0-1 away from Ottawa this year. Go with NY. *Dominator

Thursday Night football from Lane Stadium is always a good time. So was last year's game Syracuse. It finished with 77 points even though the total was only 45. VT has scored 30 and 38 its last 2 home games. Defenses aren't playing as well as you might think. Hokies have given up 21 or more points in 5 of their last 6. Syracuse has permitted 40 or more in back-to-back games and has conceded 30 or more in 3 straight. This one's going over the total! *ACC TOY

The Pacers haven't won a season opener since 2020. That changes this evening. The Wizards beat the Pacers here in last year''s opener. This year, Washington has gone through a major rebuild and won't be ready to compete the entire way with Indiana in this one. Wizards only 34-45-3 ATS last 82 on the road. Pacers lost the opener against the Wizards but are still 36-14 SU the last 50 meetings and they won by 10 the last time they hosted the Wizards. I've got them taking advantage of the favorable matchup and winning this one by at least that many. *Eastern Conf GOM

"Chicago got the Conor Bedard era started out on the right foot. He's going to be a special player. The Hawks will go through some growing pains this season though. Those growing pains will be evident when playing two games in two nights against a very good team like the Bruins. Last meeting here in Boston resulted in a 6-1 win for the Bruins. With that victory, the Bruins are 4-1 the last five times that they hosted the Hawks. They'll start their season with another big win tonight. Lay the -1.5 goals on the puck-line."

Things are different this time. The Hawks are at home and are not playing their second game in 2 nights. They've got some games under their belts. The Bruins are playing the 4th leg of a road trip. Chicago played hard in the first loss. It took an empty net goal for Boston to win by 2. Bruins last 3 visits here have resulted in one Chicago victory and two Boston 1-goal wins. Grab the +1.5 goals on the puck-line. *Original 6 Showdown

Lots of hitting in yesterday's winner-take-all event as last night's Game 7 ended with 15 runs. This one will be much lower-scoring. Most recent Game 7's are. These teams combined for 6 runs yesterday. Both these starters were extremely strong when they opposed each other in Game 2. The final score was 2-1. That was by far the lowest-scoring game of the series. Pfaadt went 5.2 shutout innings, Suarez went 5.1 shutout innings. This one also stays under. *NLCS TOW

The Nuggets will be raising their championship banner and getting their championship rings and will not let the Lakers come in and spoil the party. When handing out championship rings, teams are 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS the last last ten years. Though they may lack some depth, the Nuggets starting five is very strong. The Lakers have a lot of new faces. They should be competitive this season but they won't be ready to compete with Jokic and the champions tonight. The Nuggets are 68-27 at home the past 2 years. They pull away down the stretch for a big win. *TNT Thunder

Both teams are consistently scoring. NMSU scored 34, 27 and 28 last three games. LA Tech has scored 24, 28 and 23 its last three games. At home, the Bulldogs are averaging 34.5 points but also giving up 28.3. Off their bye last year, the Bulldogs next game finished with 72 points. The O/U line for that game was 52.5. This one will also result in a shootout. Go with the Over. *CUSA TOW

Really like that the division-leading Lions got crushed yesterday. Combine that with the Packer loss and the Vikings should have a little boost. A win tonight now has them with the second most wins in the division and with the Lions looking vulnerable. San Francisco is good but not invincible. The 49'ers are off a tough loss. They're dealing wih the injuries and playing their second straight on the road. The Vikings are off a win, their second in three games. The lone loss came by a touchdown against the Chiefs. Since a bad New Year's Day loss at Lambeau, the Vikings have played eight games. None of those eight games resulted in a loss of more than 7 points. One big Minnesota win and another Minnesota win by eight points. The other six were all decided by seven or less. Give me the points.

A previously high-scoring series will feature great pitching tonight. Eovaldi is a great competitor. He's 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in the postseason. Twenty-four strikeouts in 19.2 innings. Valdez may not have been brilliant in this series but he's still only a couple of months removed from throwing a no-hitter. With a chance to punch a ticket to the World Series The bullpens got a day to rest yesterday and it will be all hands on deck. Look for the bats to stay quiet and the final score to stay Under. *ALCS TOY

The wins haven't come but the Broncos have shown signs of life. My feeling is that they will break through with a victory this afternoon. The Packers are off back-to-back losses and have dropped three of four. The only win was by a single point. Green Bay coach La Fleur summed it up: "It's just a lot of inconsistent play. It's been very choppy. We haven't been able to get into a consistent rhythm." Wilson has an 0-4 record (54.3 QB rating) at Lambeau but he's 3-0 with a 107.6 QB rating against the Packers at home. Broncos win. *Non-Conf GOW

This total could easily be lower. The Arizona offense has come down to earth, a lack of talent becoming evident.The Cardinals have scored 16, 20 and 9 points in their last three games. Seattle managed only 13 last week. The last two Seahawk games have both finished with 30 or less. When Arizona played here last season, the score was 19-9. The year before, it was 23-13. The Cardinals will again have trouble scoring and that will lead to this final score staying below the total. *NFC West TOY

The Atlanta offense is showing real signs of life and we can expect Desmond Ridder to pick up his first road win. The result was disappointing but the Falcons dominated time of possession and racked up more than 400 yards against Washington. They had a 25-12 edge in first downs and outgained the Commanders 402-193! They also statistically dominated Houston the previous game. My feeling is that Atlanta is a team on the rise and that Tampa is likely going the other way. The Bucs got dominated last game and their only home win was against the Bears. Tampa is 2-5-1 ATS its last eight as a home favorite of a field goal or less. Atlanta is 3-1 ATS its last four as a road underdog of a field goal or less. Grab the points. *NFC South GOY

Don't expect many goals in today's early match between West Ham and Aston Villa. The last meeting had a final score of 1-1. The one before that finished with a score of 1-0. Eight of the past 10 meetings produced 3 or fewer goals, six of those finishing with less than 3. Villa has only conceded three goals in its last four matches. AV has allowed one goal or less in six of its last seven matches. WH has allowed less than 2 goals in seven of its past 10 matches. Last match here was scoreless into the 2nd half and finished 1-0. This one also goes Under. *EPL TOW

Stanford fans won't soon forget last week's stunning comeback. That was against a porous Colorado defense. Now the Cardinal will be facing one of the toughest defenses in the country. Scoring will be extremely difficult, let alone coming back. Stanford only scored 13 against UCLA last year and may not even get that many in this one. The Bruins' defense is that good. Remember, in the game before Colorado, the Cardinal scored only 6 points. Off their previous loss, the Bruins' next game stayed below the total by double-digits. This one will also stay under! *Pac 12 TOY

Wins will come for Winnipeg. Just not on Saturday. I won with the Jets against Florida last Saturday but a visit to Edmonton is a different matter. Also off to a sluggish start and still in search of their first home win, the Oilers will be bringing it. The Jets are 0-7 in their last 7 vs. Western Conference. The Oilers are 5-1 in their last 6 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game. They're also 5-0 in their last 5 vs. Central. The home team has taken 6 of the last 8 meetings. The Oilers won 6-3 the last meeting here. They'll win again. *Slap Shot Club

Yesterday's game was a wild one. Today's will also be exciting but only if you appreciate top level pitching. What more can you say about Wheeler? In three playoff starts, he's got a 0.63 WHIP. That goes with a 2-0 record and 2.37 ERA, with 26 strikeouts in 19 innings. All three of Gallen's postseason starts have been on the road. He's been much better here at home all season. In 16 starts here, he's 12-3 with a 2.47 ERA. Wheeler should continue his strong pitching and Gallen will be better in his home park. Go with the Under. *Total Dominator

The Rebels have been lining the pockets of bettors this season. That comes to an end Saturday. UNLV's ATS success has led to us getting extra line value with Colorado State. The Rams have beaten UNLV four straight times. They're 17-3 the past 20 meetings. Two of those three Rebel wins were by only a field goal. Not only is this always a difficult opponent for the Rebels but this is also a challenging scheduling spot. They just beat instate rival Nevada and they've got a big showdown against Fresno State up next. That game is a big deal due to both teams having such strong records. The Rams have won 3 of 4 and just beat Boise last game. Rebels 3-6-1 ATS last 10 as a home fav in the -7.5 to -10 range. Give me the points. *MWC GOY

Catching points with the superior team in this one. Baylor's only road game resulted in an outright win at UCF. Cincinnati is 2-6 ATS its last eight as a home favorite of three or less and 1-4 ATS its past five when the line fell in the +3 to -3 range. Baylor is 10-5 ATS its last 15 as an underdog, 4-1 ATS its last five as a road underdog of three or less. All four covers were outright wins. Cincinnati has last four straight and is 0-4 ATS its last four when off a conference loss. Grab the points. *Eye Opener

Western Michigan has played seven games. Five of seven went over the total. All seven finished with greater than 50 points. The Broncos have scored 21, 28, 42 and 31 points their last four. But they've given up more than 40 in three of four past six. Ohio has scored 38 or more in 2 of its last 3. Six of seven meetings have finished with 52 or more and the last game here finished with 71. This one goes Over. *Run and Shoot

In its first season in the top level, Luton Town is often outmatched. That will be the case again Saturday. Last year, Nottingham Forest went through the same growing pains that Luton Town is now experiencing. Forest is much stronger because of it. Forest Manager Steve Cooper knows his club needs to take advantage of this very winnable match and that they can't settle for a draw: "We've played some good football and got in some dangerous areas as a team, but we should have made it count more than what we did. That's the challenge for us, but not forgetting what we've built since we got into the Premier League, in terms of our togetherness, our spirit and our attitude to try not to concede goals." Forest scores more goals and allows less. Expect Cooper's club to record a clean sheet and an important victory. *EPL GOM

Though they're not thrilled with their start, the Devils are a little stronger than the Islanders. The Devils had a big regular season last year and are poised for another big year. Determined to get a victory, they'll face an Islander team which is 1-5 in their last 6 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game. The Islanders are sound defensively and in goal but they often have trouble scoring and will have trouble keeping up. The Devils superior power-play will likely make a difference. NJ is a slight favorite and the favorite is 25-12 the past 37 meetings. NJ wins. *Metro Div GOW

The Mustangs are going to score early and often. They scored 69 in a game earlier. The Mustangs scored 31 and 34 their last two games. Now they get to go up against the Owls, who have allowed more than 40 points in four straight games. The Owls did score 34 in their last game here. Even if down, they won't just quit trying to score. The Mustangs' last five games against Temple saw them score: 59, 60, 45, 45 and 47! Those are just SMU scores, not combined. Every one of those games got to at least 65. All five went Over the total. This one also will. *AAC TOW

Saints have been an under cash machine this season. As a result, we've got a really low total for Thursday's game against Jacksonville. It's important to understand that Jaguar games average 44 points. The Jax offense has gotten better and better. They scored 31 in the opener but then dropped all the way to 9 in their next game. After that they went from 9 to 17 to 23 to 25 to 37. It's fair to say that they're clicking on all cylinders. The Saints didn't score many last game but they did have well over 400 yards of offense. Also, they scored 34 in their previous game. They'll be able to move the ball and score on TNF. The Jaguars have played here twice in the past. Both those games finished with 65 points. This one might not produce that number of points but it'll produce more than enough to get us over this low total. *Thursday Night Total Of The Year

These guys don't have the big established names like Verlander or Scherzer. Don't discount either Urquidy or Heaney though. Urquidy has permitted only 2 runs his last 2 starts combined. Games had final scores of 3-2 and 2-1. Heaney doesn't go deep but he keeps the ball in the park (0 HRs last four starts) and he doesn't allow many runs. Last two starts: 1 combined run. Last 10 starts: 14 combined earned runs, never more than 3. Three of Heaney's last four starts have finished with less than 8 runs. Go Under! *Totals club

The Predators are off to a difficult start and it won't get any easier tonight. They're 1-3 and getting outscord by an an average of 3.5 to 2.2. The Rangers are 2-1 and outscoring teams 3.3 to 2.3. The Predators last visit to MSG resulted in a 7-0 loss. They're 37-53 their last 90 against winning teams. Well-rested NY is 46-24 its last 70 against losing teams. The Oilers were too much for the Predators and the Rangers will be, too. *Top Corner

Both teams effectively moved the ball and scored points in their last game. Both will do so again tonight. NMSU scored 27 last game. All the scoring came in the first half. The Aggies probably could have scored more if they didn't take their foot off the gas. They still put up 458 total yards. They were also well above the 400-yard mark in their previous game. They scored 34 against FIU in that one. The Miners also scored 27 last game. They had 441 yards of offense. It marked the second time in three games that UTEP scored at least 27 points. Look for both offenses to enjoy success and the final score to go over the total. *Total Takedown

Two of Houston's last three games were decided by 1 run. Javier excelled (0.00 ERA, 9 K's) in his lone 2023 postseason appearance. He's 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA in his playoff career. Scherzer is an all-time great but he hasn't pitched in some time. His career postseason stats (7-7, 3.58 ERA) are rather mediocre. He also got destroyed by the Astros just over a month ago. Five of Javier's last eight starts versus Texas have been 1-run games, including each of the last two. Grab the extra +1.5 runs.

The Senators lost their first game, at Carolina. Since then, they've been playing very well. They're off back-to-back 5-2 victories. They had a solid edge in shots and overall play in both games. The Capitals are fortunate to be 1-1. They've been outshot badly in both of their games. Struggling to score goals and generate offense, the Capitals will have trouble keeping up to a Senators team which is clicking. Washington is 0-6 the past six times that it faced an opponent which scored five or more goals in its last game. The favorite is 38-13 the past 51 meetings. Go with the Senators. *Eastern Conference Game Of The Month

Ignore the 0-2 record, the Oilers are still stacked. Understand that they had a 40-16 edge in shots in Saturday's loss. Just like 0-2 Florida yesterday, the Oilers will be extremely determined to get their first victory. Captain Connor McDavid commented: "You want to get off to a good start and we haven’t. A win tomorrow night leaves us at [1-2-0] and we were [1-2-0] last year too. It’s not the best start, not what we were looking for, but I thought Saturday was something to build off and we look to continue that tomorrow night.” Edmonton is 4-1 the past 5 times it played with 2 days off in between games. The Oilers are also 8-1 the last 9 times that played the Predators. Look for the favorite to improve to 18-7 the past 25 meetings in the series. *Oct. GOM

The Phillies are very strong at home in the playoffs. They jumped on Arizona early yesterday and won 5-3. That game had a lower total than this one and the final score finished over. This one will be lower-scoring and likely won't feature early runs the same way as yesterday. Take a look at these pitching numbers. Nola is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in the current postseason. Kelly is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in the postseason. Kelly now has a 2.20 ERA his past five. Nola? He's 5-0 with a 1.40 ERA. Neither starter has allowed a home run in either of his last two starts. This game stays under! *NLCS TOY

Though I respect South Alabama, I can't pass up grabbing all the points with the visiting Golden Eagles. USM was winning into the fourth quarter of last year's game and lost by 7. With the exception of a blowout loss at Florida State, no team has beaten Southern Miss by more than 18. The other four losses have come by an average of less than 11. The Jaguars haven't impressed in their two games. They lost outright against CMU and they beat an FCS opponent, Southeastern Louisiana, by 18. That game was tied at halftime. The Jaguars only 2-7 ATS the last nine times that they were off a conference victory. Give me USM.

A total in the 50's gives us a lot of room to stay under and that's the way I'm going this Monday. These teams are both known more for their offenses but there is also plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball. The Chargers kept the Raiders to 17 points last game but only scored 24. Off a bad loss to SF, Dallas will want to improve on defense. Off only previous loss, the Cowboys gave up just 3 points in their next game. These teams last meet in 2021. The total was 55 but they finished with 37. The previous three meetings before that one had scores of 34, 51 and 37. That's an average of 39.75 for the past four meetings. This one won't reach 50. *MNF TOM

Gallen's been good. He's got a 3.18 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in his first two playoff starts. Wheeler has been better. He's got a 2.59 ERA and 0.72 WHIP for his career in the postseason. In two playoff starts this season, he's got a 2.08 ERA and 0.69 WHIP. Gallen was also just 5-6 with a 4.42 ERA on the road during the regular season. Arizona lost 6-5 when Gallen started against the Phillies. He's got a 4.38 ERA in three career road starts against them. Wheeler has a 2.96 ERA in 11 starts against Arizona. He went 6 or more innings in all 11 of them and allowed 3 or fewer earned runs in 9. I'm going with Wheeler. *home run club

I've picked on the Panthers so far, playing against them in each of their two losses. I've pointed out that they're missing a couple of defensemen. Now, I will reverse my position. This is still a good Florida team. The two losses are going to make the Panthers hungry. They don't want to start the season 0-3. They're 4-1 their last five visits here, 2-0 the last two. The Devils have played two games and both were decided by one goal. Grab the +1.5 goals. *Puck-Line Club

Low number. Much lower thanks to the Jones injury. Forget Jones for a minute, the Bills can score this many themselves. Don't believe me? Ask the Dolphins. The Bills put up 48 points against them. Before that, they scored 37 and 38 against the Commanders and Raiders. The Giants have allowed 24 or more in seven straight games, 30 or more in two of their last three. Heck, they're allowing an average of more than 30 per game. As mentioned, Daniel Jones is out. But is that really a bad thing? The Giants were 1-4 with Jones behind center. Tyrod Taylor is a capable veteran. Having started 43 games for the Bills, he'll have a chip on his shoulder when playing his former team. At the least, he'll help to light a spark. Buffalo will score big and the Giants will do "enough." This game goes Over! *NFL TOM

Curiously, this game will mark the first time that two teams from the same state faced each other in the League Championship Series. The Astros have a future Hall-Of-Famer on the mound. They've got a lineup loaded from top to to bottom. The Rangers turned things around at the right time to get this far. This is new territory though. The Astros have beaten the Rangers three straight times and have won seven of the past eight. They were 9-4 in the season series. Verlander has a 0.47 ERA his last three starts (one run in 19 innings) and a 0.00 ERA his past two. Verlander's teams are 8-1 his last nine against Texas. He allowed just 10 combined earned runs in the nine starts, always going at least six innings. Only one way to go! *ALCS GOY

I wasn't at all surprised that the Bengals beat Arizona last week. It was a break-out game for Burrow, Chase and the Bengal offense. On the other side, the defense also elevated its play. Cincinnati will carry that confidence into Sunday afternoon's home game against Seattle. The Seahawks are off a bye. That's not always helpful! The Seahawks are 0-2 ATS their last 2 off a bye. Long-term? They're 12-23 ATS with a push, the last 36 times they were off a bye. Even off the bye, the Hawks aren't entirely healthy. The Bengals have won 15 of their last 21 home games and we don't have to worry about laying a big number. Arizona was a losing team but the Bengals are also 16-4 straight-up and 15-5 against the spread against winning teams. They''ll get back to .500 and add to those stats Sunday afternoon. *NFL GOY

In my opinion, the Saints are legit. They humiliated Bill Belichick and the Patriots. The 34-0 shellacking was the worst home loss, under Belichick. The defense was stellar, as it has been all season. Carr was clicking and Kamara found the end zone. That formula will serve them well against Houston. The Texans have had two big wins but they've also had two double-digit losses. They lost a close one at Atlanta last game. Now they are back home where they are only 3-15-1 their last 19. The Saints defense, better against both the run and the pass and allowing just 15 points per game, will be the difference. *Road Warrior

Some might say that all signs point to an under. Baltimore is off 3 straight unders. Tennessee is, too. Games across the pond are often different though. If you haven't noticed, these games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the only stadium designed specially for NFL games outside of North America, a tendency to be quite high-scoring. Last week's game here produced 45 points. The opposite has been the case in the games at Wembley Stadium. The last four Wembley games have all finished with 38 or less. The six games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium all finished with 43 or more. Both offenses are filled with talent and capable of more than they've shown. This will be on display, the final score going Over. *AFC TOW

A very big O/U line. These teams faced each other already. Playing in their own building, the Canucks crushed the Oilers by an 8-1 score. Both Edmonton goalies struggled. We'll see a better defensive and goaltending effort from the Oilers on Saturday. Only one of Vancouver's past five visits here has produced more than 7 goals. Three of those five games finished with less than six. The under is 3-1-1 in those games and 6-2-1 in nine meetings overall. Also, the under is 5-1 the past six times that Edmonton allowed five or more goals in its previous game. Go with the Under! *NHL TOM

Grabbing points with the Bruins. The Beavers are a good team and I know they've got a great home record. UCLA remains under-rated though. The Beavers allow 19.7 points each game. OSU has given up 38 or more points in two of their last three games.The Bruins only allow 12.2. No team has scored more than 17 against them. That makes it difficult to beat the Bruins by more than a field goal. Grab the points with the better defense! *Pac 12 GOM

LSU has been money for the over all season. That comes to an end Saturday. With all the LSU games going over, the totals have been going up and up. Games between these SEC rivals rarely reach the 60 point mark though. The past seven Auburn versus LSU games have had the following scores: 38, 43, 59, 43, 43, 50 and 31. Only one of the past 10 meetings had a total which was as high as this one. Auburn gave up 27 against Georgia and 27 at Texas A&M. Before that Auburn permitted 14 or fewer points in each of its first three games. Holding Georgia to 27 points and 19 first downs was pretty good when considering that the Bulldogs scored 49 in the game before Auburn and 51 in the one after. If Auburn can slow down Georgia, it can slow down LSU. The games may have gone over, but LSU is still loaded on defense. Points won't come easily for Auburn. Count on another low-scoring "Tiger Fight." *SEC TOY

Both clubs dropped their first game. Both feel that they deserved a better fate. The Panthers are playing without a pair of key defensemen though and that will continue to be an issue. The Jets beat the Panthers 5-2 here last season. They're 40-21 their last 61 home games with a total of six or more. They'll benefit from the last line change, the favorite improving to 14-6 the past 20 meetings. *Slap Shot Club

Given how bad the visiting defense is, this number is too low. Kent State just gave up 42 at Ohio last week. The Bobcats threw for 300 yards. In their previous road game, the Golden Flashes permitted 53. They allow an average or more than 35 per game, 44.8 per game on the road. The last six meetings have all finished at 48 or higher. EMU averages 25 per game at home but arguably hasn't hosted a defense this bad. The Eagles will exceed their average which will lead to the final score finishing over the low total! *eye opener

Third meeting. First two O/U lines were 43.5 and 45.5. Now we've got a much higher line. An extra handful of points makes a big difference! The play is about more than line value. Calgary just isn't scoring right now. The Stampeders scored 15 in their last game, at Hamilton. The previous game, a home date with Montreal, was even worse. Calgary managed only 11 points. Both games finished with 40 or less. The score from this season's earlier game here was a little misleading due to Overtime. They had 46 points in regulation. Saskatchewan's previous three visits here had final scores of 40, 37 and 46. This one stays Under. *CFL TOM

I feel that Fresno State is a far stronger team than Utah State. Both teams score but the Bulldogs also prevent teams from scoring. They allow an average of 18.2 points each game. The Aggies give up 32.2 points per game, a full extra two touchdowns. The Bulldogs have covered six of the past 10 as road favorites. A well-coached team, the Bulldogs are also 3-0 against the spread the past three times they were off a conference loss. They'll win this game by a touchdown or more. *MWC GOW

Classic rivalry. The Capitals have home ice advantage. The Penguins have already played a game though. They've had a chance to work out some issues. It will help them in this game. There were some positive signs. The Penguins had 40 shots and won most of the face-offs. They allowed 4 unanswered goals to blow the game though. That won't sit well and they're going to come out determined to make things right. The Capitals are missing a couple of players. The Penguins are quite healthy. They will spoil Washington's home opener. *Metro Conf GOM

The last two seasons have seen the Chiefs go 3-7 against the spread in Week 5 to Week 9. KC will have its hands full. The loss to the Jets was costly but Denver has shown signs of life in back-to-back games. As bad as the Broncos record is, they've been competitive in every game but one. The loss to Miami was ugly but the all four of the other games were decided by 10 or less, three of them by three or less. The Chiefs have also been playing close games. They messed up Chicago but their other four games were all decided by eight points or less. Four of the past five meetings were decided by six or less including each of the past three. This will be another close one. Grab all those points! *Thursday Night Football GOM

Both teams are stacked on offense. Neither will have trouble scoring this year. Entering the season, I like Minnesota's defense a lot more. The Panthers are missing two of their top defensemen, Montour and Ekblad. Both had off-season shoulder surgery. They'll be missed tonight. The Wild are 40-23 (+10.6) against Eastern Conference teams the past two years. Florida is just 35-34 (-19) against teams from the West. The Panthers won last year's two games but the Wild will take this one. *NHL GOW

Off a high-scoring Game 3, we'll see better pitching in this one. Strider has owned the Phillies for his career and he was sharp in the series opener. When Strider and Suarez opposed each other in Game 1, the final score was 3-0. Suarez didn't stick around too long but was brilliant for his time in there. Like Game 1, this one will likely be another low-scoring nail-biter. Go with the Under. *totals club

I've got this one finishing with more than 50. These teams haven't played since 2020. So, most of the faces are different. Mike Houston, ECU's coach, is still here though. He knows that type of these games these teams typically play against each other. The last one finished with 90 points. The one before had 110! Prior to that, games had 86, 72, 69 and 83. The rivalry gets renewed on ESPN this evening and we'll see more offensive fireworks.

The Mustangs can really score. They put up 69 points in a game last month and they had 34 last game. Last year, their first under offensive minded coach Rhett Lashlee, the Mustangs averaged more than 37 points and more than 473 yards. The Mustangs will look forward to facing the Pirates suspect pass defense.

We know SMU will score tonight. ECU will, too. The Pirates have scored 28, 17 and 44 their last three games. Off their previous loss, the Pirates scored 44. They average 28.5 at home. With SMU projected to finish with 30+ and ECU projected to score 20+, the final score finishes above this low total. *AAC TOY

The Aces won a high-scoring Game 1. Worked for me, I had Las Vegas. The Liberty don't usually allow that many points though. We can expect a better defensive effort from them tonight. They allowed 87 or less after all their previous 9 losses, less than 80 in seven of those. The Liberty will improve defensively but they will still find scoring difficult. The under is still 7-3-1 the last 11 Aces' home games. The Aces dominated defensively in the Finals last year, Game 2 finishing with 156 points. This one stays beneath the total. *Playoff TOY

Chicago got the Conor Bedard era started out on the right foot. He's going to be a special player. The Hawks will go through some growing pains this season though. Those growing pains will be evident when playing two games in two nights against a very good team like the Bruins. Last meeting here in Boston resulted in a 6-1 win for the Bruins. With that victory, the Bruins are 4-1 the last five times that they hosted the Hawks. They'll start their season with another big win tonight. Lay the -1.5 goals on the puck-line. *Original 6 Showdown

Off their big second season, the Kraken are considered to be a successful expansion team. The Knights wrote the book on it though. Vegas will be on an emotional high from winning the Cup and having their championship banner unveiled. They won't let the Kraken spoil the party. I expect the Kraken to take a small step back this seaon and that will start at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday. Vegas won both 2023 meetings and is 7-1 all-time versus the Kraken. With a 21-6 record their past 27 home games, they'll be too much for Seattle once again. *Opening Night Dominator

Both these teams can really put up big numbers. Liberty averages more than 36 points per game. Jacksonville State averages more than 30. Though loaded on offense, the Flames are inexperienced on defense. The scoring dried up in their last game but they'd previously been one of the top offenses in the country. The Gamecocks have an experienced offense which has found its groove. Their last two games have finished with 63 and 75 points. Liberty may win but the Flames are going to need to score a lot to do so, these Gamecocks will score. Ive got this one finishing with 60+. *totals club

These aren't the Twins of the past. They know how to win in the postseason now. They know that the next matchup won't be so favorable so they. need to take advantage of having Gray on the mound today. Gray has been terrific all season. He's got a 2.67 ERA overall, a 2.54 ERA at home and a 1.20 ERA his last three starts. Javier? A 5.07 ERA on the road. Twins are 2-0 this season with Gray on the mound against the Astros. They won 3-2 and 7-5. Gray has allowed 2 runs or less in 4 straight against the Astros. Let's go Twins!

I was against the Raiders last week, when they lost their road game versus the Chargers. At home against a Green Bay team which looked terrible last week, Las Vegas will achieve a more favorable result. I happily cashed my ticket against them but the Raiders did some things that impressed me. They finished the game with more first downs (22-16) than the Chargers, as well as an advantage in terms of time of possession. That was with a rookie, making his first start at QB. Now the Raiders get Garoppolo back. Jimmy said this: "Feeling good. I think we're in a good spot. We had a good practice out there, had a good rhythm and a good tempo to us." Remember that Garoppolo has former Packer Davante Adams to throw to and that the star receiver tends to thrive under the national spotlight. Facing his old team, don't be surprised when Adams becomes the first player in NFL history to go over 100 receiving yards five times in a row on Monday night. That will pave the way to a Raider victory. *MNF GOM

The Braves desperately need a victory and they've got the right guy on the mound. Fried has dealt with injuries this season but he's been as sharp as ever (8-1, 2.55 ERA) when he's available. An end of the season blister wasn't ideal but he's dealt with them regularly. He was able to pitch in an intrasquad game Tuesday and is good to go. Fried is 43-15 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 83 starts the past four seasons. He's faced the Phillies 10 times during that time and has a 2.78 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 55 innings. Atlanta has seen Wheeler twice in the past 30 days which will help the hitters. The Braves won 104 games this season, more than any other team in baseball. We'll see the best of them today. *Round-Tripper

In a rematch of last week's game at Ottawa, I'm grabbing the points with the revenge-minded Redblacks. Prior to Montreal's win last week, the previous four meetings (and six of the previous seven) between these teams had each been decided by 7 points or less. Ottawa has played very well here the past few years. In fact, they're 11-1 ATS their last 12 visits here. They don't want to get swept in the season seres and will be fighting with everything they've got. Grab the points. *Bone-Crusher

A high-scoring opener will be followed by a low-scoring Game 2. Valdez is 3-1 with a 2.37 ERA in 7 career appearances against the Twins. He held them to two hits and one run through 7 innings last time he faced them. He's been solid at home all season. Lopez has been solid on the road all season. He has allowed 3 or fewer earned runs in 3 straight starts and 12 of his last 14. His last start resulted in a 3-1 final. Expect some high-quality pitching with this game going under. *total dominator

They may not have Aaron Rodgers behind center but the Jets have one of the best defenses in football. Their early season defensive stats are a bit skewed by the fact that three of their first four opponents have been the Chiefs, Cowboys and Bills. All three of those teams are top 10 scoring offenses. The Broncos are better defensively than they've shown. They turned the corner defense in the second half of last week's game. It was their defense which keyed the comeback. Last year's game had 25 points. The year before had 26. This game also goes Under. *AFC TOM

Baltimore dropped Game 1 but will respond and level the series this afternoon. They may have lost against Heaney yesterday but the Orioles have still crushed left-handers. They're now 37-18 against southpaws. They may have lost yesterday but the Orioles have still done really well in day games. They're now 34-23 in afternoon affairs. Montgomery's teams are only 4-12 when he starts on the road. His teams are also 0-5 his last five starts at Baltimore. Rodriguez is 2-0 and has a 1.45 ERA his last three starts. Orioles have found a way to win the close games and get timely hits. They're 37-24 off a loss and they will respond. *ALDS GOY

Are the Bengals as bad as they've looked? Are the Cardinals as good as they've looked? My answer to both questions is "No." It's my belief that those answers will become clear this afternoon and that the Bengals will take advantage of a less talented opponent. They didn't show it at Tennessee last week but the Bengals have been true road warriors. They're 17-7 ATS their last 24 away from Cincinnati, 4-2 ATS as road favorites. Bengals are better on both sides of the ball. Lay the small number. *Road Warrior

The two best teams meet again. New York has taken three of the past four meetings dating back to a memorable 99-61 blowout back in early August. The Aces are still the class of the league though. They won by 13 the last time that the teams played here in Vegas. They're 19-1 on this floor. Liberty are 2-10 ATS their last 12 road games against the Aces. Vegas is 4-1 ATS the last 5 times it played with 3 or more day's rest. All 10 of the last 10 meetings have been decided by more than 5 points. Most were blowouts. So, I'm not going to worry about laying this small number. *WNBA Playoff GOY

Baltimore crushed Cleveland last week. Pittsburgh got pounded by Houston. So, why play on the Steelers? The NFL is a funny league and it's important not to over-react to the previous week's games. It's also important to understand that those results are helping to get us some extra points with Pittsburgh. The fact is that the Ravens are now playing their second straight divisional road game and third divisional road game in the past four weeks. Their injuries are mounting, too. Even with the win over the Browns, they're still an awful 9-17 ATS their last 26 as favorites. After their previous divisional road win, the Ravens lost outright to the Colts in their next game. The Steelers are 15-10 ATS as underdogs, during the same time period. Tomlin's team responded to it first loss by bouncing back with an upset of a divisional rival. The plan is for Pittsburgh to win this game outright. Getting points in this rivalry is always nice though. The last four meetings were all decided by three or less! The last six meetings were all decided by five or less. In what will likely be another close encounter, grab the points. *AFC North GOY

Low number for an Aston Villa match. In seven league contests, Villa has scored 18 goals and conceded 11. That's an average of more than four per match. The 29 total goals is second most in the entire EPL so far this season. Wolverhampton has allowed 13 and scored 8. That works out to three per match. With both teams finding the back of the net and at least one of them doing so multiple times, they'll get at least that many in this one. *EPL TOW

This game is essentially a must win for the Horned Frogs, if they want to stay in the hunt in the Big 12. For such a situation, the Frogs draw the perfect opponent. The Cyclones had a really good defense last year. TCU still dropped 62 points on them! This year's Iowa State defense isn't nearly as talented. The offense is punchless, too. Remember that the Cyclones got hit by scandal before the season. That's had a negative impact on them. The Frogs have had trouble here in the past but that will change Saturday. TCU still has a talented defense. In four games since the Colorado debacle, the Frogs are allowing an average of 15 points. ISU will have trouble scoring. TCU (34.8 ppg) should have no problem doing so. The Cyclones were shredded for 50 points and more than 500 yards last week. They're now 2-6-1 ATS their last nine as underdogs. The Frogs, 5-1-1 ATS their last seven as road favorites, will be too much for their hosts. A motivated TCU team puts it all together and wins by double-digits. *Big 12 GOY

Things haven't gone well for the Golden Eagles but this is an OId Dominion team which they can handle. They may have struggled in the underdog role but the Golden Eagles are 7-3 ATS, 8-2 SU the last 10 times that they were favored. ODU is 4-8 ATS last 12 times line ranged from -3 to +3. The Monarchs are just 9-25 their last 34 games in the month of October. This is not a strong ODU team. Now in the Sun Belt, the Golden Eagles and Monarchs met twice when they were in CUSA. The home team won both. The home team will win again on Saturday.

The drought is over for the Twins. They snapped their endless playoff losing streak and then they made it two in a row. They're up against it today though. Not only are they on the road against the playoff-tested Astros but they have to face one of the best pitchers of all-time. The Twins know all about him. For his career, Verlander is 22-10 with a 2.76 ERA (268 strikeouts) in 40 appearances versus the Twins. Since 2020? 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. In fact, over Verlander's last 6 starts against Minnesota for his career, he's allowed only 3 earned runs in 42 total innings! Ober has been ordinary (4.50 ERA, 3 HRs) in two starts vs. Houston. With the Astros 20-9 their last 29 playoff games, there's only one way to go here.

This is the 119th time that these teams will meet. It's the first time since way back in 2008 that both were undefeated. That makes this game an even bigger deal than it normally is. Forget all the corn dogs and fried desserts for a minute, this is finally a big-time game! The Sooners have a score to settle. Remember last year? Scoring won't be easy for them though. Texas limited Oklahoma to 11 first downs and 195 total yards in last year's shutout. The Longhorns have a bigtime defense again this year. They went to Alabama and held the Tide to 24 points. No other opponent has scored more than 14 against them. Baylor scored six. Rice and Wyoming each had 10. Even factoring in Alabama, Texas is still allowing less than 300 yards of offense per game. The Sooners won't get blanked again but they also won't come close to matching some of the numbers they put up in this rivalry from 2018 to 2021. The Sooners are also playing top level defense. They're allowing just 10.8 points per game, tied for 4th best in all of college football. The offenses will get all the pre-game love but the defenses will rule the day!

Having lost back-to-back matches here, Manchester United is going to be extra determined to secure maximum points. Bad news for Brentford. Things would be difficult enough for the Bees if they were healthy. But they've got 6 injured players and none of them are expected to return in time for this match. Thomas Frank acknowledged as much "All of them are long-term-ish. They’re definitely not available for the weekend; that's the most important thing for me." Also, Ivan Toney remains suspended from first team action. He was last season's top scorer for Brentford. Short-handed, the Bees won't be able to withstand the assault which is coming their way. *EPL GOW

The Wildcats crushed the Cowboys 48-0 last year. This K-State offense is again loaded and will again put up a huge number. They enter the game averaging 39.5 points on the strength of 482.5 yards of offense per game. The Cowboys aren't about to get blanked again. They never have since. They scored 27 (34-27 loss) at Iowa State last game, the third time in their past four games that they've scored more than 26 points. Wildcats may not get 48 but they should get close to their average. The Cowboys gave up 34 to the Cyclones (and 33 to South Alabama before that) and the Wildcats are far more potent. With the Cowboys chipping in another 20+, this final score finishes over the total. *Big 12 TOW

The record isn't there but Edmonton has played much better than many people realize. Since their tough start, the Elks have won 4 of their last 7 games, a streak which coincides with Tre Ford taking over at QB. The 3 losses all came by single digits. Their last 3 road games have resulted in 2 outright wins and a 4-point loss. QB Ford, who ranks among the CFL leaders in terms of passing accuracy (70.1%), QB rating (108.7) and rushing yards (514), has been a big difference. He'll face a Toronto team with a banged-up secondary. The Elks are coming off a bye and inspired to try and make a late playoff push. They've won their last two visits to Toronto. Off a loss to Winnipeg and having already locked up top spot in the East, the Argos could easily look past the Elks. Edmonton will come to play. Grab the points! *CFL GOY

The Bears defense hasn't been good. Everyone knows that. The oddsmakers certainly do. Chicago's defensive struggles have rewarded us with an extra high total. Last year, these same teams played each other and the total was only 38.5. Remember how that game played out? It was a 12-7 final! Scoreless after the first quarter and 3-0 at halftime. Lots of kicking and poor red zone efficiency. Both teams ran the ball a lot. With both teams eager to clean up their defensive deficiencies, Thursday's game will take on a similar look and feel. Plenty of running will keep the clock ticking. When all is said and done, the final score will stay under the total. *NFC TOW

I played on the Bearkats to go Over last week's low total. One of the easier winners of my season. They had been really struggling to score and they were up against what had been an excellent Jacksonville State defense. The Sam Houston State offense came to life and made Jacksonville State's defense look decidedly ordinary. They finished with 435 yards of offense, 299 through the air and 28 points. Of course, they also gave up 35 points, after giving up 38 in their previous game. Now the Bearkats face Liberty which has scored 34, 33, 55 and 38. Averaging 40 points, the Flames rank #13 in the nation for scoring. Their 501 yards per game ranks in the top 10. They may easily go over this low number themselves. They won't need to though. Though loaded on offense, the Flames are inexperienced on defense. Sam Houston State will score. With both teams doing so, this one finishes over the low total. *CUSA TOTAL OF THE MONTH

Not only does Real Betis have the big advantage of playing this game at home but the Spanish team is simply stronger. Battle tested against La Liga teams, Real Betis is accustomed to tough competition. Sparta Prague has done well thus far and sits on top of the group. Therein lies the problem though, as this is a must win match for Real Betis. The Czech side will see the very best from their hosts and won't be up for the task. Real Betis brings momentum into the match from a big 3-0 victory over Valencia. They'll take maximum points from this one. *Europa League GOM

Celebrations should be in order for the home fans. The Whitecaps will clinch a playoff spot, for the second time in three seasons, with a win tonight and a little help. They also need either Minnesota OR Dallas to draw or lose. FC Dallas may win its game but Minnesota United is a substantial underdog. So, its likely that the 'Caps will get the help that they need in that game. So, they just need to take care of their own business. St. Louis is really good. In fact, its the first expansion team in MLS history to finish with the #1 seed in its conference in its debut season. That's the problem though. St. Louis has already made history and essentially has nothing to play for here. Vancouver will be hungrier and will earn the victory it needs. *MLS GOY

The total came down from where it started. It's my strong opinion that it is now too low. Remember, last year's O/U line was 54. Not a good defensive team, FIU has given up 38 or more points in two of its last three games. The Panthers did score 46 points (more than 500 yards of offense) against North Texas though. So, they're more than capable on offense. The Aggies are going to need to score in order to win. Their last three games came on the road but they scored 58 and 30 in their two home games. Expect this one to fly over the total! *Total Dominator

The Gamecocks have the better record. Yet, the Blue Raiders are favored. Given that setup, it's not all that surprising that money came in on the underdog which brought the line down a little. Middle Tennessee was installed as the favorite for a reason, as this is a good matchup for the Blue Raiders.

The Gamecocks are 1-1 on the road. They got beaten badly at Coastal Carolina and they needed OT to win at Sam Houston State. That came against the BearKats who were previously 0-3 and had been scored only 10 points, while giving up 65. Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium is a far more difficult venue.

Look for the Blue Raiders to play their best game as they bounce back and improve to 6-3 ATS the past nine times that they were coming off a conference loss. *CUSA GOY

The Diamondbacks have to be feeling pretty good after beating Burnes in yesterday's opener. They'lll face another good one today, as Peralta is also tough. The Brewers were 12-4 with him on the mound at "American Family Field." Peralta had a steady 3.44 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in those games. Gallen wasn't as good on the road as he was at home. Arizona was only 7-11 in his road starts and Gallen had a 4.42 ERA in those games. Arizona relievers were strong yesterday but many of them got used up. Milwaukee still with an edge in that department. Don't write off the Brewers yet! *Money-Ball

The Marlins have played the Phillies tough this season. They're 7-5 the past 12 meetings. The majority were close. Since we're getting an extra +1.5 runs with the Marlins today, I will point out that the games between these teams have been close. Five of those 12 games were decided by one run and that another four were decided by two runs. All three of Wheeler's starts against the Marlins were 1-run games. Miami won two of them. Luzardo has made five starts against the Phillies in his career. He's got a 3.27 ERA in those games with 37 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. Luzardo's teams were 4-1 in those games and the lone loss came by 1-run. Every run will be important in this game and I'm happy to grab an extra +1.5 of them with Luzardo and the Marlins. *NL East GOM

October baseball will bring some of everything with an extra amount of quality pitching and defense. Montgomery has become the ace of this Texas staff and he's earned that title down the stretch. His final four starts, a span of 27 innings, have seen him allow only 2 total runs! The last three of those games stayed below the total. Glasnow was crisp last start, striking out nine through five shutout innings. He gave up only two hits in the 5-0 TB win. A playoff veteran, Glasnow is 3-0 with a 0.46 ERA against Texas. Runs will be hard to come by. Go with the Under!

Neither of these teams has run the ball as effectively, or as regularly, as they'd like to. It's early though and we've still had a limited sample size. Its hard to run the ball when getting blown out. These are still a pair of clubs who want to run the ball and this should be a more competitive game. Saquon Barkley sounds doubtfut but the Giants still want to pound the rock. These teams combined for 40 last October, the Seahawks winning 27-13 at home. A look at the boxscore shows that yards did not come easily. The Giants had only 14 first downs and 225 total yards of offense. Seattle had 19 first downs and 277 total yards. That game fell below the total and this line is even higher. Go with the Under. *Total of Week.

Goals won't come easily in this game. Neither team is scoring many goals this season. Fullham has five goals in six league matches. Ditto for Chelsea. Only lowly Burnley, which has four, has less. Not only does Chelsea, which is off a 1-0 victory, not score many but the Blues are also very hard to score against. They've conceded six times in six matches. Only Manchester City, which has allowed five in seven games, has permitted less. (Arsenal also has allowed six.) So, we've got a Chelsea team which doesn't score but which also doesn't get scored against, facing a Fullham team which doesn't score. Last h2h match had a score of 0-0 and three of the past four have finished with two or fewer goals. This one finishes with two or less again. Go with the Under. *EPL TOM

Both teams are 1-2. The winner will be back in the thick of things. The loser will be in big trouble. It's my opinion that the Chargers are the real deal and that the Raiders are not. Chargers lost a pair of close ones and easily could have won both. Raiders got destroyed last road game and followed it up by losing to Pittsburgh in primetime. LA is much better offensively. Chargers averaging 416.7 yards per game. Raiders averaging 287.7. Chargers averaging 28.7 points, Raiders averaging 15. Problem for the Raiders is that the Chargers are probably also better defensively. Then, there's the Raiders QB issues with Jimmy G in concussion protocol. Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels commented: We're at the mercy of the testing and all the rest of it. He'll go through the normal set of tests. We'll see if he clears." Garoppolo may well play. Even if he does, or if its Hoyer or O'Connell, it's not going to make a difference. Chargers big. *AFC West GOY

This number, in my estimation, is too low. Entering the weekend,.Baltimore games vs. right-handed starters were averaging 9.2 runs. Boston games vs. right-handers were averaging 9.9. Bradish has been pretty good but he got destroyed the last time that he faced the Red Sox in a game at Baltimore. In fact, he's 1-4 with a 8.13 ERA in 7 starts against Boston. Houck has just been plain bad. He gave up 10 hits in 3 innings of last start. He was on the wrong-sided of an 11-2 loss (against Bradish) against Baltimore less than a month ago. This one sails over! *AL East TOM

The Sun stole Game 1 but the Liberty have stormed back to win the next two. They're favored to make it three in a row Sunday afternoon. The total is where I'm focusing my attention. Its a close-out game but its a higher total than either of the past two games. NY's close out game with Washington had only 152 points at the end of regulation. (Twenty-three more were scored in OT.) Even after the Game 3 result, the under is 13-6-1 the past 20 meetings between these teams in Connecticut. Nothing easy in this one. Defense rules the day! *Eastern Conf TOY