This is not the same Kansas City team that faced the 49ers in the Super Bowl 4 years ago. This year's Chiefs are a defensive team. That's how they got here. They allowed 17.3 points a game in the regular season and they're allowing just 13.7 ppg in the playoffs.

San Francisco can make the same claim. The 49ers allowed 17.5 ppg in the regular season, the fewest of any NFC team. Though the playoff numbers aren't as impressive, you just saw their defense stiffen and hold the Lions to 7 second half points.

The Chiefs have now seen 8 of their last 9 games finish with 46 or fewer points. Only 1 of their last 17 games has finished with more than 48. This will not be a high scoring game and the total is too high. Go with the Under!

The Lions won't have the Detroit fans to support them. They're thousands of miles away on the West Coast. Last week was a fortunate matchup as they faced Tampa Bay, a team which was only in the playoffs because of the division it plays in. Now, they face the top team in the NFC.

The 49ers didn't play nearly their best against the Packer and they still won. They'll be better this week. Not having to travel will prove to be helpful. Now is also when the 49ers will benefit from their Wildcard Rd bye, a luxury which the Lions didn't have.

This is the best Detroit team in some time but the 49ers are better on both sides of the ball. San Francisco was third in points scored per game while Detroit finished fifth. The bigger difference is on the other side of the ball. The 49ers’ defense finished third in points allower per game while the Lions finished 23rd in that category.

They say that defense wins championships. Lay the points and expect that saying to ring true of the NFC Championship game on Sunday.

The Chiefs went over the total in their game against the Bills. Depending on the time and place, the Ravens game either landed right on the total or went over it. With those games having quite a lot of points, Sunday's AFC Championship O|U line is quite high. Too high.

We're talking about the top 2 scoring defenses in the NFL. In the regular season, Baltimore allowed 16.5 points a game. KC allowed 17.3. They've also allowed the fewest points in the playoffs. The Ravens allowed 10 points. The Chiefs are allowing an average of 15.5.

These teams are going to pound the rock, especially the Ravens. It's not always conventional but they run more than any team. They ran 42 times last week against Houston. That keeps the clock moving and under the total on Sunday.

We've grown used to the Chiefs having a great offense and Patrick Mahomes working magic in the playoffs. It's hard to think otherwise. The Chiefs offense isn't great right now though. And Mahomes has never had to play a road playoff game. He's played in 3 Super Bowls but that's not a true road environment. Mahome's other 12 playoff games have all come at home. Now, he plays in cold, hostile Buffalo where he'll go up against some of the most passionate fans in the league and be opposed by a Bills teams which is playing its best football.

After a sluggish start, Buffalo has been winning for weeks. This team is ready to get the KC monkey off its back. Twice, the Chiefs have eliminated them from the playoffs. The Bills beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead in the regular season to earn the right to play this game here. At home, the Bills are are better on both sides of the ball They're 8-1 here, outscoring teams by a 29.7 to 15 average score. The Chiefs' regular season issues will rear their heads and the Bills will win and cover on Sunday night.

The Buccaneers were involved in a shootout with the Texans back in Week 9. The final score was 39-37 as the game turned wild in the 4th quarter with 31 points. That was the only time all season that Tampa allowed more than 27 points. On the season, the Bucs allowed just 19.1 points, tied for 6th best. They have also really turned it up in recent weeks. They held the Eagles to 9 points and 276 total yards in the Wildcard Rd and they allowed less than 12 points a game over the final 3 games of reg. season. In the final game, they pitched a shutout.

Tampa coach Todd Bowles said this of his defense: "We've gotten tougher over the course of the past few weeks. Everybody has finally gotten back and playing at the same time. ... Communication has gotten a lot better, everybody's trusting each other next to them and they're playing for each other."

The Lions defense held the Rams to 6 second half points last week. They also held the Bucs to 6 points, a 20-6 win, during the regular season. Tampa had only 13 first downs and 251 total yards. That total was only 44. This one is a lot higher. Too high. Go with the Under.

The Texans have looked pretty good but they are now on the road and facing the stingiest defense in the NFL. No team allowed fewer points than the 16.5 ppg allowed by the Baltimore Ravens.

The Texans held the Browns to 14 points and 324 yards. They weren't dominant defensively like the Ravens but ranked in the top half of all defenses for points and yards allowed.

In addition to allowing the fewest number of points, the Ravens led the league in rushing. They will keep the clock ticking and the Houston offense on the sidelines. Points will not come easily in this game. Go with the Under.

The Eagles offense stumbled down the stretch. The Eagles scored 10 points last game and that marked the 4th time in 6 games that they failed to reach the 20 point mark. The injury to Brown, their top receiver, is a big blow to the offense.

The Bucs got here by playing defense. They allow only 19.1 points a game while scoring just 20.5. Both quarterbacks are playing at less than 100%.

The Eagles won 25-11 when the teams met in the regular season. That was when Philadelphia was scoring with ease. The Eagles won't get that many this evening and the Bucs are likely to also have trouble scoring. The line is generous. Go with the Under.

With the game being moved from Sunday to Monday and that bringing improved weather, the total has climbed by quite a lot. It shot up over key numbers like 34 and 37 and is now too high.

The weather may be improved but its still not going to be pleasant. This game will feature an extra amount of pounding the ball on the ground.

Josh Allen said as much: "The wind may move the ball a little bit. Typically, it's going to be, with weather like this, a game that both teams are going to run the ball, and it's going to be very possession-limited ..."

Both teams were 11-6 to the under and both are coming off a strong defensive effort which stayed below the total. Go with the Under.

This is a great storyline as it pits Jared Goff against Matthew Stafford. You probably know that those two quarterbacks were traded for each other. Stafford played many years in Detroit. Goff played several for the Rams. Both QBs are still extremely capable. Both did well to guide their teams this far. The Lions have some important other advantages.

It stars with playing at home. With Michigan having just won the championship and the Lions favored to win this one, fans in Detroit are in a frenzy. They will play a role. The Lions won 6 of 8 games here, covering 5. The Rams were a modest 5-4 on the road.

Goff has better weapons than Stafford. The Lions score more than 27 points a game. The Rams score less than 24. Both defenses allow roughly the same number of points overall but the Lions allow 21.6 per game at home compared to the Rams' 23.8 allowed on the road.

The projected high-scoring game favors the Lions. They are 11-2 ATS their last 13 when the total was set at 49.5 or higher, 6-1 ATS in home games wiht a total of 49.5 or higher. The Rams are just 3-6 ATS their last 9 when the total was set at 49.5 or higher. Lay the small number! ***WC GOY***

The Chiefs transformed themselves into a defensive team this year. The offense wasn't as potent and the defense picked up the slack. The Dolphins were explosive most of the season but their offense slowed down the stretch. Those are the biggest reasons why we're now working with a total in the low/mid 40s, as compared to a total of 51.5 when these teams faced each other back in November. That's a big drop. Too big!

It'll be cold but this is still Patrick Mahomes vs. Tua Tagovailoa. Mahomes still has Kelce to throw to and Tagovailoa's top target, Tyreek Hill will be playing his first game back at Arrowhead. These are some of the best offensive players on the planet and they won't be stopped by the cold.

The Dolphins are getting healthier on offense but their defense is severely depleted. They've given up 77 points in their last 2 games alone. Their games average more than 52 points. This one will finish over the low total! ***WILDCARD TOY***

Two undefeated teams, playing for the title. What could be better? For all the complaining, it ended up working out. As much as I love this Washington team, its magical run comes to an end on Janurary 8th.

The Huskies were able to dominate time of possession against Texas. That's not going to happen against Michigan. They were also able to throw for more than 400 yards. That's also not going to happen against the Wolverines.

Defense wins championships and Michigan's defense is the real deal. One of the best we've seen in recent years. The Wolverines held Alabama to less than 100 yards in the first half. Their 9.5 points allowed per game during the regular season was the best in the nation.

These teams met in 2021. The Huskies were able to move the ball through the air but the Wolverines dominated them on the ground. Michigan went on to win 31-10. A young Blake Corum carried the ball 21 times for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns. (Haskins also ran for 155 yards.) Now its Corum and Edwards instead of Corum and Haskins, Corum leading the charge. He'll have his way with Washington and carry Michigan to the title.

Miami wasn't good last week. That will cause a lot of people to stay away or to back Buffalo. When handicapping the NFL, its important to learn from the previous week but its also important to be able to "wash away" recency bias. Many bettors base too much of their handicapping on what they just saw, forgetting about what may been going on all season.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel provided some perspective: "If we had said that after Week 4 that we're going to play this Buffalo team again, and it will be the last game of the season for the division crown, I think everyone would have accepted that. That's some perspective that I talked to the team about. Their eyes were laser focused -- they will be eager to wash away this past game. The only way you can do that is to prepare for the next one."

Miami was on the road for the bad Baltimore loss and for the previous loss to Buffalo. The Dolphins are now at home where they are 7-1 on the season. The Bills are also 7-1 at home but they're only 3-4 on the road.

They haven't fared well in the series for years but the Dolphins did win 21-19 the last game played at Miami. In what will likely be another close game, homefield will again make the difference. Grab the points! ***GAME OF MONTH***

Both these teams got a lot better as the season progressed. The Bears started terribly but have currently won back-to-back games and have victories in 4 of their last 5. The Packers entered November with a 2-5 record but now find themselves at 8-8 and in control of their own playoff destiny.

A big part of the reason for the improvement comes on the defensive side. Since Week 11, the Bears have allowed fewer than 20 points four times. They have 16 takeaways during that time. In fact, the Bears defense now leads the NFL in interceptions.

The Packers just held the Vikings to 10 points to close out 2023. Minnesota managed just 211 yards.

The last meeting at Lambeau finished with 37 points. With both offenses missing some important players, the final score will again stay below the total! ***NFC TOTAL OF THE MONTH***

Still angry about last week's controversy, the Lions say they want to win. The Vikings technically still have hope. Realistically, however, this game likely doesn't mean much. The Vikings won't be going to the playoffs and the Lions will be locked into the #3 seed.

Nick Mullens is back at QB and he threw 4 picks last time these teams met. He will miss throwing to Hockensen. The reliable tight-end had 4 receptions for 58 yards in the first meeting.

For all the bluster, I'm projecting a lower scoring game. Detroit is off a 20-19 loss. Minnesota managed only 10 points last week and has scored just 71 total points over the last 5 games, an average of 14. Vikings are 5-3 to the under on the road. This one will also stay under! ***EARLY RISER***

First game went over but these teams are not the same ones that faced each other at beginning of the season. Both offenses are missing a lot of important weapons. First game had a total of 40.5 This one is much higher. That gives us a lot more room to maneuver.

The Texans defense has come to life. Last week, Houston allowed only 3 points. They gave up just 11 first downs and 187 total yards. Last road game, the Texans allowed only 16 points.

The Colts last 3 games have all finished with 43 points or less. They are going to want to run the ball. The Texans are strong at stopping the run. This will add up to a low-scoring defensive battle. ***AFC TOM***

When you get this far, it goes without saying that all the teams are excellent. Texas was 12-1. Washington was 13-0. Texas lost against Oklahoma but beat Alabama. Washington beat Oregon (twice) and USC.

I backed Texas in its last game, a blowout of Texas Tech. The Huskies are not the Red Raiders. The Longhorns average 36.2 points a game. The Huskies can score with anyone though. They average 37.7.

The biggest reason that the Longhorns are favored is that they are considered to have a superior defense. Maybe so. But the Huskies are better on that side of the ball than the public realizes. They held 3 opponent to 10 or less. If they couldn't stop a team, the Huskies just outscored them.

Another reason that the Longhorns are favored is that Washington won a lot of close games. The Huskies won 4 games by 3 points or less. Each of their last 9 games was decided by 10 or less. All those narrow margins give people the impression that the Huskies were lucky to win some of those. I like that they won all those close games though. This team finds a way to get it done!

There's also the perception, by many, that the Big 12 is superior to the Pac-12. I disagree. The Pac-12 was stronger this season than people think. There were a lot of good teams and Washington beat every one of them which it faced.

The Longhorns are 1-3 ATS their last 4 tries when playing with 2 or more week's rest. Off their bye this season, they won by only 7 when listed as a 24 point favorite. The Huskies, who beat Oregon when off their bye, are 7-3 ATS their last 10 non-conference games. This game will likely be very close and I'm taking the points. ***BOWL GOY***

This is obviously a very low total. Too low! Playing at a very fast pace, the Volunteers average 31.5 points and their games average 53.5. They scored 48 last game and allowed 38 and 36 in their previous 2 games.

The Volunteers had a game back in mid-October which finished with 33 points. Other than that, every other one of their games produced at least 43 points. The Vols QB (Milton) opted-out but his replacement (Iamaleava) is a bigtime player who will assume the starting role next season. Offensively, they're still in good shape. However, the Tennessee secondary did take a lot of hits and is depleted.

The time off will allow Iowa's offense time to prepare. Again, Tennessee's defense isn't 100%. The Hawkeyes have scored 21, 17, 49 and 27 their past 4 bowl games. Even if they get 14-17 here, which they will, the Volunteers will be able to do the rest. ***BOWL TOM***

The Tigers were an over machine all year. They're a little short-handed offensively for the bowl game though and they face a defensive-minded Wisconsin team which has trouble scoring.

Badger games average 41.7 points. The Wisconsin offense is also short-handed and won't be able to take advantage of a mediocre Tiger defense.

On the season, the Badgers were 8-4 to the under. They were only underdogs once. That game had a total of 48 and finished with 34. Go with the Under! ***EARLY RISER***

Detroit has clinched the division but these teams are both still alive in the Wildcard hunt. The winner of this game will have a reasonable chance. The loser will pretty much have no hope. I'm not going to speculate on who wins. Instead, I'm going with the over.

The Packers are 5-0 to the over their last 5 games. Each of those games had at least 46 points. The last one had 63.

The Vikings are 2-0 to the over their last 2 games. Both finished with more than 50.

This season's first meeting was low-scoring. That also happened last year. The second game was much higher-scoring, finishing with 58 points last New Year's Day. This number is too low. Go with the Over. ***NFC North TOM***

The Ravens looked pretty convincing against the 49ers but the Dolphins are a different type of team. Miami averages more than 30 points a game and the defense has gotten progressively stronger.

Baltimore scores a lot but Miami scores more. Last season, the Ravens scored 38 against the Dolphins and it still wasn't enough. Miami won 42-38.

The Ravens are off that big statement win on National TV. That was on Monday night on the West Coast. They're now traveling back across the country to play an early game on a short week.

The Dolphins have something to prove and Baltimore linebacker Queen added fuel to the fire by talking about "teams being cute and playing basketball on grass."

The Dolphins have won 5 of their last 6 and the only loss came by 1. They will prove to the world that they aren't soft on Sunday. ***AFC GOY***

Off consecutive losses, the Cowboys really need this one. They are still fighting the Eagles for first place in the NFC East. The Lions do still want a first round bye but they are off consecutive wins and have already locked up first place in the division. In my estimation, this game is more important to the Cowboys.

The Cowboys are an entirely different team at home. They pounded the Eagles 33-13 last game here. They are outscoring teams 39.9 to 15.4 in games here. I played against them in the only game that they didn't cover here but the Cowboys are 7-0 straight up and 6-1 against the spread in their 7 home games.

Prescott has 20 touchdowns against only 2 interceptions in the games here, completing 74% of his passed. Coach McCarthy said this of the Cowboys' homefield advantage: "We've been able to get into a rhythm early and be able to just keep your foot on the gas. The crowds have been great."

Detroit gets a reality check and Dallas stays perfect at home. ***NFC GOM***

SEC vs. Big Ten. In a battle of these two very good teams, give me the points with Mississippi. The Nittany Lions were great as favorites in the regular season but the bowls are an entirely different dynamic. Penn State only lost to Ohio State and Michigan but Ole Miss only lost to Georgia and Alabama.

Though they weren't hurt as badly as some teams, the Nittany Lions may have more significant opt-outs than the Rebels. They will be without All-Big Ten defensive end Chop Robinson. They also had several players declare for the NFL draft. So, it remains to be seen how much action they'll see. Ole Miss had defensive end Cedric Johnson opt out but otherwise looks to be pretty much unscathed.

The Rebels are 14-7-1 against the spread their last 22 on a neutral field. They're also 12-2 straight up and 9-5 ATS their past 14 non-conference games. They score 34.8 points per game and they're not going to go away. Give me the points. ***EARLY RISER***

Two strong defenses. Clemson allows less than 20 points a game. Kentucky allows less than 25, despite playing in the SEC and facing high-scoring teams like Georgia and Tennessee, as well as other top tier teams like Alabama and Missouri.

Two mediocre offenses. Neither team averaged 30 points this season. That's unheard of for Clemson in recent years. The Tigers had averaged 35.5 ppg in four years before Trevor Lawrence and they averaged roughly 44 ppg in the 3 years with Lawrence. Last year, they had 33.2 ppg. This is not the same Clemson offense from years past.

Both offenses are dealing with some injuries. Clemson WR Beaux Collins entered the portal and transferred to Notre Dame.

Last meeting also came in late December, quite a few years ago now. It finished with a score of 21-13. History repeats itself with another Under. ***Early Riser***

It's a low number. Not low enough. These are two of the best defenses in football. Neither offense is consistent.

The Jets offense is especially anemic. They managed to score 30 in each of their last 2 home games but they scored 0 last time that they were on the road. They average just 12 points per road game.

Cleveland home games are lower-scoring than Clev. road games. The Browns allow only 13.1 points per game here, scoring just 20.5.

The Browns have allowed less than 300 yards in five of their past six games. The Browns rank 1st against the pass (160.1 yards per game), 1st in total defense (260.3 yards per game), 1st in yards per play (4.46 yards) and 1st in interception rate (3.46 percent).

With Flacco and Semian projected to be behind center, this game goes under. ***TNF TOM***

Both defenses are better than advertised. Miami allows 22.1 points. Rutgers allows 21. Remember, Rutgers faced Michigan and Ohio State. Miami faced teams like UNC, Clemson and Florida State. So, those defensive numbers are pretty strong.

Rutgers can have trouble scoring. Before scoring 24 last game, the Knights had scored 16, 0 and 6 points in their previous 3 games.

NC State held Miami to 6 points in a 20-6 win in November. So, the Hurricanes can be stopped. They will be led by a QB making his first start and who didn't take a single snap this year.

Rutgers is going to methodically chew clock and play conservatively. This will lead to a low score. Go with the Under. **Rockstar**

Motivation favors the underdog. Boston College wants to salvage some dignity. SMU feels it deserved a bigger bowl game. A game at Fenway also favors the Eagles over their neighbors from the south.

SMU is a future member of the ACC. For now, the Mustangs still reside in the AAC. The Eagles are 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread in 6 tries against American Athletic Conference foes.

Though his backup led them to a win in the AAC Title game, the Mustangs lost their star QB to injury in the regular season finale. The Mustangs last 3 games away from SMU were decided by 12, 4 and 5 points, an average of 7. This will be another close one. Grab the points! **EARLY RISER**

USC games mostly went over the total this season. Their final 2 games did go under though and this isn't the same team that was flying over at the start of the season. Nearly 20 Trojam players have opted out, including Caleb Williams. Instead of a Heisman Trophy winner, they'll have a QB (Miller Moss) making his first start. That's obviously a pretty big deal. The Cardinals can really play defense. They allow 307.4 yards per game, 16th in the country, entering the bowl season. They give up only 19.7 points a game. Ashton Gillotte (11 sacks) is an elite defensive end who will give the inexperienced USC pivot problems. The Cardinals are without some of their own top offensive players. Running back Jawhar Jordan (1,128 yards, 15 touchdowns) and wide receiver Jamari Thrash (63 catches, 858 yards) both opted out out to focus on the NFL draft. The Cardinals scored only 6 points last game. This is a chance for the USC defense to prove its better than the stats suggest. Go with the Under! ***BOWL TOY***

Both teams, particularly Tulane, are severely depleted. That makes the regular season stats somewhat meaningless. The Green Wave will be without their coach and without their starting QB. Other missing players include Tulane's top wide receiver. The Hokies are also missing some players but both teams have their top running backs. That's going to lead to a lot of rushing plays. The Hokies will go against a tough Tulane run defense, which ranked in the top 10. V-Tech defender Dorian Strong chose not to opt out and said this: "I know that the League (NFL) is there for me but there are risks coming back but I think I made the right decision for myself." This will be a defensive game. Go Under. ***Rockstar***

Patience is a virtue. I liked Kansas from the minute this matchup was announced. By waiting, the line has come down on the Jayhawks, offering us improved value. Kansas crushed Cincinnati 49-18 last game. UNLV got brought down to earth by Boise State, 44-20. Prior to that, the Rebels had been fortunate to face a soft schedule. Kansas has beaten Oklahoma and destroyed UCF. The talent difference will be evident, as the Jayhawks pull away to win by at least 2 touchdowns. **Bowl Bonanza**

There is little reason to expect any defense in this one. Texas State averages 36 points and allows 33.8. That's an average of nearly 70 per game. Rice games have also been high-scoring. The Owls score 30.3 and allow 26.7. QB AJ Padget has been here before. The Bobcats last 2 games had scores of 96 and 108. If the Owls want to be competitive, they are going to need to keep pace. Look for the final score to fly over the total! ***TOP TIER TUESDAY***

The Giants are going to wish they never played this game. The Eagles are angry and they will dominate the Giants this afternoon. NY just lost by 18 and this is a far more dangerous opponent. The Eagles are 6-3-2 against the spread last 11 times that they were favored and that includes a 2-1 mark as home favorites of 10.5 to 14 points. They are 11-7 against the spread their last 18 in that situation. The Eagles have won the last 4 meetings and 3 of those wins came by 24 or more points. Lay the points. ***Christmas Day Dominator***

This total is too low. Philadelphia games average 50 points. Both teams allow more than 24 points a game. These teams play again in New York in 2 weeks. That game might be low-scoring but this one won't be. The Eagles are 5-1 to the over at home. Their only game which didn't go over the total here still finished with 48 points. Their other 5 home games had scores of 62, 65, 51, 71 and 61. The Giants have played 2 divisional games since the start of November and both finished with 50 or more points. Go with the Over! ***NFC EAST TOM***

Given the Patriots' offensive woes, it would be pretty easy to make a case for the under. New England ranks last in the league in points per game. That's been factored into the total though. This is the lowest O|U line on the board. Its lower than yesterday's game. Its lower than any today and its lower than any tomorrow. Next Thursday's game between the Jets and Browns has opened with a similarly low number. That's 2 great defenses though. The Patriots don't fall into that category. The Broncos certainly don't. Denver just allowed 42 points last game. The Broncos allow more than 25 points per game, the Patriots allow more than 21. Five of Denver's last 6 games have finished with at least 39. This is number is too low! ***SNF TOY***

The Titans are dealing with injuries but they are still giving everything they've got. Seattle, which has its own injury problems, kept its hopes alive with a big win last week but that was by 3 points on the final play. The Seahawks had lost their previous 3 and are now playing on a short week. They are 2-5 on the road. The Titans are 4-2 at home. Since a 7-point win to close out November, the Titans have seen all 3 of their games decided by 3 or less. The Titans won the last meeting by 3 points, in OT. They are 15-6-4 against the spread their last 25 against AFC West opposition. This will likely be another close one. Grab the points.

San Jose State pitched a shutout when it played here in Hawaii during the regular season. It was the Spartans best defensive effort of the season. The 35-0 victory stayed well below the total. Coastal Carolina will also struggle to score without their superstar quarterback. Their last game was high-scoring but the Chanticleers were 8-4 to the under on the season. They were held to 17 or less a few times but they also allowed 7 or less more than once. 2 of the last 3 Hawaii Bowls have finished with 48 or less. Make that 3 out of 4.

This season's first game had a final score of 16-10. Saturday's game will also be low-scoring. This is a late December divisional game. Both banged-up offense is led by a backup quarterback. Browning has impressed but he will be without Ja'Marr Chase. Over their last 5 games, the Steelers have scored 10, 16, 10, 18 and 13 points. The defense struggled last week but had previously held 8 of 9 opponents to 21 or less. Both defenses are dealing with some injuries but both will come to play. Rudolph's last start finished with 32 points, a 16-16 tie. This game will have a lot of running plays and that's going to keep the score down. Go with the under. ***AFC NORTH TOY***

Georgia Tech is happy just to be here and is looking to build on next year. The last time that the Yellow Jackets were in a bowl was 2018 and they got blown out. Coach Key said: "What I want to do is to be able to get as many opportunities as we can early on to keep our guys in shape to hone their skills so we haven't lost what we've been able to build through the season. Get guys a lot of situational football, a lot of third downs, red area, two-minute, four-minute-type situations." UCF is here to win. Senior quarterback John Rhys Plumlee returned from injury down the stretch and that coincided with the Knights' hot November. This will mark their 3rd Gasparilla Bowl win in five seasons. So, they're very familiar. We saw the Bulls thrive in their home state yesterday and this venue should also favor the team from Florida. UCF dominated GT in 2022 and also in 2020. The Jackets have improved but not enough. They've struggled outside of their conference with 3 wins in their last 12 tries. Lay the points! ***BOWL GOM***

This total is too low. These same teams met a little over a year ago. The game went over with a final score of 27-20. Neither team had trouble moving the ball. With a little better red zone efficiency, the score could have been higher. Entering Thursday, Los Angeles has been hot on offense for quite some time and New Orleans can now make the same claim. The Saints have scored 24, 28 and 28 points their past 3 games. They scored 9 touchdowns in 10 red zone trips. The Rams have scored 28, 31, 36 and 37 points their past four. Stafford is playing great, Cooper Kupp is peaking and the running game is thriving. This game will go over! ****TNF Rockstar***

This is a big game for the Bulls. They're a program on the upswing and are thrilled to be here. USF had won only 4 games the past 3 years combined. So, getting here under their first year coach is a really big deal. They get a favorable matchup and a great venue. Syracuse was up and down this season and fired its coach. The Orange will also be without their starting quarterback. Backup Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, who threw three touchdowns and six interceptions when called on this season, is also hurt. That means redshirt freshman Braden Davis is expected to make his first start. No matter who is behind center, it won't be senior Garrett Shrader. USF coach Golesh said this of the game being played at Boca Raton: "For us to be in our home state ... I would hope there's a bunch of green and gold in the stands. It'll feel like a home game in that regard." Healthier, more excited to be here and playing in their home state, grab the points with the Bulls! ***ESPN DOMINATOR***

Total has come down and that's providing us with value. Marshall games average more than 51 points. UTSA games average more than 56! UTSA has scored 34 or more in 7 of the last 8 games, going over 40 in 4 of those. Marshall combined with for 56 points last game and is only a month removed from a 71 point game with Georgia Southern. Last 3 Frisco Bowls have had 92, 62 and 67 points. This game goes over! ***TOTAL OF WEEK***

This total is too low. Philadelphia games average 51 points. Seattle games average 46. The Eagles offense is very difficult to stop but their defense has allowed 33, 42 and 34 points their last 3 games. Similarly, Seattle has allowed 28, 41 and 31 points its last 3. Both defenses saw some important players miss practice this week. The Eagles are healthy on offense. The Seahawks hope to have Geno Smith back to lead their offense. The extra day's rest helps his chances. Smith or Lock, the Seahawks know they are going to need a lot of points. This one goes over! ***NFC TOW***

Total is too low. Neither defense is very good. The Hilltoppers allow 28.2 points a game. The Monarchs allow 27.8. Both teams allow more on the road. Western Kentucky's last 3 games have finished with 67, 51 and 69 points. These schools combined for 63 points in 2021. 6 of their last 7 meetings have finished with more than 60. There are no weather issues and this will be another high-scoring games. Go with the Over. ***SUPER SMASH***

Give me the points with Jacksonville. The Ravens are strong but Jacksonville plays best against good teams. The Jaguars are 5-2 against the spread against winning teams. It helps their cause against the Ravens that the Jaguars are the 4th best team in the NFL at stopping the run. They allow only 92.2 yards on the ground, per game. The offense is in good hands with an improving Trevor Lawrence. The Jax QB said this: "It's feeling better. Thankfully, I made out of the game pretty clean. I didn't re-aggravate it anymore. I'm just trying to keep getting better every day. Hopefully it feels even better this week. I was able to move around decent on Sunday, so that was positive." The Jaguars beat the Ravens by 1 point last year. That was an exciting 28-27 victory. This will be another close one and I look for the Jaguars to again get it done. ***SNF GOY**

The Jets offense has had its moments but has mostly been inconsistent. Before going overboard about their 30 point effort against Houston, remember that they scored 8, 13, 6, 12, 6 and 13 points their previous 6 games. The Miami offense is dangerous but NY has the defense to slow them. The Jets rank in the top 5 in the NFL for yards allowed. The Dolphins defense is better than the general public realizes. The Dolphins allowed 2 touchdowns in the final 3 minutes last game but they had only given up 14 for the first 57 minutes of that game. Before that, they gave up 15, 13 (to the Jets) and 13 in 3 previous games. They are a top 10 defense for yards allowed. Last season, the game at NY finished with 57 points but the rematch in Miami was far lower-scoring, finishing with only 17 points. This season the game at NY finished with 47. Once again, the rematch wiull be far lower-scoring. Go with the Under! ***AFC East TOY***

The Lions scored only 13 points against Chicago last week. Now they take on a Denver defense which just allowed 7 points. The Broncos have been stingy for the past couple of months. Before holding the Chargers to 7, they allowed 19, 17, 9, 22, 20, 12 and 22 points. That's an average of 16 points allowed over their past 8 games. Although the defense has played well, the Broncos tend to have trouble scoring on the road. They've scored 24 or fewer points in every road game but one, averaging 20.7 points and only 191.3 yards of offense. 8 straight Denver games have finished with 46 or less. Go with the Under! ***Non-Conf TOM***

The Bengals offense is back. They scored 34 points in each of their last 2 games. The Vikings only managed 3 points last game but they still average 20.9 points a game on the road. The Bengals have now had 6 of their last 7 games finish with 42 or more points. Four meetings have all had 40 or more points the most recent (2021) finishing with 51. Both games at Cincinnati finished with more than 50. No weather issues. This game goes over! ***NFL Dominator***

I'll take the points with the better team in this one. Rourke and some of the offensive players have hit transfer portal. Defense still matters. The Bobcats allow 15.6 points a game. The Eagles? They allow 29.6 points a game. Ohio is 6-3 against the spread its last 9 as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points. GA Southern is 0-4, both straight up and against the spread, the past 4 times it played with 2 or more week's worth of rest. Eagles are 0-4 against the spread last 4 times that they were off a conf. loss, 4-10 their last 14 in that situation. Rourke's replacement is a senior who can both throw and run, My play is with the points but if you're feeling adventurous, you may want to also sprinkle in a little on the money-line. Go Bobcats! ***CFB EARLY RISER***

I played on the Chargers in this season's earlier game. It had an O|U line of 49 points. This one is much, much lower. The biggest difference is that Herbert played in the first game and that he may not in this one. He's questionable at the time of this writing. Coach Staley said Monday: "There’s a lot of information that we’re gathering right now, but he's as tough as they come. We’re gonna make sure that whatever it is, we’re going to do what’s best for Justin long term." Remember that Herbert was only 13 of 24 for 167 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in the first game. He did add 2 rushing TDs but still his performance wasn't one of his best. But its because of him, primarily, that the total has come down so much. That's giving us value on the over. Of course, Herbert's not the only factor. The Raiders scoring 0 points last week also works in our favor to bring the line down. The last 9 meetings have all finished with 41 or more. With or without Herbert, this number is too low! ***AFC West TOY***

Miami may be the flavor of the month but this is far too many points. The Titans manhandled this Miami team last season. Henry didn't even play and they still rushed for 198 yards. The Titans sacked Tua 4 times. He threw an interception and fumbled 3 times. Granted, that was in cold, rainy Nashville and this will be in much warmer Miami. The point remains that Tennessee matched up very well with Miami les than a year ago. This season, six of the Titans' 8 losses came by 14 or less. Vrabel's is liked and respected by the Titan players. They are well aware that is job could be in jeopardy. This is their chance to go out and play hard for him under the National spotlight, going all out for their first road win. This game will be close and I'm grabbing the points. ***MNF GOY***

I had a big win with Philadelphia in the first meeting. I remember that game well. So do the Cowboys, who will be thinking payback when they host the hated Eagles on Sunday night. Their loss at Philadelphia continued a disturbing trend for Dallas of losing against top teams. The Cowboys will be determined to change that and make things right. They want to prove to themselves and to the world that they don't just beat the bad teams. The setup is perfect. The Cowboys have had had some extra time to rest up and prepare, due to their Thanksgiving game. The Eagles just got a reality check out from the 49ers. Before that, they'd taken on the Bills and Chiefs. All those games against elite teams are going to take a toll. Dallas outscores teams by an average of 14 points. The Eagles outscore teams by an average of 3 points. Dallas is undefeated at home this season and is 7-2 against the spread last 9 as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points. Give me the Cowboys. ***Revenge GOY***

In my opinion, this number is too low. Both defenses are mediocre, both teams allow more than 20 points a game. The Vikings offense stalled last game but had previously been firing on all cylinders. The Raiders just had three straight games AFC teams, their most recent finishing with 48 points. The three games came against two playoff teams in KC and Miami and a really good defensive team in the New York Jets. Last time they faced an NFC opponent, the Vikings scored 30. Both offenses will have areas where they can enjoy success against these defenses. All 4 meetings over the years finished with at least 44 points. I've got this one penciled in for at least that many once again. ***NFC TOY***

Army enters as the hotter team but that isn't necessarily a positive. The Black Knights have been out of action since November 18th. The last time that they played with more than a week off, the Knights were small favorites against Boston College. They lost that game outright. They are 21-44-2 against the spread, when coming off a bye. Navy hasn't had nearly as long a layoff. The Midshhipmen are 7-5 against the spread the last 12 times that they were off a conference loss and 16-9 ATS their last 25 as underdogs. Go. Navy!

Off a loss to Arizona, the Steelers are 3-3 over their last 6 games. All 3 of their wins came by 6 points or less. The Patriots lost by 14 at Miami in October. That's the only of their past 7 games which was decided by more than 6 points. Every other game has been ultra-close. The defense has allowed 10 points or less in 3 straight. That makes beating the Patriots by more than 6 points very difficult. The Patriots may score the fewest points but the Steelers aren't far behind. They average only 16 a game. A bad Steeler offense against a great New England defense. With the Steelers 0-5 against the spread the past 5 times that they were home favorites of 3.5 to 7, I'm happy to take the points. ***TNF GOM***

The Bengals struggled in Browning's first start. He's gotten his feet wet now and will be better from the experience. He also expects to have Tee Higgins back, a luxury he didn't have against Baltimore. Browning, who did complete 19 of 26 passes for 227 yards against the Ravens, said this of Higgins: "Tee's one of the top receivers in the NFL. I don't think can really put into words how important he is to this offense ... there's just something that Tee brings the table being as big, as fast and having the experience he does, where it's always nice to have him and Ja'Marr on the outside." The Bengals are 15-7 against the spread their last 22 as underdogs. The Jaguars won by 3 last game and have only won one of their last 5 games by more than 10. Grab the points! **NFL GOW**

If not for all the low-scoring primetime games, we could be looking at a higher Sunday Night total. As it is, we've got a nice low number. KC scored 31 last game. The game finished with 48 points. The Chiefs have scored 31 or more in 2 of their last 3 against the Packers. Green Bay scored 29 last game. Packers coach Matt LaFleur played things more aggressively after expressing remorse for previously being too conservative with his play-calling. The game finished with 51 points. That makes 3 straight GB games that have finished with at least 42 points. This one finishes with more than that! ***Non-Conf TOW***

Games between these teams at Carolina have been lower-scoring but games in Tampa have been higher-scoring. Carolina's last five visits to Tampa have finished with scores of 41, 63, 48, 58 and 54 points. The last 4 of those all went over the total. Last season's game at Carolina had 24 points but the game at Tampa had 54. This season, Tanpa games average 39.9 points. Carolina games average 42.2 points. Getting rid of Frank Reich can only help the offense. The emphasis will be on improving scoring. The final score will finish above the low total! ***NFC South TOY***

These teams met in October, at Indianapolis. The Colts won. That's not surprising given that the Titans are 0-6 on the road. The Titans are an entirely different team here at home though. They're 4-1 in games at Tennessee. They have outscored teams by an average of 24.8 to 15 here. They are 4-1 against the spread the last 5 tries as a home underdog of 3 or less. The Colts recent wins have been against bad teams. They are 5-11 against the spread in divisional play their last 16. Give me Tennessee at home! **AFC South GOY**

Michigan averages 37.6 points a game. That's more than this total is set at. It's entirely possible that the Wolverines exceed this total all by themselves. They're favored by more than 3 touchdowns. So, they're going to expected to score more than that. Remember they scored at least 30 in every game but one. Iowa is all about defense. That we know. But the Hawkeyes also know that they will need to score points, if they want to avoid total embarrassment. The last meeting had 41 points and the one before that had 45. The 45-point game (42-3 Michigan) was right here in the Big 10 Championship game. Last year's Big 10 title game had 65 points. This game goes over the low number!

Boise State is peaking at the right time. UNLV is not. The Broncos are off three straight convincing wins. The Rebels just lost to San Jose State. The Spartans had nearly 500 yards of offense. San Jose State arguably deserved to be here, after beating the Rebels, but a computer broke the 3-way tie. The previous game, the Rebels allowed 344 rushing yards. Broncos are 5-2-1 against the spread last 8 tried laying points. Rebels 3-7 against the spread last 10 tries as home dogs of 3 or less. Lay the small number with the better team.

Miami is here because of defense. The RedHawks permit only 16.3 points a game. Toledo is also stout on defense. The Rockets concede 20.4 points a game. The regular season game finished with 38 points. The RedHawks held the Rockets scoreless in the second half but couldn't erase a 21-3 halftime deficit. Toledo was in this game last year and beat Ohio 17-7. That game finished way below the total. Defense rules the day once again! ***MAC TOY**

The Cowboys have been clobbering bad teams. The Seahawks aren't a bad team though and Dallas has far more trouble with better teams. Dallas is only 4-8 against the spread last 12 against winning teams. The Cowboys also have a very big game upcoming against the Eagles next week. Off their Thanksgiving Day romp and looking ahead to that game, Seattle could be overlooked. Seattle is 7-3 against the spread last 10 tries after losing 2 or more games in a row. Grab the points! ***NFC GOM***

Fields is back and the Bears offense is looking better. The defense continues to struggle. Chicago's last game saw 57 points scored. Vikings scored 27 last home game, a 46 point game against New Orleans. Minnesota home games average 44 but Bears' road games average 49.3. Bears last three visits here have had scores of 51, 48 and 60. This one goes over! **NFC North TOM**

Two non-conference teams. Neither is going to the playoffs. Why not throw caution to the wind? Neither defense is looking too good. The Titans gave up 34 points last week; the 6th straight time that they've allowed 20 or more. Carolina allowed 33 last game. That was the 4th time that the Panthers gave up 33 or more in their last 8 games. The Titans have scored 27 or more in 3 of their 4 home games. Their last game here finished with more than 50 points. It also came against an NFC South opponent. This one flies over the low total! ***NFL TOTAL OF THE YEAR***

Ridder is back and he will have learned from his time on the sideline. The Atlanta QB commented: "You get a different perspective of not only yourself but the offense as a whole. There are a lot of things where I'd like to have gone back and done better. I could've protected the ball better, but there are a lot of (instances) where I could've done things to not be in those situations, whether it's footwork or your reads or your progressions." The Falcons are 3-1 at home this season with Ridder starting. Last season's games were both decided by 3 or less and the game here at Atlanta was decided by a single point. The Saints are only 7-15-1 against the spread their last 23 as favorites, 2-5-1 as road favorites of a field goal or less. Falcons are already 2-0 within the division. Homefield will make the difference. ***NFC South GOM***

Baylor is playing for pride. Its the Bears' last game and it means a lot. West Virginia is already guaranteed a bowl. Baylor coach Dave Aranda knows that the Bears and their fans can really use a victory: "For the team, it would be a relief. It would be validation for working hard. When anything negative happens, you fight the attachment to all the negative things of the past. We're fighting that fight right now, and to get a win would be a victory over that." The Mountaineers have been road favorites four times the last few seasons. They were 1-3 against the spread. They were road favorites once this season and lost outright at Houston. Grab the points and look for the Bears to bring it! ***Big 12 GOM***

Neither team is very good on defensive. Both will be happy to face another defensively-challenged foe. The Huskies allow more than 30 points a game. The Minutemen allow more than 40 points a game! That has led to an 8-2 over record for UMass. The last time that the Huskies played a road game where they weren't a double-digit underdog, they combined with Rice for 69 points. This will be another shootout! ***Saturday Super Shootout***

Texas needs to take care of business. No leaving anything up to anyone else. The Longhorns will punctuate a strong regular season with a statement blowout. They lost at Lubbock in Overtime last year and will get revenge from that game. Red Raiders are 2-5 against the spread last 7 tries on the road with total of 49.5 to 56. Texas is 3-0-1 against the spread last four tries at home with a total of 49.5 to 56. Longhorns are also 4-2 against the spread last six as home favorites of 10.5 to 21 points, 3-1 in that role this season. Texas wins big! **REVENGE GOW**

Getting extra value with the Jets due to the QB situation. The reality is that the QB change should only help. Wilson was terrible! Boyle has something to prove. The Jets defense is better than Miami's defense. The Jets are 6-3 against the spread the last 9 times that they were off a division loss. Last meeting was decided by 5 points. Three of last 4 meetings all decided by 7 or less and the other was a big NY win. Grab the points! **AFC EAST GOW**

Motivation will play a big part. This game is bigger for the CornHuskers. Not only is it the home finale but Nebraska still needs win #6. This is the last chance. Iowa has already qualified for a bowl. With the push in their last game, the Huskers are 8-3-1 against the spread the last 12 times that they were off 2 or more consecutive losses. Iowa scores 11.3 points per road game. Nebraska scores 21.3 points per home game. Nebraska gets elusive win #6! **Eye Opener**

The Rams have their number but the Seahawks will bounce back with a big effort on Thanksgiving! Seattle has won 8 of the past 10 home meetings against San Francisco. The two losses came by an average of 6.5 points. Pete Carroll likes Geno Smith's chances of starting: “"They’re taking a look at it but they pretty much know what’s going on there. It’s just see how soon it settles down. Like I said, it’s a good sign that he’s functional so that’s not the issue, so it’s just how sore he is. He’ll make it back." SF, which has a revenge game against the Eagles on deck, is 3-2 on the road. Seattle is 4-1 at home. The 49ers might fare better in the Dec. 10th rematch but Seattle is the right way to go on Thursday. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

Detroit fans have been waiting for a long time for this. A Thanksgiving Day game where they've got a good team and where they can count on a big win. That day is here! The Lions are the real deal. The Packers are not. I've had this opinion from Day 1. This is what I said prior to Detroit's 34-20 win at Lambeau in September:

Its early but this game will likely go a long way in ultimately determining the division champion. After years of suffering, Detroit and its fans desperately want this. You can't always get what you want but in this case, the Detroit faithful will finally be rewarded. The Lions have been stockpiling talent over the years and now have a better team than the Packers. That's why they're small favorites, despite the game being played at Lambeau. You may be surprised to learn that the Lions are 10-2 ATS their last 12 divisional games. They're also 3-0 ATS their past three Thursday night games. The Lions, who already won at Arrowhead, have arguably faced stiffer competition than the Packers. They'll find a way to win this game and to seize early control of the division. ***NFC North GOY

Now the Lions get to complete the sweep in front of the entire country. Their time has come. They are 16-6 against the spread their last 22 home games. They had a 211-27 edge in rushing yards in the first meeting! As they were in September, they will be too much for the Packers to handle! ***NFC North GOM

Last week, I won with Eastern Michigan Over the total, an easy 30-27 final score against Akron. This week, I will look to fade Eastern Michigan on the road. The Eagles are only 2-4 against the spread as underdogs. Eastern Michigan, 5-1 at home but 0-5 on the road, gets outscored by an average of 28 to 13 in away games. The Bulls beat this team 50-31 last year. The Eagles want that 6th win but they won't get it. The Bulls will show they've still got some pride and close out their season with a big win. ***MAC GOW***

The Chiefs won when it really counted but the Eagles will exact a little revenge tonight. The Chiefs are only scoring 23.1 points a game this season. The Eagles score 28. The Eagles have only lost once all season. They were winning that game entering the 4th quarter and had a big edge in yards and first downs. The Chiefs have two losses and they've had a few close wins. Remember, the Eagles were ahead 27-21 entering the 4th quarter in the Super Bowl. They've been waiting for this day. They're 7-3 against the spread the last 10 times they were off a division win. This night will belong to them! ***MNF GOM***

Getting points with Seattle is a nice bonus seeing as I've got the Seahawks winning this game. The Rams are getting Stafford back but they've still got a lot of issues. They are 0-8 straight-up their last 8 November games. Stafford hasn't played in some time but Geno Smith closed out last game on a high and comes in with confidence. The Seahawks are battling San Francisco and cannot afford another loss to the Rams. They will get revenge from the Week 1 loss. ***Road Warrior***

The Bills really shot themselves in the foot last week. What were they even doing in that close a game in the first place? Rest assured, they will emerge stronger from the experience. The Bills will be a team on a mission this week. Nobody will get in their way. Not the stumbling Jets, who scored 18 combined points in losing their last 2 games. The Jets average 16 points a game, the Bills average more than 26. The Jets are 1-4 against the spread (0-5 straight-up) in five tries when the total was between 35.5 to 42. The Bills are 5-2-1 against the spread (7-1 straight up) last 8 when up against an opponent with a losing record in the second half of the season. This will not be a friendly environment! Bills win big!

Neither defense is pitching many shutouts these days. Tennessee has allowed 20 or more points in 5 straight games. Jacksonville allowed 34 last game and has given up at least 20 in 4 of 5 games. The Titans only division game finished with 39 points but the Jaguars' three divisional games have finished with 52, 54 and 57 points. The Titans like to play conservatively at times but they will have to throw caution to the wind if they want to keep up with the Jaguars. Five of the last 7 meetings finished with more than 40 points and last year's 2 games averaged 47. This one goes OVER! ***AFC South TOY***

Lots of room to work with here. The Eagles have been involved in some recent high-scoring games, driving this week's total up. They will be up against a low-scoring team here. The Monarchs only scored 10 points last game. They average 24.4 points a game but that average comes down to 21.2 points per game on the road. Last year was the first meeting. The total was in the 60s but the score was 28-23. The Monarchs likely won't be as successful passing the ball in this game as they were in that one. The Eagles ran the ball 50 times. They will keep the clock moving again and the final score will stay below the big total! ***Sun Belt TOY***

This game is bigger for the Red Wolves than it is the Bobcats. Texas State is already bowl eligible, for the first time in nine seasons. With a win on Saturday afternoon, Arkansas State will become bowl eligible for the first time in four seasons. Doing so against a Texas State team which lately always seems to narrowly defeat them will be extra sweet. The Red Wolves have been playing their best football the past few weeks. They lost at South Alabama last week. With an advantage in first downs, they covered the spread in that game. Before that, they'd won 2 games in a row by 10 and 20 points. The last 3 meetings have all been by 3 or less., each by Texas State. Arkansas State led 10-3 going into the 4th quarter last year but found a way to close. Not this year. It's payback time! ***Revenge GOY***

Nobody wants to take BYU these days. The Cougars have been blown out in 3 straight games and 4 of their last 5. Stuck on 5 wins, even most BYU fans feel that they no longer have a chance to make a bowl. And now the Cougars take on big bad Oklahoma. All of the above has already been considered and factored into the line. The line on BYU is very high and the Cougars have no pressure on them. Everyone has already counted them out. This is their home finale. They've still got that to play for. The Sooners are only 4-8 against the spread their last 12 as road favorites. They've got bigger games to look forward to. Grab all the points. ***Eye Opener***

It would have been the hottest ticket in town if these teams faced each other earlier in the season. Colorado was the talk of the league and Washington State was also red hot. Everything changed. Both teams got brought down to size. Both teams will still really want this one though. Each is anxious to get back on track. That will make for a good game. Colorado still gets the hype because of Sanders. The Cougars are at home though and are the superior team. WSU quarterback Cameron Ward took some responsibility for last week's loss after he fumbled three times and had two returned for TDS. (He also threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns.) "I feel like I've grown in ball security, especially these two years once I first got here to Washington State but it showed up again that it's something that I gotta continuously work on. Any time you put your team in a situation like I did, it's hard to fight out of, and we did. We did end up doing that. But we didn't execute enough plays as a whole to win this game." Colorado is only 2-13 its last 15 road games. Ward will clean up the fumbles tonight and he will lead his team to a win and cover! ***pac 12 GOW***

Ravens offense can't be stopped. Baltimore has scored more than 30 points in 4 straight games. Bengals scored 27 last game and have gone over the 30 mark each of last 2 road games. The earlier meeting finished with 51 points. Bengals gave up 20 or more yards 17 different times last game. The Ravens had trouble stopping both the run and the pass. This will be another shootout! ***TNT TOM***

Pittsburgh being favored in game tells us a lot. The Panthers have been bad all season. Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi will have his worst year. So, what are the Panthers doing favored? Boston College is a fraud, that's why! The Eagles were exposed last week. They got outgained by a 600 to 262 yardage mark! That was against Virginia Tech - not a team like Georgia or Michican. Eagles are 3-9 against the spread last 12 times they were off a conf. loss. Narduzzi is 7-3 against the spread last 10 in November. Panthers will play their best game and salvage some price. ***ACC GOM***

Ohio games have been low-scoring. So, the total might seem a little high. It's not. Central Michigan games average 54.8 points. The Chippewas scored 28 points last game and 37 the game before that. Problem is that they also allowed 38 and 31. They've allowed 30 or more in seven of their 10 games. So, we've got an offense which is playing well but a defense which has been bad all year. Last 2 meetings both had 57 points and last 4 all finished with 47 or more. Ohio will break out with 30 plus points and CMU will contribute the rest. This game goes Over! ***Conf Crusher***

Lowest of today's 3 totals. Far too low! Akron games produce, on average, 43.4 points. Eastern Michigan games average 44! Last year's game had 62 points! The year before they had 56. Akron has only played 2 home games since October. They had scores of 69 and 58. Eastern Michigan's last 2 games had scores of 72 and 66. This one sails over! ***MAC TOW***

Denver showed up to the wrong party. The Broncos have shown some signs of life. But their season is still done. The Bills are angry from their loss at Cincinnati. They're 4-0 straight-up at home. The Bills score 26.7 points a game. The Broncos score 21.5. The Bills allow only 17.8 points a game. The Broncos allow 28.3. Better on both sides of the ball and playing at home, Buffalo will blow out the Broncos and make a statement on National TV. ***MNF MasterClass***

It may seem that stand-alone NFL games have been going under at a pretty good rate. Previous results from other games have nothing to do with this one though. In this case, the number is too low. The Jets defense is pretty good but they still allow 19.5 points per game. The Raider defense allows 21.4 points a game. Last time these teams met they scored 59 points. The total was 48.5. The Raiders scored 30 last game, their offense coming alive. They will build on that and the Jets will be better than they were last game. This game goes Over the low total! ***AFC TOW

An under streak by the Giants has allowed for a very low total. The Week 1 meeting had a total of 44.5. This one is below 40. That's too low, even with the sorry state of the Giants. Tommy DeVito may be just what the Giants need for a game to go over. He went 15-of-20 for 175 yards with a touchdown in relief. He may help the Giants offense but he could also turn the ball over and give Dallas easy points. The Cowboy's last game finished with 51 points. The Cowboys' previous game finished with 63 points. Seven of the Cowboys' 8 games have produced 40 or more points. The other had 37. The Cowboys might go over this total by themselves but they won't need to. *** NFC East TOY

If you look at the points scored and allowed, the overall numbers are pretty close. Both teams score the same amount of points. The Chargers allow about 1 more point per game. Detroit does come in fresh, as last week was a bye. The Chargers are playing their best football now though and the Lions are playing thousands of miles away from home. They were obliterated their last road game. The Charger defense has especially improved of late. They will keep rolling and pull off the upset this afternoon! ***Non-Conf GOM

It may seem that stand-alone NFL games have been going under at a pretty good rate. Previous results from other games have nothing to do with this one though. In this case, the number is too low. Did you know that Indianapolis games are averaging 52.7 points this season. Not only do the Colts score a lot, but they also give up a lot. They're 26.9 points allowed per game is 4th worst in the NFL. Patriots aren't much better as they allow 25.3 points a game, 7th worst. Over is 8-2 last 10 meetings and 9 of those games finished with 44 or more. Go with the Over! **AFC Early Bird

Air Force just blew its undefeated season with a 23-3 loss to Army last week. Off that disappointing result and now having traveled thousands of miles, it will be hard to get up for this game. Having a big game against UNLV up next makes things even more challenging. The Warriors are off a 27-14 win and feeling better about themselves. Warriors are now 6-2-1 against the spread their last nine November games. They will provide a tough test for the Falcons tonight. ***MWC GOW

The Huskies don't play much defense. They gave up 51 points last game. The Dukes scored 42 last game. That was the 3rd time they've scored more than 40 since Sept. 23rd. It's unlikely but they have the capability to go over this total by themselves. They won't need to though because UConn will also score. Before scoring just 3 at Tennessee, they scored 33, 38, 21 and 14 in their previous four. The Huskies should contribute at least 14 again and the Dukes will more than take care of the rest. Go with the Over. ***2023 NCAAF TOY

Vanderbilt has a pretty bad against the spread record this season. That's not exactly a secret. That bad record means that many bettors are sick of losing with the Commodores and that they don't trust betting on them. The books know this. Safe with the knowledge that they're still going to get South Carolina backers at any line, they can jack the line up a little higher than it really should be. That's where the value with Vanderbilt comes in. The Commodores lost by only 1 point as 19 point underdogs their last visit here. They also gave the Gamecocks a good fight last year. South Carolina only has 3 wins. Two were by 10 or less and the other was against Furman. Grab the points. ***Saturday Shocker

The line has climbed and we're getting a lot of points with a very competitive North Texas team. Since a bad loss back in Week 1, before they really got their feet on the ground, the Mean Green have been in every game. Since that Week 1 loss, their other 5 losses have all come by 8 points or less. They could easily have won some of those and are better than their record indicates. After some big wins, the Mustangs had trouble with Rice last game, winning by only 5. The Mean Green aren't as good as SMU on defense. They do score 34.8 points a game though and have shown that they can keep up with just about anyone. They're 12-5 against the spread their last 17 road games and that includes a 2-0 against the spread record as road underdogs of 14.5 to 21 points. Overall, they are 5-2 against the spread their last 7 tries as an underdog of 10.5 to 21 points. Better yet, the Mean Green are 8-1 against the spread the past 9 times that they were off a conference loss. With a big game at Memphis on deck, SMU could be looking ahead. Give me the points! ***AAC GOY

A low total provides opportunity on Wednesday's MAC board. Akron games average more than 46 points. Miami Ohio games average nearly 49 points. Akron's last game finished with 48 points. Miami's last game finished with 46. Seven of the past 10 meetings finished with 41 or more points. Miami will score 30 or more and Akron will add in the rest. ***MAC Conf. Crusher

I am grabbing the points with Central Michigan. The Chippewas scored 37 points to beat Northern Illinois in their last game. They've won four of their last 6. The Broncos are also off a win. Each of their previous wins has been followed by a bad loss and a 3-game losing streak. Western Michigan is bad defensively. The Broncos allow 32.8 points a game. That's tied with Kent State for the most points allowed per game in the MAC. The Chippewas won 42-30 the last time they played here. They're 6-2 against the spread their last 8 games in November and 10-4 against the spread the last 14 times that they were underdogs. They still need to win to become bowl eligible but Western Michigan realistically gave up dreaming about a bowl weeks ago. Go CMU! ***mac GOY

This total is simply too low. It's by far the lowest these teams have had against each other over the last 10 meetings. The Cardinals average 45.1 points in their game. The Huskies average 48. Ball State's last game finished with 45. NIU's last game finished at 68! Last year's game finished with 82 points. The 2021 game had 59 points. The 2020 game had 51. This one flies over the total! ****MAC TOW

The Chargers can score points with the best of them but they often can't stop the other team from doing the same thing. Their games average 48.9 points. Nine of their 10 games in 2023 have finished above the 40 point mark. The other one nearly did, landing on 37. The Chargers and Jets last faced each other in November of 2020, Justin Herbert's rookie year. The total was set at 47. The game finished with 62 points! Herbert threw for 366 yards (277 in the first half!) and three touchdowns. Keenan Allen set a franchise-record 16 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. Though this Jets defense is better than that one, Herbert will have success again tonight. This will be the Jets' third game against AFC West teams this season. The first two finished with 43 and 52 points, both going over. This one will do the same! ***MNF toy

When the Bengals and Bills played each other in the playoffs, the weather wasn't good. There was lots of snow and the temperature was below zero. Despite the conditions and despite playing without some pieces of their offense, the Bengals still put up big 27 points and more than 400 yards. The Bills couldn't get going until it was too late. No snow in tonight's rematch and both offenses will benefit. Bills are averaging more than 30 points their last 2 road games and 27.8 points a game on the season. Bengals started slowly on offense this season but have gone over the 30 mark in 2 of their last 3. Last nine games Bills were underdogs all went over. Scores of 78, 54, 60, 58, 62, 82, 60, 62 and 78! This will make 10 straight. ***AFC TOY

Big battle in Philadelphia! This is a heated rivalry and both teams come in hot. The Eagles have the significant advantage of playing at home. They're 3-0 here. Dallas is 2-2 on the road. The home team won both meetings last year. Cowboys by 6 at Dallas. Eagles by 9 at Philadelphia. The Cowboys are good at beating on the weak and mediocre teams. The last time they played a team currently with a winning record, they got destroyed! Heck, this team even lost by 12 at Arizona! The Eagles lost a close one against a really good Jets defense but otherwise have had no such slip-ups. Last time they took on a top level team, they throttled Miami. This season's seven wins have come by an average of more than eight points. Six of the wins were by 5 or more points and all 6 came by at least a field goal. Lay the points with the Eagles! ***nfc east goy

The Frankfurt fans get treated to a good one as both these division leaders are sitting at 6-2. Two very capable offenses but only one team which combines that with a great defense. Miami allows 25.5 points per game. Kansas City allows 16.1 points per game. The Dolphins have dominated as favorites but are only 1-2 against the spread when they find themselves in the underdog role. The Chiefs thrive in these type of games. They're 10-3 against the number the past 13 times that they played a game where the pointspread ranged from plus 3 to minus 3. They'll be the first AFC team to reach seven wins this season. ***early-bird