Last week one of the biggest outright underdogs was Liberty. The near two touchdown underdog never had a problem against Western Kentucky in a 30-24 win. Now film is out on dual threat quarterback Malik Willis. Look for FIU in their first game to hang around and stay within the number

Perhaps no team has been as ill-prepared to open the season as Middle Tennessee. They’ve sustained two losses of 42-0 and 47-14. Junior quarterback Asher O’Hara has struggled to find his rhythm with zero touchdown passes and three interceptions. Tonight look for O’Hara to find his stride and rhythm early. Grab the points with Middle Tennessee. 

Sunday night the Patriots will make the long journey across the country to face the Seahawks. Can Cam Newton and the Patriots turn the offense up a few notches against the Seahawks? I believe they will and the defense will step up to the challenge against the Seahawks. Grab New England plus the points. 

Over the last eight to ten NFL games no team has been hotter ATS wise than the Kansas City Chiefs. Gauging their rising number against the Chargers is tough on a massive road line. Yet the Chiefs aren’t just an offensive team anymore. They’ve tightened up defensively as their offense gets stronger throughout games. Grab Kansas City to cruise past the number once again.

This is a late add due to Zack’s second board sweeping in the AM. He’ll take the Washington Redskins off of the Cardinals week one great win over the 49ers. Washington under Ron Rivera has opened up their offense similar to the early stages when he was at Carolina with Cam Newton. Expect both teams to thrive offensively but the Redskins to be better at execution. Grab Washington.

The Colts were flat out mis-numbered week one ATS against the Jaguars. Week two they’ll face a Minnesota Vikings team that is more talented and feels the pressure to avoid an 0-2 start. Their defense though looks a few steps slow than anticipated. Look for the crafty veteran Philip Rivers to tone down his miscues and lead the Colts to an ATS victory

Louisville showcased their two-way team skillset in a solid ATS pull away victory over Western Kentucky. In prior years this would of been a typical top twenty-five matchup letdown spot for the Hurricanes. Landing grad transfer D’Eriq King changes that. Grab Miami to win the spotlight game of the day.

One of the first teams to step onto the field this year in college football was Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles suffered several lapses on both ends of the field and lost outright as heavy favorites to South Alabama. With a couple of weeks to correct matters look for the Golden Eagles to have high value ATS wise over typically strong conference rival Louisiana Tech. Grab Southern Miss. 

Early in the college football season the Sun Belt has shined ATS. Yet Texas State and UL Monroe are a combined 0-3 overall. The Bobcats faltered immensely as big favorites in their week two loss to UTSA. Led by third year starter Tyler Vitt look for the Bobcats to shine. Grab Texas State

Saturday features a loaded card in college football. Zack feels he has a great beat on Appalachian State which was his first CFB winner last week. This week he’ll go for them ATS against Marshall. Last week Appalachian State showed their strength as a team which ignited after three quarters against Charlotte. I expect a strong quarter to quarter effort from Appalachian State for Saturday. Grab them minus the points, and stay tuned for additional college plays Saturday 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a disappointing season in which Big Ben went down for nearly the entire year. Obvious mistimed throws are expected tonight against the Giants. But the Steelers are a hungry team going up against a young Giants team that is over matched. Grab the Steelers as the big road favorite to end their 1-8 ATS season opening streak. 

A coach and quarterback that have the most to improve upon from 2019 are the Bears Mitch Trubisky and Matt Nagy. The offense was predictable and ranked 29th in the NFL in 2019. A bright spot has been the fact that the Bears have defeated the Lions in four straight games. It may not be a pretty game but grab the Bears plus the points. 

No fans in the stands figures to be of benefit for many road teams. The Raiders return a solid offensive line and an improving defensive line. Expect the Raiders to control the trenches against Carolina. Their high youth at the receiver position also gives them an edge with zero film for the Panthers to scout. Grab the Raiders.  

Sunday, the Patriots begin a new era as Cam Newton enters as the new starting quarterback. Minus several opt out players the Patriots may have issues in the middle and latter parts of the season. Early on though expect extensive practice time to bode to the advantage of the disciplined Belichick led Patriots. Grab New England minus the points.

Appalachian State has been one of the best lower level college football teams over the last several years. They recruit to their system needs and have impact players on both sides of the football. Yet, rust and a big spread are two tricky variables here. After seeing the Sun Belt go 3-0 to open college football, look for their powerhouse to suffer ATS. Grab Charlotte.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans will battle in an unpredicted  AFC championship game. For the Titans they are on the road for their fourth consecutive game. That takes a toll on a team but at this stage expect the Titans to override those doubts. This team defeated the Chiefs earlier this year and will be ready to attack a vulnerable Chiefs defense. Grab the Titans to keep their ATS magic going.

Off a bye week the Green Bay Packers will hope to extend a four game winning streak over the Seattle Seahawks. Remarkably Sunday’s game will mark the eighth straight year that these two have met. While Seattle has the team experience and coaching edge it’s the Packers that are healthy. Look for their home crowd and hunger of Aaron Rodgers to get to the NFC Championship to help them prevail and cash ATS. Grab Green Bay.

Consecutive years the New Orleans Saints have fell short on controversy. The first came against Sunday’s opponent in the Minnesota Vikings and was their own doing. A defensive lapse on a deep ball gave the Vikings an improbable win. That’s likely on the minds of many in New Orleans as well as the Vikings recent struggles. Yet the Vikings have the personnel and defense to give the Saints problems. Grab Minnesota on a steep line to get the cover. 

Deficiencies offensively from the Auburn Tigers caused a mid-season lag that resulted in three of five losses. Against main competition that resulted in wins the Tigers escaped with an eight point win over Texas A&M, three point win over Alabama, and a six point win over Oregon. Safe to say they’re not use to pulling away from main competition. Today expect that as Minnesota’s offensive system should be affected drastically by the Tigers. Grab Auburn. 

Sunday San Francisco will aim to avenge a Monday Night football loss to their division rivals in the Seattle Seahawks. In that game the 49ers settled for field goals to much and turned the football over countless times. Sunday Seattle’s conundrum at the running back position with injuries will make things interesting. Yet look for the Seahawks to respond off of last week’s clunker and keep the 49ers from gaining home field advantage. Grab the points here with the Seahawks. 

The Miami Hurricanes resume to enter bowl season faltered end of season. They lost to Florida International and then finished out ACC play with a loss to Duke. The Blue Devils had come into the game on a five game losing streak. Yet look for Miami to have an uptick of offense against Louisiana Tech and gain control in the second half. Grab Miami. 

The Minnesota Vikings are the lone team in the NFL with an unblemished home record at 6-0. They’re currently peaking on both sides of the football after a stout victory over the LA Chargers. Yet the Packers have a way of getting teams to play to their pace and style. Look for the Vikings to fall into that trap and for Green Bay to keep this a winnable game ATS through the final minutes. A close result happens either way with the Packers covering. 

The uncertainty surrounding Philip Rivers future with the Chargers is high. He has not looked the same and his continuous turnovers are a big issue. Yet he has also dealt with a new coordinator and Melvin Gordon playing a shortened season. The Raiders few weeks of shine are not a reflection of their 6-8 record. Grab the Chargers to bounce back from losing four of five games. 

Remarkably the Pittsburgh Steelers have endured three different quarterbacks and still are in contention for a playoff spot. To inch closer they’ll need to stick to their bread and butter game plan. That involves offensive game management and relying on their defense. Josh Allen still played well against the Ravens but took a beating in the process. Look for the Steelers to keep drilling Allen and capitalize at home. Grab Pittsburgh.

Dallas continues to defeat themselves and now are facing a Rams team rolling. Many can argue that the Rams are clicking at levels seen in early 2018. That means Dallas can ill afford to continue to wait to make a move. Expect them to finally get going and force the Rams Jared Goff into issues seen prior to Thanksgiving. Grab the Cowboys to end their three game losing streak.

The Pittsburgh Steelers elevated level of play has been impressive on both sides of the football. Defensively they’re hindering opponents just enough to keep the offense from being uncomfortable. For Arizona the rookie woes of Kyler Murray were inevitable and showcased in last week’s blowout home loss to the Rams. Sunday look for Murray and the Cardinals to re-establish themselves and get the home cover.

The New England Patriots may only have two losses but the last weeks poor loss has high concerns.  Kansas City’s defense will likely give the Patriots offense plenty of opportunities but look for Andy Reid to continue to have regular season success over the Patriots. Expect another poor performance from the Patriots as Kansas City shines. 

The respect for the top part of the Sun Belt has grown in recent years. Their success in bowl games has stood out amongst the non-power five conferences. Saturday a familiar Sun Belt conference championship matchup will take place between Appalachian State and UL Lafayette. In their lone matchup this season UL Lafayette struggled to move the football and lost at home 17-7. Expect another low scoring matchup but for UL Lafayette to have a bit more success than their October matchup. Grab the points here.

After three of four road games the Seattle Seahawks schedule does not lighten up. They’ll return home to face a Minnesota Vikings team that has shown great balance on both sides of the football. Even with the Seahawks likely to not play their A-game look for their home crowd and Russ Wilson improvisational plays to push them to the home win. Grab them here on a key number.

The Rams have been exposed on both sides of the football all season long. Play calling to mask Jared Goff’s limitations has been harder with the defenses struggles. One thing we know about Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is he is not going to shy away from play calls. Look for that to be a catalyst for a defense that will have opportunities to get turnovers on rookie quarterback Kyler Murray. On a small road number look for the Rams to prevail ATS. 

A battle in the Big 12 of teams at 7-4 will take place between Iowa State and Kansas State. Look for the Cyclones to air it out plenty against a Kansas State defense that has been susceptible against the big play. In what should be a close game for four quarters expect a late touchdown by the Cyclones to get past the number. 

Saturday the Pittsburgh Panthers will look to bounce back from a shutout loss against Virginia Tech. Already bowl eligible they’ll look to sharpen their miscues against a hungry Boston College team. Boston College must win Saturday to get into bowl season. Yet look for the Panthers to finally clear their woes of winning games by close margins. Grab Pittsburgh.

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off one of the top outright wins of the season against San Francisco. They were able to enjoy a bye week and will now put their 5-0 road record to the test against the Eagles. Philadelphia’s injury issues have put a high burden on Carson Wentz who has struggled this year against quality teams. Sunday look for a reversal as the Eagles have shown over the last several years to be one of the best late November/December teams. Grab Philadelphia 

The Denver Broncos have covered three weeks in a row. They’ll go for their fourth straight as they take on a Buffalo Bills team that’s aiming to solidify a playoff position. Look for safe calls on both sides of the football to keep Denver in this game for four quarters, and cover on a small number.

A teams free fall that was unexpected in-conference has been Duke. In an ACC conference filled with transitional teams Duke has been unable to capitalize. Last week’s blowout home loss to Syracuse put a new low on Duke’s four game losing streak. Expect a prideful performance against their close in-state rivals of Wake Forest. Grab Duke.

Saturday Texas A&M will get a chance to play spoiler on the road against Georgia. The Bulldogs pulled off an impressive road win a week ago against Auburn but must raise their level of offense. Over the past five games in the SEC they’ve averaged just twenty-two points. Expect the defense to continue to aide the offense as Georgia pushes past the double-digit number. Grab Georgia. 

Both Georgia Southern and Arkansas State became bowl eligible last week. Saturday led by freshman quarterback Layne Hatcher Arkansas State will aim to win their fourth straight game. Even as the road team expect Georgia Southern’s run heavy offense to wear down Arkansas State over four quarters. Grab the small underdog here. 

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off one of the biggest ATS meltdowns in recent memory. The botched field goal gave the Titans new life and they stole the win. Issues around the offensive play calls and inconsistency at tailback should play into the hands of the Chargers. Expect the Chargers to continue to have key play calls minus Ken Whisenhunt and hang around in Mexico City. Grab the points.

It’s hard to argue that the Bears offense has been the worst over the last five to six weeks. The ratio of yards rushing and passing ranks towards the bottom of football in both categories. Yet defensively they should be able to be the latest to stunt the offense of the Rams. Jared Goff and company do not look comfortable. Turnovers continue to happen. Expect the Bears to capitalize in prime time. 

For the second consecutive season Arizona State has had a quick reversal to their season. Shocking wins early on got them ranked inside the top twenty five. Three straight losses have exposed how far back their offense is in the conference. Add a worn down defense and ASU could be in trouble for a fourth straight loss. Yet look for Oregon State’s tempo offensively to fit ASU’s style of play. Grab ASU. 

Young teams in a tough conference are going to tailspin south. That has been the case for South Carolina as their battles in-conference carried over to an out of conference loss last week. Appalachian State out of the Sun Belt defeated the Gamecocks 20-15. Now the Gamecocks must travel on the road to face an Aggies team playing their best football of the season and off a bye. Still grab the Gamecocks on a number just a bit too high. 

A week ago out in the Sun Belt South Alabama nearly upset Texas State. They took advantage of key field position and volume carries for their tailbacks. Saturday UL Lafayette will feature their own high dosage of strong running that will make South Alabama one dimensional. That will put pressure on their inexperienced quarterbacks and give UL Lafayette a chance for fifty plus points. Grab UL Lafayette.

The winless Akron Zips are running out of time to get a win in 2019. Tonight they’ll host an Eastern Michigan team that’s lost four of five but been in games. The Zips on the other hand have been blown out with very little offense. Look for the Zips to finally show some worth ATS in this one. Grab Akron 

The Dallas Cowboys looked like a shaky team Monday Night in a road environment against the Giants. Late third they were able to turn the corner as the defensive line over powered the Giants offensive line. They’ll need a similar defensive effort to overcome an offense that has been sporadic since the first two games. Look for another poor prime time performance from Kirk Cousins and the Cowboys to cover.

The Carolina Panthers have been a team that has taken care of business against subpar teams. Sunday they’ll have a huge step up in class as they travel on the road against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay comes in off a loss to the Chargers. In years past the offense has struggled in streaks. Look for the Panthers to have a disguised defense and enough offensively to cover the number. 

The Rams have changed their offensive philosophy. Unlike a year ago the blowouts have been toned down as the team finds their new strength. Ball control and finishing teams off has been their strength. Pittsburgh has enjoyed the benefit of not traveling on the road for nearly a month. Three straight victories and improved defense have helped masked Rudolph’s issues. Look for the Rams to spring to life and pull away in the second half. 

The unknown Saturday comes into play with how effective Alabama quarterback Tua Tagavailoa will be. In years past Tua has been able to come back and not skip a beat. Yet Saturday’s challenge is much different. Alabama’s dominance over LSU has featured several blowouts and a win over the Tigers in seven straight years. Look for the Tigers to finally challenge the Crimson Tide and cover. 

Execution of game plans has been one of the main strengths of Virginia Tech. Through numerous issues at the quarterback position they’ve found a way to win or be in winnable situations. Their only bad loss came against Duke. Look for the Hokies to be up for the challenge to limit Demon Deacons quarterback Kaleb Newman. Grab Virginia Tech.

Two teams that have been plagued with poor play in the Sun Belt are South Alabama and Texas State. South Alabama comes in with an edge in terms of having a bye week last Saturday. Having faced the upper echelon of the Sun Belt in consecutive weeks figures to  the advantage of Texas State. Yet quarterback Tyler Vitt has been extremely turnover prone. As inefficient as South Alabama has been offensively look for short fields to spark them ATS. Grab South Alabama.

The Toledo Rockets will one again be without their top two quarterbacks. For the second straight game Eli Peters will get the start. Peters is not lacking of experience with several starts under his belt last season. Kent State should hang around in this one but look for Toledo to make the necessary adjustments and power run game to pull away. 

Preparation to change over at the key position of quarterback is never an easy change. For the Washington Redskins they’ve dealt with a plethora of injuries and off/on field issues to suffer to a 1-7 record. They’ll face a Bills team that’s been dominant at home and coming off their worst loss of the season. While Haskins has not shown promise yet this should be a good spot for safe short throws that aided the Eagles last week. Grab Washington. 

The Bears offense does not seem to have any life to it. On top of it they now have uncertainty with their kicking game. Defensively they’ve shown to be a bit worn down and will face an Eagles team returning home after three weeks on the road. Yet look for this team to find life to capture a bit of their road block from last season’s playoff loss to the Eagles. Grab the Bears. 

The Indianapolis Colts have shown their versatility all season long in ways they can win. They toppled the Chiefs, Texans, and Broncos with an array of differences other teams in the NFL have not shown. Pittsburgh’s challenges offensively are not going to go away. Where they can muster proficiency is with a defense that has shown the same trait as years past. They’re improving as the season goes on. Although Jacoby Brissett is use to being a starter this is his first year as the main guy. Expect the Steelers to pick up on game film tendencies and disrupt Brissett and the Colts offense. Grab Pittsburgh. 

The switch to Ryan Tannehill for the Titans proved right for last week. Now they’ll face a Tampa Bay team fresh off a bye week. It’ll be interesting to see how aggressive the Titans call their offensive plays against a dynamic Bucs team. Even with the Dolphins Tannehill showed he can be a streaky winner. Look for that to continue as the defense makes enough plays to keep Tannehill comfortable. 

After showing signs of life at 2-2 with Daniel Jones things have quickly changed. Three straight losses for the Giants have been caused by poor defense and Jones looking confused at times. They’ll face a Lions team that has looked great but lost in winnable games against the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings. Expect the Giants to finally be in a game and cover Sunday.

Tough schedules are a by product of sports. The Philadelphia Eagles will embark on their third straight road game as they travel to face the Buffalo Bills. Thus far the defense has not been up for the challenge as the Eagles have given up 37 and 38 points the past two weeks. Facing the red-hot Bills is going to be a challenge but look for the Eagles to be up for the challenge. Grab Philadelphia. 

The Temple Owls main weakness this season has been on the road. Last week’s loss to SMU marked their second road loss by double-digits this season. At home though they’ve been unblemished with a 4-0 record. Yet they’ve faced octane offenses in consecutive weeks against Memphis and SMU that has exposed them. Look for Central Florida to attack often and cover the double-digit number. 

The Tennessee Volunteers will host the 3-4 South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday. They’ll do so with uncertainty surrounding who starts at quarterback. A bright spot is that the Volunteers defense showed strides in putting up a respectable effort against the Tide. Still look for the Gamecocks to get back to .500 with the in-season experience freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski has gained. 

The Bulldogs switch to freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader has been a true transition. The freshman showed flashes in a loss to Kansas State and built upon that with a pull away win against Kentucky. Since those brief flashes the offense has struggled in the mighty SEC faltering three straight. Saturday expect the Bulldogs to be competitive on both sides of the football against an Aggies team that’s been poor ATS all season. Grab the Bulldogs. 

Can the Jets build off their outright win over the Dallas Cowboys? They’ll face a New England team that has been unstoppable ATS. They’ve covered every way imaginable and have extra rest from their week six Thursday win. With the Jets offense a bit more comfortable look for the Jets to have enough answers to sneak within this steep MNF spread. Grab the Jets. 

The Bears hope to shake the offensive and defensive rust exhibited in their overseas game against the Raiders. The shaky performance does cast doubt offensively with Mitch Trubisky set to return. They’ll face a stout Saints defense that’s helped boost Teddy Bridgewater to a 4-0 record. Yet expect both teams offensive limitations to bode to the advantage of the Bears. Grab Chicago. 

The NFC North has been hard to figure out because of how stout the division is. Minnesota has answered most questions except inside their division. Against the Packers and Bears their offense was hindered based on Kirk Cousins play. Traveling on the road may trigger some of Cousins problems. Yet this is a sound team that has overcome internal adversity to focus on the season at hand. Look for their team confidence to shine once again. Grab Minnesota. 

The Army Black Knights have fallen in consecutive games to Tulane and Western Kentucky. They’ll head on the road for a second consecutive week and face a Georgia State team with a similar offensive attack. Expect the Black Knights to run over the Panthers smaller sized defense and win the turnover advantage. Grab Army.

The Ohio Bobcats peculiar season has featured a 2-4 start. Under senior quarterback Nathan Rourke they’ve failed to muster proficiency to finish off games. In fact two of their losses have been by three points or less. Saturday look for Kent State to be the latest to get Ohio to play to the level of their competition. Grab the points here. 

Syracuse’s woes on the offensive side of the football are proven to be uncorrectable in-season. As the offense continues to work on getting better it’s created a burden for the defense. At the mid-season point look for Syracuse’s defense to show more and more cracks against a sound Pittsburgh team. Grab Pittsburgh in the Carrier Dome to get the win and cover the number ATS. 

Off a bye week Arkansas State will have rest and extra preparation over Thursday’s opponent in UL Lafayette. It’ll be interesting to see how UL Lafayette adjusts from another loss last week to the Sun Belt’s premier team in Appalachian State. Road environments have been friendly for the Ragin Cajuns with their offense producing forty-five points against Ohio and thirty-seven against Georgia Southern. Look for their offense to be a catalyst edge over Arkansas State. 

The Green Bay Packers showed last week they can override injuries as long as Aaron Rodgers is at quarterback. The Packers veteran tore apart the Cowboys with key throws and strong running from Aaron Jones. With divisional success against the Vikings and Bears look for that to change over with the Lions. Grab Detroit as the small road underdog. 

The Dallas Cowboys have not been sharp ATS aside from blowouts against the Redskins and Giants. Consecutive weeks as favorites against the Saints and Packers whittled with the offense not showcasing strong efforts. Against the Jets look for the Cowboys to get back to the basics on both sides of the football. Grab the Cowboys. 

The Rams have faltered in consecutive games with sloppy defense. Now they’ll face an undefeated 49ers team that has displayed exceptional proficiency. Although the Rams will likely be without Todd Gurley, expect the Rams to have enough offense to clear the 49ers defense. The masked issues of Jimmy Garrapollo will finally come to fruition. Grab LA. 

The Big Ten will take center stage for a key top twenty-five matchup Saturday night. Hosting will be the Iowa Hawkeyes as they look to topple undefeated Penn State. The Hawkeyes are coming off a sputtering performance in which the offense scored just three against Michigan. Meanwhile Penn State has defeated Big 10 opponents by a whopping 93-7 advantage. Yet look for the Hawkeyes to be ready to answer off last week’s disappointment and protect their home field. Grab Iowa. 

Georgia State had the biggest upset of the season when they toppled Tennessee in September. Last week against Arkansas State they bounced back to win by two touchdowns. The win ended a two-game losing streak and showcased the high skillset of quarterback Dan Ellington. Yet Saturday look for Coastal Carolina to keep up with the Panthers offensively and cover the small number.

Two teams that are in transition phases will battle each other Thursday. The Syracuse Orangemen travel to face the Wolf Pack of NC State. Both teams are coming off bye weeks and looking to gain their fourth wins of the season. A simple fact of the matter for Syracuse has been the struggles of sophomore quarterback Tommy DeVito. That has created issues for the Syracuse defense over the course of four quarters. Lean on NC State here even with Bailey Hockman getting his second starter at quarterback for the Wolf Pack.

Both Appalachian State and UL Lafayette in action for the Sun Belt Wednesday have had extended rest. Neither team has played since Saturday September 28th. UL Lafayette has been unfaceable ATS going unblemished on the season. Yet I expect that to change Wednesday as Appalachian State’s size defensively will hinder UL Lafayette’s potent run game. Grab Appalachian State for a Wednesday winner. 

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to see a high rise on their number ATS each week. With the Colts surrendering a loss against the Raiders many red flags were raised. Still early in the season Jacoby Brissett is going to have to burden immense pressure to keep them in Sunday’s contest. Look for him to be up for the challenge and the Colts to be the latest to get the cover against the Chiefs. 

Probably the biggest game Sunday will be played in Dallas. Green Bay comes in banged up with their biggest weapon out in wide receiver DaVante Adams. Targets for the Packers receivers will now go to a cast of former third and fourth wide receivers. Woes offensively for Green Bay have featured sporadic play. That combined with the Packers poor run defense leaves Sunday’s matchup in doubt. Still the Cowboys are prone to leaving teams in games. Look for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense to have just enough surge to cover this spread. 

The Saints have changed over their offensive game plan to fit their strengths minus Drew Brees. The change over has featured short throws and opportunistic defense. What will give Sunday as the Saints face one of the top offenses in the league in Tampa Bay? Tampa put on a big display of points against the Rams and has been in every one of their games win or loss. Yet look for the Saints to pull through with a strong fourth quarter. 

The Atlanta Falcons had one of the biggest let downs last week a home loss to the Titans. The offense was inept and the defense was torn apart by a formerly struggling Marcus Mariotta. Now they’ll travel on the road to face a Texans team that’s been strong defensively and has weapons galore on offense. Look for the Falcons to rise to the occasion on this one and get the cover. 

The 1-4 UCLA Bruins could easily be 0-5. Their lone win came in a desperation comeback down four touchdowns against Washington State. Last week’s golden opportunity to get a win with Arizona’s quarterback out faltered. Now they’ll face an Oregon State team that nearly comeback to defeat Stanford. They also have a senior quarterback in Jake Luton at their disposal that will test a poor UCLA defense. Still the Beavers always find a way to neutralize themselves on the field. Look for key penalties to derail their chance at a cover. Grab UCLA. 

The Arizona Wildcats will venture on the road for the first time since their loss to Hawaii. Two solid wins in a row have still placed doubt on Arizona’s offense that has not looked like a Kevin Summerlin type. Yet their defense has rose to the challenge and gave Colorado quarterback Steven Montez troubles in last year’s contest. Grab Arizona to win the turnover battle and secure an ATS cover. 

One of the biggest letdowns last week in college football was Nebraska. They faltered as steep home underdogs against the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes. This week they’ll get a chance to avenge that embarrassing loss as they remain at home against Northwestern. The Wildcats have looked sloppy at times but remain well coached. Look for Northwestern to  have the edge and get the cover. 

One of the key early morning games will come between Army and Tulane. Both teams are well-rested with Tulane coming off the memorable thrilling cover against Houston. They’re capabilities offensively will test an Army squad that may still be without quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. Expect a back and forth affair with Army gaining the pace and key stops late to get this cover. 

The Dallas Cowboys have torn apart the Giants, Redskins, and Dolphins. Their strength of schedule will take a big rise Sunday night as they face the New Orlean Saints. Teddy Bridgewater and the Saints defense were strong in their road win over the Seahawks. Factoring the Saints home edge and prime time spot should put the Cowboys in a tough spot. But look for the focus of this Cowboys team to remain sharp. Grab Dallas. 

The Bears are now 2-1 but many are basing that on the quality of their opponents. They barely escaped Denver and clearly won a sloppy performance against the Redkins on Monday Night. Stepping up against a higher caliber opponent in the Vikings will be a tough challenge. Defensively the Vikings have a solid script on Mitch Trubisky based on their past meetings. With Dalvin Cook running wild this could be a pace game that the Vikings dictate. In the end though look for the Bears to convert their red zone opportunities into touchdowns and prevail ATS. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have shown that they’re still exhibitioning some of the characteristics under their old regime. Two home losses were both led by execution failures against the 49ers and Giants. Now they’ll travel to California to face one of the best teams in football the past two seasons in the LA Rams. Issues may continue arise for the Bucs offense but look for their defense to show up and override last week’s meltdown against the Giants. Grab Tampa Bay. 

The Arizona Cardinals are putting a big burden on rookie quarterback Kyler Murray. While he may have the eye-popping stats the on field results have been lackluster. Yet look for this week to be a competitive game for the Cardinals. Seattle has been prone to playing down to a team home or away. Grab Arizona to put in a quality effort and cover the home points here. 

The Buckeyes inexperience at quarterback has not hurt them one bit. Justin Fields has stepped in and took the reigns with no problem. In a big home spot for the Cornhuskers look for Fields to have the edge over Nebraska’s quarterback in Adrian Martinez. Grab the Buckeyes to continue to cover at a blistering rate.

The Stanford Cardinals free-fall has put them in unchartered territory. At 1-3 they’ve been blown out by double-digits in their last three games. They level of competition will be a couple of steps down for them this Saturday against Oregon State. Yet this is a chance for the Beavers to exact revenge for years of Cardinals beat downs. Grab Oregon State. 

The Fighting Irish did not fall much in the polls after their competitive loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Defensively they showed they are more than capable of contending with anyone on any given Saturday. Yet look for the challenge of slowing Bryce Perkins to be a different beast. Virginia may be prone to close games but that bodes to their advantage in this tough road environment. Grab Virginia.

The Sooners and Texas Tech will open up Big 12 conference play Saturday morning. Both teams come in having had a full week of rest in between their last games on September 14th. Don’t expect the Sooners to have any display of rust. They’ll keep their octane offense and show enough improvements defensively to cover a nearly four touchdown spread.

The Bears are fortunate to not be 0-2. Thanks to a miraculous long range field goal week two to defeat Denver they are 1-1. That does not provide relief for an offense that has looked MIA for the first two weeks of the season. Yet, Monday expect things to open up for the run game and eventually Mitch Trubisky. Washington is vulnerable on both sides of the football and will give the Bears opportunities for short fields. Grab Chicago.

The San Francisco 49ers took care of business to jump out to a 2-0 record. They’ve done so with injuries at the tailback position and re-acclimating Jimmy Garrappollo to the offense. It’s working and right now they have a prime spot to unleash years of misery for the 49ers franchise. Pittsburgh will fight to avoid an 0-3 start but this is a 49ers team out the gate with high intensity offensively and defensively. Grab San Francisco. 

Making a quarterback change in the NFL to a rookie is usually done in an opportune spot. Facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers improving defense under Todd Bowles may serve to be a tough challenge for Daniel Jones. With an extra three days off since their win over Carolina the defense should be extra prepared. This is a spot that I’ll side with the underdog as they find a way to lean on Saquon Barkley and get the tempo in place to keep Daniel Jones unnerved. Grab the Giants. 

Could this be de ja vu for the Arizona State Sun Devils? Similar to last year an upset over Michigan State led to a top twenty five ranking for the Sun Devils. This time around though they are not led by a senior quarterback. Instead they’re led by a freshman who the Sun Devils have kept under wraps in wins over Sacramento State and Michigan State. This week look for the Sun Devils to continue to lean on their defense and get enough from their offense. Grab ASU. 

Comfort in a home schedule for the entire month of September did not bode to the advantage of Mississippi State last week. The game slipped away as Kansas State answered a score with a special teams touchdown. Saturday expect the Bulldogs to learn from that situation regardless of who is quarterback. Kentucky has looked the part with a cover over Toledo and nearly upsetting Florida last week. Expect this to be a reality check matchup with the Bulldogs succeeding. 

Saturday, Texas A&M finds themselves crunched with two top matchups over the next three weeks. Saturday they’ll face Auburn before they host Alabama in two weeks. This matchup is a rematch of one of the worst meltdowns of a team in-conference last season. Texas A&M let a sure win slip away in the final minutes by allowing two touchdowns in the final five minutes. Expect A&M to show pride this time around and get the win over a better Auburn Tigers team.

The Philadelphia Eagles survived a scare in week one against the Washington Redskins. Now they’ll face an Atlanta Falcons team that has their backs up against the wall after a poor showing against the Minnesota Vikings. Offensively the Falcons look a few notches behind what you would expect with the veteran talent they have. Look for the Eagles to put on a showcase performance and the Falcons to start off 0-2. 

The Chiefs potent offense did not skip a beat week one with an injured Tyreek Hill. They’ll travel to face an Oakland team that does not have the weapons to play at a face pace. Yet look for the Raiders to benefit from two home games to start the season and ride their rookie tailback Josh Jacobs as they did against Denver. Grab Oakland here. 

Saturday an odd matchup will take place between the Sun Belt’s Georgia State and MAC’s Western Michigan. Just two weeks ago the Panthers pulled off the biggest upset of the young season over Tennessee. That was nearly overrode last week in a close victory over Furman 48-42.  Look for Western Michigan to take advantage of a poor Panthers defense and cruise Saturday  

The Bulls find themselves in a similar spot as a season ago when they were six point favorites on the road against Rutgers. This time they’ll face a Liberty team that has not shown the offensive flashes they did a season ago with quarterback Stephen Calvert. The senior has just one touchdown in two games with a QBR rating of 11.7. Although the Bulls are led by a freshmen quarterback look for them to have the edge and ATS cover here. 

A year ago Herm Edwards Sun Devils were able to stun Michigan State on their home field. It was the type of game that the offense did very little until the final window of the fourth quarter. That’s fresh in the minds of a Michigan State team that will have opportunities against a different caliber ASU team. Don’t expect them to let off the gas in this one. Grab Michigan State.