I love taking the overs in Fort Wayne games because they have a really potent offense and their defense is leaky at times. In five games this season, they've scored 71, 112, 61, 111 and 80 this season. Jon Konchar is their best player, but he's only been the team's leading scorer twice so that tells you about the depth that they have. South Carolina State has lost four straight after a season opening win over a lower level opponent. During this losing skid the Bulldogs have allowed 74, 89, 84 and 89 points. Yes, the offensive production was lacking in those games, but I think this one goes up and down a bit. Damni Applewhite and Janai Raynor Powell are the team's leading scorers. I think this one goes over the total.

California showed a lot in their loss to St. John's last time out. This is a young team that should have a little bit of confidence despite the 1-2 record. They are led by Paris Austin and Justice Sueing who combine for about 33 points per game. Darius McNeill shot it well from long range last game as well. The Golden Bears have a win over Hampton to go along with a 17 point loss to Yale. Temple is coming off a tough 57-51 loss to VCU in which they fought back from a big early deficit to make things interesting before succumbing in the end. The Owls go as Shizz Alston and Quinton Rose go. Nate Pierre-Louis has been a decent scorer as well, but he's inconsistent like the rest. It was a grueling game for Temple last night and it's a quick turnaround. I think this is a big number so give me the underdog.

Jacksonville State is looking for their first win of the season as they begin the Cancun Challenge. The Gamecocks have losses at Samford, Penn State and Bradley on their resume. The team has struggled offensively allowing two of those opponents to shoot 50% or better from the field. I like the offensive potential of these guys though with transfers Detrick Mostella and Ty Hudson mixing in with Jason Burnell and Marlon Hunter. They can come at you in a lot of different ways. Western Carolina has losses to Wright State, Charleston and SMU to go with a 94-55 win over Hiwassee. The Catamounts play with a little bit of pace and have three double digit scorers led by Matt Halvorsen, Kameron Gibson and Carlos Dotson. Western Carolina has gone over in all three lined games. I think this one does too. 

Little Rock is 2-1 on the season with wins over Tennessee State and SE Oklahoma State. The Trojans have given up 80 points or more in two of those contests and are playing their third straight road game. They have four double digit scorers led by Rayjon Tucker and Markquis Nowell who put up over 30 points combined. Tulsa has their own quartet of double digit scorers led by DaQuan Jeffries. The Golden Hurricane has scored 70 points or more in all three contests and is coming off a narrow three point win over California Baptist 82-79. Tulsa has gone over in 20 of their last 31 games as a favorite and 17 of their last 28 at home. I think this one is an over too. 

Louisiana is looking for their first win of the season and one can understand why they are 0-2. The team has lost 87-65 at Tennessee and 89-76 at Kansas. The Ragin Cajuns have a trio of scorers of JaKeenan Gant, Justin Miller and Malik Marquetti. Colorado State has five really good scorers with some depth elsewhere. The Rams have wins over Montana State, Arkansas Pine Bluff and Colorado Christian scoring 80 points or more in every game. They are embracing the new system that is being run. Yes, it's a neutral court, but these two offenses should be able to score. I think this one goes over. 

Bowling Green is 2-2 entering their matchup with Hampton on Monday. The Falcons beat NC Central and Tiffin and had losses at St. John's and VCU in which they were competitive. The Falcons are a veteran bunch led by Justin Turner, Demajeo Wiggins and Dylan Frye. They won't care about this game being played away from home as much. Hampton's win was against Atlanta Christian with losses at VCU and California. They rely heavily on the scoring duo of Jermaine Marrow and Kalin Fisher. I think BG is a lot better then their opponent. 

LaDarien Griffin and Courtney Stockard look like they won't be available for this tournament and for their first game against Georgia State. The Bonnies have already lost to Bucknell and Niagara with their only win coming against Jackson State. The defense has not been very good and that will be a tough one to swallow considering how good Georgia State is. They have wins over Mercer and ETSU to go with a tough seven point loss at Montana. D'Marcus Simonds and Jeff Thomas are a very good duo for the Bonnies to corral. The A-10 has been off to a rough start as a conference. I think that misery continues here on Monday. 

UNI takes on Old Dominion for the first of two straight games on Monday. UNI is 2-2 on the season with wins over Bemidji State and Eastern Kentucky to go along with losses to UT-Arlington and Penn. ODU is also 2-2 with wins over Navy and Kennesaw State to go with losses to St. Joe's and Oregon State. UNI has nice balanced scoring with five guys who average nine points or more. The Monarchs offense has some nice pieces but is really inconsistent. I really think that the Panthers are more consistent and I think they are worth a look. 

Hartford was expected to challenge Vermont in the America East, but has struggled out of the gates. Their lone win came last time out against Quinnipiac 68-54. The team has struggled defensively, but they did face Mississippi State, Utah State and Central Connecticut State. John Carroll and Jason Dunne are your leaders in terms of scoring. The Wolverines are not as deep scoring-wise it seems. Jake and Conner Toolson are their leading scorers. Outside of a 96-71 win to Westminster, this team has been pathetic offensively. They scored 65 against BYU, 63 against St. Mary's and 46 against Utah State. I think Hartford wakes up and wins this game. 

Hawaii is 2-1 on the season with wins over Portland and Humboldt to go with a loss to North Texas. The Mean Green successfully slowed them down at home. The other two games were a little bit higher scoring with the home team getting 82 and 90. Hawaii is led by Zigmars Raimo and Jack Purchase who average double digits. They have three others who chip in at least 8. The Lumberjacks have six guys who average eight points per game and have spent quite a bit of time on the road. Their defensive numbers aren't very good and you can see why. Their wins were 76-66 at Omaha and 97-82 over Jacksonville with the loss coming at South Dakota 90-74. The road weariness could get to them a little bit in this matchup on the defensive side of the ball. I think this one goes over this total with a small chance that the underdog is worth a look. 

The Golden Gophers enter SEC play briefly as they take on Texas A&M in Vancouver. Minnesota has five double digit scorers and has been in sync offensively. They've pounded Omaha 104-76 and beat Utah 78-69 at home. Next up is an Aggies team that has lost two straight to Cal-Irvine and Gonzaga. They got undressed by the Zags losing 94-71. The team's only win was against Savannah State 98-83 in a game against a squad with a really loose defense. The Aggies have several scoring options themselves, but are missing Admon Gilder who didn't make the trip with the team up north. They are a bit fragile right now considering their recent performances. I think the Golden Gophers are the better team and should win this one rather easily. 

I like Weber State in this one against CS-Bakersfield on Sunday. The Wildcats offense is smoking hot right now with 88 points per game and 49.2% shooting from the field. Jerrick Harding, Cody John and Zach Braxton are a damn good trio of scorers and Bakersfield is struggling on defense. Weber has wins over Central Michigan, San Jose State and Bethesda with a 17 point loss at San Diego. Bakersfield has wins over San Jose State (by 1) and Antelope Valley to go with losses to Central Michigan and TCU. I think the potent Wildcats get the win in this one. 

It's a large number but it's quite warranted. Kentucky has won two straight since getting undressed by Duke in their opener. The team last beat North Dakota 96-58 which is good for a 38 point win. The Keydets are 3-1 on the season with wins over Goucher, South Carolina Update and another lower level team. Their lone loss was by 39 points at Pittsburgh who has nowhere near the talent of the Wildcats. VMI's going to struggle to score in this one and if you look the past couple of years they've gotten blasted by their better opponents. Last year, they lost by 35 to NC State on the road and by 39 at Wofford. There's no lookahead factor here so I think the Wildcats unfortunately bludgeon the Keydets who will take their paycheck and say thank you very much. 

Northeastern's defense has been very porous this season allowing teams to shoot almost 50% from the field. Kellan Grady and Jon Gudmondsson should be able to take advantage of that. My only real worry is if the Wildcats have enough inside to match up with the Huskies. I just think Davidson is the better team and I'll take them in a straight up situation. 

Both of these teams are 2-2 this season. The Waves have wins over Towson and California-Dominquez with losses against Georgia Southern and Northern Colorado. I really like the trio of Colbey Ross, Kameron Edwards and Darnell Dunn to go along with Eric Cooper Jr. I think the Waves will be a solid team come conference play. The Redhawks have wins over North Dakota State and Midway to go with losses to Montana and Butler. Miami-Ohio has a great duo in Nike Sibande and Dalonte Brown. Neither of these teams play great defense, but I like Pepperdine in this one as a slight underdog. 

The Chargers and Broncos each have good defenses who are putting up good numbers in different ways. Denver's secondary is one of the best while the Chargers are clamping down on both the run and the pass. Denver's offense is very underwhelming with Case Keenum under center. He doesn't scare too many people as the offense has scored 20 points or less four times since September 23rd. This one just feels like an under. 

It's been a rough start for West Virginia who is 1-2 on the year with losses to Western Kentucky and Buffalo. The team couldn't make the stops against the Bulls and couldn't get enough offense vs. the Hilltoppers. Coach Bobby Huggins talked about how the press isn't working and how they may not use it much more. Esa Ahmad is doing the legwork with James Bolden and Sagaba Konate chipping in double digit points. Offense has not been an issue for the Hawks who are 3-1 and have scored 79, 78, 89 and 57 this season. They've been led by Charlie Brown, but also have Kimble and several others who can get buckets for them. Their problem has been in the defensive side of things allowing everyone to score 63 points or more. To me, they are the perfect elixir for WVU to get some things going on offense. I think this one is an over. 

Pardon me if I don't think that the Cowboys are back after that win in Philly last week. That game told me more about the Eagles then it did Dallas. They now hit the road for the third time over a four week span to play the Falcons down in Atlanta. The Dallas offense relied heavily on Zeke Elliott and got just enough from Dak Prescott to win. The Falcons have won three of their last four and are coming off a tough loss at Cleveland last time out. They are actually getting a little healthier with Deion Jones being activated and he's going to really help the middle of that defense. Last year the Falcons won this game 27-7. At home, I believe Atlanta's the better team and I think they win this one easily.

It's a divisional battle as the Colts host the Titans. The Colts have won three straight and no coincidence that it's because Andrew Luck and his weapons are healthy. The team has discovered a run game to take a little heat off the signal caller as well. Indy's defense does scare me, but they've done well against the run and making the Titans one dimensional will help. Tennessee is coming off an impressive 34-10 win at home against New England. The Titans have won two straight after losing three in a row. The last time they got a huge win was when they beat the Eagles before that losing streak. They are 2-3 on the road averaging just 17.6 points in those games. The Colts have won 14 of their last 19 at home in this series, covering 12 of those. I think the home team gets the win.

You couldn't get the Jaguars any lower than right now. Jacksonville has lost five straight, including a 29-26 loss at Indianapolis last week. The defense didn't make the stops when it had to in that one and once again the offense didn't do its part. Even with all of that, I still think the Jags are worth a look at home. This is a team that's got a lot of pride and they beat the Steelers twice last year. I'm sure that's part of the reason why this line is so big. It's hard to find anything wrong with Pittsburgh during its current five-game winning streak. They've gotten some extra days to prepare for this one considering they last played on Thursday night. I think Jalen Ramsey is going to do some good work on Antonio Brown which will force Big Ben to find some other weapons. I do like the Steelers' defense too. It's a really underrated unit. The Steelers have been a road favorite of 3.5 to 7 points just five times over the last three seasons, covering just one of them. I like the home team to pick things up in this one.

The Billikens are 3-0 on the season and are doing it despite some underwhelming offense. SLU has wins over North Alabama (69-58), Troy (62-58) and SEMO (75-65). In those games St. Louis played good defense. The problem has been free throw shooting and that'll need to get tightened up in the team's first road game of the season. Seton Hall is 1-1 with a 40 point win over Wagner and a 23 point loss at Nebraska. The Pirates are a young team that will get better as the season goes along. Myles Powell, Michael Nzei and Taurean Thompson are a decent trio although Thompson is struggling terribly. I think the road team is worth a look here. 

Lafayette has a chance to make the Sun Belt championship game with wins in their final two contests. They've won four of their last six and done so with a solid offense and a defense that makes stops when it has to. They've scored 36, 47 and 66 in their last three games as they rely on a ground game. The good news is Trey Ragas will be available. The Jaguars have lost six of their last seven with the win coming over Alabama State from the FCS level. They've allowed 38 points in each of their last three weeks and have struggled to stop anyone defensively. They seemed to have packed it in so I'll take the team at home that's going to be a lot more motivated.

It's a Philly battle as Drexel takes on La Salle. The Explorers have yet to win this season falling to Florida, Lafayette and Temple. The Explorers are allowing opponents to shoot 47% from the field. They are struggling to shoot themselves. Pookie Powell is their best player, but he doesn't have a ton around him. Drexel is 1-2 with an offense that is shooting nearly 50% from the field. They have a close loss to Eastern Michigan and a loss to Rutgers along with a big win over a lower level team. Drexel has a lot more balance then La Salle does with their scoring. La Salle has covered just 22 of their last 59 games. Give me the road team. 

This was supposed to be for the ACC Coastal and instead it's for respectability and bowl berths. Miami's quarterback play has been brutal and it's killing their offense which has scored 21 points or less in four straight. It's also their fourth road game over a six week span. The best unit on the field will be the defense which has held opponents in check for the most part lately. Virginia Tech's offense has hot and cold spurts but they are lacking the talent to make a difference. The defense has been terrible as of late allowing 30 points or more in three straight. I think this one is an under mostly because I think the home team will struggle to score.

It's been a rough season for the Illini who are 4-6 and are giving up over 500 yards of offense per game. Luckily for them, they are facing an anemic Iowa attack who has struggled to get a lot going. Iowa has lost three straight because they've suddenly sprung a leak against the run. Last time out they had just 10 points against Northwestern. This is a team that also scored just 23 points at home against Maryland. Don't look at Illinois' defensive numbers, because they'd make you want to cry. It's actually the Illini offense that has been pretty good as of late. I don't see that happening on Saturday though. Illinois has gone under in 12 of their last 20 home games. I think this one is a little bit lower scoring.

The Vols have won two straight and are one win away from bowl eligibility. Last week they took advantage of an unfocused Kentucky team in a 24-7 win. Their defense has allowed 37 points the last three weeks and is in good form right now to take on an inconsistent Missouri team. The Tigers have also won two straight, but nearly lost at home to Vanderbilt. The Vols have committed just four turnovers the last six weeks. This is simply a momentum play on a team that should be motivated on Senior Day to get the win against a Tigers team very capable of laying an egg.

Louisiana Monroe is one of the hottest teams in the conference as they enter this one on a four game win streak. The team has road wins at Coastal Carolina and South Alabama in that span. They have an offense led by Caleb Evans that could be very tricky to defend. ASU's defense hasn't been their strong suit at times allowing 47 to Lafayette and 35 to Georgia State. ASU's offense will stress the Warhawks. This is when Monroe shines as they've won five of their last eight in November. I'll take the underdog in this one with a decent shot to win outright.

Charlotte has lost three of their last four games. The offense has been pretty bad the past few weeks scoring just 49 points over their last four. They haven't been the same since Chris Reynolds left at quarterback. The good thing for the 49ers has been their defense which has held four of their last five opponents to 21 points or less. FIU can clinch their half of the C-USA with two wins. Their offense will be tested against this 49ers group. FIU has put up very good numbers with James Morgan under center. Still, this is a tough road game that I don't think sees a lot of points. Charlotte has gone under in four of their last six.

It's been a rough year for both teams as VMI takes on ODU. The Monarchs have gained some momentum after their huge comeback win last week at home. There won't be a bowl in their future, but the offense should be able to do whatever it wants. VMI's defense has struggled with FCS level opponents and should have issues here too. The Keydets have gone to a spread air raid offense and it's worked for a lot of the season. I think they can put up some points in this one, but the Monarchs will do a lot of the legwork.

Maybe there's a letdown for Northwestern who clinched the Big Ten West Division already. The Wildcats beat Iowa 14-10 last week on the road and that gave them the honor. The Wildcats will be without Jared McGee, Trae Williams and Montre Hartage in the secondary which may hurt against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have won two of their last three including a 41-10 victory over Purdue last time out. The team has played better defensively since firing their coordinator. Minnesota is 5-1 at home straight up and against the spread. I'll take the chance that Northwestern is a little unfocused and take the home team to win the game.

USF's defense has gone away during the team's three game losing streak. They gave up 57 to Houston, 41 to Tulane and 35 to Cincinnati. The team's offense has dried up a little bit and that won't help against a Temple team that plays well at home. The Owls split the tough two game trip through UCF and Houston with a 52-40 loss to the Golden Knights and a 59-49 win to Houston. Ryquell Armstead had a bunch of touchdowns in that one. He should continue to pop against USF on Saturday. The Owls still have a small chance at winning the division. USF has gone over in 20 of their last 35 games including five straight as an underdog. This one should be a fun one between these two AAC schools.

Baylor is 4-1 at home and is playing for bowl eligibility as TCU comes to town. The Horned Frogs have lost four of their last five games with the offense playing absolutely horribly. This team has scored less then 20 points in five of their last seven. They were a no-show in Morgantown last week falling 47-10 to West Virginia. Baylor has wins over Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State at home. They've been showing some balance on offense and just enough defense to make it work. They have more momentum and more to play for so give me the home team.

Colgate is putting up some incredible numbers defensively this season. They've allowed just 29 points this season with 17 of those coming in week one against Holy Cross. They allowed a TD last week to Lehigh which was the first in 29 quarters of play. Colgate is a lot like Army in that they want to grind clock and run the ball a lot. Grant Breneman is the starting quarterback and he's managed the game very well. James Holland is one of their biggest threats too. I think this game goes very quickly and getting 11 points with a game that has a total in the 30s is good enough for me.

Towson and Pepperdine play in the Bahamas on Friday night. The Waves have a 100-66 win over Cal-Dominquez and an 88-80 loss to Northern Colorado. They've shown a propensity for offense this year as you can see led by Kameron Edwards who put up 22 last time out. They've got five double digit scorers and some depth behind it. Towson has only two double digit scorers and are trying to replace a lot of talent from last year. Towson beat Wesley 93-66 but lost to UVA 73-42 in their first game. I don't trust their offense and I don't trust the younger team to not celebrate too much being in the Bahamas. Give me the more veteran team. 

LSU has been rolling offensively so far with six guys averaging nine points per game or more this season. Naz Reid has been fantastic shooting 61.1% from the field while averaging 19 points and six rebounds per contest. Skylar Mays and Tremont Waters are pretty efficient from the field. They've scored 85, 97 and 94 points this season. The problem has come on the defensive side of the ball where they've allowed 76, 91 and 63. Louisiana Tech is 3-0 with wins over Wichita State, Sam Houston State and Harding. The big question will be if DaQuan Bracey will play after he has missed the last two contests with an ankle injury. Still, they've scored pretty well while playing some good defense. This is a rare meeting between schools in the same area. I think this one will be a bit of a track meet.

The Bearcats are continuing their tradition of great defense this season as they hold opponents to 57.5 points per game. After giving up 64 points to Ohio State in the season opener, they held NC Central to 51 in a 73-51 win. Outside of Jarron Cumberland, they don't have a ton of scoring options. Cane Broome has been a little disappointing so far averaging just 2.5 points per game. Wisconsin Milwaukee is 0-3 so far and have been rather anemic offensively. They scored 53 points at Boston College and 60 at home vs. North Dakota. Yes, this team blew up with 80 against FIU, but that's to be expected against the Golden Panthers. Cincinnati has gone under in 38 of their last 68 games and nine of their last 11 lined November games. I think this one is an under too. 

Richmond is 1-1 with two completely different efforts this season. The Spiders lost 63-58 to Longwood in their opener but followed it up with an 88-66 win over St. Francis NY. They go as Gilyard, Golden and Sherod go. This team wants to run a bit whenever they can and they play pretty awful defense. IUPUI has won two straight since falling 82-69 to Xavier in game one. Since then they beat Eastern Illinois 71-65 and won at Boston College 76-69 just a few days ago. Camron Justice, Evan Hall and Jaylen Minnett are the Jaguars leading scorers. Richmond has gone over in 19 of their last 28 home games and 23 of their last 37 when the total is in the 140s. I think this one is an over. 

The Norse are rolling early with five double digit scorers and a team that is crushing opponents at home. NJU has two lower level wins by 40 and 64 to go along with a three point victory at Northern Illinois. In each of those games they shot 49% or better from the field and played good defense as well. UNC Asheville has lost all of their starters from last year and are struggling to find consistency. They have a 40 point win vs. St. Andrews and a 51 point loss at NC State. NKU has been a very good favorite as of late and is covering games at a nice clip. I think they get another blowout win on Friday. 

The Mastodons are an over team and have done so in all three of their lined games. They are shooting almost 47% from the field and are allowing opponents to do the same. Jon Konchar is one of the best players in the country that people just don't know much about. They have scored 71, 112, 61 and 111 points this season. The problems have come on the other end allowing 107 to Ohio State and 96 to UCLA. Dayton will get Josh Cunningham back in the lineup. They beat Coppin State 76-46 and North Florida 78-70. Yes, the Flyers defensive nature scares me a bit in this one, but I think Fort Wayne will do a lot of the heavy lifting on both ends of the court. Fort Wayne has gone over in 18 of their last 25 games with the total in the 150s. I think that trend continues here. 

South Dakota takes on High Point in a tournament. The Coyotes have a 16 point win over Northern Arizona and a 25 point victory over York-NE. This team has four double digit scorers led by Triston Simpson and Tyler Peterson. They are a very efficient team shooting well from the field. High Point is led by a potent duo of Brandonn Kamga and Jahaad Proctor who average over 32 points per game. High Point has lost by eight at home to Wofford and by 10 at William and Mary. South Dakota is a great favorite covering 27 of their last 40 games and 40 of their last 61 overall. I think they take care of business in this one.

A ton of returning talent is in this game as Central Michigan and Bakersfield play on a neutral court once again. Last year these two played a 75-72 CMU win in which both shot over 50% from the field. The Chippewas are running and gunning to the tune of over 90 points although the competition has been garbage so far. CMU has gone over in 39 of their last 59 contests. Bakersfield lost a low scoring game to TCU and then came back and crushed a lower level opponent. They've brought back all five starters from a team that struggled last year. The neutral court is a bit of a scary thing for this wager because it could take time to get used to the rims. UCSB has gone over in nine of their last 13 as an underdog. I think we see a ton of points in this one. 

The Hawks take on the Demon Deacons on a neutral court game on Thursday. Wake Forest beat North Carolina A&T 90-78 at home as a 21.5 point favorite. They got a balanced effort with six players scoring in double digits. This is a young team that has a ton of athleticism, but not a ton of depth. I'm also not a Danny Manning guy and will use that against this team in close games. The Hawks have wins already over ODU 79-64 and Monmouth 78-63. I really like the duo of Charlie Brown and Lamarr Kimble. He's got some help from the likes of Pierfrancesco Oliva and Taylor Funk. I like their depth and I like Coach Martelli in this matchup. Give me the team out of the A-10. 

This is the rare combination of a good offensive team against a really bad defensive team. Colorado State is averaging 96 points per game and is shooting 53% from the field. They have six guys who average double digit points in wins over Arkansas Pine Bluff and Colorado Christian. They want to get up and down the court and so far they have. Montana State's best player is Tyler Hall. They've lost 80-35 at Indiana and 101-71 to Utah State. The team's only win was 83-68 to a school called Presentation. I think we see both teams score tonight and this one sail over the total.

The two teams are going in different directions record-wise, but the talent levels are about the same. The Gamecocks have lost 92-72 to Samford and 76-61 to Penn State. They are led by double-double man Jason Burnell with transfers Detrick Mostella and Ty Hudson also picking up the load. Bradley is 2-0 with wins over SEMO and Wisconsin Parkside. They play a lower scoring style with a really good defense. I think JSU can keep this close so give me the underdog in this one.

Duke is going to be a hard team to put down offensively. They could struggle a little early against the 2-3 zone of EMU, but the Eagles don't have the athletes or the talent to keep up. The Blue Devils are shooting over 50% from the field and are averaging over 100 points per game. They will get up and down the court with relative ease against the lesser opponents. Their problem is going to be a commitment to defense which they struggled in the first half against Army. EMU has a decent offense with some returning talent. They have beaten up on two lower level teams along with Drexel. They are averaging 80 points per game. I think we could see Duke crack 100 again and get this easily. 

The money move is on the under, but I think there's some value now with the over considering how potent Toledo is. The Rockets are averaging 93 points per game while shooting nearly 56% from the field. They have a problem with defense as well so a team like Wright State who prefers a lower scoring game to put up some points. WSU has a 96-73 win over Western Carolina and is coming off a 73-54 loss at Murray State. I think this is a bit of a back and forth affair so I want to be on the over with late foul shooting potentially coming into play.

Western Michigan has struggled mightily on the defensive end so far allowing 83 points per game over their first two contests. The offense has come up a little bit short although the loss was at Ole Miss. Josh Davis, Bryce Moore and Seth Dugan are a solid trio of players who will stress the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland is replacing a bunch of their top scorers from last year so it's on the likes of Brad Brechting and Xavier Hill-Mais to take over. Oakland beat Kalamazoo 99-45, but lost to Toledo 87-86 last time out after the Rockets shot 60% from the field. Oakland is traditionally an over team and I think this trend continues on Tuesday. 

The Cougars have begun the season 2-0 with an 85-73 win over Presbyterian and a 77-74 win at Western Carolina. Charleston has the potent duo of Grant Riller and Jarrell Brantley back along with senior point guard Marquise Pointer who may see the court for the first time this season. Last year they lost at Rhody 68-62 in a tight game throughout with both teams putting up close to the same stats across the board. Rhody put up an easy 97-63 home win over Bryant. They have lost a lot of talent from a 26 win team last season and have Jeff Dowtin and Fatts Russell to build around in the backcourt. At this point in the season, I'll lean to the more veteran Charleston team although Rhody could be better by the end of the year. 

It's a battle for Boston as UMass hosts Harvard. The Minutemen have an eight point win over UMass-Lowell and a 29 point victory over New Hampshire. They have a really good inside-outside combo with Rashaan Holloway and Luwane Pipkens with Carl Pierre adding some stuff as well. The team has shot over 50% in both of their contests. Harvard has a 12 point win over MIT and a 10 point home loss to Northeastern. This is a squad that will be really good once Bryce Aiken and Seth Towns join the lineup but both are out indefinitely due to knee injuries. Their defense lacks a little bit of punch and the offense could struggle to keep up in this one. These two have played close games the last two seasons with Harvard winning by three at home in 2017 and UMass winning by four at home in 2016. I think they do it once again in 2018.

It was a tough one to swallow for Arkansas who lost 73-71 to Texas on the neutral court on Friday. The overtime did not treat the Razorbacks well in that one. They played some great defense at times holding the Longhorns to 31.3% shooting in the loss. Daniel Gafford is questionable with a neck problem, but I think he'll play in this one. Now they come home to face UC Davis who just lost by 34 and 19 at home to the likes of San Francisco and San Diego. They scored 57 and 42 points in those games with some horrific shooting and even worse from long range. This UC Davis team is really bad and should get swamped in Walton Arena. This will be a blowout. 

The Panthers are 2-0 in the season with two blowout victories. Pittsburgh is shooting 56.1% from the field while holding opponents to just 30.2%. Granted the victories came over VMI and Youngstown State, but I don't think Troy is that much better then them if they actually are. Troy lost by four at St Louis and has a 35 point win over Fort Valley State at home. Jordon Varnado is a very good player, but his help isn't that good. To me, Vegas is underwhelmed so far by the Panthers. I think they are underrating them a bit. I realize they were embarrassing last season, but there's new blood with Coach Capel at the helm. I think they take care of business in this one at home.

To me, this seems like a rather easy over for us to hit. Butler won their first game 90-68 at home shooting 60.3% from the field. The Bulldogs are replacing a bunch of players from last year so they are still trying to work things out. In comes Detroit who has allowed an average of 86 points so far this season. Opponents are shooting nearly 47% from the field against them. The one thing I really like about the Titans is Antoine Davis who scored over 30 against Temple. He's instant offense. Butler has gone over in 20 of their last 31 home games. I think this one is an over with these two scoring at will on one another. 

Alabama beat Southern 82-62 in their first game of the season. In that one we saw a balanced effort with four players putting up double digits led by Donta Hall's 20 points. John Petty chipped in with 17 while Tevin Mack and Galin Smith each added 10. App State beat Mars Hill 125-62 in their opener with Justin Forrest, Ronshad Shabazz and Adrian Delph all doing their part. This team is a veteran bunch that won't be intimidated by the road atmosphere. The Mountaineers have the balance and the depth to push the pace and make this closer then people would think. Over half of the Crimson Tide's roster is freshmen and sophomores. I think this total is a little low and the underdog might be worth a look too. 

Alabama beat Southern 82-62 in their first game of the season. In that one we saw a balanced effort with four players putting up double digits led by Donta Hall's 20 points. John Petty chipped in with 17 while Tevin Mack and Galin Smith each added 10. App State beat Mars Hill 125-62 in their opener with Justin Forrest, Ronshad Shabazz and Adrian Delph all doing their part. This team is a veteran bunch that won't be intimidated by the road atmosphere. The Mountaineers have the balance and the depth to push the pace and make this closer then people would think. Over half of the Crimson Tide's roster is freshmen and sophomores. I think this total is a little low and the underdog might be worth a look too. 

The other half of last week's big game also is in an epic sandwich situation as the Rams take on the Seahawks. Los Angeles lost a heartbreaker to the Saints in New Orleans and has a HUGE matchup with the Chiefs in Week 11 in Mexico City. Many have tabbed that as a Super Bowl preview. Seattle lost to the Rams at home back on Oct. 7 33-31 in a game that saw the Seahawks keep up on the scoreboard despite giving up a ton of yards. Seattle has been a tough team to figure out, as evidenced by last week's 25-17 home loss to the Chargers. The emphasis on getting back to running the football has paid off and the defense has held its own for the most part, but the record shows a .500 team. Los Angeles' defense needs to play better if the Rams hope to go far in the playoffs. To me, this one should be closer than the double-digit spread. I can't imagine that the Rams are 100 percent focused for this despite the loss last week.

The Mastadons are an over team because they score and they play literally no defense. The team beat Earlham College 112-51 after allowing a boatload of points to UCLA. Now Ohio State, doesn't necessarily want to run, but I think they'll find it rather easy to get to the basket. They played a very low scoring game with Cincinnati as their opener so at home, they'll want to open things up a bit. The starting five features four guys who put up double digits in their first contest. This one should go over the total with OSU potentially hitting in the 80s or 90s. 

These two teams will play twice in an 11 day span this month. The Lions have lost two straight and three of their last five as the offense has bottomed out a bit. They scored just 23 points the last two weeks against the Seahawks and Vikings. The loss of Golden Tate is a big one and the offensive line had a terrible time trying to block Minnesota. Chicago's offense is scoring points, yet the yardage numbers aren't staggering. I still don't trust Mitch Trubisky who doesn't have a ton of weapons to throw to. I do love their defense and think they will put the clamps down on the Lions in this one. The Bears have gone under in 22 of their last 40 including 17 of their last 28 against the rest of the conference.

The Saints are the talk of the NFL after their home win over the Rams. They added Dez Bryant days ago to an already potent offense. Last week, they went out to a big lead then held on somewhat at the end to get the win. This is their fifth road game over the last seven game weeks so who knows if it'll affect them at all. This is also an epic sandwich game for New Orleans with the defending Super Bowl champions coming to New Orleans next week. I'm not a huge fan of the Saints defense, but I don't know if Cincy can take advantage of it without AJ Green. The Bengals offense will have to get back to the team that scored 37 points on Tampa Bay and Atlanta. They have had the bye week to prepare some stuff and John Ross might be able to play in this one. Cincy's defense scares me, but really I just think this is too perfect a situation for them with New Orleans maybe struggling for focus.

I don't like what i'm hearing from Jacksonville. AJ Bouye told reporters he wasn't playing this weekend and the coach said he had heard differently. The defense is no longer feared that much and although they are coming off a bye week, so are the Colts. I think Indy's offense could give Jacksonville fits and the defense is good enough to slow down Bortles and the boys. Fournette's return is nice, but i'm still stacking the box against him and making the QB beat them. 

The Jets shouldn't be touchdown favorites over anyone. They've lost three straight and six of their last eight games. The Jets will be starting Josh McCown with Sam Darnold dealing with a foot injury. Oddly, this probably makes some people want to back the Jets more. Now, Buffalo has scored just 33 points over its last four games and a lot of that is because Nathan Peterman is the worst quarterback to ever put on the jersey. The team's defense has played very well for the most part, but they are being put in the worst positions. It's crazy to think I like Matt Barkley to cover this number considering he just joined the team but he's better then Peterman. Give me the better defense in this one. 

Nevada has won two straight and three of their last five games. The Wolf Pack offense has been getting the ground game going and is playing solid enough defense. Ty Gangi is a very good quarterback and should have his way against Colorado State which has given up 56 at Boise, 30 at San Jose State and 48 at Florida. The Rams allowed 34 points to lowly Wyoming at home last time they took the field. The thing is CSU's offense isn't horrible. They've scored 20 points or more in four straight tilts. Nevada's defense isn't lock down and can give up some points. CSU has gone over in 14 of their last 21 Mountain West games. I think these two can light up the scoreboard.

Both of these teams are coming in off wins last time out. Purdue crushed Fairfield 90-57 in a game that saw the Stags struggle to score and the Boilermarkers flashing their depth. Ball State picked up an 86-69 win and will be a team I'll be on often this year. They've got several returning starters in Tahaj Teague, Taylor Persons and more. They like to get up and down, but struggle a bit on the defensive end because of that. Ball State has gone over in 35 of their last 57 games including 16 of 26 when the total is in the 140s. They've also gone over in 14 of their last 18 lined non-conference games. Purdue will try to slow this game down a bit, but I think they'll find it easy to get some buckets. I think this one is an over.

Western Michigan picked up a win 89-76 over Detroit Mercy already this season. They'll take a step up in competition when they travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss in their first game under Kermit Davis. The Broncos have a lot of talent to make this interesting. Seth Dugan and Josh Davis are a pretty solid duo in the front court. Bryce Moore is the third starter, but he's out until December. Ole Miss won their exhibition game 101-52 over Fayetteville State and went 3-1 in Canada in August. Kermit wants his teams to play defense, but don't mind to run when possible. I think this one goes over the total with a chance that the underdog may be worth a look.

Evansville is in for a long and rough year this season. They are coming off a 99-60 loss to Illinois last time out as the Illini shot 56.3% from the field in the win. The Purple Aces lost a ton of talent from last year and will look to get running behind Walter McCarty who is the team's new head coach. Xavier won their first game 82-69 over IUPUI. Tyrique Jones and Ryan Welage did a lot of the work in that one. There's a chance that Quentin Goodin could make his season debut and he's a point guard to help the offense run smoother. November has been good for the Musketeers who have covered 11 of their last 15 in the month. They should be able to get whatever they want and gather some momentum entering a matchup with Wisconsin.

Rhode Island is relevant in college football now as their offense is putting up over 30 points per game. The problems have come on the defensive side where they allow nearly 27. Any time they've faced a tough offense, they have struggled giving up 56 to UConn whose offense is good compared to an FCS school, 38 to Maine and 52 to Stony Brook. JaJuan Lawson is healthy now so that should be able to help their offense improve a bit as he's been really good under center. JMU is coming off a really frustrating 35-24 loss to New Hampshire where they had six turnovers and couldn't make key defensive stops. This offense is capable of so much more especially since they had a stretch where they scored 187 points over three weeks. It's the final home game of the regular season and a lot is still at stake. I think we're due for a Dukes offensive explosion and this one sails over the total with JMU potentially providing all the points. 

Kentucky is coming off a 34-17 loss to Georgia last week and now their hopes are dashed for the SEC East title. In that game they struggled to get the run going and allowed UGA to rush for over 300 yards. Now they have to head to Knoxville to take on a Tennessee team that only beat lowly Charlotte 14-3. The Vols offense has been pretty pitiful lately, but their defense has shown some flashes. The secondary has played well meaning they can stack the box on Benny Snell. A lot of this play is because I just don't think the Wildcats will be 100% focused for this one. There has to be some sort of letdown after playing so poorly in their big game. I think the home team could get the win outright.

Furman is 4-4 on the season with an offense that is heavily run based. They are putting up just under 24 points per game as a unit, but are allowing nearly 30. They are getting gashed allowing over 400 yards per contest. Clemson put up 48 on them, Elon 45, Western Carolina and Samford each racked up 38 points apiece. They've won four of their last five, but I think they'll struggle in this one. The Paladins have had a healthy stretch of home games with just one road contest since September 29th. VMI has just one win and it came last week against Tusculum 20-11. Before that they lost by 7 at Chattanooga and by 2 at home to The Citadel. This team is throwing the ball better in the air raid offense and should cause some problems for the Paladins through the air. The defense is getting a little bit better but is a concern. I think this one is a one score game so we'll take the dog. 

The Wahoos take a break from ACC play to host Liberty on Saturday. UVA had an extra day to prepare for this one after the loss to Pitt last week. The defense struggled with the Panthers run game and didn't move the ball very well on offense either. Still, they get an opponent to should allow them to run their offense easily. Liberty allows 38.2 points per game and 524.5 yards. Their offense is actually pretty good and could get some points on the UVA defense that lost Mandy Alonso and Malcolm Cook as well as potentially one or more defensive backs. UVA is 7-2 against the spread this season, but I think the over could be worth a look. I think we see something in the neighborhood of 47-20 maybe. The Flames gave up 41 to Idaho State so I expect UVA to potentially get to 50. Take the over.

This game is the classic case of a low total and high point underdog. William and Mary has had a season to forget so far as they've won just three games in Jimmye Laycock's final year. This team is coming off a 21-10 loss at Rhode Island which was a really good effort by the defense. They are coming off the bye week and figure to be pretty healthy for this one on both sides of the ball. Plus, a late bye sometimes helps teams re-focus and get ready for the stretch run especially when coach has just two games left. Villanova's year hasn't been that much better going 4-5 overall. They are coming off a 45-21 win over Richmond in which the Spiders basically handed the game with turnovers and poor play. Before that the Wildcats had been shut out twice in a row by James Madison and lowly New Hampshire. Nova's offense is highly unimaginative and shouldn't really scare anyone. I think in a game that's expecting to see so few points, that the underdog is worth a look. 

I've made some money with Charlotte as of late considering the 49ers have covered four straight contests. They are stopping the run at a great clip in Conference USA holding opponents to just 81.7 yards per contest. Their problem has been that the offense has struggled scoring just 36 points the last three weeks combined. This team is coming off a tough loss at Tennessee in which they held the Vols to 14 points and 192 yards of total offense. Marshall has won three of their last five with a solid defense and just enough offense. They are coming off a two point loss at Southern Miss and have already lost to NC State and Middle Tennessee at home. These two have played close games with the 49ers winning at Marshall in 2016 and losing 14-3 at home as a 14 point underdog in 2017. Charlotte has a chance at a bowl berth with two more wins so they'll be highly motivated. I think they keep things close in this one.

It's the basketball rivalry as Duke hosts North Carolina. The Blue Devils snapped a losing skid by beating Miami in Coral Gables 20-12 last time out. The team has allowed almost 800 rushing yards the last two games as the defense experiences more and more injuries. Joe Giles-Harris is the latest who most likely will not be out there for the Blue Devils. Their offense has been putting up good numbers as well. The Tar Heels may have just one win, but they've lost four straight by 10 points or less. Nathan Elliott has been pretty good for the offense, but the defense just hasn't made the stop when it had to. Duke has covered just nine of their last 21 in the ACC. I could see this one being close on Saturday.

It's a long road trip for BYU as they try to snap a losing skid of four of their last five. The Cougars lost a heartbreaker against Boise State last time out and has now scored just 22 points in their last two contests. BYU's defense lost Chris Wilcox at cornerback which will be tough against Andy Isabella who is one of the best WRs in college football. UMass has won two straight beating UConn and Liberty. The team's defense is still pretty bad, but they've gotten some better play as of late. This is the classic case of can a slumping offense find success against a bad defense? UMass won this game in BYU 16-10 last year in a game that they forced four interceptions. I don't know if they'll win, but I think the offense could keep up. I like the home dog in this one.

The Hoosiers have lost four straight and are coming off a very tough loss two weeks ago against Minnesota. Indiana had a bye week last week giving them time to reset everything as they push for a bowl bid. The offense hasn't been the issue although they need to cut down on the turnovers with six straight games of 2 or more. Maryland is coming off a 24-3 loss to Michigan State after dealing with all of the off the field drama. I really think it'll continue to linger giving me another reason to back the home team. Their offense is highly inconsistent and was non-existent in their last road game at Iowa. I think the Hoosiers are worth a look.

LSU is feeling good after a 94-63 win to start out the season. The Tigers shot almost 50% from the field and held their opponent to just 18 points in the first half. This is a deep team with Tremont Waters and Naz Reid out there. They want to get up and down the court whenever they can. UNC Greensboro was one of the slowest teams in the country last year, but they won their first game 74-66 against North Carolina A&T. They were losing in the first half and played better in half #2. This is a veteran team that won't be intimidated by the road atmosphere. They struggle to get their pace on the road where they've gone over in 15 of their last 28. I think this one is an over.

The Panthers picked up a win in their first game 69-53 holding their opponent to just 26.9% shooting from the field. Pittsburgh's offense was a little bit balanced and while I don't see much of a season for them, I think they should beat up on the bad teams on their slate. VMI got an 89-56 win over their lower level opponent. Still, I don't see them getting consistent scoring from a lot of guys. Last year the Keydets lost by 35 to NC State, 16 to Duquesne, 23 to Davidson and by 10 at VCU. I think this one is around there and Pitt gets the cover. 

I know Detroit isn't that good, but they can score with Josh McFolley, Gerald Blackshear Jr and Antoine Davis. They lost 89-76 at Western Michigan so the lack of defense they had last year has continued into 2018. Temple is coming off a 75-67 win at home against La Salle in which the defense had it's issues. Shizz Alston and Quinton Rose had a solid game and should be able to find theirs. Temple has covered just 11 of their last 28 home games and has been a home favorite of 18.5 to 24 points just 14 times since 1997. They aren't exactly a team that blows opponents out that much. I feel like they can win this one easily, but maybe to the tune of 10 or 12...not 20. 

It's game one for two of the higher scoring teams in the country from 2017 on Friday. These two played an 87-74 game in Toledo last season. Oakland has lost most of it's top talent from last year and will be building around Brad Brechting and Xavier Hill-Mais along with Brailen Neely. This team loves to get up and go and even with less offensive talent, I still think they'll do so. They've struggled with defense in the past and will do so against Jaelan Sanford and Luke Knapke who will be patrolling the middle once again. This one should see some fantastic pace so the over is worth a look. 

Iowa State won their first game 79-53 to Alabama State this season. They got a balanced effort from their team, but will be without Zoran Talley and Cameron Lard who were suspended for a month. Lard is a pretty nice inside player who would be needed in this matchup. Lindell Wigginton is dealing with a foot injury meaning three starters could be out.  Missouri won 68-55 despite getting only two points from Kevin Puryear. The Tigers have the advantage on the inside with Tilmon and because of that it could open up some shots for the other guys. Iowa State has only covered 13 of their last 27 home games. I think Missou is worth a look on the road.

Wichita State may become a better team later on in the season, but for now im fading them whenever I can. The Shockers lost at home 71-58 to Louisiana Tech in a game that saw them shoot just 37% from the field. It's Markis McDuffie and everyone else as far as I'm concerned. We'll see how good of a coach Gregg Marshall is with how this team develops. Providence beat Siena 77-67 at home scoring 50 points in the first half. There are some question marks with the Friars but for one game they answered them. They are led by Alpha Diallo and Emmitt Holt. As I said, i'm fading the Shockers early on until they figure it out.

Chicago State's defense leaves a lot to be desired. They gave up 104 points to the Hoosiers last time out and could see that kind of output from the Irish who are running a free easy style of offense. I think this one goes over the total.

NIU's defense should be able to keep Toledo in check and the Huskies offense certainly doesn't scare me all that much.

The Jaguars enter this one with four starters back led by Rodrick Sikes and Josh Ayayi. They also have a couple of solid transfers coming in in Kory Holden and Tashombe Riley. If they can fix their turnover issues and take better shots then they should be able to hang in there with the Tigers. Auburn has some injury concerns and will be without Danjel Purifoy for this one. Samir Doughty may play, but who knows how effective he'll be. Bryce Brown and Anfernee McLemore are their leading scorers and should be tough. There's a small chance they'll be looking ahead to nationally ranked Washington in game two. USA has covered 15 of their last 27 road games. I think this one is close and high scoring. Give me the underdog. 

The Billikens are getting a ton of hype thrown their way as the team returns the core and brings in several transfers and freshmen to add to their depth. St. Louis won this game 78-48 at home last year and it was against a better Redhawks team as well. They had Denzel Mahoney who has transferred to Creighton. This means it's now Ledarrius Brewer's team and he's just a Sophomore. They've covered 19 of their last 30 home games and 12 of their last 17 as a favorite. This is a big number, but I think SLU kills the competition in this one. 

Louisiana Tech comes into this one as the more experienced team despite having only one senior. Derric Jean leads the way with a healthy DaQuan Bracey in the backcourt. The team has some good size inside and won't be that intimidated by this hostile atmosphere. The Shockers lost a ton of talent with just four scholarship players. The leader is now Markis McDuffie who showed in the exhibition game that he has some stuff to learn still. We'll see if Teddy Allen gets clearance for this one, but it looks like he won't. Wichita State has covered just once the last three seasons when the total is in the 150s. Their offense could struggle to keep up if their defense doesn't hold the Bulldogs done. The road team is worth a look in this one.

Defense was not really the calling card for either Temple or La Salle last season although the Owls did flash some at times last season. The Explorers return Pookie Powell who was one of their best scorers averaging almost 17 points per game. Traci Carter gets involved as well after coming over from Marquette. Isiah Deas, Saul Phiri and Jamir Moultrie are some other weapons. Temple has more returning talent led by Quintin Rose and Shizz Alston. They'll have the backcourt advantage, but the questions come in the front court where they'll have to replace Obi. Last year this game was a 87-83 Explorers home win with the two teams playing a 97-92 game at Temple in 2016. Temple has gone over in 22 of their last 34 games as a favorite. La Salle has gone over in 19 of their last 28 contests when the total is in the 140s. I think this one is close and higher scoring.

Ron Sanchez comes over to coach a very young Charlotte team who saw a lot of talent depart. He is going to bring the pack line defense to the team and a much much slower pace. He realizes that they don't have the talent to keep up with most teams unless he reduces the number of possessions. Chattanooga is another young team that wouldn't mind playing a slower game. These two played in Chattanooga in December of 2017 with the Mocs winning 64-50. Chattanooga has gone under in 16 of their last 28 on the road. I think this one goes under the total.

Two teams going in different directions as the Broncos host the Texans. Denver began the year 2-0, but then lost five of the next six. Case Keenum has been really disappointing and now Demaryius Thomas is on the other sideline with Houston. The Broncos' defense has been good though against teams outside of Kansas City and the odd, non-existent effort vs. the Jets. I like them to match up well with Houston, winners of five in a row. Deshaun Watson is playing fantastically and the defense has been awesome holding four straight opponents to 24 points or fewer. The under has hit in 24 of Houston's last 42 games, including 13 of the last 20 on the road. Denver has gone under in 22 of its last 40, including 11 of the last 20 at home. I think this one is a bit lower scoring than expected.

It's game two in the rivalry this season as the Ravens host the Steelers. Baltimore took the first game back in late September, 26-14 in Pittsburgh as the Ravens held the Steelers to just 19 rushing yards. Since then, Baltimore has gone 1-3 with losses to Cleveland, New Orleans and Carolina. The Ravens have struggled a bit on defense the last two weeks allowing teams to run on their suddenly leaky defense. The offense has been pretty consistent, scoring 21 points or more in three straight. On the other side, Pittsburgh has won three straight against the Falcons, Bengals and Browns. The Steelers have seen their defense improve greatly, especially against the run as they've held five straight opponents to fewer than 100 yards on the ground. The Steelers have gone under in 15 of their last 20 road games and 24 of their last 42 overall. Baltimore has gone under in 11 of its last 19 at home. I think this one continues that trend.

Way back in Week 2 I backed Miami against the Jets in New York. The Dolphins won the game 20-12, holding the Jets to just 42 rushing yards while forcing three turnovers. Miami put up only 257 yards of total offense but had just two penalties. The Dolphins have lost two straight and four of their last five since putting together a three-game winning streak. The defense has been beaten up and Brock Osweiler has reverted back to normal after a good game against the Bears. The Jets have lost two straight and five of their last seven overall. Sam Darnold has struggled and the running game has been pretty close to non-existent. The defense has actually performed pretty well, but is on the field too much and is tiring towards the end of games. The Jets have covered just six of their last 20 road games. I think the Dolphins add to New York's misery on Sunday.

The Redskins continue to lead the NFC East without even playing their best football. They are on a three-game winning streak because of a very good defense and the revitalization of Adrian Peterson. The front line is really good and the addition of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix will make the back end even better. They aren't even getting much from Alex Smith so if he figures things out then watch out. Atlanta has won two straight and is coming off its bye. I know I said above that I don't like fading teams off their bye, but I'm just not buying the Falcons outside of their dome. They lost in Philadelphia 18-12 back in Week 1 and 41-17 at Pittsburgh to start October. The defense is terrible against the pass and the run game has been bad. Matt Ryan is just not as good outdoors and I think Josh Norman can slow down Julio Jones enough to make the Falcons settle for FGs. Give me the home team in this one.

I've faded Miami whenever I can and it's been profitable so far. They've lost two straight and needed a late comeback to beat FSU at home by one. The team's quarterback play has been pathetic this season and Malik Rosier is under center. This means that teams can focus on their run game. Duke's defense has shown flashes of brilliance all year, but then they give up nearly 500 yards on the ground to Pittsburgh in a 54-45 loss. The Blue Devils have a pretty good offense with Daniel Jones under center. They'll have to be against the Canes who are playing incredible defense. Miami has covered just nine of their last 21 ACC games. They'll either be in for a battle or blow Duke out. I'll bet they don't figure it out this week and take the road team.

App State has had a little extra time to stew after a bad 34-14 loss at Georgia Southern. They are already without Jalin Moore and could be without signal caller Zac Thomas who had a concussion last game. The defense showed some cracks for the first time this season. They are still better then Coastal's D which has been bad all season. Still, they run the ball well and pass it just good enough to keep team's honest. I think this is a lot of points for a team to lay without their #1 RB and potentially their starting QB. Give me the home team as a live dog.

Villanova has been shut out their last two games as they continue to deal with uncertainty at quarterback. The Wildcats just don't have the weapons anymore and it's hurting them. The one thing they do have is a good defense that will keep them in the ballgame if they get a little rest. Richmond is really banged up in certain spots so I can see this being a lower scoring game.

For just the sixth time since 1992, Virginia Tech is a home underdog of 3 points or less as they host Boston College. The Hokies were blasted in their last two games at Lane Stadium falling 45-23 to Notre Dame and 49-28 to Georgia Tech. The offense isn't working and the defense has been allowing large chunks of yards. The Eagles have won two straight and three of their last five. BC has a road win at Wake Forest on the docket, but has played just three games outside of Chestnut Hill all year. AJ Dillon is back and the Eagles are moving the ball better with him in. Anthony Brown is not a bad game manager for Steve Addazio's bunch. The defense has been good although they did allow over 30 points to the Demon Deacons and Temple Owls. I'll take the points with the home team. I think they bounce back in this one. They have won 18 of their last 26 in this series and that trend continues Saturday. 

Cincinnati has lost a bit of their shine after falling to the Owls two weeks ago for their first loss of the season. They followed that up with a 26-20 victory at SMU in which they had three turnovers and nearly lost in overtime. Their defense has been pretty strong this season, but they really haven't been challenged a ton either. Navy has lost five straight, but it looks like the triple option has improved a little over the past few weeks. Granted they were all in losses, but to quality opponents Temple, Houston and Notre Dame. Navy's defense is bad and that scares me tremendously. The Bearcats have covered just four of their last 16 at home and 12 of their last 32 overall. Navy has covered nine of their last 10 as a road underdog of 10.5 to 14 points. I think they are worth a look here too.

This has not been a great season for FSU who will need a late miracle to get to bowl eligibility. They are coming off a 59-10 loss to Clemson in which they were barely competitive. There is a question mark at quarterback, but I think some people would love to see James Blackmon play. Their defense has played pretty well at times especially against the pass which is where NC State wants to beat you. One has to wonder what NC State's mindset is like after two losses that have taken away their chances of winning the ACC Atlantic. The offense worked in Syracuse, but the defense has had some issues especially against the pass. These two have played a couple of close games as of late with the road team winning outright. I dont see that happening, but I think the Noles keep it close. 

The Flames have won three of their last four and are coming off a bye week. The team already has a win at New Mexico and has the better offense in this one. They should be really healthy with extra time to try and fix their leaky defense. UMass has lost three of four and five of their last seven. They are coming off a 22-17 road win at UConn which is a rare defensive struggle for them. The Minutemen allowed 58 to Ohio and South Florida and 63 to FIU. There isn't much homefield advantage for UMass so I think Liberty can get the win.

ULM has had two weeks to prepare for the triple option of Georgia Southern. The Warhawks have won two straight and have the offense to keep up if this game becomes a shootout. Their defense has been bad against the run, but they've also had three performances of 150 rushing yards allowed or less. Georgia Southern is in the ultimate sandwich with home games against App State and Troy before and after this. They are flying high after beating the rival Mountaineers and will get a winner take all game against Troy next. Last year GSU won this game 23-21 at home. They've covered just seven of their last 17 on the road. I think the home team is worth a look here. 

This line befuddles me a bit as the Orange are getting money from the public. Yes, my alma mater beat NC State and is 6-2 and nationally ranked. All of those accolades though make me worried they will be unfocused for this one. Their defense has been horrific as of late getting gashed by North Carolina and NC State the last two weeks. They struggle against the pass with all the injuries suffered and the Demon Deacons can exploit that with Greg Dortch. Yes, Wake only went 2-3 during their early five game homestand, but I think they are in better form right now. The run game beat up Louisville last week. These two teams played a 64-43 game in Syracuse last season in which Wake Forest put up over 700 yards of offense. Syracuse has been a road favorite of 3.5 to 7 points just once the last three years and that came in week one against Western Michigan. I think Wake covers this one and has a shot to win the game outright.

It's been a weird week for the Terps who had DJ Durkin back at coach and then saw him leave. There were also reportedly fights in practice and players who walked out of meetings. In comes MSU with their stout defense and a little bit of confidence after beating Purdue. Maryland wants to run and Sparty stops it really well. There's not a ton of analysis needed here. Yes, it's on the road, but I think Michigan State gets the win against an unfocused Terps team.