It's a rematch of the NFC matchup that ended with a Stefon Diggs long touchdown catch and New Orleans experiencing heartbreak. After losing week one to the Bucs, the Saints have won five straight games with three of those being by one score. New Orleans has been running it well with Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram in the backfield. The duo provide a different look to the defense. The problem for New Orleans has been their defense which has had it's issues at times this season. They managed to hold down the Browns and Redskins at home and the Giants on the road. Of note, this is their fourth road game over five weeks so there could be some weariness which comes into play. Minnesota has won three straight games and has bounced back nicely since losing to the Bills and Rams after a tie against Green Bay. The Vikes are getting good production from Kirk Cousins and the feared defense from last year is finally starting to show up. Last year, the Vikings won both home games against the Saints 29-24 and 29-19 in games that saw the road team fail to run the ball successfully. Minnesota has won 15 of their last 20 home games straight up, covering 14 of them in the process. In a toss up situation like this, I usually lean to the home team especially one that has as tough of a homefield advantage as I've seen in the NFL.

Does anyone else think it's odd that the Giants traded Eli Apple and Damon Harrison this week and yet the line really hasn't moved at all? Apple is a decent cornerback while Harrison is a run stuffer up the middle. New York has been close but no cigar in two of their last three games against the Falcons and Panthers on the road. They showed flashes of a good team on offense, but then the defense couldn't stop the pass. Washington has won two straight and three of their last four yet this line is exceedingly tight. To me, that means there's a bit of a trap involved with this one and I'll take a look at the home team. We know there should be some fireworks between Odell Beckham and Josh Norman. I also think that if New York commits to giving Saquon Barkley the ball consistently, then they could succeed. Both the Panthers and Cowboys got away from the run unreasonably quick and that helped in their demise in DC. I know about the quick turnaround and that Washington is the better team, but this line should be bigger. Last year, New York won at home 18-10 and lost in DC 20-10. This line reeks out loud so I'll take a shot here.

The Seahawks are coming off a bye week to play the Lions on Sunday. Seattle has won three of their last four by pretty much beating up on bad competition. The Seahawks wins have come over Dallas, Arizona and Oakland which don't inspire a ton of confidence. They lost at Denver and at Chicago to go along with a two point home loss to the Rams. Detroit has also won three of their last four with victories over New England, Green Bay and Miami. The Lions have actually discovered a run game which will help them in this one. Seattle no longer has the "Legion of Boom" and has a shell of a defense. Detroit's D has actually held five of their six opponents to less then 250 yards passing as Darius Slay is one of the best corners in football that no one talks about. The Lions lost to the Seahawks in Seattle 26-6 last year in a game that was a mismatch of sorts. Now Detroit is home for this one and I think they play better there and will get the win.

Two of the better defenses in the league play in Carolina with the Panthers hosting the Ravens. Baltimore is holding opponents to 14.4 points per contest and 280.6 yards per game. They've played five unders in seven contests this season. Carolina's offense is predicated on Christian McCaffrey as that helps Cam Newton out. People will forget that the Panthers offense was stuck in the mud for three quarters of that game. Baltimore's offense isn't that scary either to me despite their offensive numbers. They can't really run it that well and probably won't be able to against Carolina's front seven which has held opponents to 95 yards per game on the ground. This number is generously high to me.

The Eagles defense has been highly underwhelming against the pass this season as the team is coming off gagging a 17 point lead in the 4th quarter. They've been disappointing as a team this season proving that the Super Bowl hangover is 100% real. The good thing for them is that Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler can't pass the ball. The Jags have thrown for less then 200 yards four times this season and have had massive issues with turnovers. Jacksonville's defensive issue is against the run and the Eagles just won't do it. They have run for 120 yards or less in every game this season despite having a solid group of running backs to use. None of them are Adrian Peterson, but Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams aren't that bad. This is Philly's first trip to London while the Jags are regulars at doing this. To me, this one could be a punt fest and the first team to 20 could win if either of them actually make it to 20. Give me the under in this one.

The Orange nearly lost at home to the Heels last week, but pulled it out and is one win away from bowl eligibility. You could potentially make the case that this game is for the second best team in the conference behind Clemson. NC State got blasted last week so who knows what their mindset is for this one after that beating. They could be flat to start or fired up. Eric Dungey got pulled last week for Tommy DeVito and there is now a modest qb controversy in Syracuse. I think Coach Babers can use both to his advantage though. The Orange's defense sprung some leaks so that's a concern against the Pack. NC State has not been a road favorite of 3 points or less the past three seasons. I'm going to back the home team and hope they get up for this one. 

Air Force's triple option should give Boise State some fits in this one as the Broncos have struggled at times on the road. The Broncos offense has been very hot and cold while the Falcons have been surprisingly good against the run. I think this is a large number and the home team has a shot to cover it. 

This year's version of the 49ers are 3-4 on the season with home wins over Fordham, ODU and Western Kentucky. Their offense is running the ball well and doing just enough through the air to make the offense work at times. They are actually really good on defense especially against the run where they are ranked sixth. The secondary has held five straight opponents to 215 yards passing or less. In comes Southern Miss whose offense has been underwhelming to say the least. They don't run the ball very well, but play really good defense. I wonder if the Golden Eagles have one eye on the home game against Marshall next week. I think the home team is a live dog in this one.

The Wahoos surprised me last week in their victory at Duke. The handicapper in me said that they were going to struggle with focus after the huge win over Miami. In the victory, the run game continued to be fantastic while the defense clamped down on the Blue Devils. In comes UNC which is fresh off two close losses to Virginia Tech and Syracuse. The quarterback play has been a little bit better as of late but there's so much inconsistency with this team. Some weeks the run game works, but others it struggles terribly. The defense plays well against the run while other weeks the Heels shut down the pass. Last year the Hoos won 20-14 in Chapel Hill in an ugly contest that saw Carolina put up 46 yards passing and throw three INTs. UVa has been a home favorite of between 7.5 to 10 points just 10 times since 1992 and has covered only three of them. I don't know how this will be taken but I trust the Wahoos to win this game but not to cover. UNC will either fall apart after the two close losses or keep some semblance of momentum and keep it close.

Two teams coming off different weeks play in East Lansing as MSU hosts Purdue. Sparty put up 94 yards of offense in a 21-7 loss to Michigan. The team now has lost to Arizona State, Northwestern and the Wolverines. Their defense has been very good as of late and will have to continue to do that against a Boilers team coming off a win over Ohio State. You can beat Purdue through the air. This is also their third road game over their last four and they got plenty of attention this week. The offense is clicking, but for the most part it was against easy defenses outside of OSU. I think order gets restored a bit and the home team wins. 

In a game that won't make any sort of ripples on the college football landscape, UConn hosts UMass. The Huskies are allowing almost 700 yards of offense although they nearly knocked off South Florida last week. The numbers are really ugly, but they are running into a UMass team. David Pindell makes some mistakes but I think he'll find some holes against the Minutemen. UMass has allowed 30 points or more in six of their seven games with Coastal Carolina scoring only 24. The over is probably worth a look, but there's no reason for UMass to be favored on the road over almost anyone this season.

In a game that won't make any sort of ripples on the college football landscape, UConn hosts UMass. The Huskies are allowing almost 700 yards of offense although they nearly knocked off South Florida last week. The numbers are really ugly, but they are running into a UMass team. David Pindell makes some mistakes but I think he'll find some holes against the Minutemen. UMass has allowed 30 points or more in six of their seven games with Coastal Carolina scoring only 24. The over is probably worth a look, but there's no reason for UMass to be favored on the road over almost anyone this season.

Alex Hornibrook is in concussion protocol for the Badgers as they get ready for a trip to Northwestern. On the road, Wisky scored 28 at Iowa and 13 at Michigan. This is an inconsistent offense that has looked good in two of their last three weeks, but that was at home. Northwestern's defense has been very good against the run for the most part and has held all but two of their opponents to 27 points or less. Their problem is the offense which hasn't been the same since losing their top running back. The Wildcats will run into some resistance with the Badgers allowing 24 points or less to everyone but Michigan. NW has gone under in 13 of their last 18 home games and 18 of their last 33 overall. I think this one is an under.

Two really good defenses in this one with one really good offense and another that is struggling to find consistency. Clemson has been steamrolling opponents and really has no reason to lookahead. This is Florida State's Super Bowl since they really have no shot in the conference. I think this one is a bit lower scoring. 

Last week we had the Cowboys and they came through with flying colors. They were able to run it well enough that Dak Prescott could use the playaction game. This doesn't mean that all of a sudden Dallas is fixed and that the anemic offense is going to work. I'm actually more scared of the Cowboys defense then their O and they may get Sean Lee back on Sunday. The Redskins are coming off a 23-17 win against Carolina in which Adrian Peterson ran hard and the defense made the stops when they needed to. Injuries are still a concern with this team, but AP ran hard with a separated shoulder. I still think Washington's offense could be so much better if Alex Smith gets on the same page with his weapons. Dallas swept the Skins last year in two easy victories. This is a feel play for me as I think the Redskins can slow down Ezekiel Elliott and can get just enough points on a Dallas team who is 0-3 on the road.

Upon first glance, this seems to be an easy win for the road team who has put up nearly 500 yards of offense per game. The 49ers have lost four straight and are starting CJ Beathard under center. If you look closer though, there are some scenarios that say the home team is a live dog. This is the Rams third straight road game after two really close wins over Seattle and Denver. They have a stretch of games coming up against Green Bay and New Orleans which are bigger tests in the scope of NFC play. LA's defense can be beaten as evidenced by the solid rushing performance by the Seahawks while three others have put up at least 295 yards passing. Kyle Shanahan's bunch went toe-to-toe with the Packers last week and have actually played several teams close this season. They lost by eight at Minnesota, by two at the Chargers and by three at Green Bay. The defensive numbers aren't the best, but they've done well against the run and have had some success against quarterbacks that aren't Aaron Rodgers. Last year LA won by two in San Francisco and lost by 21 at home to the Niners. The Rams have covered just 16 of their last 39 games. I could look really dumb when LA wins this one easily, but I think they struggle with focus and pull out a close one.

Jacksonville was undressed by the Cowboys last week and have now lost two straight and three of their last four. The defense has given up 70 points the last two weeks at Kansas City while the offense has pitifully scored just 21. Blake Bortles has had some issues while the run game struggled without Leonard Fournette. This team has not played well this season outside of a couple of early games. Houston has won three straight since opening up the year with three losses. Deshaun Watson has played well for the most part outside of last week's headscratching performance. The defense is playing a lot better as of late and this team will be looking for revenge after two asskickings at the hands of the Jags last year. Jacksonville has covered just seven of their last 18 games at home. Give me the live road dog in this one.

I think the Bills defense is one of the most underrated units in football and the Colts have a tremendous amount of injuries on offense. Derek Anderson starting for Buffalo will motivate them a lot more then Nathan Peterman. I just think this is a rather large number and Indy will struggle to cover it. 

The London game has seen several unders in it's past including the one last week that saw Seattle win 27-3 over the Raiders. Last year four of the losing teams in the overseas games scored single digit points. The Titans offense has struggled terribly as of late without a solid run game and a terrible offensive line. The good thing is that the defense has been good. I think they can matchup up alright with the Chargers offense. Tennessee has gone under in four of their five games against conference opponents. LA has gone under in 15 of their last 28 conference contests. I think this one is an under as well.

FIU is 4-2 on the season and should pick up another win on Saturday. The Golden Panthers have beaten up really bad teams at home taking UMass by 39 and UAPB by 46. Both of those teams might be comparable to Rice right now who is bringing in a backup quarterback for this one. The Owls have road losses of 14 at Hawaii, 18 at Southern Miss and 32 at Wake Forest. They've scored just three points in two home games against UTSA and UAB. Rice's defense is pretty bad and should struggle with the balance that the Owls bring. FIU has covered 15 of their last 25 Saturday's including five of six this season. I think this one is a rout in Florida.

I can't believe I'm going back to ODU after they've disappointed me so much this season. The Monarchs only win came against Virginia Tech with the rest of the games being pretty awful. It's because of a porous defense and an offense that is really inconsistent. You could use those same terms on Western Kentucky who is 1-5 with their only win coming against Ball State. This team can't run it well and has had six turnovers in their last two games as the quarterbacks have been bad. You can run on WKU and some teams have passed on them as well. I know it's a road game, but I'll take one last shot with the Monarchs in this one.

UCF needed quite a lot to pick up a comeback victory over Memphis last week. They won 31-30 over the Tigers in a game that saw them struggle on defense yet make the plays needed to win the game late. That was the lowest point total of the season for UCF and I expect that to change in this one because ECU is one of the worst defenses in college football. They allowed 42 to Houston and 49 to Temple the last two weeks. ECU's offense is nothing special, but outside of two road games, they've been competent at home. I think we get a semi-unfocused effort from the road team who will probably expect to coast in this one. I think it becomes a bit of a shootout and UCF wins this thing by 3 or 4 scores late.

New Mexico State allowed almost 800 yards of offense last week against ULL in a 66-38 loss. They have been gashed by the run which means that Georgia Southern should run wild after struggling against Texas State. The Aggies offense has held it's own as of late and should be able to contribute to this total. They've gone over in five of their last six. Georgia Southern has scored 30 points or more and has a huge home game against App State ahead of them. I think they give up some points along the way and we get a mini shootout in this one. GSU won't be focused and could struggle early. I think this one is an over. 

I'm going to play a spot here in this one as Appalachian State comes off an emotional 35-9 win at Arkansas State and is staring at a rivalry game at Georgia Southern five days later. App State lost running back Jalin Moore last time out to an injury for the rest of the season so they'll have to find some other backs to take over. ASU has not played too many great offenses this season so their defensive stats look really good. Lafayette has won two straight scoring 108 points on Texas State and New Mexico State. Their defense isn't very good so I'm a bit worried about that, but I think they could keep up somewhat in a shootout. App State has covered just one of their last six as a favorite of 21.5 to 31 points. I think the road team is worth a look here.

This one relies heavily on Brent Stockstill not playing for the Blue Raiders. He is the guy who stirs the drink in Murfreesboro. They lost at FIU last week 24-21 as the offense just failed to move the ball. MTSU's defense is alright, but you can run on them. Charlotte isn't great, but they are coming off a convincing 40-14 home win over Western Kentucky. This team has wins over Fordham and ODU and it's because of a really good run game and a rush defense that clamps down on it's opponents. The 49ers actually have a decent defense which will surprise some folks considering their record. MTSU has covered just 14 of their last 32 games. I think they struggle to win this one without Stockstill.

Cincinnati is one of the few teams left that are undefeated in college football. The problem is that they've really beaten almost no one of substance. The road trip to UCLA was impressive at the time, but we've realized the Bruins aren't very good. They then beat Miami-Ohio, Alabama A&M, Ohio, UConn and Tulane. The offense wants to run the ball and have Desmond Kidder manage everything else. Defensively they put up good numbers, but once again how good have they been. On the other side you have Temple who has won four of their last five and is doing so with their trademark defense and solid passing from Anthony Russo. Ventell Bryant is very good outside and Ryquell Armstead figures to be healthy for this one. I think Temple's balance will vex the Bearcats and the Owls defense will keep this game close. They've held five straight opponents to less then 200 yards passing. Temple has dominated this series a bit as of late. I think they get the win on Saturday.

Jacksonville is coming off getting undressed by the Chiefs last week in a game that they hyped up as a potential AFC title game. The Jags offense had five turnovers while the defense couldn't make stops when they had to. Blake Bortles is putting up a lot of yardage, but this could actually be the team's stiffest test on defense. Dallas has held three of their opponents to 20 points or less and has done well against the ground game. Yes, they were gashed in Houston by Deshaun Watson, but there's no DeAndre Hopkins in Jacksonville. The Cowboys offense has been a massive issue with Dak Prescott struggling and no real weapons to use other then Ezekiel Elliott. Still, with them coming home, I think we see a better effort. The team is 2-0 in front of their fans and Jacksonville has a home divisional game on tap next week. Dallas has been a home underdog of 3 points or less three times the last three seasons and has won two of them outright. I'll take Dallas plus the points.

I wrote the preview for the Chiefs/Broncos game a couple of weeks ago and called for a Denver victory which did not come. The Broncos were a completed pass to Thomas late in the game away from making that prediction come true. The Rams are one of the best teams in football, but their leaky defense concerns me. I'll call for the upset once again this one as I think Denver's defense could present some problems for LA. The elevation could always be a factor as well. I think we get Case Keenum's best effort and Jared Goff gets harassed into a couple of turnovers as the road team loses their first game of the year.

I've been involved with the Dolphins a little too much so far this season, but I've also been 4-0 against the spread in those matchups. Miami has lost two straight against the Patriots and Bengals, but return home where they are 2-0. Their offense is rather underwhelming with just 288.2 yards per contest. They've struggled with turnovers as of late with five over the last two games. The team was beating the Bengals 17-10 entering the fourth quarter before self-destructing. I'm higher on the Dolphins then most, and somewhat lower on the Bears then others. They are 3-1 and coming off a bye week. Last time out Chicago destroyed the Bucs 48-10 in a game that saw Mitchell Trubisky go crazy. That's been a bit of an outlier for the offense as they scored just 63 points in the other three games. This is their third road game so far and they do have New England at home next week. Chicago has failed to cover in 12 of their last 18 road games and six of their last nine as a favorite. Give me the Dolphins in this one. 

Continuing the theme of taking teams at their lowest, I'm going to back Atlanta in this one. Tampa Bay is coming off their bye week and is turning back to Jameis Winston under center. Winston cannot fix a defense that is allowing almost 450 yards per game. Tampa allowed 40 points at New Orleans and 48 at Chicago. They have a non-existent run game unless Ronald Jones gets more looks. Yes, Atlanta's defense has been terrible and may not get better due to injuries. They've lost a couple of safeties and a linebacker and that's going to weaken their back end. Still, Matt Ryan is a lot better at home and the likes of Freeman and Coleman should be able to find holes against the awful Buccaneers. The Falcons have covered 19 of their last 31 against conference opponents. I think we see them win and win rather easily.

The Seahawks are getting their first taste of football in London on Sunday. Six teams have not stepped foot in England yet so far and it seems to be a bit of a hinderance to the first timers. The Cardinals, Ravens and Browns all had their first taste last year and all lost to their opponents by a combined score of 110-23. Oakland played in Wembley Stadium back in 2014 and also has played twice in Mexico City. The roster is different from that first European game, but some of the key players have done this before. On the field, Oakland has won just one game and are coming off a 26-10 loss against the Chargers. This would be their fourth game away from home so far this season. Let's not forget it's also Marshawn Lynch's revenge game. Seattle is 2-3 and also playing their fourth game away from home. Their offense has been a bit stagnant lately with the defense having issues slowing down opponents with good passing games. I think the Lynch factor as well as well the newness of European games for Seattle means I like the Raiders even as slight underdogs.

The Redskins offense may be without Jamison Crowder and Chris Thompson today with several other key players playing banged up. This means a stout Carolina defense should have little trouble stopping them. On the other side, I expect Washington to play better defensively against a Carolina offense that doesn't scare me much even with Greg Olsen back. 

Cole McDonald is back under center and Hawaii's offense is on the road at BYU. They beat a good Wyoming team 17-13 last week without him. The team's only loss came at Army back on 9/15 28-21 in a game they probably should have won. Hawaii's rush defense is pretty strong and the secondary is too. BYU has lost two straight and is making a change at quarterback with Tanner Mangum leaving. Their wins were at Arizona and Wisconsin and over McNeese State. BYU's rushing defense isn't great so maybe Hawaii can take advantage of that. BYU has covered just five of their last 15 home games. I like Hawaii to keep it close in this one 

The rare non Virginia Tech night game in Charlottesville as UVA hosts Miami off the bye week. I think it came at a good time for the Hoos who had two weeks to stew after losing to NC State. Hopefully they come back a little healthier, a little wiser and more focused. I actually made UVA my bet of the year a couple of years ago at home in a game I figured the Canes would come in unfocused and they did and lost. I'm glad Miami won their game at home against Florida State as that may get them unfocused for this one. I think the "U" is highly overrated although not quite as much with N'Kosi Perry under center. Miami's wins aren't exactly over great competition this season. They've been really good against the pass, but outside of Toledo, they haven't faced anyone who will stress them there. If you can force them to become one dimensional on offense, then that side of the ball will flounder. UVA has covered nine of their last 15 in this series. I'm calling my shot and taking them to win outright so any sort of points we're getting is a gift.

The Roadrunners have won three straight after a three game losing streak to start the year out. They have done it with solid defense and just enough offense....and I mean just enough. They have failed to get to 300 yards total this season, but have beaten Texas State and UTEP at home. The defense has been good for the most part against the run and as of late has clamped down on the pass. Now, the offenses they have faced during this streak aren't great, but I think Louisiana Tech's inconsistency will hurt them. The Bulldogs have lost two of their last three and are coming off a headscratching 28-7 home loss to UAB as a seven point underdog. Louisiana Tech is playing their fourth road game of six so far. This one will be lower scoring. I think the home team is worth a look.

I think this is a bit of an overreaction. Richmond's offense is good but they can be beaten on defense. Albany's offense moves through the air and has a decent running back. Spiders were in somewhat of a similar situation a couple of weeks ago playing at St. Francis of PA and they needed a late TD to win this game. I think the home dog is worth a look in this one.

VMI is allowing over 50 points per game, but their offense has started to rock and roll under the new spread system. Samford can score as evidenced by last week and their defense is a little leaky. I think this one is an over.

Colorado State is 2-4 on the season with wins over Arkansas and San Jose State. The Rams have shown plenty of offensive inconsistency with three games of 20 points scored or less. CSU's defense has been gashed by the run with four teams rushing for over 200 yards with a fifth team putting up 199. New Mexico is coming off a 50-14 win over UNLV and is playing their fourth road game over a six week span. They also have a win at New Mexico State and have put up 40 points or more in all but one of their matchups. New Mexico's backup quarterback has been very impressive. The defense has played well in spurts this season. CSU has covered just two of their six contests. I don't think they are that impressive so give me the road team. 

Northern Illinois has a very anemic offense that averages just 17.7 points and 278.3 yards per game. The good thing is that their defense has been awesome especially at home. They held Utah to 17 and Central Michigan to 16 there. NIU's offense has a season high of 26 points with three other efforts of less then 20. Ohio's defense has been god awful all year long, but they've also seen several pretty good offenses. I think Ohio could struggle to score especially if their starting QB is not 100%. Ohio has gone under in 13 of their last 18 conference games. NIU has gone under in eight of their last 13 at home. This one is a lower scoring game.

I think we are getting a good price on Navy at home. This is kind of like the week 2 matchup between them and Memphis at home where the Tigers were a favorite of around the same. Navy has lost two straight and is at a low point right now as they lost to Air Force 35-7 in a game that saw them struggle big time. The Middies triple option has worked for the most part this season. Temple has had a mixed bag of results on the road winning at Maryland while losing at BC. They've given up 200 yards rushing to two teams so far this season. Ryquell Armstead is the only rushing threat for the Owls and he's banged up. Navy is 95-57 ATS since 1992 as an underdog and has covered five of their last eight as a home underdog of 3.5 to 7 points. I think this one is close.

The Cardinals are 2-4 this season with wins over Central Connecticut and Kent State. They've been competitive in losses to Notre Dame, Western Kentucky and Northern Illinois as well. Riley Neal and James Gilbert have shown some offensive proficiency, but the issues come on defense where they've either been beaten up by the run or the pass. Central Michigan's only win has come against FCS level Maine and even that was just a 17-5 victory. CMU lost at home to Kansas and is coming off a loss to Buffalo there as well. The Chips have had QB issues with Tommy Lazzaro taking over in week three. He has just four touchdowns to eight interceptions. The team's leading running back is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry and has no touchdowns on the ground. Ball State has covered and won nine of their last 11 games as a road underdog of three points or less. I think the Cardinals are the better team.

The Redhawks scored 31 points over their first three weeks. The last three weeks they've put up 38, 39 and 41 points overall. Gus Ragland is cruising now under center and rushing the ball has gone better. The defense is playing a little better though although they gave up 40 points to Western Michigan in their last home game two weeks ago. Kent State has lost four straight since beating Howard in week two. KSU's offense hasn't been that bad with 50 points the last two weeks. The defense has been that bad especially against the pass. Four straight opponents have put up 280 yards or more through the air. 

Sawyer Smith is taking over for Kaleb Barker under center for a Troy team that is averaging just under 37 points per game and 433 yards per contest. Troy has gone over in five of their six tilts this season. They've been alright on defense this season holding Nebraska to 19 and Florida A&M to 7. Liberty has been rather middling since the season opening win against ODU. Their defense has been gashed since then allowing 38, 47, 43 and 49 points. The 49 came against the highly mediocre New Mexico State Aggies. Liberty's offense can score led by Buckshot Calvert. The team has some run and pass capability. I think this one has shootout potential on Saturday.

This is a big game in the ACC Coastal as Georgia Tech hosts Duke. The Jackets have scored 63 and 66 in their last two games as the triple option is humming. The problem is that before those two contests they lost three straight to USF, Pitt and Clemson. GT's defense is pretty exploitable especially through the air. Duke loves to throw it when they can with Daniel Jones who had an extra week to get healthy. The Blue Devils had the all important extra week to prepare for the triple option. They beat Army 34-14 in week one holding them to just 168 yards on 47 rushes. That's very important when handicapping Georgia Tech games. The Blue Devils defense has been good with their biggest weakness being the pass which Tech won't go after. Duke won this game last year at home 43-20 after losing 38-35 to them in Atlanta in 2016. I will be looking hard at the road team in this one.

Florida has won four straight entering this one against Vanderbilt. The Gators defense has been fantastic this season holding all of their opponents to 27 points or less. The team has been locked in for conference play. They want to run the ball and mix in the pass when they can. Vanderbilt's offense has gone dry since the competition has gotten better. They've scored 20 points or less in three of their last four contests as Shurmur has struggled to get going. There is no Ralph Webb to keep teams honest. The defense has been alright but perhaps we don't get a focused UF effort with Georgia up next. Vandy has gone under in five of their six contests. Florida has gone under in 17 of their last 30 games. I think this one is an under.

Georgia Southern's offense has been rolling outside a trip to Death Valley to take on Clemson. The Eagles have scored 37, 34, 28 and 48 points so far as the triple option has made a triumphant return this year. Their defense has been very good although leaky at times. Arkansas State put up 376 yards passing while Clemson ran for 309 yards. Texas State's only win was against Texas Southern in week two. They have allowed 35, 20, 41, 25 and 42 points so far and allowed Rutgers and Lafayette to rush for over 200 yards. The good thing is that their offense has perked up scoring 21 or more in four straight. This series has seen plenty of unders and money has come in on the under, but I think this one sees more points. I think GSU lets some late touchdowns up in a game that they'll have in hand early.

The Cowboys are coming off a 26-24 home win over the Lions in which they were able to run the ball a ton and get just enough from Dak Prescott. The defense did its part although it has allowed 24 points in each of the last two games. Houston picked up its first win of the season, beating the Colts 37-34 in overtime at their place. Deshaun Watson has come alive the last two games and has flashed the potential we saw last year. The Texans' D has had its issues this season against the pass although the secondary doesn't figure to be challenged by Allen Hurns and Michael Gallup. I don't think Dallas' issues are fixed because of one victory. I think Houston's crowd will be pumped up to be home for just the second time this season. The Texans are by far the better team in this game. 

On paper this looks like a bit of a mismatch, but the line says that it's not. New York's defense is actually allowing fewer total yards per game then the Broncos' much more heralded group. The Jets have lost three straight since beating the Lions in Week 1. They've struggled to get much going offensively with Sam Darnold under center. The defense has been able to keep the Jets in games and has done a decent job of creating takeaways. Denver has now lost two straight including a tough one at home Monday night to the Chiefs. Case Keenum has had his issues, especially missing a wide-open Demaryius Thomas late in that game that could have been the game winner. At first I really wanted to take the Jets, but I think both teams will struggle to score. Denver has gone under in 10 of its last 12 games against teams with a losing record and in eight of its last 10 October matchups. 

The Giants are going to be healthier on defense for this matchup on Sunday. It looks like Eli Apple and Olivier Vernon will be ready and the front line will add Josh Mauro, who can help an anemic pass rush. Carolina is 2-1 and are coming off one of those early bye weeks. The Panthers really have yet to put it all together on offense with two games in which they featured a solid run game and one (at Atlanta) in which they were successful through the air. Carolina's secondary is suspect so if New York's offensive line can give Eli Manning enough time, he should be able to find Odell Beckham Jr. or Sterling Shepard downfield. I am by no means saying that the Giants are a good team, but I think this is a lot of points for a Panthers team that does a lot of things good, but nothing spectacularly. I'd like to see New York feed Saquon Barkley more, but that will depend on game flow. Carolina has covered just nine of its last 22 games as a favorite. As long as this stays at a touchdown or more, I'm taking the underdog.

The Browns are 1-0-1 so far this season at home and are coming off a tough loss at Oakland in overtime. They arguably had that game won after several bad calls from the officials. The offense was very balanced with ground and air success. I'll admit that I've undersold the Ravens all season, especially last week in Pittsburgh. Their WR group is good enough and the myriad of tight ends are effective as well. I like the home team in this one. I think Cleveland is a very live underdog.

FAU is trying to bounce back after two straight losses to UCF and MTSU on the road. The Owls offense has been very prolific as of late with 270 rushing yards or more in three straight games. Devin Singletary is getting on track after a really slow start to the season. The team needs to score a ton because their defense is pretty bad and is struggling to stop teams on the ground and through the air. ODU's defense might be worse as they've allowed 28 points or more to everyone. They will have problems slowing down Singletary and Chris Robison. The good thing for the Monarchs is that their offense has perked up as of late. With Blake LaRussa under center they've scored 84 points. ODU has gone over in four of five games this season and FAU has gone over in three of five. Last year Lane Kiffin's bunch scored 58 points. Now the total is that much...give me the over. 

UNLV lost Armani Rogers to injury so Max Gilliam steps in for the Rebels. UNLV has home wins over UTEP and Prairie View with losses to USC and Arkansas State. They want to pound you on the ground as the passing attack is rather anemic. Last week the QB's went 5-for-21 for just 23 yards. UNLV's defense has problems stopping the run so that'll play well with New Mexico who likes to run it. They are on their third QB of the season and a guy who may want to throw it more. They've put up 62, 14, 42 and 43 points so offense shouldn't be an issue. New Mexico's biggest defensive issues seem to come in the secondary who won't be tested as much. UNLV has covered just five of their last 14 home games and four of their last 12 as a favorite. I'll take a shot with the Lobos.

The matchups between the academies used to be huge unders because each team would be playing against their mirror image. Air Force is 1-3 with the win coming in week one against Stony Brook. Their offense has been a mixed bag this season and the defense has struggled against the pass, but that won't be an issue against Navy. 11 of the last 14 matchups have gone under the total including six of the last seven. Last year's game was a 48-45 high scoring affair and that snapped a nice under streak. Navy's offense has worked this season and they've had an extra week to prepare. The defense struggled against Hawaii and SMU but once again it was the pass that did them in for those. I think we see some nice time consuming drives and get back to the under trend.

Akron has played just three games this season as they lost their matchup with Nebraska due to weather and they had their bye already. The Zips have wins over Morgan State and Northwestern and a close loss at Iowa State. Their offense has had some success while the defense has been very strong too. Despite giving up 26 points to ISU, they only allowed 365 yards to the Cyclones. Miami-Ohio is 1-4 with the win coming at Bowling Green 38-23. The Redhawks will be playing their third game over a four week span. They have struggled to stop anyone and have had problems on offense although not as of late. I'm not a huge trends guy but Miami is 3-16 against the spread since 1992 in road games with a total between 45.5 and 49. I think this is a bit of a mismatch so give me the home team.

Bowling Green is consistently one of the worst defenses in football. They've allowed 58, 45, 35, 38 and 63 points so far this season. Toledo has scored over 60 twice against VMI and Nevada. They have a really good group of wide receivers that should have their way with the Falcons. Ironically, most of the damage has been done on the ground against them. Bowling Green's offense is capable of scoring too as they've put up 24, 14, 42, 23 and 17. Toledo's defense has been ridiculously shaky the last few weeks giving up at least 40 to Miami, Nevada and Fresno State. The last two years this game has seen scores of 66-37 and 42-35. I think we could see scores around that.

William and Mary has a poor offense, but Albany has had problems on defense. The Tribe figure to get DeVante Dedmon involved a lot because he's an NFL caliber wide receiver. WM's defense is pretty good too. I know Albany has scored a lot but I don't think that happens in this one. It's a lower total which means getting two touchdowns is a good place to start. I'm taking the Tribe plus the points.

NIU's offense has been very anemic all season and it's put pressure on a very good defense. The Huskies have scored 82 points over five games. Most of those contests were against better teams, but they just don't do a lot well. The passing attack has had 215 yards or less  in each contest. The defense has forced a bunch of turnovers, but has had to be on the field a lot more then they should due to time of possession. Ball State has a good offense that has shown up against weaker opponents Central Connecticut and Kent State. They had issues against Notre Dame, Indiana and Western Kentucky. Ball State has gone under in three of four games while NIU has done so in four of their five. Neither team has impressed me that much and I think this one goes under the total.

Go figure Temple. They started out the year with losses at home to Nova and Buffalo, but then beat Maryland and Tulsa before shooting themselves in the foot against Boston College. Anthony Russo has been under center the past few games and he's as inconsistent as the rest of the team. Russo makes several throws but also has some inconsistent tendencies. On defense, the Owls have been gashed on the ground the past two weeks, but have matched up well through the air. On the other side you have East Carolina who has lost to North Carolina A&T and South Florida. They've played well though since that opening week loss. The Pirates are running it better and getting good production from Holton Ahlers. On defense they've clamped down on the run and have played better against the pass. I think ECU is in better form right now and there's not a great homefield advantage for Temple. I think this one is closer then the spread says.

Last week I wanted to take the over in the Kansas game, but didn't. I'm not making this mistake again. The Jayhawks have been ripped through the air allowing nearly 600 passing yards to Baylor and Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks actually put up 28 points on Oklahoma State at home and have shown pulses at times on offense. West Virginia is going through everyone offensively. They've scored 169 points in four games and should continue that trend. The team did just allow 34 points to Texas Tech. The last two years, this score was 56-34 and 48-21 so I see plenty of points once again. The Jayhawks just won't be able to slow down the Mountaineers. 

The Thundering Herd are 3-1 on the season with the loss coming to NC State at home in week 4. The line has been tumbling down a bit due to the uncertainty of the quarterback Isaiah Green who got hurt last week. If he doesn't play then grad transfer Alex Thomson is under center. He came over from Wagner and got FBS offers before settling in with Marshall. The team has plenty of offensive talent and a very good defense that can bottle up the run. MTSU is coming off an emotional win over FAU at home last Saturday in which it got a late two point conversion to get the win over the Owls. They have lost to Vandy and Georgia on the road and have struggled for much offensive consistency. Their defense isn't that good either as Tennessee-Martin scored 37 on them in week two. MTSU has had great teams in the past and still have been blasted by the Herd. Last year Marshall won 38-10 as two point favorites and 42-17 in 2016 as eight point underdogs. MTSU has covered just four of their last 16 road games. I think this one goes in favor of the home team. 

This feels like another Patriots blowout on Thursday night as they host the Colts. New England is coming off a 38-7 win over the Dolphins at home last week. They got solid work from Sony Michel and James White out of the backfield while Tom Brady was efficient as usual. The defense ate up Miami and could do the same against the Colts. Indy is playing their third road game over their last four weeks. They lost a tough one to the Texans last time out 37-34 at home in a game that saw Frank Reich go for it on 4th down in overtime in their own territory. Andrew Luck was great as he always is at home. The problem is his road splits as he's thrown for 177 and 141 yards away from home against the Redskins and Eagles. Injuries will be a huge issue for the road team as well. They had 11 players not participate in Tuesday's practice and it looks like Jack Doyle and TY Hilton may not play on offense as well as Darius Leonard, Kenny Moore and Clayton Geathers on defense. Heck, Adam Vinatieri is dealing with a groin injury and isn't guaranteed. Yes, the Pats may not have Gronk, but Julian Edelman is due back for this one. Anthony Castonzo and Marlon Mack had limited participation and there's a chance neither of them will play. New England's last home Thursday night game was 2016 when they shut out the Texans 27-0. In short quick weeks, the edge also has to go to the better coach and that's the home team. They've covered 30 of their last 42 games overall. This one should be a romp on Thursday.  

It's gutsy to get in front of the Chiefs right now considering they are putting up almost 40 points per game. Still, I think the run ends on Monday night. Their defense is allowing nearly 500 yards per game. This is the third road game over the first four weeks for the Chiefs. Pat Mahomes is putting up incredible numbers and I'm not going to take that way from them. This is the best defense they will have faced though to start out the season. Denver's secondary has been a little bit disappointing, but Roby and Harris are one of the best duos in the league and they have solid safeties as well. I think Case Keenum and that offense can move the ball on KC and I think they can play just enough to defense to make things interesting.  I'm concerned about the coaching advantage that the road team has, but I just think home dogs on Monday night are worth a look often.

The Steelers picked up the win on Monday night 30-27 over the Buccaneers. I think a victory like that helps with confidence especially with the Ravens coming to town. Big Ben racked up the yards once again and the defense forced four turnovers. It's a concern that the secondary has been bad the last two weeks, but I'm really not a believer in the Ravens offense. They use a mediocre group of running backs to go along with their revamped WR corps. Baltimore's defense held up well in their two home games, but were gashed by the Bengals in week two on the road. This starts a stretch of three straight and four of five away from Baltimore. The Browns and Chiefs at least threatened the Steelers with a run attack that the Ravens just can't produce. Pittsburgh is the better team right now despite the worse record. I think they get the win in this one.

The Lions are feeling good after their Sunday night win over the Patriots. In that one they showed a rare run game with Kerryon Johnson finally eclipsing the 100 yard mark. It took some pressure off Matt Stafford which is what he needs. The defense has stood tall so far this season as no one has put up over 200 yards passing. That streak should continue considering the Cowboys haven't gotten to that mark yet either. If they are smart, they'd give the ball to Ezekiel Elliott 35 times and force teams to have to deal with that pounding. Dallas has actually played pretty good defense, but they are getting no help out there from the other side of the ball. Sean Lee is a little banged up, but they've got experience playing without him. All three Cowboys games have gone under the total in 2018 and I think that trend continues. Dallas has gone under in 22 of their last 36 games.

Carson Wentz gets his first road game of the season as they play at Tennessee. The Titans have held their opponents to 16.7 points per contest and 337 yards per game. Philly may get their running backs back as well as Alshon Jeffery, but who knows how healthy they all are. Until everyone is healthy and in shape, I think they continue to struggle. Good thing the defense has been incredible. It'll be very difficult for the Titans to run the ball on the front seven that has held their opponents to just 185 yards on the ground total. Marcus Mariota will start, but he's not 100% so I can't see how the Titans score a ton of points either. To me, this will be a field position game and a low-scoring Eagles win.

We couldn't be getting the Patriots any lower then we are this week. New England is coming off a 26-10 loss at Detroit in which they looked really anemic and slow as a team. They managed just 120 passing yards while allowing over 400 yards to the Lions. Typically, a bounce-back always comes and it will on Sunday. They figure to have Josh Gordon out there which will open things up for everyone else. Miami is 3-0 and i'm glad for it because I've been on them all season long so far. The thing is, they've done it with just enough offense and stops on defense. The Fins have thrown for more then 250 yards just once while allowing the last two opponents to crack the 300 yard mark. Last year, New England won this game at home 35-17 while falling down in Miami 27-20. They've covered 17 of their last 27 meetings with the Fins at home. I think that trend continues.

Arkansas Pine Bluff has had a fascinating season so far. They lost week one to Morehouse 34-30, followed that up with a 55-0 win over Cumberland before getting blasted 90-6 by South Dakota State and 62-13 by Prairie View. The team has a decent quarterback and a good wide receiver but both are banged up and may not play. FIU has shown no mercy in terms of scoring 63 against UMass. They are coming off a 31-17 loss at Miami and have Middle Tennessee next. FIU is getting at least 60 in this one. The question is if the opponent will score at all. 

MTSU is 1-2 to start the season. They've had two weeks to prepare for this one as they finally hit conference play. It's hard to accurately describe the Blue Raiders because they got crushed at Vanderbilt and Georgia and beat UT-Martin as well. The Blue Raiders have a very good passing game that should be able to take advantage of a mediocre FAU secondary. The Raiders defense has struggled at times even against UT-M whom they allowed nearly 500 yards to. FAU's Devin Singletary should get fat and happy against the Blue Raiders. FAU's offense has put up 33, 49 and 36 the last three weeks. Two years ago this game was 77-56 at Murfreesboro and 38-20 at FAU last year. I think this one is an over. 

Texas San Antonio is coming off their first win of the season as they beat Texas State 25-21. UTSA has losses to Arizona State, Baylor and Kansas State so they are pretty tested and proven. The offense has had it's issues, but should be able to move on UTEP who allowed 30 to Northern Arizona, 52 to UNLV and 27 to New Mexico State. The Miners did everything right last week and lost the game because they couldn't execute when it mattered. UTSA won this game by 17 last year on the road and lost to UTEP outright in 2016. They know that this game could be tough and will take it seriously. Give me the home team to get their second win in a row.

This one has the makings of a classic Big 10 game. Michigan has allowed 14.2 points per game and 240.2 yards per contest as well. Northwestern's offense took a major hit once Larkin went down. The Wildcats put up only 7 points on Duke and have had a bye week to prepare. Their defense hasn't been too bad although they need to get more pressure up front. Michigan's offense put up 49, 45, 56 the last three weeks at home against some weak defenses. I think they find things a little more difficult on the road against a team with extra time to prepare. Northwestern has gone under in 12 of their last 16 at home and 16 of their last 29 overall. 

I very rarely dip into the FCS level for my selections, but this one stood out to me. VMI is 0-4 on the season, but their spread offense is starting to take flight. The Keydets put up 50 in a 52-50 loss at Western Carolina last week. This came after they scored 24 at home against East Tennessee State. The problem for them is that their defense has been a major issue allowing 52, 27, 59 and 66 already this season. In comes Mercer who has had some mixed bag results themselves. The Bears beat Jacksonville 45-3 and Samford 30-24 on the road. They also lost 38-31 to the Citadel and 66-14 to Memphis. I think this one is a bit of a shootout. Mercer has been vulnerable to the pass as evidenced by the Memphis and Samford road games. Jacksonville and the Citadel want to run it so the numbers are skewed a bit there.

The UConn Huskies are allowing 54.5 points per game and 664 yards per contest as well. It's a shame because their offense is semi-competent with David Pindell under center. This is a Huskies team that allowed 49 points at home to Rhode Island who is from the FCS level. The offense would be putting up more points if they didn't have a turnover issue. The team has coughed it up 10 times in four contests. The Bearcats defense has been fantastic, but hasn't really been stressed this season. They did give up 30 points to Ohio last time out, but were beaten more on the ground then through the air. The offense has the opportunity to break out having scored 97 points the last two weeks. My worry is that they won't do as well on the road as they would on home. This one has the potential to be a shootout with both teams contributing a ton. I think this one is an over.

App St is rolling offensively putting up almost 52 points and 530 yards of offense. They've also had a great defense that has held teams to under 300 yards of offense. The Mountaineers lost by 7 at Penn State, but also beat Charlotte and Gardner Webb by healthy margins. The team is able to run the ball well and pass it as well. South Alabama's offense has been good lately with 76 points the last two weeks against Texas State and Memphis. These two have gone over in seven of seven possible games between the two of them. The Jaguars defense will probably struggle, but I think they'll get some points. This one should be a shootout on Saturday. 

Somebody has to win this one as both teams have seen some low points already this season. Florida State lost their opener to Virginia Tech before nearly falling to Samford at home. The Seminoles followed that up with a horrible effort at Syracuse before bouncing back against NIU at home. It's the inconsistencies that have driven their fanbase nuts. The defense is putting up fantastic numbers, but they've had to be on the field too long with the offense struggling to get going. The offensive line can't block anyone and Deondre Francois is getting skittish in the pocket. Louisville looked pretty feeble last week against the Hoos. They also got crushed by Alabama in week one with the victories coming after against Indiana State and Western Kentucky. To me, there's only one way to go in this one and it's taking the under. FSU has gone under in 12 of their last 18 ACC contests and 15 of their last 29 overall. I think we could see this one being a 21-17 affair as I don't have faith in either offense. 

I know I'm buying the Huskers at their lowest point and Purdue at their highest, but I'm not convinced everything is fixed in Purdue-land. They beat up on Boston College last week as part of a home stretch of four straight. The team lost to Northwestern, EMU and Missouri beforehand as the defense struggled. Nebraska's offense has not performed too well since week one when they put up over 550 yards on the Buffaloes in a loss. Adrian Martinez is back under center and presumably healthier so he should perform better. The Huskers didn't show up at Michigan, but the Wolverines were in a good spot. Nebraska has been a home underdog of 3.5 to 7 points just six times since 1992 winning two of those games. Playing a hunch here and think that they get their first win here.

The Monarchs are coming off the biggest win in program history. ODU looked great against Virginia Tech beating the Hokies 49-35. They moved the ball with relative ease and made just enough stops to get the win. Now they hit the road to take on East Carolina who is 1-2 on the season. They beat UNC 41-19 at home, but lost to North Carolina A&T and South Florida. Last week, they fell to USF in a game that saw the defense play pretty well and the offense show some good balance. I completely understand that we may get an unfocused ODU team, but ECU isn't that great themselves. They are 8-19 against the spread the last three seasons and have won just six of their last 15 at home outright. Even with a lack of focus, I'll take ODU plus a touchdown in this one.

NC State is 3-0 on the season and is facing their first power five school UVA. The Wolfpack have wins over JMU, Georgia State and Marshall. They've scored 102 points while allowing just 40. Ryan Finley has an array of weapons and has been on fire so far this season so he's someone to watch out for. The defense has played well so far but could be stressed by UVA. The Cavaliers are 3-1 with wins over Richmond, Ohio and Louisville. They lost a tough one at Indiana. Bryce Perkins has been very good in getting the ball to his weapons Olamide Zaccheaus, Joe Reed and Hasise Dubois. The defense has been good too, but they lost a few pieces which could make things difficult. Richard Burney, Jordan Mack and Malcolm Cook are all most likely not going to play. I think this one will see plenty of points. 

Things couldn't be any lower for the Cardinals right now. Arizona has scored just six points total in losses to the Redskins and Rams. Sam Bradford has been terrible under center leading me to believe Josh Rosen could see the field soon. Still, they have some talent with David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. The defense has been beaten up with the Redskins grinding them down on the ground while the Rams took to the air. The Bears are flying high after a home win over the Seahawks on Monday Night Football. It's a quick turnaround for this team and a long flight as well. Chicago arguably could be 2-0 after they blew the first week in Green Bay. Chicago has covered just five of their last 17 road games and won only two of them outright. I think there's a chance that they struggle in this one on the road.

Carson Wentz is back and under center for Philly as they host the Colts. Coach Pederson swears he's not going to be calling plays with kid gloves for the quarterback who is coming back from last year's injury. Still, he'll be without Alshon Jeffery, Mike Wallace and Mack Hollins leaving Nelson Agholor to lead an unproven bunch of receivers. The Colts defense played above it's head against the Redskins in week two. I don't expect them to do that again on Sunday, but the Eagles offense doesn't inspire much confidence in me right now. It'll be important to see if Darren Sproles is available because he's a good safety valve. The Eagles defense was undressed by Ryan Fitzpatrick so you know they'll put in a better effort against the Colts who really has T.Y. Hilton and nothing else. Philly's run defense has been great so far and they'll put plenty of pressure on Andrew Luck who is still working his way back into consistent playing shape. Philly has gone under in 13 of their last 19 home games.

The Bengals are 2-0 so far with 34-23 wins over the Colts and Ravens. This is part of a stretch where they have three of their first four on the road. I'm not buying Cincinnati yet this season despite their early success. Joe Mixon is injured so that means Gio Bernard is taking on a bigger role. Of course i'm concerned about AJ Green going nuts on this bad Carolina secondary, but I think the Panthers can get enough pressure to make Andy Dalton uncomfortable. Carolina lost 31-24 in Atlanta last time out. They struggled with the Falcons balance allowing 170 rushing yards in the loss. The Panthers are a better team at home though as showed in the team's 16-8 win over the Cowboys in week one. Cincy has allowed over 300 yards passing in both wins this season. Some of that is because the teams were throwing to come back, but still, I think there's opportunities for Cam Newton. Cincy is just 8-8 against the spread the last three seasons on the road. I like the Panthers in this spot especially at this key number.

This seems like an immense trap of a line, but I'll bite. I've been on the Dolphins twice already this season and have liked what I've seen. Kenyan Drake and the run game has taken some pressure off Ryan Tannehill. Still, the team has to cut down on the turnovers with four of them so far this season. Oakland's defense has been gashed on the ground and through the air because they've got no one to rush the pressure or make a difference. Miami's defense has actually played pretty well despite having a lack of stars. They've also seen two of the weaker offenses in football in the Titans and Jets. The Raiders have scored 32 points on the Rams and Broncos. The run game has not gotten to 100 yards in a game yet this season. It means more work for Derek Carr and Amari Cooper. It's the team's second straight road contest as they head to the east coast. Last year the Raiders won in Miami 27-24 in a game that saw both teams put up pretty close to the same numbers. I'll bite on the potential trick line and take the home team.

The Redskins are one of those teams giving their fans a huge swing of emotions. Week 1 brought an easy win in Arizona and the revitalization of Adrian Peterson in the win. Week 2 brought a 21-9 home loss in front of a bad crowd in which the offense struggled to get anything going. I think this team is somewhere in the middle as Alex Smith is better then he played last week. The Skins defense held up pretty well as well for the most part, but even they could improve. Green Bay comes into this one off two tough home divisional games. Aaron Rodgers isn't 100%, but is still throwing dimes out there. The defense was beaten up by Kirk Cousins last week. I think the home team is worth a look as an underdog. I think we get a better effort before their bye week.

Houston may put this number up themselves in this one. There's no real lookahead factor at all. They have tallied no fewer then 45 points and 551 yards in any game. The defense did give up some points to Rice as well and the Owls offense isn't great. I think we could get 10 from Texas Southern and that may be all we need. 

Oklahoma's offense has been rolling this season even with the injury to Rodney Anderson. The Sooners have scored 149 points in three weeks and will continue conference play next week hosting Baylor. The defense has played pretty well but they allowed 14 to FAU, 21 to UCLA and 27 to Iowa State. Army's triple option has worked so far, but has also shown that the pass is a threat. They've completed 18 passes this season keeping teams honest. I don't know how the Black Knights slow down Oklahoma in this one. Their defense showed up against Hawaii, but this is a whole new challenge. I don't see how OU doesn't score 50 which means I don't need a ton from the road team.

Kentucky is 3-0 and has another chance to add to their resume on Saturday. The Wildcats have wins over Central Michigan and Murray State at home and Florida on the road. The common thread is a really good ground game and a defense that has limited their opponents through the air and on the ground. Benny Snell is one of the best running backs in the country and Terry Wilson has been a solid signal caller. MIssissippi State already has a win at Kansas State and has beaten Stephen F Austin and ULL. Nick Fitzgerald has been really good while the defense has done good work as well. My question is that they really havent been tested yet as K-State's offense isn't that great. The Wildcats have covered in 10 of their last 16 games as an underdog. I think the home team is a live dog.

All the talk will be about Troy in this one, but Louisiana Monroe has plenty of talent to bring. The Warhawks have wins over SE Louisiana and Southern Miss to go with a 38 point loss at Texas A&M. This is their only home game over a six week stretch so you know they'll be ready. Troy is coming off a 5 point win at Nebraska and has played well since getting blitzed by Boise in week one. The offense has struggled with passing the ball and has had six turnovers, but the defense has stepped up. The Warhawks have the talent to punch Troy in the mouth especially if the Trojans aren't focused. I'm playing a hunch, but I think the home team is worth a look. 

Liberty picked up an unexpected bye week because of Hurricane Florence. They are 1-1 on the season with a 52-10 win over Old Dominion and a 38-14 loss at Army. The Flames offense has worked this season and is led by Buckshot Calvert who is pretty good. They struggled with momentum the week after a great debut against the Monarchs. They've had plenty of time to prepare for this one. North Texas is coming off a dominating effort at Arkansas 44-17. This week it's been all about the Mean Green getting publicity and it's well deserved. That's also going to pump up the Liberty fans to get this 3-0 team in their place. UNT's other wins were against SMU and Incarnate Word so those were meh. Liberty is 11-1 ATS as an underdog since 1992. I just think they have the talent to push the Mean Green who may not be as focused for this one. 

BYU is coming off a great effort in Wisconsin and has a road trip to Washington coming up next week. Sandwiched in between is a matchup with McNeese State who is one of the better FCS teams in the country. They have a ton of speed and won't be intimidated by the tough environment. The team lost at ULL 30-22 in week one and has won three straight since then. With such a low total and a potentially unfocused BYU, I like the road team to keep it within three touchdowns.

A pair of solid to middling SEC teams play in Nashville on Saturday. The Commodores are 2-1 with wins over MTSU and Nevada at home and a 22-17 loss to Notre Dame. Vandy's offense ain't that great outside of Shurmur the quarterback. They lack the true run threat they had with Ralph Webb. South Carolina's defense did well against Coastal Carolina, but struggled with Georgia. Their offense has been a mixed bag, but may struggle with Vandy's D. The Commodores have held their opponents to just 39 points overall. MTSU, Nevada and Notre Dame have pretty good offenses and they were all stymied. The Gamecocks have gone under in 12 of their last 17 SEC games. Give me the under there. 

The two teams in this game have just one win between themselves. The Cardinals won their first game 42-6 over Central Connecticut State. They lost at Notre Dame by eight and by 28 at Indiana. The offense has shown a lot of potential especially since the likes of James Gilbert and RIley Neal are healthy. The defense has had it's issues slowing down the opposition although it did force three turnovers against the Fighting Irish. Western Kentucky has losses to Louisville and Wisconsin on the road as well as one at home to Maine. This is their third road tilt in four weeks. The offense lost Mike White and has not been the same as good as they were last year. WKU allowed over 200 yards rushing to the two FBS opponents. They beat the Cardinals at home last year 33-21, but that was also with White under center. I think the team out of the MAC is worth a look. 

CSU has played four games already this year and we're still waiting to see some semblance of defense. They've allowed 48 to Florida, 45 to Colorado, 43 to Hawaii and 27 to Arkansas in a win. The good thing is that the offense has shown it can move the ball a bit when it needs to. Illinois State is 2-0 and coming off a bye week. They beat St. Xavier 46-0 and Eastern Illinois 48-10. Their defense isn't as good as it's played, but the offense is spectacular with a quarterback that has FBS roots. I think this game could be a last team with the ball situation. Give me the over. 

Akron is off to a 2-0 start after beating Northwestern 39-34 last time out in Evanston. The Zips offense has hummed in both games while the defense did just enough to hold off the Wildcats. Northwestern threw for over 400 yards, but were done in by three turnovers. Coach Bowden has done good things with this program but it's a tough ask for them to play great in their second straight power five road game. Iowa State is looking for their first win and looking for running back David Montgomery to break out. The team has struggled to get much going on the ground. They are coming off a 37-27 loss at home to Oklahoma. Their defense played well in Iowa, but had issues with the Sooners last week. Zeb Noland has some talent around him and I think we see a good offensive effort. Last year ISU won 41-14 at Akron in a game that saw them move up and down the field with ease. This is a lower total so I'll take a chance with the over and hope that the Cyclones figure things out offensively. 

Minnesota is 3-0 with wins at home over New Mexico State, Fresno State and Miami-Ohio. They've had a solid run game and very good defense although Fresno is really the only squad that is decent in that group. They held all three opponents to less then 100 yards rushing and 250 yards passing. Maryland is coming off an awful loss at home to Temple in which they couldn't block the Owls or do enough offensively. The Golden Gophers QB is banged up and may struggle against a Terps defense looking to improve from last week. Each team has gone under in two of their three contests. Maryland has gone under in nine of their last 13 as a favorite. Minnesota has gone under in 15 of their last 28 games overall. I think this one is a lower scoring contest.

Ole Miss is in this weird sandwich spot in which they just got undressed 62-7 by Alabama and have a road trip to LSU next week. In between is Kent State who just lost 63-10 at Penn State. Woody Barrett has helped make KSU's offense a lot more competent then it has been in the past. They scored 24 at Illinois and 54 against a decent Howard. The problem for them is that the defense allowed 94 points to their two FBS opponents. Ole Miss can score on anyone outside of the Crimson Tide. They put up 47 on Texas Tech and 76 on Southern Illinois. Their problems are on defense where they've allowed 27, 41 and 62. The Rebels have gone over in 12 of their last 16 home games and 18 of their last 27 overall. Shootout potential here.

Both of these NFC East teams are 0-1 and are in risk of falling even further out of the race with another loss. The Cowboys scored eight points and failed to get Ezekiel Elliott on track. The team saw Dak Prescott struggle terribly to get the ball to his mediocre wide receivers. Defensively, Dallas played pretty well although they allowed nearly 150 yards on the ground. The Giants struggled to run against Jacksonville outside of one long run by Saquon Barkley. Eli Manning locked in on Odell Beckham and fed him a ton of talents. The Cowboys don't have a cornerback capable of covering him so OBJ should go nuts in this one. New York's defense hung tough against the Jaguars and will probably stuff the box once again in this one. Dallas is just 8-9 ATS at home the last three seasons. Vegas thinks this is essentially a pick'em on a neutral field. I think the road team is the better squad so give me the points.

The two teams in this matchup combined for nine turnovers in losses in week one. San Francisco coughed it up four times in a 24-16 loss to the Vikings. This is their only home game in the month of September. I'm just not a 49ers guy as I don't think their offense is good enough and I think their defense is exploitable. The running game features Matt Breida and Alfred Morris. You can't get much lower then the Lions who had five turnovers and looked awful on a larger stage falling to the Jets 48-17. Quite often, I like to fade teams making this quick turnaround, but really I think the Lions are better then they showed and this is a slight overreaction by Vegas. The defense should be able to shut down the Niners run game and the passing attack doesn't scare anyone either. SF has covered just five of their last 16 home games and 13 of their last 33 overall. I don't think the Lions win outright, but we'll see a better effort.

The Jets were arguably the biggest story outside of Aaron Rodgers in week one. Sam Darnold throws an interception on his very first pass and then the team goes nuts in a huge blowout win over the Lions. Darnold looked fantastic and the defense made a boatload of stops. They forced five turnovers in the win and were able to run the ball really well. Now they return home to host the Dolphins who are coming off a 27-20 win over the Titans. Ryan Tannehill looked pretty good going 20-for-28 for 222 yards. The defense played well enough to win themselves. Last year these two split their matchups with the home team winning. I really think it's a lot to ask the young Jets to keep their focus to the field after everyone talked about how great they are. 

These two teams played in low scoring games that went in different directions in week one. Atlanta has had some extra time to lick their wounds after falling 18-12 at Philadelphia. The Falcons offense underperformed in the red zone and the defense had some key injuries. It's a concern that they lost a pair of safeties for this one, but I'm not concerned as much about the Panthers offense. Carolina beat Dallas 16-8, but managed to only put up less then 300 yards of offense. Greg Olsen's injury hurts a group that is looking for some sort of star power to help out. Carolina's defense is very tough, but the Falcons are a lot better at home in the dome. Atlanta has covered 15 of their last 22 at home in this series. They beat the Panthers there 22-10 last December. I think Julio Jones has a great game and may actually score a touchdown because it'll come outside the red zone. 

To me, the Texans are the play here with Tennessee being so banged up. Marcus Mariota is not going to play the whole game so Blaine Gabbert is going to take over. Derrick Henry had a disappointing week one and the offensive line is hurting too. JJ Watt is going to have his way with the team in this one. Deshaun Watson had a bad week 1 but that'll change in week 2 against a defense that I just don't like. I think Houston can get the win easily in this one as I just don't know how the Titans score.