Things did not go well for the Saints in week one losing to Tampa Bay 48-40 at home. New Orleans threw for 432 yards in the loss and will most likely look to try and get their run game going in this one. Cleveland allowed James Conner to have some success in week one. The Saints defense was absolutely horrific giving up over 500 yards to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Cleveland's offense showed more punch on the ground with the likes of Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb finding some success. Cleveland's defense could struggle in the dome considering they allowed almost 500 yards to the Steelers. I think the Saints cash in more on their opportunities and won't have six turnovers. New Orleans has gone over in 12 of their last 18 home games. Cleveland has gone over in 11 of their last 16 road games.

Arizona State is flying high after knocking off Michigan State 16-13 at home. The Sun Devils defense flew around and shut down the Spartans run game. They now have the challenge of getting themselves up for a road game against San Diego State. The Aztecs are without quarterback Christian Chapman who is out for a few weeks with a knee injury. The backup is pretty competent so i'm not as worried about that. They are 1-1 on the season with a 31-10 loss at Stanford and a 28-14 win over Sacramento State. Juwan Washington is the newest flavor of the year at running back. The Aztecs defense has been very good against the run and good enough against the pass. Last year they won in Tempe 30-20 in a game that saw them rush for nearly 300 yards on the ground. I think the Aztecs are ready for this one and could get the win outright if ASU is a little sleepy.

The Warhawks are 2-0 with wins over SE Louisiana and Southern Miss. They've shown a balance being able to run the ball and throw it as well. If they can cut down the turnovers then Caleb Evans and the boys should be able to keep this close. Texas A&M is coming into this one off a heartbreaking 28-26 loss to Clemson. The team had their chances to win, but couldn't come up with the big play. The Aggies lost a starting linebacker for the season last game and may still be a bit hungover. Even worse, they have a road tilt at Alabama next week which could also get their focus. There's no doubt the Aggies are the more talented team in this one, but focus could be an issue. They've covered just six of their last 16 at home. ULM has covered nine of their last 15 road games and have split ATS their last two against the SEC. This one should be close on Saturday.

FIU is 1-1 after beating Old Dominion in Norfolk last time out. They have shown a ground game and a decent passing attack. The Golden Panthers have rushed for 170 yards or more in each of their two contests. The defense has had some issues slowing down teams through the air which plays right into what UMass wants to do with Andrew Ford. The Minutemen looked great week one against Duquesne, but have struggled since then losing big time at Georgia Southern and Boston College. They had problems stopping anyone on defense and could have issues with the FIU running back. These two played a crazy game in Florida with FIU winning 63-45 by racking up over 600 yards of offense. FIU has gone over in 16 of their last 27. UMass has gone over in 15 of their last 26 games. I think this one sees plenty of points. 

I'm a huge Buffalo guy. It was my favorite total from the preseason and so far so good for the Bulls. They have wins over Delaware State and Temple and have shown good offensive balance and a good defense as well. Anthony Johnson is one of the best wide receivers in college football. Eastern Michigan is coming off a win over Purdue so they are feeling good. Tyler Wiegers has been a really good quarterback and he's finding Blake Banham a lot. The offense has been fantastic but I think it comes down to earth in this one. Despite winning last week, they allowed almost 500 yards of offense to Purdue. The team gave up over 350 yards to Monmouth in a 51-17 win. Eastern Michigan is a covering machine lately, but they lose this one on Saturday.

FAU has had some ups and downs this season so far. They were blasted by Oklahoma 63-14 in week one and followed that up with a 33-27 win over Air Force. Devin Singletary has yet to crack 100 yards rushing yet so you know they'll want to change that against this FCS opponent. They also have a game next week against the defending national champions in UCF so who knows if focus will be an issue. Last year they won this game 45-0 at home. Bethune Cookman lost their opener 34-3 to Tennessee State but then bounced back with a 79-16 win over Virginia University of Lynchburg. This year's squad is trying to run their offense quicker which means they'll either put the points up or go 3-and-out quicker. I think this one goes over the total.

I'm usually very leery with laying this many points, but San Jose State is just so bad. The Spartans were just shut out at Washington State 31-0 in a game that saw them manage just 109 yards of total offense. They lost at home in week one to UC Davis 44-38. Oregon has been steamrolling opponents beating Bowling Green 58-24 and Portland State 62-14. The Ducks didn't really take the foot off the pedal against the Vikings last week either with some of their starters playing later in the game. We may not see that happen in this one with a home contest against Stanford up next, but I still think their backups could keep it going. San Jose State has failed to cover in eight of their last 11 non-conference games. They are 4-10 against the spread the last three seasons on the road. This one is going to be really ugly.

Wyoming football started off their season with a 29-7 win at New Mexico State and a lot of good feelings. Since then they lost 41-19 at home to Washington State and 40-13 on the road at Missouri. The team is hosting Boise State on the 29th so there's a chance focus could be a bit of an issue for a team whose offense isn't good enough to blow out good teams. The team is also preparing for the triple option of Wofford that beat the Citadel 28-21 and VMI 59-14. Last year the Terriers lost 31-10 at South Carolina and 38-13 at Ole Miss two years ago. This should be a bit of a lower scoring game as the Cowboys don't scare me. I think this one is a good spread for the road team. 

Duke is 2-0 and coming off a road win at Northwestern but it was a mighty costly one. They lost quarterback Daniel Jones for around a month and their number one cornerback for the rest of the season. The team hasn't really been stressed on defense yet by Army and Northwestern. Baylor comes in feeling good after a 55-27 win over Abilene Christian and a 37-20 win at UTSA. The offense is clicking right now particularly through the air where they've put up over 700 yards. The defense was gashed in week one but has improved in week two. The Blue Devils won this game 34-20 at home last year and did so with a balanced attack. I just don't know if they can keep that balance without Jones under center. I think Baylor is looking for revenge and gets the double digit win.

This game on Saturday could have a very weird feel to it with Hurricane Florence in the area. Clemson moved this game up to a noon kickoff in order to try and beat it, but I still think there could be some wind and rain. Even if there's not, there's still a chance it's not the most attended. The Tigers are coming off a 28-26 road win and have ACC conference play up next at Georgia Tech. Clemson's defense will be quite ornery as they probably think they can do a lot better. In comes Georgia Southern who has wins over South Carolina State and UMass. The Eagles triple option has worked in both games with Shai Werts under center. GSU's defense has played well too although it's going to be a different challenge on Saturday. I think this is a vanilla gameplan from the home team and I think they may struggle a little bit with the option. GSU has covered in seven of their last eight games as a road underdog of 21.5 or more points. I'll take the road team in this one. 

Hawaii has been one of the best stories in the country and they are 3-0 entering this one against Army. The team is averaging 540 yards per game and 48.3 points. The defense has been pretty porous allowing over 500 yards per contest. This will be their second game against the triple option after beating Navy 59-41. Because the Midshipmen ran for over 300 yards, the numbers are a bit skewed. They also allowed 537 yards passing to Colorado State in a 43-34 win. Army is coming off a 38-14 win over Liberty in which both teams racked up a ton of yardage. Liberty would have scored more points if not for three turnovers. The biggest concern for Hawaii is the early start time which will mess with their body clocks. I think they struggle to slow down the home team in this one. Hawaii has gone over in 17 of their last 29 games including all three this season. I think this one has a boatload of points. 

Wake Forest and Boston College are putting up huge numbers, but we'll see that change on Thursday. The game has been moved up to a 5:30 kickoff and may be dealing with some rain and wind as Florence approaches. The Demon Deacons have wins over Tulane and Towson so far. They've been able to put up good offensive numbers, but the opposition wasn't very good. The defense struggled with their opponent's passing game, but luckily BC's bread and butter is the run. The Eagles crushed UMass and Holy Cross at home, but are now beginning a stretch of three of four on the road. Their defense has been fantastic, but once again the offenses were duds. Last year Wake won this game 34-10 on the road holding the Eagles to just 142 yards on the ground while forcing four turnovers. These two have played nine straight unders and the conditions may make things a little difficult. BC has gone under in eight of their last 11 games as a favorite. To me, this one is going to see a lot of running and stacked boxes. Whichever team gets their aerial attack going will most likely win this one. Anthony Brown has more experience then Sam Hartman. Still, I think this one goes under the total. 

I'm a huge Denver Broncos guy this season so if they continue to get underpriced then I will be on them often. Case Keenum comes in to save the quarterback position for the home team after years of ineptitude. Keenum has a pair of solid but aging receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Royce Freeman is also going to be an intriguing piece at running back. All of that on offense plus a nasty defense makes the Broncos scary. The secondary will be just as good while the front seven should get pressure on an awful OL. Seattle's defense is no longer the Legion of Boom and doesn't scare anyone. The Seahawks offense features a rotation of running backs and Doug Baldwin. I realize Denver has had their issues in the past, but this team is a lot more improved and very tough to beat at home.

Dallas' offense is now truly Ezekiel Elliott and a bunch of no-name wide receivers. Teams are going to be stacking the box against the run forcing Dak Prescott to beat them with the likes of Allen Hurns and Cole Beasley. The loss of Travis Frederick at center is a big one because he's the quarterback of the offensive line. On defense they will be without David Irving for four games due to suspension. They've got some talent but can Sean Lee stay healthy. Carolina has plenty of question marks on offense as well. Their group of wide receivers are really young and Cam Newton has his consistency issues. Christian McCaffrey is going to get a larger role and Greg Olsen is a really solid tight end. The big difference is Carolina's defense is really good and they are at home. The Panthers are the better team here, but I can see both team's struggling to score. Dallas has some nice trends on the road to the under the last three years. 

This one is a feel play on my part. I'm not a Titans guy to say the least. Their offense doesn't scare me with Marcus Mariota leading the way. The wide receivers are young and have potential, but I don't like Mariota's chances of getting them the ball. The defense doesn't scare me that much despite their offseason additions. The team is 8-10 the last three years on the road and has covered just seven of those contests. Ryan Tannehill is running out of chances with his fanbase, but I still think he can be a talented quarterback. Kenyan Drake is not a bad running back and they have some good wide receivers. Miami's defense does scare me a bit, but I think they are a good bet as a home underdog. They've been a home dog just six times of three points or less the last three seasons and have won three of those games. Last year Miami won at home 16-10 in an ugly game. I think we could see another ugly one on Sunday.

Everyone loves the Vikings after adding Kirk Cousins. Minnesota's defense was fantastic last year up until they got undressed in Philadelphia. The corners are stout and the front seven should be able to get pressure on almost anyone. Minnesota has allowed over 20 points just once in their last 10 home games. I'm also not a huge believer in the 49ers offense. They just lost Jerrick McKinnon for the season and will now turn to Alfred Morris and Matt Breida for their running game. Jimmy Garoppolo made quite the impression at the end of the 2017 campaign, but he's running into arguably the best defense in the league. I think San Fran's defense is good enough to hold Minnesota to like 3 or 4 touchdowns so I think this number is just a bit high.

We'll finish off presumably a profitable Saturday with a high scoring affair between Rice and Hawaii. The Rainbows are averaging 51 points and almost 600 yards per contest. Cole McDonald has been hot under center. The problem for them is that the defense has been bad too allowing over 500 yards. Now some of that is skewed because of Navy's running attack, but they have been bad no matter what. Rice has been surprising this season as they put up over 400 yards of offense and more points then I thought against Houston. The Owls beat Prairie View 31-28 in week one. They also allowed over 350 yards of offense to them as well.  This one will close out the slate nicely with plenty of points.

This could be me being stubborn, but I see a lot of potential in Old Dominion and aren't going to let a loss to Liberty dissuade me. Yes, everything went wrong in that game with the defense allowing almost 600 yards of offense and the offense putting up only 10 points. Still, the O has plenty of weapons who will be a lot more active at home. ODU has won each of the last two matchups and that was as a 10 point underdog in 2017 and as a 14 point favorite in 2016. FIU lost 38-28 at home to Indiana and their offense just couldn't get things going. The passing attack had only 157 yards through the air and that's without Alex McGough who graduated. The defense was gashed on the ground and through the air. Depending when you get it, ODU could be a dog or a favorite. FIU has not covered as a fave in the last three years and is 12-13 ATS over that span overall. Norfolk will be rocking Saturday night and the Monarchs will get back on track in a big way.

The Cavaliers were very workmanlike in their 42-13 win over Richmond. They ran for over 300 yards and slowed down the Spiders on defense too. Jordan Ellis was very strong and Bryce Perkins was able to throw and run the ball while playing quarterback. For one week the defense did it's job and was able to overcome it's losses. Indiana also got a win and they did so with more balance and just enough defense. They were gashed for 170 yards on the ground by FIU. Last year the Hoosiers came to Charlottesville and beat up the Hoos. Indiana is 9-17 ATS the last three seasons. They've been a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points just twice the last three seasons splitting those two games. I think the road team is worth a definite look especially with wet weather potentially limiting the crowd and Indiana's creativity. 

I'll take a shot here with the over. UT-Martin allowed over 50 points to Missouri and struggled with their passing attack. Brent Stockstill and his weapons were stymied by Vanderbilt to the tune of 35-7. I think the Blue Raiders take their frustrations out on the Skyhawks. They put up 55 on Alabama A&M in 2016, 70 on Jackson State in 2015 and 61 on Savannah State in 2014. I think they can score the total themselves potentially. 

Savannah State lost 52-0 to UAB last week. They were overmatched and that was with a stretch where the Blazers had some turnovers. The Tigers completed one pass and looked absolutely inept. Their FCS games have been absolutely ugly. The opponent Miami was embarrassed by LSU and should be mighty angry. If Savannah State crosses midfield, then i'll be shocked. Give me the Canes who might score 80. 

I think this is a case of overreacting to one week's results. Memphis beat Mercer 66-14 in a game which saw them put up over 700 yards of offense and look very good defensively. The Tigers played very well against an inferior opponent. Navy got gashed by Hawaii 59-41 in a game on the road. The defense was horrible, but the offense was very good. They rushed for over 300 yards, but just couldn't keep up. Last year Navy lost 30-27 on the road in this series in a game that was tied at 10 at half. In a week-to-week basis it's very tough to prepare for the triple option which was run pretty well despite the loss. Navy has been a home underdog of 3.5 to 7 points just seven times since 1992 and they've covered four of those games. They are 7-4 against the spread the last three seasons at home. I think this is an overreaction and the home team is worth a look.

The Bulls are another team that I will be on often this season. They steamrolled Delaware State 48-10 in week one and it's because of Tyree Jackson who is healthy and a defense that forced four turnovers. It's a bit concerning that they allowed nearly 200 rushing yards, but Temple only put up 46 yards on the ground at home against an FCS team. Their offense looked lethargic and the defense had too many mental breakdowns. There's not much in the way of homefield advantage here especially after the loss to the Wildcats. Buffalo is one of my favorite teams and I think they can win this one outright.

This is your basic lookahead factor as the Hokies come off a hugely emotional road win against Florida State. The last time they played five days after an emotional game, they lost to James Madison at home after falling to Boise State at FedEx Field. Virginia Tech's team is very young and I don't know how they'll handle the quick turnaround and not being in the spotlight. The offense struggled to get things going for the most part outside of a couple of touchdown passes. The defense is also really young. I feel like if the Tribe scores 3 or 7 points then we're good here. I could see a 35-3 game. William and Mary's offense is competent while the defense is good enough. We'll get an unfocused Tech team in this one. 

This one is going to get really ugly. Portland State lost 72-19 to Nevada and the Wolf Pack's offense is nowhere near as good as the Ducks. Oregon's defense will have to tighten up a bit after they allowed 24 points to Bowling Green. They put up 58 at least on the FBS defense. They should be able to score more here. Last year they knocked off Southern Utah 77-21 at home and have bludgeoned bad opponents at home. Give me the Ducks. 

The Wolfpack manufactured a 24-13 win over JMU on Saturday. They weren't able to run the ball that well and allowed the Dukes to move up and down the field. The key was they held them to just 13 points though. This team has one more tune up before hosting West Virginia in week three. It looks like wideout Stephen Louis will play, but Jakobi Meyers may not. The team also had defensive tackle Eurndraus Bryant suffer an injury. I'm guessing they may hold them out because it's not a huge game. Georgia State beat Kennesaw State 24-20. They did just enough on offense and held them out of the end zone when it counted. My bet here is that GSU doesn't score much and they do just enough to keep NC State in the 40s. The Panthers have gone under in 17 of their last 25 games including 10 of their last 14 as an underdog. NC State has gone under in 15 of their last 27 games. I think this one is another under. 

The Eagles are going to be a fantastic team this season. The key phrase there is going to be. Philly will be playing this game without Carson Wentz, Alshon Jeffery and Timmy Jernigan. Three key pieces that will hopefully be back at some point. The coach is having a bit of a problem with the media and their reporting of his quarterback situation. Nick Foles most likely is getting the call and he's struggled during the preseason. Everyone seems to be thinking that he'll turn it on once the regular season begins, but that's not a guarantee. A full strength Atlanta team nearly won in Philly last year. The Eagles D is going to be very good and will keep the team in the game, but it'll be tired when the O struggles to move the ball. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones should be able to connect for a touchdown at least. The loss of Nigel Bradham means that Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman should be able to roam free in the passing game. I think the road team can win this game outright. There's so much not to like about the vibe coming out of Philly. The team is taking down a Super Bowl champs sign in the locker room because it was bothering them. They don't seem exactly focused. 

NC A&T already has a win under their belts on the road at Jacksonville State 20-17. They beat Kent State in 2016 and Charlotte last year so there's no level of intimidation here. QB Lamar Raynard has not lost as starter yet for the Aggies. The team has been in the top 10 in run defense pretty much every year under Sam Washington except 2014 when they were 24th. Raynard struggled in the first game with just 12 completions, but the defense did what they had to in order to beat JSU. East Carolina is coming off a 3-9 season in which it lost at home to JMU 34-14.. Trevon Brown is a good wide receiver for Reid Herring who has one career pass. I don't see this being a blowout and can certainly see a victory for the road team. 

 Hawaii picked up a win in week zero 43-34 at Colorado State as a healthy underdog. The Rainbow Warriors accounted for over 600 yards of offense while giving up over 650 themselves. CSU did it through the air while Navy will do it on the ground. Hawaii's offense brought back four players while the defense had five. The last time they played a triple option team was probably Air Force beating them 34-27 in two overtimes back in 2016. Navy went 7-6 last year and brings back nine starters of their own. Malcolm Perry will be under center and he ran for almost 1200 yards last year with 11 touchdowns. As usual, there are several options at running back and former QB Zach Abey is now a wide receiver. The defense has some holes, but with the extra time to prepare and some film to look at, things may be better. I think they struggle. Hawaii has gone over in 15 of their last 26 lined games. I think this one goes over too. 

VMI is coming off a winless season and won't be seeing one in this game either. The Keydets have a very young team and are switching to an Air Raid style of offense. They had been a triple option team in the past so this will either help get them even a couple of points in this one or it will get their defense on even quicker. Five times they allowed 40 points or more including the season opener against Air Force 62-0. Toledo is returning 12 starters, but is breaking in a new quarterback as Logan Woodside graduated. Mitchell Guadagni will be under center and he's got a great WR corps to throw to. Cody Thompson is really good. The defense could slip a little bit and they may not pitch a shutout in this one. Even so, I think the Rockets crack 50 points. Thy did so three times last year against lesser opponents. I think this one is ugly and over the total. 

Nicholls State lost 24-14 at Texas A&M last year and hung tough at Georgia two years ago. The Colonels return pretty much their whole offense which was very successful. They are led by Chase Fourcade under center and he's the 4th leading rusher. His one issue was too many interceptions with 13 of them to just 14 touchdowns. The backfield is stacked and the top wide receiver is back in Damion Jeanpiere. The defense is filled with juniors and seniors who would not be intimidated by Kansas. The Jayhawks have struggled against FCS opponents. Their win last year over SEMO was 38-16 and represented the only victory. Kansas has 18 starters back and Peyton Bender is going to be under center. He's got a lot of his skill positions back. To get 10 points is a gift especially since they can win outright. 

UT-Martin went 6-5 last year in the OVC. They fell 45-23 at Ole Miss in week two of their season. The Skyhawks were known for their defense holding their opponents to just 14.3 points per game. Of course, the OVC is nowhere near the talent level of the SEC. The offense is led by senior running back LaDarius Galloway. Missouri returns 16 starters including heralded quarterback Drew Lock. Lock threw 44 touchdown passes to 13 interceptions and has pretty much all of his top receivers back except for J'Mon Moore. The run game has some talent back as well. Defensively, they should be better then the 31.8 points per game they allowed in 2017. They opened up with an FCS opponent last year picking up a 72-43 win. They scored 40 points or more in their final six regular season games. In 2016, the Tigers beat their FCS opponent Delaware State 79-0. I think there's a chance that they score 57 points by themselves. 

The Huskies were 8-5 in 2017 and won't be intimidated by playing at Iowa. Last year they won at Nebraska and nearly knocked off San Diego State at their place a week later. This offense has eight starters back and is starting to get comfortable with Marcus Childers under center. The defense features a stout defensive line that will face an Iowa team without both of it's tackles. The Hawkeyes have gone 8-5 each of the past two seasons. Their offense features Nathan Stanley and Noah Fant while the defense is solid as well. This team has struggled at times at home losing to Purdue and Penn State there. They aren't flashy, but just get things done. NIU is 16-6 against the spread against the Big 10. 

The Minutemen are flying high after a 63-15 win over Duquesne in Week 0 of the college football season. They head to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College on Saturday. These two teams played back in 2016 with BC winning 26-7 at UMass. The Minutemen are led by signal caller Andrew Ford on offense along with running back Marquis Young and wideout Andy Isabella. The defense has six starters back with returnees on all levels. They have traditionally struggled against run defenses which is what BC wants to do with AJ Dillon. UMass lost last year by 10 at Coastal Carolina, 8 at Temple, 4 at Tennessee, 11 at Mississippi State and by 18 at FIU. BC has 16 starters back with 10 of them on offense. Anthony Brown is a decent quarterback that has had turnover issues from time-to-time. The defense may take a bit of a step back after allowing 22.8 points per game in 2017. The Eagles lost four games at home last year but also blew out UConn, Florida State and Central Michigan as well. I think in this case the team getting a game under the belt is a help and the Minutemen make things interesting. UMass is 8-4 against the spread the last three years on the road.

Rice picked up a 31-28 win over Prairie View in Week 0 of the college football season. The Owls defense struggled at times with A&M and was able to run the ball pretty well with Emmanuel Eskupa. The passing attack continued to struggle at points much like it did last year. The Owls lost this game in Houston 38-3 as they had problems moving the ball. They do have a game under their belt unlike the Cougars who return five starters on each side of the ball. Houston's story begins and ends with Ed Oliver up front. He's the best defensive tackle in college football and will wreak havoc on the Rice front. The rest of the defense is a little green, but they shouldn't have much of an issue with the home team. D'Eriq King is back at quarterback, but his skill position guys are pretty new outside of Courtney Lark at wide receiver. Houston has gone under in 17 of their last 25 games including seven of their last 10 on the road. I could see a similar score of 38-3 as last year's matchup between the two. 

It's a rivalry when Temple plays Villanova on the gridiron. The Owls beat the Cats 16-13 last year at home when Nova wasn't even full strength. Temple has won four straight in this series and is returning 12 starters. Frank Nutile is the quarterback and he stabilizes the position. The team's defense lost crucial pieces, but still has a solid front line as well as a solid secondary. The Wildcats had only five wins last season because of a massive amount of injuries. They are led by Zach Bednarczyk and a lot of his offensive weapons who got hurt. This team's offense could be tough to slow down. Nova's defense was fourth in the nation in rushing yards allowed. Rob Rolle and Jeff Steeb are good leaders with Rolle coming off injury as well. I really think this line is inflated and that it'll be a one score game. 

It's a rare trip for the ACC to MAC country as Syracuse goes to Kalamazoo to play Western Michigan. The Broncos are led by Tim Lester who was the OC for the Orange in 2015. A lot of his staff was with him in New York and some of them helped him recruit Eric Dungey to the school. Dungey is the lone active FBS signal caller with 6,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards. His weapons have taken a downturn from last year when he had Phillips and Ishmael hauling in passes. The run game is improved, but how much will they be able to use it in a potentially high scoring game. The Broncos defense is very strong and deep especially in the secondary where Juwan Dowels and Justin Tranquill will be playing. Jon Wassink is the WMU quarterback and he's got a couple of decent running backs and wide receivers with him. The Orange has a decent defense with six starters back. Western Michigan has covered 15 of their last 26 games including four of their last six as an underdog. This is a rare opportunity that they have a chance to win outright on Friday night.

Ball State went 2-10 last year after their offense was ravaged by injuries. Riley Neal, James Gilbert and Corey Lacanaria all were medical redshirts last year. That's their number one QB, RB and WR. The team is switching to a 3-4 defense which means some growing pains could be expected. The offense is capable of scoring points and should be able to do so on Central Connecticut. CCSU was picked to win the NEC and has several good offensive players. Jacob Dolegala has thrown for nearly 6,000 yards and is the signal caller for an offense that averaged 185 rushing yards last season and allowed only nine sacks in the regular season. The defense has some talent led by Kenneth Keen, Tajik Bagley and Chris Tinkham. The Blue Devils lost their FBS game last year 50-7 at Syracuse and then proceeded to lose two more before railing off eight wins on their way to the playoffs. To me this one should be a bit of a shootout with both teams being able to move the ball well on the other. 

Ball State went 2-10 last year after their offense was ravaged by injuries. Riley Neal, James Gilbert and Corey Lacanaria all were medical redshirts last year. That's their number one QB, RB and WR. The team is switching to a 3-4 defense which means some growing pains could be expected. The offense is capable of scoring points and should be able to do so on Central Connecticut. CCSU was picked to win the NEC and has several good offensive players. Jacob Dolegala has thrown for nearly 6,000 yards and is the signal caller for an offense that averaged 185 rushing yards last season and allowed only nine sacks in the regular season. The defense has some talent led by Kenneth Keen, Tajik Bagley and Chris Tinkham. The Blue Devils lost their FBS game last year 50-7 at Syracuse and then proceeded to lose two more before railing off eight wins on their way to the playoffs. To me this one should be a bit of a shootout with both teams being able to move the ball well on the other.

It's "Week Zero" in college football as New Mexico State hosts Wyoming. The Cowboys are led by redshirt freshman Tyler Vander Waal who beat out Nick Smith the senior. The offensive line has three redshirt freshmen and two seniors so there could be some growing pains. The running backs are led by Nico Davis and have to take on a bigger role with so much uncertainty elsewhere. The Cowboys will go as their defense goes with eight starters back from a group that allowed just 17.5 points per game. They led the nation forcing 38 turnovers so there could be some regression there. New Mexico State is coming off a bowl victory last year. Larry Rose and Tyler Rogers are both gone and they were a huge part of that offense. Matthew Romero will be the starting quarterback while Jason Huntley runs the ball. The defense brings back nine starters and 10 of their top 11 tacklers. Wyoming went under in 10 of 13 games in 2017 while the Aggies did so in eight of 13. The under has hit in eight of the last 10 home games for New Mexico State. I think there's some offensive struggles in this one. 

Enyel De Los Santos makes his second start of the season. He pitched pretty well in his major league debut giving up three runs and five hits in just over six innings. The righty struck out six while walking three. He'll face a Marlins lineup that is among the worst at scoring runs and doesn't scare me much. Philly's bullpen has some good arms available for this one. Jose Urena is 0-7 with a 3.82 ERA in 11 home starts with eight of those going under the total. Urena held the Phillies to two runs and seven hits in seven innings two months ago. The Phillies have scored just 24 runs over their last nine games and are struggling to do anything. The Marlins bullpen has a few decent arms themselves. To me, this one seems like an under. 

Fading Martin Perez off the DL. He wasn't good before he went on it and I don't think he suddenly learned how to pitch. 

Austin Voth is getting set to make his first major league start against the Mets on Saturday. He went 4-5 with a 3.55 ERA in 15 starts in AAA striking out 72 while walking 24. Righties were hitting .207 against him down there. The Mets lineup is very pathetic and I think will struggle against a guy they've never seen before. Washington's bullpen has been good for the most part. Zack Wheeler has allowed five runs and 15 hits over his last three starts. The righty has 20 strikeouts to just seven walks. Wheeler gave up three runs and seven hits to the Nats back in April. Washington's lineup is so hit or miss. I think there's some good value especially if this gets to 9. 

Minnesota's offense is clicking right now and Jose Berrios is on the mound. He's 7-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 10 starts at home. Berrios is coming off a winning outing against the Royals and is facing the light hitting Rays whose lineup just doesn't scare me. He'll be opposed by Chris Archer who is coming off a short outing against the Tigers. Archer is still working his way back from coming off the disabled list. Minnesota's bullpen scares me but hopefully Berrios can go deep. I'll take the home team in this one. 

Danny Duffy has a 3.89 ERA in 12 road starts. He's allowed just one run and 11 hits in his last 12 innings away from KC. Duffy has had a little bit of a rough time with the White Sox this season. Overall, they are hitting .236 against lefties and around .205 over their last eight games. Reynaldo Lopez is 2-1 with a 2.72 ERA in seven home starts. He's facing a Royals team that has struggled to hit all year. Both bullpens scare me terribly. Still, i'll take the under and hope most of the runs scored come late if at all.

Clayton Richard is 7-8 with a 4.50 ERA in 19 starts. He's been rocked a bit as of late giving up 12 runs and 21 hits in his last 18 innings of work. The Cubs are hitting .275 against left-handed starters scoring 6.1 runs per game there. Tyler Chatwood has given up seven runs in each of his last two starts against the Reds and Twins. His walks issue has continued with 70 of them in 79 innings. The Padres lineup isn't great and that scares me, but I'd like to hope that they can score a run or two to help out. I think the over is worth a look here with two mediocre starters.

Jake Odorizzi faces off against his former team as the Twins host the Rays. Odorizzi has allowed two runs and 12 hits over his last 17 innings of work against the Orioles, Brewers and White Sox. I'm not a huge fan of Tampa's lineup and think it can be dominated. Minnesota's bullpen has been pretty good at home. Nathan Eovaldi is 3-3 with a 3.35 ERA in eight starts. He's coming in having pitched well against three straight NL East teams. Minnesota's lineup is in great form as they continue to win as of late. Tampa's bullpen has been good starting games, but i'm not as much of a fan of the group as a whole. I think the under is worth a look. 

The Phillies will be in their third city in three nights as they begin a series in Miami against the Marlins. Wei-Yin Chen has a 1.89 ERA at home this season. He's pitched well there with the spacious outfield. The Phillies are hitting just .228 against left-handed starters and are 22-24 on the road. Miami's bullpen has some ugly numbers, but there is still some talent there. Jake Arrieta is 3-4 with a 4.64 ERA in eight road starts. He lost to the Fish in Miami at the end of April giving up six runs and eight hits in just over three innings. Miami's hitting .314 over their last seven games. The Phillies bullpen has their weakness in certain spots and can be beaten. I think the home team's runline is worth a look here. 

Junior Guerra has won three straight starts and has allowed one run or less in 10 of 17 starts this season. The righty got shelled at home by the Pirates just over two months ago, but I really don't like this Pittsburgh lineup for the most part. Guerra just has to go 5 or 6 innings so the likes of Hader, Knebel and Jeffress come into play. He'll be opposed by Nick Kingham who gave up four runs and six hits in just over five innings to the Brewers. Kingham is 3-4 with a 4.26 ERA in eight starts. Milwaukee's lineup has hit a bit of a lull, but they are still better plus the Pirates bullpen doesn't scare me. I think the road team is worth a look here. 

Max Scherzer is 6-3 with a 2.05 ERA in nine road starts with five of them going under the total. The ace has a 2.27 ERA in 14 career starts vs. Washington with nine of those going under the total. Last year, in his last two starts in New York he held the Mets to two runs and seven hits in 14 innings while striking out 20. The Mets lineup is horrendous hitting around .190 over their last eight games. Steven Matz is in great form as of late and has gone under in 12 of 17 contests. He has a 2.37 ERA in six career starts vs. Washington. He saw them twice back in April giving up four runs and six hits in nine innings. Washington is hitting around .227 vs. left-handed starters this season. Their lineup has so much potential but they are struggling right now. I think this one goes under the total.