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The Houston Cougars look to improve to 4-1 here tonight as they visit Tulsa. The Cougars lost their season opener to Texas Tech, 21-38. Since then they have beaten Rice, Grambling and then last week 28-20 over Navy. Meanwhile, Tulsa is 1-3 on the season as they won their first game of the year last week at home over Arkansas State, 41-34. The Golden Hurricane did lose to UC Davis in their opener, 17-19. They then went to Oklahoma State and played well, covering but losing outright 23-28. They also covered against Ohio state, 20-41. Big difference in competition these teams have played. While Tulsa has just one win they have played the better opponents. Tulsa has covered three of the last four in this series, though they didn't play last year due to Covid. I'm going to take the home team here tonight. Play Tulsa.

The Dodgers looked dead in the water last night as they trailed the Padres. 9-6 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning. But four home runs and five runs lead them to another win, 11-9 to keep them 2-games back of the Giants. Tonight, they start Tony Gonsolin who is 3-1 in his 12 starts with a 2.56 ERA. Gonsolin has a 2-1 home record with a 2.13 ERA. He has allowed more than two runs just one time in his 12 starts and that was only three runs. The Padres start Vincent Velasquez who is 3-8 on the season wwith a 6.19 ERA. He's been much worse of late, going 0-5 in his last seven starts with a 12.36 ERA. The Dodgers can't afford any losses and I'll lay the Run Line here tonight. Play LA -1.5 Runs.

Jacksonville is 0-3 both S/U and ATS after three games. They are coming off a loss at home to Arizona last week. They led Arizona at the half, but fell apart in the 2nd half. The defense has been bad, ranking 29th overall while the offense ranks 27th. They will face the 2-1 Bengals today. Cincinnati opened their season with a win over the Vikings, 27-24, then lost to Chicago, 17-20. Last week they beat Pittsburgh, 24-10. They won by 14 points despite being outgained 268-343 and allowing a whipping 29 more offensive plays. They also had just 12 fist downs to the Steelers 21. If you only looked at the stats, you would swear that the Steelers won this game 24-10. The way Jacksonville has allowed points this year I expect Cincinnati to get there share also here today. Jags still looking for that first win and cover, will still be that way after tonight's game. Play Cincinnati.

 The Giants are driving toward that NL West title. They lead the Dodgers by 2-games and don't look to give up that lead. They are hosting the last place Diamondbacks and then welcome the Padres. Looks like they should easily hold that division lead. The Diamondbacks right now look to play spoiler and came close last night, losing just 1-2. The D'backs start Merrill Kelly here tonight. Kelly is 7-11 with a 4.59 ERA. He has allowed 15 runs over his last three starts (15 2/3 innings). The Giants will start Alex Wood. Wood is 10-4 with a 4.00 ERA and a slightly better 3.86 ERA at home. Wood hadn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last five starts. I'll lay the Run Line here tonight with the Giants.

It's already come down to this game to see who is first to take the lead in the AL East. With the NY Giants at 0-3 and Washington at 1-2, the winner of this game between 1-1 teams will take the lead in the division. Philly opened the season with a win over Atlanta, 32-6 followed by a loss at home to San Francisco, 11-17. Dallas opened with a narrow loss to the Bucs, 29-31, followed by a win at home over the Chargers, 20-17. Dallas is 4th in the NFL in total offense with 435 yards while the Eagles are 15th with 381. Philly has the better defense, ranked 4th overall while the Cowboys are 28th defensively. The Cowboys are just 1-7 ATS in their last eight as a favorite. They are also 1-5 ATS their last six vs the NFC East. For me, I'll take the better defensive team here tonight plus the points. Play Philadelphia.

Dodgers should not be losing to this poor Arizona club, but that's just what happened yesterday as Clayton Kershaw couldn't get the win and LA lost 2-7. That drops LA back to 2-games from the leading Giants. Only two series left after this D'backs so they need wins and can't afford losses to this kind of club. Good news is one of their best on the mound today in Julio Urias who is 18-3 on the season with a 3.10 ERA. He's been even better of late, going 5-0 with a 2.04 ERA over his last seven starts. The D'backs start Humberto Mejia who is 0-2 in his three starts with a 7.20 ERA. Dodgers win this one going away, lay the Run Line.

Two of the most dynamic young QB's matchup here on Sunday as Justin Herbert of the Chargers meets Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs. The Chargers look to overcome their loss last week at home to Dallas, 17-20. The Chargers and Cowboys were almost identical in stats with LA having one more turnover. Last year the Chargers won and covered the game in Kansas City, 38-21 as a 7-point dog. The Chargers have covered five of their last six games and are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 10 away games. The Chiefs lost last week in an exciting finish at Baltimore, 35-36. Despite leading late the Ravens mounted a big comeback for the win. KC had 405 yards in the game compared to 485 by Baltimore. The Ravens did have 18 more offensive plays. The Chiefs are only 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games as a favorite. They are also 1-5 ATS in their last six games as a home favorite. I'm going to take the points here today with the Chargers.

Indiana looks to get back to winning today after losing at home last week to Cincinnati, 24-38. The Illini turned the ball over four times in that loss compared to just two take aways. Despite losing by 14, they had 42 more yards, 5 more plays and the same amount of first downs. Turnovers played the key role. Indiana is 1-2 both S/U and ATS on the season. The Illini play their last non-con game here today before getting solely into Big 10 play. Western Kentucky had last week off after losing to Army the previous week. 25-28. Indiana has just the 116th ranked offense in country after three games with just 316 yards per game. Compare that to W.Ky that is ranked 12th in offense with 532 yards per game. Indiana is a 9 point road dog and for me that's too many points to give a good offensive team. Play Western Kentucky.

 ACC matchup here today has NC State hosting Clemson. Clemson might be one of the biggest disappointments of the season thus far. Clemson had a lackluster win at home last week to Georgia Tech, 14-8. The Tigers had only 284 yards of offense to Tech's 318 yards. They had six fewer plays and just 126 yards passing. The Tigers offense also sputtered in their opening game loss to Georgia, 3-10. Their only good game came against South Carolina State, 49-3. NC State is 2-1 both S/U and ATS as they are coming off win over Furman, 45-7. The Wolfpack opened the season with a nice win over South Florida, 45-0 and then lost at home to Mississippi State, 10-24. Clemson is ranked 114th in the country in offense while NC State is ranked 31st. Both teams have under performed, but Clemson has look pretty bad thus far. I'll take NC State at home today.

A Top 25 matchup here on Sunday pits No 7 Ranked Texas A&M against No 16 ranked Arkansas. Both teams are coming into this game 3-0. A&M is coming off an easy win over New Mexico last week, 34-0. The Aggies had 429 yards of offense to just 122 for the Lobos. Arkansas also had little issue last week with Georgia Southern. The Hogs had 633 yards to just 233 for Ga Southern. Arkansas is ranked 22nd in the nation in offense with 492 yards per game. Texas A&M is 33rd with 446 yards. Arkansas is 4-1 ATS in their last five game. Arkansas is getting 5-points here at home today. I think they can win this game outright, but I'll take the points. Play Arkansas.

If there was already a big game in the SEC, this could be it. The Miss State Bulldogs are 2-1 and are coming off a loss at Memphis, 29-31 for their first loss. They opened the season with win over La Tech, 35-34 and then a win over NC State, 24-10. LSU is also 2-1, opening the season with a loss at home to UCLA, 27-38. They came back and beat McNeese State, 34-07 and then won at home vs Central Michigan last week, 49-21. The LSU rushing game has struggled, gaining just 84 yards vs Central Michigan and now ranks 120th in the county. Miss State has also struggled offensively, ranking 72nd in offense with 4-6 yards per game. The Bulldogs defense has been the strength of this team, ranking 46th nationally as they allow jut 317 yards. In addition, they have one of the lowest red zone efficiencies in the nation at just 37%. Only one TD has been scored against them in five red zone trips by the opposition. I look for Miss State's defense to be the difference here today. Play Miss State.

 One of the last few Independent teams, Notre Dame, takes on the Big 10's Wisconsin here today from Madison. The Irish are 3-0, but it hasn't been an easy stretch. The Irish opened with a 3-point win over Florida State, then a 3-point win over Toledo before a more easy game last week in a win over Purdue, 27-13. Notre Dame's offense is ranked only 70th in the country with 408 yards per game. Wisconsin had last week off after beating Eastern Michigan the week before that, 34-7. They opened the season with a loss against Penn State, 10-16. Wisconsin has the 35th ranked offense with 442 yards average in teir two games. Have to wonder if the Badgers are looking a next week's Big 10 game at home vs Michigan. No one should ever look past the Irish though. Irish are a dog here on Saturday and I like taking dogs who I believe can win outright. I'll take the points here today. Play Notre Dame.

The Wild Wild NL West has just gotten closer with the Dodgers closing to one game of the division leading Giants. The loser of this division will get the top NL Wild card and host that game, but neither want that one and done position. The Dodgers begin a 3-game set here tonight at Arizona before returning home for their last games of the regular season against San Diego and then Milwaukee. LA Starts Tony Gonsolin tonight who is 2-1 in his 11 starts with a 2.43 ERA. Gonsolin has been very good, allowing two runs or fewer in 10 of his 11 starts. He will face Humberto Castellanos tonight who is 2-0 in his five starts with a 4.63 ERA. Gonsolin just too dominating for me to pass on him here tonight. I'll take the Dodgers and lay the Run Line.

Liberty looks to go 4-0 as they travel to New York tonight to face the Syracuse Orange. Liberty has wins over Campbell, Troy and Old Dominion. The Flames had little issue with Old Dominion last week, 45-17, just covering the 27.5 point line. They held ODU to just 201 total yards to their own 424 yards. Syracuse is 2-1, but padded their stats last week against Albany, 62-24. They wracked-up 686 yards but still turned the ball over twice to just one take away. Their other win was against a poor Ohio team, 29-9. Their loss coming at the hands of Rutgers, 7-17. I'm looking at this last game by Syracuse. The one good team they played held them to just seven points. What does that tell me? This Syracuse team won't hold up well against Liberty tonight. Liberty has the 9th ranked defense right now, allowing just 234 yards through three games. They have only allowed three red zone incursions thus far in 12 quarters of play. I look for this Liberty defense to do just what Rutgers did, hold Syracuse down on offense. Play the UNDER

The undefeated Wake Forest Deamon Decons put their perfect 3-0 record on the line tonight at Virginia. Wake is coming off a nice win over Florida State last weekend, 35-14. They had a huge turnover day, taking away six times from Florida State to just two turnovers. They also had 89 offensive plays to just 51 by the Seminoles. Virginia is 2-1 after losing their first game of the season last week to North Carolina, 39-59. North Carolina came just one yard from 700 total yards of offense. Virginia had 577 yards themselves in the loss. But the rushing defense of Virginia was shredded for 392 yards and a 8.3 yards per carry average. Despite Virginia losing last week, they did so against one of the better teams in the conference. Wake is a decent team too, but Virginia will want to rebound after that poor defensive showing last week. And, home crowd means more this year with full stadiums again. I'll take the Cavaliers on the national spot light tonight. Play Virginia.

Marshall looks to get back on the winning track here on Thursday night as they take on Appalachian State. Both teams are 2-1 on the season. The Thundering Herd lost last week at home to East Carolina, 38-42 as a 10-point home favorite. They had three turnovers to just one by the Pirates. They did outgain ECU, accumulating a staggering 647 yards of offense but allowing 361 yards. The Herd threw for 433 yards and rushed for 214. Marshall was the preseason favorite to win the Conference USA after welcoming back 13-starters this season to a team that went 7-3 last year. App State had an easy game last week at home against Elon, winning 44-10. They had 528 yards to just 291 by Elon. They did have two turnovers though in the contest. App State was 9-3 last year and 6-2 in the Sun Belt. Marshall is 8-2 ATS their last 10 as a road dog and App State is only 1-5 ATS their last five vs a winning team. They also don't play well as a favorite, going 4-10 ATS their last 14 as a favorite. Marshall getting a TD here today is too much to pass on. Take Marshall.

 The Green Bay Packers looked horrible last week against the New Orleans Saints. The Packers lost 3-38 and had just 229 totals yards and three turnover. Aaron Rodgers was pulled from the game as many speculated he performed that way on purpose because he is unhappy in Green Bay. The Lions almost pulled the shocker of the week as they trailed the 49ers by 28 points and then scored the games final 21 of 28 points to pull close, but lose 33-41. They had almost as many yards as SF (430 to 442) and they had 27 more offensive plays and a +2 turnover ratio. They played even or better than the Niners in most statistical categories. If you only looked at the stats you would figure they had won the game. Question is, who will show up here in week 2, the same Packer team from Week 1 or last year's No 1 ranked offense? The Lions are only 4-9 ATS in their last 13 road games and 3-7 ATS when the road dog. The Packers usually rebound from losses well, going 16-5 ATS in their last 21 following a ATS loss. I believe Rodgers will be ready to show last week was a fluke and he's ready to return to his old self here against this poor defense of the Lions. I look for the Packers to take out those week 1 frustrations here on the Lions tonight. Play Green Bay.

as Vegas played an exciting game last week as they came from behind to tie Baltimore and send the game into OT. Both teams had a chance and both teams turned the ball over, Vegas doing so on 1st and goal at the half yard line. But Vegas finally won an exciting game on a Carr TD pass to Jones for the win before almost 70,000 fans at Allegiant Stadium. However, the win didn't come without a price, the Raiders suffered injuries, especially on the offensive line where they are very thin heading into this week's game. Pittsburgh overcame a deficit to come back and win their game at Buffalo, 23-16. Their defense was once again very good when it needed to be. This week Vegas has to come down from their high and travel cross country to take on a very good defensive Steelers team. I look for a letdown here from the Raiders, especially with all the injuries they have. I'll take the Steelers and lay the points.

Both these teams started this season with new QB's and both opened the season with impresive wins. Sam Darnold led the Panthers to victory over his old team, the Jets. He completed 68.6% of his passes for 279 yards with one TD. The Saints pulled the shocker on the Packers, though one has to wonder what's going on inside that Packers' locker room with Aaron Rodgers so unhappy. Jameis Winston took over for Drew Brees and led the Saints to the win. Christian McCaffrey also returned to the Saints after an injury filled 2020 campaign. He looked like his All-pro self, rushing the ball 21 times for 98 yards. He also led the team in receptions (9) and receiving yards (89). The Panthers sacked the Jets AB Zach Wilson six times and will look to put that same pressure on Winston here today. The Saints are laying three points on the road here today. I'm not convinced Winston is the answer in New Orleans as last week the Packers were a team in disarray. I'm going to take the points here on Sunday with the Panthers.

The Jets and new QB Zack Wilson host the New England Patriots and their new QB Mac Jones. This is already a crucial AFC East divisional game here this early as both teams lost their openers last week. Wilson was sacked five times last week by the Panthers, 14-19. They averaged just 4.2 ypp last week and the defense gave up almost 400 yards. Don't expect things to get better today for the Jets as the Patriots are a much better team then the Panthers. Jones had a nice performance last week for the Patriots in their loss to the Dolphins. Jones was 29-for-39 for 281 and one TD. The backfield is very good with Damien Harris rushing for 100 yards last week and James White backing him up. The defense is the main stay of this Patriots team. They allowed just 259 total yards to the Dolphins last week. Mac Jones looks well ahead of Wilson thus far. The Patriots have skill players and a better defense. I'll take theme here on Sunday. Play the Patriots.

The SF 49ers make the trek East to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. The 49ers almost blew their game last week in Detroit. They led by as many as 28 points, but just escaped Detroit with the win, 41-33. Detroit scored 21 of the games final 28 points. The Niners also got some bad news when they found out that RB Raheem Mostert was injured for the rest of the season. This will leave San Fran thin at running back and put more pressure on QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Meanwhile, Philly put a hurt, as in Jalen Hurts, on the Atlanta Falcons to the tune of 34-6 last week. Hurts completed 27-of-35 passes for 264 yards and three TD's. He also ran for another 62 yards. The Eagles defense allowed just 288 yards of offense to the Falcons. Meanwhile, the 49ers allowed 33 points and 454 yards to a poor Detroit team last week. Always tough when the West coats teams have to travel to the East Coast. Plus now they have to overcome injuries on both sides of the ball. The Eagles look good with Hurts and getting points here at home is just a bonus. I look for Philly to win this game outright. Play the Eagles.

San Diego State looks to beat a second PAC-12 opponent this year when they host Utah here on Saturday. Utah is 1-1, losing to intrastate rival BYU last week, 17-26. San Diego State is 2-0 on the season and cruised to a win over Arizona, 28-14 last week. San Diego State has an excellent defense, especially against the run where they have allowed just 97 total yards in two games. Greg Bell will look to grind out the yard on offense for the Aztecs. He's averaging 143 yards in two games with a 7.5 yards per carry average. I am surprised that Utah is a 7-point road favorite here today. The Aztecs have the defense to hang tough. I'll take the points with San Diego State.

Toledo came within one minute last week of shocking the football world with the near upset of Notre Dame in South Bend. It took an Irish TD with just one minute to play to avoid the shocking loss to the Rockets. Today they face a winless Colorado State team. The Rams lost at home last week to Vanderbil, 21-24. Toledo is 1-1 and look to bring a winning record in MAC play next week. Colorado is allowing 33 points per game thus far and 404 yards of offense. That will not bode well today against this very good Toledo team. I'll take Toledo here in what I see as a big blowout.

SEC action kicks off here on Saturday with Florida hosting the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. This is a rematch of last year's SEC Conference Championship game which Alabama won 52-46 in a shootout. Alabama had a tuneup last week against Mercer and you can't blame the team for a flat performance against an FCS opponent with SEC Florida on deck. Alabama won 48-14 behind QB Bryce Young's 227 yards and three scores. No 11 Florida is one of the best offenses in the country, averaging 38.5 ppg and 8.1 yards per play. They also boast the nation's No 1 rushing offense (381 ypg). For Florida to win here today they have to play better defensively. That's a tall order against the Tide offense. I'm going to stick with the team that are the Champs for a reason. Play Alabama.

Notre Dame has really had some excitement in the first two weeks of the season. The Irish (2-0) had to go to OT to beat Florida State in their opening game of the season. Then last week they had everything they could handle with Toledo. The Rockets came into South Bend and led the Irish late into the 4th quarter before Notre Dame got a game winning TD with about minute to play. Whew! Now we get this intra-state rivalry as Purdue visits South Bend. Purdue is 2-0 on the season, destroying U Conn last week, 49-0 and tallying more than 560 yards of offense. The Boilermakers have not beaten a top 10 team since they beat the Irish back in 1974. Is there an upset on the board for Saturday? Purdue will be throwing and often. They are 17th in the country in pass attempts per game (39). They will however, be without leading rusher Zander Horvath who is out for at least a month. What does that mean? More passing! Notre Dame has struggled offensively, especially with a O-line that had to replace four starters. Notre Dame just 7 or 7 1/2 here on Saturday. To me that's a bargain since the Irish have yet to put together their best game. With Horvath out for the Boilermakers the Irish can concentrate on pass defense here today. I'll take the Irish as I believe they are ready for a breakout game. Play Notre Dame.

 The two former Big East rivals meet again here on Saturday as West Virginia welcomes Virginia for the Black Diamond Trophy. Virginia tech had that big upset win in week 1 over top-10 ranked North Carolina, 17-10. The Hokies had a bit of a letdown last week, struggling to get past Middle Tennessee State. West Virginia lost to Maryland in their opener, 24-30 but came away with the softball win last week over Long Island U, 66-0. WVU had one of the best defenses last season and they are looking good again this year. Even with that impressive win over NCU, Va Tech has a tough spot here today. I'm taking the host. Play West Virginia.

The Cincinnati Bearcats offense has been high octane, averaging 8.8 yards per play and has scored more than 40 points in each of their first two games. QB Desmond Ridder has hit on 72.3 percent of his passes and has six passing TD's and the fourth best passer rating in the country. Indiana had a rough start to the season, losing at home to Iowa. QB Michael Penix was intercepted three times by the Hawkeyes. Now they face a Cincinnati team that is ranked 13th in the nation in yards allowed with just 324.6 ypg. Don't see Indiana stopping this Cincy offense here today. I'm taking the visitor and laying the points. Play Cincinnati.

Maryland (2-0) takes on Illinois (1-2) from Champaign in this Big 10 matchup here on Friday. The Fighting Illini opened its season against Big 10 Nebraska and upsetting the 7-point Huskers. However, it's been downhill since then, losing to Texas San Antonio and then to Virginia last week. The defense has gotten shredded in those two losses, allowing 1,053 total yards. Won't get any easier against a offensive Maryland team here tonight. Maryland is 2-0 and has won it's first two games by a combined 92-24 score. Maryland is led by Junior QB Taulia Tagovailoa who is leading the Big 10 in completion percentage (76.2) and in passer rating (188.4). Illinois will welcome back QB Brandon Peters who was injured against Nebraska and hasn't played since. Not sure how Illinois will stop this Maryland offense tonight. And, I don't think they have the offense themselves to keep pace in a shootout. Take Maryland.

The Minnesota Lynx have to be happy facing the Indiana Fever. The Lynx have faced the Fever twice this month and beaten them twice. The last was a 90-80 win. The Fever are horrible, posting a 6-24 record, 2nd worst in the WNBA an now having an eye on the offseason. The defense has been horrible, allowing at least 86 points in each of their last five games. Minnesota is 20-10 and have scored at least 89 points in each of their last four games. Laying 9-points on the road not usually something I like to do, but this should be an easy blowout win tonight. Play Minnesota. 

Washington not only lost the game last week, but they also lost QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to a hip injury for the rest of the game. Good news is that he's listed as probably for tonight's contest. Washington has one of the better defenses in the league, especially against the pass. Even though they lost 16-20 to the Chargers last week, they could have lost by a lot more. They gave up 424 totals yards (334 vis pass to Hebert) while totally just 259 themselves (133 passing). Should be a easier time this week against Jones for the Giants. The Giants also lost last week at home to the Broncos, 13-27. They gave up 420 yards with 255 through the air to Teddy Bridgewater and another 165 on the ground. The Giants have covered five of the last seven in this series, splitting the two games last year. The Giants are also 20-6 ATS in their last 26 games as a road dog and 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 on grass. Take the Giants tonight.

The San Francisco Giants just won't lose these days, much to the dismay of 2nd place LA that is trying to catch them. The Giants won again on Monday over the Padres, making them winners of eight straight games and they are 10-1 their last 11 games. The Padres have lost four straight games and seven of their last 11 games. Jake Arrieta starts today for the Padres. Arrieta is 5-12 on the season with a lofty 7.03 ERA. That goes way up in his last seven starts as he's 0-4 with a 12.17 ERA. Anthony Desclafani starts for the Giants. He's 11-6 with a 3.33 ERA on the season. Doesn't get any easier here tonight for the Padres who will once again struggle to score runs. Take San Francisco on the Run Line.

Toronto and Baltimore played only 7 innings on Saturday, but there was no lack of runs with the Jays winning 11-10. Toronto is tied for the 2nd Wild Card slot right now with the Yankees. But there are two teams nipping at their heals so they can't let their guards down. Toronto has been hot, winning nine of their last 10 games and 12 of their last 14 games. Toronto starts Steven Matz here today. Matz is 11-7 on the season with a 3.70 ERA. He's been very good of late, going 3-1 with a 1.63 ERA over his last seven starts. The ORioles will start Zac Lowther here today. Lowther has started just two games and he's allowed eight runs over 8 2/3 innings. Not much to go by with Lowther at this point. But I do know what I'm getting with the Blue Jays and Matz. Take Toronto on the Run Line.

The one good thing about taking over a team in your rookie season is that there isn't much pressure on that team to do well this season. That's what Trevor Lawrence will be in here as the QB and No 1 pick in the draft. Urban Meyer takes over the helm of the Jaguars and he has Lawrence, which is a huge upgrade for this team. Cant's say the same for Houston who will be without QB Deshawn Watson. Watson has legal problems and even if he could play, he wants out of Houston. Lawrence had an excellent preseason and now gets to face a troubled Houston team. So who will be running the Texans? That will fall to well traveled Tyrod Taylor. Taylor will be the starter with no one really behind him trying to take over the team. One team is on the upswing while the other is heading South. Still, until I see Lawrence under real game time pressure and against No 1 defenses, I'll take the home dog here. Play Houston.

Two teams that both look to be in the playoff mix come the end of the season will kickoff the season here in week 1. This is a rematch from last year that saw the Bills win at home over the Steelers, 23-15. The Steelers are a good road dog, going 10-3 ATS in their last 13 in that role. Pittsburgh has won 10 of the last 13 in this series. The Steelers were 12-4 last year. The run game was an issue last year, averaging just 3.6 yard per carry. The Bills were 13-3 last year and lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship. Josh Allen had an amazing season at QB, with nearly 5,000 total yards rush and passing. The Bills are a 6.5-point favorite here today. I would have liked to have that extra half point, but getting a excellent defensive team like Pittsburgh with 6.5 points is enough for me. Play Pittsburgh.

The Chargers begin their season all the way across the country here in Washington on Sunday. LA was 7-9 to finish last season as was Washington. Though Washington made the postseason in a terrible NFC East. The Chargers made a change in their head coach, sacking Anthony Lynn and replacing him with Brandon Staley. LA will once again rely on QB Justin Herbert after a fine rookie season in 2020. Washington has one of the best defenses in the league, ranked 4th overall. However, the offense wasn't very good, ranked 25th in scoring offense. Fitzpatrick return at QB for Washington. I personally like betting against a new coach in his first game of the season. The team is still learning the playbook, and with new coaches it will take a bit for the team to come together. Add the excellent Washington defense and I'll take the host here today. Play Washington.

an Diego State didn't have quite the cakewalk they expected in week 1 against New Mexico State. The Aztecs could only win 28-10 against arguably the worst team in college FBS football. Meanwhile, Arizona played against a very good BYU team last week in Las Vegas. The Wildcats covered the spread but came up short in the outright win, 16-24. San Diego State travels to Tucson here today to face Arizona. The Wildcats look to put an end to their 13-game losing streak here tonight. They had 425 yards of offense vs BYU, but missed a pair of field goals and turned the ball over in the red zone. San Diego State somehow trailed NM State at the half 0-10 and didn't have a single point in the first half. Arizona has won 10 of the 15 games in this series. This should be a good defensive game. The Cats held BYU to under 30 points and the SD St offense isn't near as good. Arizona only a 1 to 2 point favorite here at home. I look for them to finally snap that losing streak. Play Arizona.

It's the PAC-12 vs the BIG 10 here on Saturday as Michigan welcomes Washington to town. Both these clubs have one game under their belt and both had opposite outcomes. The Washington Huskies lost last week to FCS Montana, 7-13. The team had just 288 total yards between their QB Dylan Morris and RB Richard Newton. Michigan had little issue last week with Western Michigan, beating the Broncos 47-17. QB Cade McNamara threw for just 136 yards but had two TD's. Michigan is just 1-4 ATS in their last five home games and 1-11 ATS in their last 12 vs the PAC-12. I look for Washington to rebound here today with a cover at Michigan as a nice dog. Play Michigan.

Miami Florida ran into a buzzsaw and defending NCAA Champion last week in Alabama. The Hurricanes were manhandled in that game and lost 13-44. Meanwhile, Appalachian State opened the season with a win last week over East Carolina, 33-19. App State had a good 2020 with a 9-3 overall record and a win in the Myrtle Beach Bowl over North Texas, 56-28. The Hurricanes finished 8-3 last year and 7-2 in the ACC. I have to believe that the Hurricanes will be primed to take out last week's frustration on this week's opponent. That team is App State. I'll take the host here and play Miami Florida.

The Steve Sarkasian era has begun in Austin, as the Texas Longhorns opened with a win last week against Louisiana, 38-18. They were led by RB Bijan Robinson who rushed for 103 yards and a TD. QB Hudson Card made his debut for the Longhorns also, hitting on 14-of-21 passes for 224 yards. Arkansas had early troubles last week with Rice, but pulled away late for a 38-17 win. QB KJ Jefferson wasn't very effective with just 6.1 yards passing per attempt. However, the ground game was in full force, averaging 5.6 yards per rush. Texas laying 7-points here on the road. Problem is, I'm not sold that this team is for real yet. I have to see more games. In the meantime, I'll take the Hogs plus the points at home. Play Arkansas.

Rivalry matchup here today in the Hawkeye State as Iowa States hosts their rivals, Iowa. This game usually invokes big emotions on both sides, just ask Iowa State HC Matt Campbell who got very emotional the last time these teams met in 2019. The Cyclones led that contest at the half, but Iowa rallied in the 2nd half the win, 18-17. This will be the first time these teams have met with both being ranked in the AP top 25. Iowa State beat Northern Iowa last week, 16-10, holding NIU to just 275 total yards. Meanwhile, Iowa dominated Indiana last week, 34-6. With the fans back in force this should be one for the books today. I'm taking the Cyclones here today and laying the small price.

Clash of top 25 teams here on Saturday as No 12 Oregon travels to No 3 Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes. Oregon opened their season last week with a win at home over Fresno State, 31-24. Oregon had a tougher time last week against Fresno then many expected. However, I think they were looking ahead to this matchup with Ohio State, a team they haven't faced since the 2015 National Championship that Ohio State won, 42-20. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud made his Buckeyes debut, completing 13-of-22 for 294 yards and four TD's. Oregon has an excellent defense that should keep them close in this game. With the big line that Ohio State has to lay, I'll take that number early in the season and see if Oregon can't slide inside the number. Play Oregon. Ohio State dominated Minnesota on the road last week, 45-31.

 Western Kentucky opened their season with an easy win over Tennessee-Martin, 59-21. The Hilltoppers racked-up 587 total yards in the win. Army was on the road last week and beat Georgia State, 43-10. Army dominated the time of possession with a 42:07 to 17:53 advantage. Army used three QB's in that game and all of them are excellent at running. Both teams will get their first real test of the season here today. This will be a contrast of styles as W.Ky will look to move through the air and Army will look to ground and pound the Hilltoppers. Army has a excellent defense and W.Ky won't have the luxury they did last week. I'll take Army here on Saturday.

Tampa Bay begins its defense of their Super Bowl win with tonight's opening game of the 2021 NFL season. The Bucs host the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys looking to turn around what was a very disappointing season from last year. It all started going downhill in week four when QB Dak Prescott went down with that season ending nasty ankle injury. Dak is Back! Well, hopefully at full strength. There is some question as to whether he's nursing that ankle and he also had some should issues during the preseason. For me, I like betting against the previous NFL SUper Bowl champs in week one. I feel the lines are inflated by the oddsmaker and I believe the Cowboys will give a good account here tonight. Take the generous points with the Cowboys.

Giants came out of the weekend with the Dodgers and are still 1-game ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West. They have won two straight games as they continue to keep the Dodgers at bay. The Rockies are 25-games back of the Giants and have lost two straight games. The Rockies have been a very good home team, but have lost two straight at home and three of their last five. Logan Webb starts for the Giants with a 8-3 record and 2.59 ERA. He's been very good of late, going 4-0 with a 1.39 ERA over his last seven starts. Chi Chi Gonzalez starts for the Rockies with his 2-5 record and 6.20 ERA. Despite the Rockies decent home record I'm taking a very good Webb here today on the Run Line.

Notre Dame coming off a fine 2020 campaign, posting a 10-2 record. Can't say the same for Florida State that recorded just a 3-6 mark last season. FSU begins their second season under HC Mike Norvell. You can't find much fault with the Irish numbers from last year, scoring 33.4 ppg and 448 ypg while allowing 19.7 ppg and 343 yards. Kyren Williams returns at QB after leading Notre Dame with 1,100 yards rushing and 13 TD's. Jack Coan, a Wisconsin transfer, will take over at QB. Florida State averaged 25.8 ppg and 396 yards while allowing 36 points and 456 yards. The Seminoles return QB Jordan Travis who had six TD's and 1,000 yards passing. Florida State had a horrible season, but this team always has quality players and should rebound this season. This will be a night game at Florida State and the Seminoles receiving around a touchdown here tonight. I'm going to take the points with the home team. Play Florida State.

 The Yankees have won just five of their last 10 games and because of that have slipped to 7.5-games back of 1st place Tampa Bay after having close to 5.5-games. The Orioles are one of the worst teams in baseball, yet they beat the Yankees on Saturday 4-3, thus splitting the first two games of this series. Keegan Akin starts for the Orioles today. Keegan is 2-8 with a 7.33 ERA and that goes up to 8.55 on the road. Corey Kluber makes his second start for the Yankees since coming off the disabled list. Kluber didn't fare to well in his first outing, going just four innings vs the Angels and allowing five hits and five runs. Still, the Orioles are just horrible with a terrible starter today. I'll take another shot with Kluber today on the Run Line.

Week 1 action of the college football season here on Saturday has BYU taking on Arizona at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. BYU was an offensive powerhouse in 2020, averaging 43.5 ppg and 522 yards per game. The defense was very good, allowing 15.3 ppg. Baylor Romney looks to be the heir apparent to Zach Wilson who graduated to the NFL. Back is RB Tyler Allgeier who had 1,100 yards and 13 TD's last year. Arizona had a bad season, especially on offense where they average just 17.4 ppg and 369 yards. The defense was also horrible, allowing almost 40 ppg and 473 yards. Arizona is 0-5 ATS in their last five neutral site games and 0-4 ATS their last four games overall. While BYU can't be expected to be the same team from last year with a new QB, they are far and above the better team here tonight. Play BYU.

Tampa Bay has extended its lead in the AL East over the NY Yankees to 6.5-games, thanks in big part to a 8-2 run over their last 10 games. The Twins, well they are in last in the AL Central and that doesn't look to change. They have lost three straight games and six of their last 10 games. The Twins start Andrew Albers here today for just his second start of the season. Albers did well in his first start, going 5 1/3 innings vs the Brewers, allowing three hits and no runs. Chris Archer makes just his third start since returning from the IL list. Archer has allowed just two runs over his six innings with 10 KO's and just two walks. Rays just too tough to pass on here today. Lay the Run Line with the Rays.

Stanford had a Covid shortened PAC-12 schedule last year and went 4-2 S/U. They begin the new season today under 11-year HC David Shaw. Shaw has been a winner, producing 71% winning games. Kansas State struggled last year, going 4-6 S/U and are in their third year under HC Chris Klieman. Klieman is 12-11 in his first two seasons. Stanford average 29 ppg and 420 yards per game last season. The defense was the problem, allowing 31.7 ppg and 438 yards per game last year. Kansas State average 26.6 ppg and 337 yard last season. The defense was also a problem, as they allowed 32.2 ppg and 444 ypg. Will Howard is back at QB. His freshman year last year he had 1,100 yards passing and eight TD's. I expect a close game here on Saturday, but it's hard to pass up on points with the Cardinal. Play Stanford.

Reason: Conference play starts right away for the Big 10 and today Northwestern hosts Michigan State. Northwester had a fine year last season at 7-2 despite the Covid schedule. They lost in the Big 10 Championship to Ohio State despite leading 10-6 at the half. Meanwhile, Michigan State has something to prove under second year head coach Mel Tucker after finishing last in the Big Ten East with a 2-5 record. Michigan State still is looking for a QB to take over the starting spot vacated by Rocky Lombardi, who transferred to Northern Illinois. Northwestern has had a great defense, but they will be without their coordinator Mike Hankwitz who retired. Michigan State has done well in this series, with the Spartans winning the last two meetings. Both teams have a lot of holes to fill especially for Northwestern that returns only five defensive starters. I look for this game to be very close and with that I'll take the points here today. Play Michigan State.

The Seattle Storm are the defending champions, but they are in the middle of a fight here in the WNBA. They trail first place Connecticut by 3.5 games, 2nd place Las Vegas by 2-games and are ahead of 4th place Minnesota by just a half game. Then they have Phoenix just 1-game back. So every game as we head down the stretch is important. They win here tonight.

The LV Aces know that in order to win the WNBA they have to be more focused early in games. Lately that hasn't been the case as they have gotten off to some slow starts and found themselves fighting from behind late in the game. They trail Connecticut by just 1.5 games for the WNBA's best record. They know what they need to do and they get it done here tonight.

Week 0 had a few teams playing last week, but the full schedule gets underway here in week one. South Florida visits Raleigh here tonight to play NC State in both team's opening game of the season. NC State had a nice 8-4 record last year, though they lost to Kentucky in the Gator Bowl. South Florida had a horrid season at 1-8 as Jeff Scott's took over the helm in his first year last season. USF QB Cade Fortin should be familiar with NC State as he transferred from North Carolina where he faced the Wolfpack. NC State QB is Devin Leary, a fourth-year sophomore who started three games last year. This Wolfpack team should be even better then their eight wins last year and that means problems here tonight for South Florida. Take NC State in what should be a Wolfpack blowout.

UAB won the USA Championship last year, the second time in the last three years. The Blazers beat Marshall in the Championship game and finished 6-3 overall but passed on a Bowl game. Jacksonville State didn't even begin play until October last year and eventually lost in the quarterfinals to Delaware, 14-20. They finished a very good 10-3 overall. They did beat Florida International last year, 19-10. This Blazer team is pretty good and proved they can beat an FBS team. I'll take the generous points here today. Play Jacksonville State.

The Connecticut Sun are the best team in the WNBA with a 20-6 record as we head toward the end of the regular season. Home court is important and they currently lead 2nd place Las Vegas by 1-game. The Sun have won nine of their last 10 games. The Sun have covered five of their last six games (all as a favorite). Washington Mystics are in 9th place, one game back of the 8th and final playoff spot. The Mystics are just 2-8 S/U over their last 10 games. The issue for the Mystics are injuries. Washington F Elana Delle Donne is questionable today with a back injury and C Tina Charles is out with another injury. Playing Connecticut is tough enough, playing without two key players is a huge handicap. Take Connecticut here today.

The Tampa Bay Rays have won 6-straight games and nine of their last 10 games. They have needed it too in order to hold off the surging NY Yankees that have closed the gap in the AL East to just 5-games. The Orioles snapped their 19-game losing streak last week and now have another two-game losing streak started. The O's have dropped the first two games of this set with the Rays, 3-6 and then last night 3-4. The Rays have welcomed back Chris Archer to the rotation. Archer has no record after his one start since April 10th. That was just two innings, but he allowed just one hit and no runs. The O's will start Spenser Watkins who is 2-6 on the season with a 7.24 ERA. He's been slightly worse lately with a 1-6 record and 8.81 ERA over his last seven starts. Archer likely won't go to much farther today, but the O's are bad and they have a bad starter on the hill. Play Tampa Bay on the Run Line.

The Houston Astros have opened up a 6.5-game lead in the AL West thanks in part to 2nd place Oakland slumping to 2-8 over their last 10 games. The Rangers are last in the division with a 44-84 record and have lost three straight and eight of their last 10 games. Framber Valdez starts for the Astros today. Valdez is 8-4 on the season with a 2.94 ERA. Kolby Allard starts for the Rangers with his 2-10 record and 5.29 ERA. He's been even worse of late, going 1-4 with a 6.87 ERA in his last seven starts. I'm going to lay the Run Line here today with the Astros.

First college games of the season kickoff on Saturday and we get Nebraska vs Illinois in a Big 10 matchup. Nebraska won just three games last season and still haven't had a winning season under HC Scott Frost. Illinois won just twice last year, but welcome new HC Bret Bielema who was at Wisconsin last year. Nebraska returns QB Adrian Martinez for his fourth year as signal caller. Martinez was the team's leading rusher last season. Illinois returns Brandon Peters at QB. They also return their leading rusher in Chase Brown. Nebraska laying a TD on the road here on Saturday is a lot for a team that has had a difficult time winning straight-up. I look for Illinois to be improved this year and won't be surprised by a straight-up win here on Saturday. Play Illinois.

The Baltimore Orioles snapped their 19-game losing streak with a win over the Angels on Wednesday. Now, they have won two straight games after beating the Angels twice. Tonight they face AL East leader in Tampa Bay. The Rays need to win since the Yankees have won 12 games and shaved four games off the Rays lead here just recently. Shane McClanahan starts tonight for the Rays. He's 8-4 on the season with a 3.63 ERA. Matt Harvey will start for the Orioles. Harvey is 6-13 with a 6.27 ERA. He's 2-8 at home with a 6.62 ERA. I look for the Rays to take these games serious and therfore I'll lay the Run Line here tonight with Tampa Bay.

The LA Angels are now sitting in 4th in the AL West, 11.5 games back of the 1st place Houston Astros. The Angels beat the Orioles in game one of this set, 14-8. that win snapped a three game losing streak to the Indians. What can you say about the Orioles. They have now lost 19 straight games as they go for number 20 tonight. The Orioles look to start newly acquired pitcher Chris Ellis. The O's claimed Ellis off waivers from the Rays. Ellis wasn't very good at the Triple-A level with a 6.32 ERA in 57 innings. The Angels will start Shohei Ohtani who is 8-1 on the season with a 2.79 ERA. Ohtani hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last six starts. I'll lay the Run Line here tonight with the Angels.

How bad have things been for the Baltimore Ravens? How about 16-straight losses and a MLB worst 38-83 record. The Braves have won the first two games of this series, 7-2 and then last night 3-0. Drew Smyly will start today for the Braves. Smyly is 8-3 on the season with a 4.50 ERA. HE's 5-2 on the road with a 4.52 ERA. Veteran Matt Harvey will toe the rubber tonight for the Orioles. Harvey is 6-12 on the season with a 6.25 ERA. Harvey hasn't been horrible, but with these Oriole bats behind him he has to almost be perfect to get a win these days. I'm going to stick with the play I've made the last two nights and that's the Braves run-line.

Week 2 of the NFL preseason 3 week schedule. The Ravens opened week 1 of the preseason with a win over the Saints 17-14 at home. The Panthers lost to the Colts in game one, 18-21. Lamar Jackson didn't suit up last week due to Covid protocols. Not sure if he will yet be cleared to play here in week two. Trace McSorely and Tyler Huntley are battling for the backup spot and should both see plenty of action this week. RB Justice Hill likely will see the bulk of the running action with both Dobbins and Edwards not getting much of any play here today. QB Sam Darnold will make his Panthers debut here on Saturday, though in limited action. PJ Walker and Will Grier are contesting for the backup spot at this point. The Ravens have always been a good preseason team, but the Panthers have more to prove here on Saturday. I'll take the points at home with Carolina.

Rockies are one of the best home teams in baseball with a 41-21 record at Coor's Field. In fact, they are coming off a 3-game home sweep of the Padres, scoring 20 runs in the 3-game set. Today they face one of the worst road teams in baseball in the Arizona Diamondbacks who are just 14-45 away from home. Tyler Gilbert makes only his second start here for the D'backs. In his first he threw a no-hitter for the Diamondbacks. What a way to make your debut. However, that was at home and now he has to go to the unfriendly pitcher park of Coors. Austin Gomber will start for the Rockies. He's 9-7 on the season, but 5-1 at home with a great 1.70 ERA. I think Gilbert will find life less enjoyable here today in this park. Play Colorado on the Run Line.

The Atalanta Braves are in 1st place in the NL East, thanks in big part to their six-game win streak and winning nine of their last 10 games. Today, they play an IL Game against the worst team in the junior circuit. Baltimore is just 38-82 on the season and has lost 15 straight games. Max Fried gets the start for the Braves with a 10-7 record and 3.86 ERA. He's been even better of late, going 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA over his last seven starts. Keegan Akin still looking for his first win of the year for the O's with a 0-7 record in his 10 starts. He has a lofty 9.29 ERA and as hard as it is to believe it's even worse of late with a 0-6 record and 12.67 ERA over his last seven starts. Braves should feast on this team and pitcher here today. Lay the Run line with the Braves.

Patriots and Eagles kickoff week 2 of the NFL preseason. Pats QB Mac Jones looked really good in the Patriots win last week at home, 22-13. Jones was the 15th overall pick and looks to already be challenging Cam Newton for the starting role. Expect to see a lot more of Jones here tonight. Damien Harris and Sony Michel are battling for the Number 1 RB and both should see plenty of action tonight. Jalen Hurts looks to have the starting QB role at Philly. Eagles 10th overall pick was Devonta Smith at WR, but he's nursing a knee sprain. The Pats are 4-1 ATS in their last five preseason games while the Eagles are just 1-4 ATS. Pats looked good last week and I'm taking them here tonight. Play New England.

The Twins and Yankees begin a four game set here on Thursday. The Twins enter tonight's game having won seven of their last 10 games. They just took two of the three games from Cleveland and have won four of their last five games and six of the last eight. The Yankees have gotten hot, sweeping the Red Sox and holding them to five total runs over three games. They have won six straight games and eight of their last 10 games. The Twins will start John Gant tonight. Gant is 4-6 on the season with a 3.76 ERA and a 5.93 ERA over his last seven starts. Jameson Taillon is 7-4 on the season with a 3.89 ERA. He's been very good of late, going 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA over his last seven games. I'm taking the Yankees here on Thursday.

The Blue Jays are 4th in the AL East, 8-games back of 1st place Tampa Bay. The Jays took the final game of their three game set with the Mariners, 8-3. They will play this IL contest here today at Washington. The Nationals Have lost seven straight games and nine of the last 10 games. Toronto starts Alek Manoah today who is 5-1 in his 11 starts this year. Manoah has a nifty 2.59 ERA and 1.017 WHIP. Erick Fedde is 4-8 in his 19 starts for the Nationals. Fedde has a 5.12 overall ERA and a 6.25 ERA over his last seven games. I'm going to lay the Run Line here today with the Blue Jays against a poor Washington team. Play Toronto on the Run Line.

The Oakland A's have won eight of their last 10 games as they now sit just 2.5-games back of 1st place Houston Astros. The A's need to win games like today against last place Texas, who is just 2-8 over their last 10 games. The A's lost last night's opening game of this series to the Rangers, 6-8. James Kapreilian starts for the A's with his 6-4 record and 3.22 ERA. He's coming off a very good start vs these Rangers, allowing just two runs over six innings in the win. Jordan Lyles will toe the rubber for the Rangers. Lyles is 5-9 with a 5.58 ERA. He's been slightly worse of late with a 2-4 record and 6.15 ERA over his last seven starts. Furthermore, he's allowed 12 runs over his last 11 innings. Take the A's today on the Run Line.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were the worst team in the NFL last year. They drafted first and got QB Trevor Lawrence to fill a void at QB and then also got Travis Etienne, RB from Clemson in the first round. They also had two second round picks. Motivation plays a large part in winning preseason games. The Browns have no motivation. They are set at QB, RB and WR. The Jags will want to give Lawrence plenty of action here in game one along with Etienne. The Jaguars will want to get these draft choices and young players lots of playing time and install a winning attitude early on. No so for the Browns, they will just look to stay healthy this preseason. Play Jacksonville here on Saturday.

 AL West clash here today has the 3rd place Mariners taking on the last place Rangers. The Mariners still in the hunt with a 59-54 record and 7.5-games back of the Astros. The Rangers are done, now 27-games back after losing their 6th in a row last night. Kolby Allard will start for the Rangers with a 1-10 record and 5.69 ERA. Logan Gilbert will start for the M's with a 5-3 record and 4.14 ERA. I'll lay the run and half here with the Mariners. Play Seattle -1.5 runs

The Giants continue to lead the NL West, now 4-games ahead of the Dodgers. They have won two straight and seven of their last 10 games. They get to feast on the D'backs right now who are a whopping 36.5-games back in the West. Zac Gallen will start for the D'backs with his 1-6 record and 4.62 ERA. He's been worse of late, posting a 0-4 mark and 5.18 ERA over his last seven starts. Alex Wood will start for the Dodgers with a 9-3 record and 4.03 ERA. He's got a 3-0 record and 3.93 ERA over his last seven starts. Giants should have no trouble here tonight. Lay the Run Line with SF.

The Oakland A's are closing the gap between themselves and the 1st place Houston Astros. The Astros lead the A's by 3-games, but have seen two games shaved off that lead here lately. The A's have won three straight and seven of the last 10 games. The Rangers are in last place in the division and have now lost five straight games. Jordan Lyles will start for the Rangers. Lyles is 5-8 with a 5.37 ERA. James Kapreilian will go for the A's with his 5-4 record and 3.23 ERA. He's been very good at home with a 3-2 record and 1.13 ERA. I like the A's a lot here today. I'll lay the Run-Line with the A's.

AL West game here today as the Oakland A's host the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are dead last in the division with a 39-70 record and 26-games back of the Astros. The Rangers have lost three straight games and six of their last 10 games. The A's are holding strong in 2nd place, just four games back of the Astros. Mike Foltynewicz starts tonight for the Rangers with a 2-10 record and lofty 6.00 ERA. But it gets even worse on the road where he is 1-6 with a 8.38 ERA. Chris Bassitt will start for the A's with a 11-3 record and 3.28 ERA. He's been very good at home with a 2.70 ERA. I'm going to lay the Run Line here with the A's.

Game four of the NBA Finals as the Milwaukee Bucks look to even this series at 2-2 here on Wednesday. The Bucks made some adjustments in game three and they paid off big. Milwaukee won game three 120-100. The Bucks fell behind 25-28 after one quarter but used a 35-17 2nd quarter to get the lead and cruised the rest of the way. I expect the Suns to be more focused here on Wednesday. However, I still believe Milwaukee will win this game, though not by the game three margin. Home court means a lot in this series and this one is looking more and more like a 7-game series. I'll take the Bucks here today. Play Milwaukee Bucks.

It's the final of the 2020 EURO Futbal championship as Italy takes on England for the title. Home advantage here today to England as this game will be played in Wembley Stadium. Italy got here via a penalty shootout with Spain. England was tied with Denmark, 1-1 after regulation and that game too 120 minutes of play for England to come out on top, 2-1. England hasn't played in a major tournament final for 55 years. Italy bring a 33-game unbeaten streak into today's contest and a +76-goal differential. England had five clean sheets in a row before Denmark broke that streak early in their semifinal game. That's a testament to this English defense, which has been great. I expect to see a close, low scoring game. I'll take Italy plus the half goal and lay the small price. Play Italy +.5 or +1/4 goals

The Connecticut Sun sit in third place in the WNBA standings with a 13-6 record, just 1.5-games back of the Seattle Storm. The Sun have been very good at home, 8-1 on the season, but just average (5-5) on the road. They will face the 6th place NY Liberty, who are 10-10 on the season. The Sun are just 1-5 ATS in their last six road games. The Liberty are 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings with the Sun at New York. I'll take the points with the home team here today. Take NY Liberty.

Las Vegas Aces in 2nd place in the WNBA Standings with a 14-6 overall record. They are one-game back of the Seattle Storm. The Aces have lost two straight games but have won seven of their last 10. The Aces aren't the best road team at covering spreads, going 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight as a road favorite. The Dallas Wings are in 8th place with a 9-11 record. They have also lost two-straight games. The Wings are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a underdog. I'll take the points at home here with the Wings.

The Giants have won two straight games and extended the NL West lead over the Dodgers to 2-games. The Giants will start Anthony Desclafani today who is 9-3 with a 2.84 ERA. He's been even better his last seven starts with a 1.99 ERA and 5-1 record. The Nationals are in 4th place in the NL East with a 42-45 record. They have lost two straight and seven of their last 10 games. Veteran Jon Lester will start today with a 2-3 record and 5.34 ERA this season. The Giants should take this game as Lester is on the downside of his career. Play Giants -1.5 runs.

The semifinals of Euro 2020 here has Denmark taking on England for the right to play Italy for the Championship. England has had an easy time getting to this point in the tournament and easily took care of the Ukraine in the quarterfinals. England is 4-0-1 in the tournament thus far. Denmark lost their opening match to Finland, but has risen to the cause since by scoring 10 goals over their last three matches. England has a huge advantage by playing at home here today. No wonder then why the line has Denmark at +4.15 on the money line. England has held their last three opponents to no goals and scored six times themselves. So this game will have the Denmark hot offense against this England defense. Denmark has the 2nd most goals in the tournament. Should be a great game and if Denmark can get a lead, they have a great chance to win. I'll take the Danes on the goal line at +.5 and +1.30. Play Denmark.

The Washington Mystics currently sit in 9th place in the WNBA with a 7-9 record. They are riding a 3-game losing streak as they travel to New York to take on the Liberty. The NY Liberty are in 7th place with a 8-9 record and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Mystics have done well as a dog, evidenced by their 10-4 ATS mark their last 14 games. The Liberty are just 1-6 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite and home favorite. Mystics have covered four of the last five meetings both overall and in New York. I'll take the Mystics plus the points today.

The NBA Eastern Conference finals have the Milwaukee Bucks hosting the Atlanta Hawks. Game five here tonight sees this one all tied up at 2-2 after the Hawks took game four, 110-88. Now tonight the Bucks could be without their best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was downgraded to doubtful tonight. Antetokounmpo averages 28.1 points per game. The Hawks could also miss their best player in Trae Young. Young is questionable tonight with an ankle injury. Bucks are still a favorite, though a slight 2-point chalk. For me, with Antetokounmpo likely out I'll have to take the few points with the Hawks. Play Atlanta.

Game 6 of the Western Conference Championships tonight have the LA Clippers once again looking to stave off elimination and the Phoenix Suns trying to get to the NBA Finals. LA likes living on the edge, having trailed 1-3 in three straight playoff series. Yet again they won when down and forced another game. The Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard again tonight, something they have had to learn to live with. Once again this should be a good defense contest. The Clippers have dominated on the glass and they will need to limit Phoenix 2nd chance shots again tonight. I am going to take the Clippers here tonight, even without Leonard. They seem to have a knack of making big comebacks and I'm looking for another here tonight. Play the Clippers.

Connecticut Sun are 10-5 on the season and in 3rd place. The Sun have won two straight games and have a +5.0 point differential. The Washington Mystics are in 9th place with a 7-7 record. The Mystics have lost two straight games and are 5-5 over their last 10 games. The Suns have been a very good road team, posting a 9-4-1 ATS record over their last 14 away contests. They are also 5-2 ATS their last seven games when installed as the favorite. Suns have all the edges in this one tonight. I'm taking the visitor. Play Connecticut Sun.

Game one of the Stanley Cup finals has the Montreal Canadiens taking on the defending Cup Champions, Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning needed seven games to dispose of the NY Islanders, winning game seven 1-0. The Canadiens defeated the highly favored Vegas Golden Knights in six games, the last a OT win. In fact, three of the games in that series went to OT. The Canadiens rode the back of goalie Carey Price who saved them on many occasions and held one of the best offenses in the league in check. Price was brilliant between the pipes for the Habs. I will be taking the Lightning here in game one and laying the 1.5 goals.

After stealing game one against the Milwaukee bucks, the Atlanta Hawks had a horrid game two, losing 91-125. Now they return to their home court State Farm Arena for game three with the series tied 1-1. The Bucks put together a complete game two, something we haven't seen from them in these playoffs. Good news for the Hawks is that whether they lost by 1-point or 25-points, it's still just one loss and they are tied in the series. This is a key game for Atlanta as they need to stop the team they saw in game two. Atlanta really needs this game as they have to put that last game behind them. Nate McMillan has this team playing well and I believe he will have them ready for a great effort here tonight. Getting 4.5 points is a nice bonus. Take the points with the home Hawks here tonight.

The Clippers look to even this series here tonight, trailing 1-2 in this best of seven Western Conference Championship. The Clippers lost games one and two at Phoenix and bounced back in game three with a win 106-92. The Clippers have covered two of their three with the Suns and six of their last seven games overall. It looks like the Clippers will once again be without Kawhi Leonard who is still nursing that knee injury. The Clippers proved last game they can win vs the Suns without Leonard in the lineup. I look for the Clippers to event he series here tonight. Play LA Clippers.

The Phoneix Suns look to put the LA Clippers on the edge of extinction in these playoffs with game 3 here tonight at the Staples Center. The Suns took games one and two in Phoenix. For the Clippers, this is just deja vu all over again. The Clippers have trailed 0-2 in both their previous playoff series. The problem this time is that Kawhi Leonard is out and that's a big difference. The Clippers just came up short in game two, losing 103-104 at Phoenix. The failure of the Suns to cover that game was their first non-cover in the last nine games. Tonight, the Suns welcome back Chris Paul, who had missed the previous games with Covid Protocols. Clips on the ropes here again tonight. Do they have another miracle comeback in them again? I think they have to put it all together tonight or they will be going home. Play LA Clippers.

The Clippers look to even their series tonight with the Phoenix Suns at 1-1 after dropping game one of the series, 114-120. Paul George did his part for the Clippers, hitting seven, 3-point shots for 34 total points. The Sun won despite playing without one of their stars in Chris Paul. The Clippers have covered four of their last five overall games while the Suns are 25-10 ATS at home their last 35 games. Kawhi Leonard remains out for the Clippers tonight as does Chris Paul for the Suns. I'll take the Clippers to bounce back here in game two tonight. Play Clippers.

The Sixers forced this game seven here on Sunday as they look to advance in the playoffs. The Sixer blew 18-point leads in back-to-back games so they have no one to blame but themselves. The Hawks blew a half time lead in game six or they wouldn't even need this game today. The Hawks now need a upset win on the road to advance. Star players on both teams are having up and down series from game to game. So who will show up today is the question. With the Sixers showing they have trouble holding big leads, I'll take the generous points with the Hawks here in game seven. Play Atlanta.

The Dodgers are within 1.5 games of first place in the NL West after winning two straight and eight of their last 10 games. The Dodgers have the highest run differential in the National League at +102 runs. They face one the worst run differential team in the NL in the Arizona Diamondbacks at -1.06. The D'backs are done and we aren't even to the All-Star break yet. Arizona has lost 16 straight games and are 25.5 games back of the Giants. What else can you say about this Arizona team, they are just bad. The Dodgers are hot and I really don't care who they have on the mound today, I'll lay the run line in this one. Play LA -1.5 runs.

Game 7 here today between the Bucks and the Nets from Brooklyn. The Bucks staved off elimination at home in a game 6 blowout win, 104-89. The Nets won the first two games of this series and then have lost three of the last four games. However, the Nets have not lost at home and today they are just a 1 1/2 to 2 point favorite so they need to do little more than win. The Nets will have to win without one of their Big Three in the lineup. Kyrie Irving looks to miss this game with an ankle injury. Even without Irving, I like the Nets to hold home court and win the series today. Play Brooklyn.

Game six here in the Western Conference Semifinals as the Utah Jazz look to stave off elimination at LA and force a game seven back in Utah. The Jazz opened this series with a pair of wins at home then went to LA and lost both in blowout losses. They returned home where they lost game five, 111-119. It's always about injuries and tonight there are a few key ones. The Jazz have guard Donovan Mitchell (ankle) who is listed as questionable for this game. The Clippers look to be without Kwahi Leonard tonight who has a knee injury. The Clippers won game five without Leonard and look to have to do so again tonight. Jazz are a one-point road favorite here tonight. I look for them to win this game and force that game seven. Leonard's loss will be hard for the Clippers to survive for a second straight game. Play Utah.

This best of seven semifinal series has the Nets up 3-2 after taking game five on Tuesday night, 114-108. The Nets played without two of their big three stars and were trailing at the half but rebound behind 49 points from Kevin Durant. Tonight, Nets guard Kyrie Irving is now questionable with an ankle injury. James Harden looks to be back here tonight. Nets head coach Steve Nash could give some of his oft injured stars some extra time off here in game six with the thought of returning home and having fresher players for a game seven on their home court. Either way, I look for Milwaukee to take game six here tonight on their home court. Play Milwaukee.

The Connecticut Sun are in third place in the WNBA with a 8-3 record. They are coming off a loss to the Seattle Storm, 66-89. However, they have won seven of their last 10 games. The Suns are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 road games. They are also 4-1-1 ATS in their last six road games as a dog. The Chicago Sky are 9th in the league with a 5-7 record. The Sky have won three straight games after a seven game losing streak. The Sky also have a poor home record at 1-5. The Sky are just 1-6 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite and 1-10 ATS in their last 11 home games. The Sun are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games at Chicago. I'll be on the Sun here tonight. Play Connecticut.

Vegas dominated game one of this semifinal clash, 4-1. The score could have been a lot higher if not for Carey Price and some great saves for the Habs. Still, game one the Knight dominated every facet of the game and had three of their goals scored by defensemen. Vegas has arguably the best defense in the NHL and offensive minded defensemen. Their speed was too much, their forchecking too much, they bottled up the Canadiens in their own zone. And of course Marc-Andre Fluery was great between the pipes again. Unless Montreal turns things around, this could be a quick series. Our under in game one was a nail biter as the Habs pulled their goalie with nearly five minutes to play and had numerous scoring chances. Plus the Knights missed two or three empty net goals by mere inches. Still I don't see Montreal scoring much more than they did in game one. As for today, unless something drastic changes for the Habs, they are just overmatched in this series at this point. I'll lay the puck line with Vegas here tonight. Play Vegas -1.5 goals.

The Clippers look to even this best of seven series here tonight in LA at 2-2. After a pair of loss in Utah, the Clipper had a blowout win in game three over the Jazz at the Staples Center. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for 65 points in game three for the Clippers. The line here tonight has moved to Clippers -5 points. For me I feel this is a bit too high as the Jazz can win this one outright. I'll take the points with the visitors here today. Play Utah.

New York Liberty are 4th in the WNBA with a 5-4 record. However, they started the season 5-1 and have lost three straight. The Phoenix Mercury are 6th with a 5-5 record. The NY Liberty have not been a good covering team in recent seasons, going 15-34-2 over their last 51 games vs the spread. They are also 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road games. Phoenix has covered the last four in this series. Take The Phoenix Mercury here on Sunday.

 The Washington Mystics are 7th in the WNBA standings with a 4-5 record. They have been better of late, winning two straight games over the LA Sparks (89-71 and the Minnesota Lynx (85-81). The Atlanta Dream are 4-6 on the season but have lost four straight after a 4-2 start. They are also 1-4 at home this season. The Mystics are now 5-0 ATS in their last five games and 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games. The Dream are just 1-5 ATS in their last six home games. The Mystics are 6-0-1 ATS in the last seven meetings with the Dream and 5-1 ATS in the last six at Atlanta. Play Washington.

The Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks had a rare low scoring affair in game three as neither team looked very sharp in the Bucks win, 86-83. The Bucks didn't get the cover though as most numbers were 3.5 on Milwuakee. Still, the Bucks were lucky to survive as they trailed 83-80 last in the fourth before take a 84-83 lead with 11 seconds left. A Nets three-point miss led to a pair of foul shots and the final 86-83 Milwaukee win. Sunday the Nets could have James Harden back who has not played since the opening minute of game one with a hamstring issue. The oddsmaker must expect Harden back as the Nets went from a 3.5 dog to a 2-point favorite here in game four. I didn't like the way the Bucks have looked in any of the three games. With or without Harden I'm on the Nets here in game four. Play Brooklyn.

The LA Sparks sit in 7th place in the WNBA standings with a 4-4 record. The Sparks are coming off a loss at the Washington Mystics, 71-89. Minnesota Lynx are in 10th place right now with a 3-5 record. The Lynx also coming off a loss at the Washington Mystics, 81-85. That loss broke a three-game win streak by the Lynx. The Sparks are not the best road team, evidenced by their 3-7 ATS mark on the road as a dog. They are also 0-4 ATS in their last four Western Conference games. This series looks to be one that the home team is the one to play. Play Minnesota.