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The San Jose State Spartans hit the road today to take on Northern Colorado. The Spartans are 3-1 to start the season, losing their first game last time out at home to Hofstra, 76-85, as a 2.5-point dog. The Spartans led this game by 10-points at half but couldn't hold on in the 2nd half. Northern Colorado Bears are 1-2 and coming off a road loss to Baylor, 62-95, failing to cover the generous 28-point dog line. They are 0-3 vs the number thus far after failing to cover vs Houston and Texas A&M-Commerce. They lost to Houston in their opener 36-83. Spartans could easily be 4-0 if they didn't go to sleep in the 2nd half of the game against a very good Hofstra team. The Bears just too erratic thus far with some huge losses. I'll take San Jose State today.

Big 12 action here on Saturday has Texas (6-4, 4-3) taking on Kansas (6-4, 3-4). TCU has the conference wrapped-up at 7-0, but after that only one game separates the next four teams. Texas coming off a loss at home to TCU last week, 10-17, as a 7-point favorite. The Longhorns finish up at home next week vs Baylor. Kansas lost at Texas Tech last week, 28-43 as a 4-point dog. The Jayhawks will finish up at Kansas State next week. Texas just 4-10 ATS their last 14 games in the Big 12. They are also 2-5 ATS their last seven road games. Kansas 5-0-1 ATS their last six home games and 10-2-1 ATS their last 13 overall games. Kansas has also covered the last five vs Texas. The dog is also 5-0 ATS the last five meetings. Kansas getting almost 10 points looks like a gift to me. I'll take Kansas plus the points.

Hall of Fame basketball Tip Off Tourney heads into their Semi-Finals today and the early matchup has Maryland taking on St Louis. The St Louis Billikins are 3-0 to start the season after their win over Memphis, 90-84. Same goes for the Maryland Terps, a perfect 3-0 heading into today's contest. Maryland's wins not as impressive with victories over Niagara, Western Carolina and then last game over Binghamton, 76-52. Though they have covered all three games. Billikin wins have been a bit more impressive with an opening win over Murray State, 91-68, Evansville, 83-65 and then last game over Memphis as a 3-point favorite. They are 2-1 ATS in their three games. One big advantage for the Terps today will be in height and that should help them on the defensive boards where they have struggled thus far. St Louis has lost five straight to the Big 10, yet here they are a favorite today. Maryland is 8-3 ATS their last 11 games and I'll take a Big 10 team here on Saturday getting points. Play Maryland.

 Big 10 clash here on Saturday between two of the best defenses in the nation. Illinois is 2nd in the nation in overall defense, right behind No 1 Michigan. Both teams also have excellent redzone efficiency levels of less than 60%. Illinois is 7-3 overall on the season. The Illini are tied for 1st with Purdue, Iow and Minnesota in the Big 10 West, all with 4-3 conference records. Michigan and Ohio State are tied at 7-0 in the Big 10 East and meet next week in the final regular season game to likely determine the winner of the East and trip to the Big 10 Championship. Have to wonder if the Wolverines have their eyes set to next week on Ohio State. Yes, Illinois is very good, but the aren't quite in the league of Michigan. Michigan coming off an easy win last week over Nebraska, 34-3. Illinois is 9-4 ATS their last 13 games and 8-2-1 ATS their last 11 vs a team with a winning record. The Wolverines are good though, going 12-3-1 ATS their last 16 conference games. The Fighting Illini are 5-2 ATS their last seven games against Michigan and the dog is 6-1 ATS the last seven meetings. I have to believe that Michigan looking to next week vs the Buckeyes. I'll take the big points here with a very good defensive Illinois team.

The Charlotte Hornets just 4-12 so far this season. They are coming off a loss to Indiana, 113-125. That makes 1-8 S/U and 2-7 ATS their last nine games. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 8-6 S/U and ATS on the year. They have played six of their last seven games on the road before returning home here tonight. They have lost five straight games both S/U and ATS after starting the season 8-1. The Cavs are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 Friday games and 6-1 in their last seven home games. The Cavs have been in a funk of late, but home cooking looks to be the fix for that. Play Cleveland.

Myrtle Beach Invitational from Conway, SC has second round action here early on Friday as Murray State takes on U Mass. U Mass Minutemen beat Colorado last night in this tourney, 66-63, covering the 5.5-point dog line. That makes U Mass, 2-1 both S/U and ATS on the season. In their lone loss at home to Towson, 55-67, they shot just 34.5% from the field and 21.4% from 3-point arc. They held Colorado to just 34.2% last night in their win. Murray State Racers are 2-1 S/U and 1-1 ATS after beating Texas A&M last night, 88-79 as a 13-point dog. This was by far their best effort of the season as they shot 50% from the field and hit 45.5% of their three-point shots. U Mass a small favorite here today, but my own numbers show that Murray should be the small favorite. I'll take the points. Play Murray State.

Towson State Tigers look to keep their perfect record in tact as they hit the road to play at NC Greensboro. The Tigers are 3-0 S/U and 2-1 ATS on the season after beating Penn in their last game, 80-74, as a 3-point favorite. They have played two road games and won and covered both, outscoring the home teams by a 73.5 to 64.5 ppg average. The Greensboro Spartans are 1-1 S/U and 0-1 ATS on the season. They are coming off a loss at Miami, 65-79, as a 10-point dog. Their win coming at home over J&W Charlotte, 93-60. Towson has been a very good road team, going 15-4 ATS their last 19 away games. The Spartans are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games and 0-6 ATS their last six overall. Towson looks the better team here tonight. Play Towson.

Myrtle Beach Invitational first round here tonight from Conway, SC has Boise State taking on NC Charlotte. Boise State is 1-1 this season after winning their last game over Washington State, 71-61, as a 2-point dog. The NC Charlotte 49ers are coming of a win over Maryland Eastern Shore, 80-47, as a 12.5-point favorite. Boise State opened with a loss to South Dakota State. The 49ers look to remain perfect tonight. They have averaged 81 points through two games and hit 56.9% of their field goals and 40% from three point arc. I don't like the way the Broncos have struggled offensively through two games. Meanwhile the 49ers have been hot. It's early but I like the way Charlotte has played. Take Charlotte.

 The Knicks played last night in Utah and despite trailing by double digits at one point they rallied to win the game 118-111, as a 4.5-point dog. Now they come right back tonight and hit another high altitude city as they play at Denver. The Knicks are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 overall games. They are also 0-5 ATS their last five games following a straight up win. The Knicks are 7th in the East with a 7-7 record and -1.5 point differential. The Nuggets are 2nd in the West with a 9-4 record and are 4-0 at home. The Nuggets rebounded from their loss at Boston on Friday with a win on Sunday at Chicago, ending their road stint at 3-1 S/U and 1-3 ATS. Now they return home where they have yet to lose and are 3-1 vs the spread with a _14.3 point differential. The Nuggets have covered the last four in this series and six of the last eight in Denver. I give it to the Knicks for winning at Utah last night, but can't see them taking down two of the best teams in West in back-to-back games. Play Denver.

The Missouri State Bears visit Provo, Utah tonight to take on the BYU Cougars. The Bears are 1-0 while BYU is 1-1. These teams played each other last year in Missouri State with BYU winning that game, 74-68 as a 1.5-point favorite. Mo State beat Missouri Science Tech last week, 82-47. Can't take a lot away from that game though against such an inferior opponent. This early in the season offensive and defensive stats mean little against the teams they are playing. Byu beat Idaho State, 60-56, but didn't come close to the 23.5-favorite line. Then last time out the Cougars lost at No 17 San Diego State, 82-75, this time as a 11-point dog. Missouri State getting almost 10 points here tonight. Considering the BYU outcome against Idaho State, this Mo State team should do better. I'll take the points early in the season. Play Missouri State.

SE Missouri State Redhawks are 2-0 as they hit the road tonight to play at Evansville. The Hawks opened their season with a win over South Florida, 64-61, as a 11-point dog. Then came back last game against Lyon and won easily, 83-46 with no line on the game. The Evansville Aces are 1-1 on the season, beating Miami Ohio in their opener, 78-74 as a 6-point dog and then lost at St Louis last game, 65-83 as a 23.5 point dog. SE Mo looks the better team early in the season, playing well on both ends of the court. They allow just 53 ppg thus far and their defense should have little issues today with this Evansville team. Looks to me the Redhawks should have been favored in this one, but that's ok, I'll take the small points with the visitors.

Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) hit the road today to Newark, NJ to take on the 2-0 Seton Hall Pirates. Iowa coming off an easy win over NC A&T, 112-71. Seton Hall coming into tonight after beating St Peter's, 8-44. Iowa also beat Bethune Cookman to start the season, 89-58. The Hawkeyes covering both spreads as 20+ favorites. Seton Hall beat Monmouth in their opener, 79-52, also covering both games thus far. Tonight will be the first good test for both clubs. Both teams put up excellent numbers against poor opposition. Iowa is 8-2 ATS their last 10 games while Seton Hall is 3-10 ATS their last 13 home games. I'll take the Big 10 team here today. Play Iowa.

With Toledo losing last night, Eastern Michigan still can't take the AMC West because they still trail the Rockets by two games and lost to them a few weeks ago. Toledo is 5-2 and Eastern is right behind at 3-3. Eastern Michigan finishes with Central Michigan next week. Still, looks like Eastern can make a bowl game as they really only need one win in these last two weeks. Eastern beat Akron last week, 34-28, as a 7-point road favorite. Kent State beat Bowling Green last week, 40-6 and after tonight they finish at Buffalo. The Golden Flashes are in 4th in the MAC East with a 3-3 record and 4-6 overall record. Doesn't look good for the flashes to make a bowl game this year either. Still, not sure how they are a TD favorite here tonight against an equal or better Eastern Michigan team. More on the line for Eastern here tonight so I'll take the points. Play Eastern Michigan.

The NY Knicks are 10th in the NBA in the East with a 6-7 record. They have a -2.1 point differential and are coming off a loss to OK City, 135-145. The Knicks led that game by double digits in the first half but couldn't contain the Thunder offense. The start a five game road swing tonight at Utah. It's always difficult to play in Utah at the altitude. The Knicks are now 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games and 2-5-1 ATS their last eight after 1 day rest. The Utah Jazz are 3rd in the West with a 10-5 record and have a +4.2 point differential. The Jazz look to snap a two-game losing skid here tonight. Utah won the opener of their three game road trip at Atlanta, but then lost to Washington and last game at Philly, 98-105. Until these last two losses, the Jazz had covered seven straight games. The Jazz are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games. Utah is 25-9 ATS in their last 34 vs the Knicks and 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings in Utah. Take the Jazz tonight. 

 Two very good teams meet in a marquee matchup here tonight as 2-0 Purdue hosts 2-0 Marquette. It's the Big 10 vs the Big East. Marquette opened with win over Radford, 76-69 and then beat Central Michigan, 97-73. They failed to cover vs Radford but did get the cover against Central Michigan as a 18-point favorite. Purdue opened with an easy win over Wisc Milwaukee, 85-53 and then beat Austin Peay, 63-44, as a 25-point favorite. Purdue is 3-7-1 ATS their last 11 games at home and 3-10-2 ATS their last 15 games overall. Marquette will try to push the pace in this game while Purdue looks for a half court game. Both teams haven't played anyone of consequence yet. I'm going to take the points in this one. Play Marquette.

Bowling Green still with a chance to be Bowl eligible at 5-5 overall on the season. They are also 3-6-1 ATS. The Falcons are coming off a loss at home to Kent State, 6-40. The Falcons gave up 201 yards rushing and 214 yards passing. Toledo leads the MAC West with a 7-3 record. The are coming off a win last week over Ball State, 28-21, failing to cover the 13.5 point spread. Bowling Green is just 7-15 ATS their last 22 conference games and 1-3-1 ATS their last five road games. They have also not played well in November, going 2-10 ATS their last 12 in this month. Toledo is 7-3-1 ATS their las 11 vs Bowling Green. I'll take the Rockets here tonight as they look to win the West

The Washington Commanders are in last in the NFC North with a 4-5 record. THey have the bad luck of playing in what is arguable the best division in football as the other three teams are at least 6-2 in their records. Washington coming off a game they know they could have won last week as they hosted Minnesota and lost, 17-20. The Vikings have the 2nd best record in the NFL and came within minutes of winning that contest. That makes the team 3-1 their last four games all with QB Carson Wentz out. Wentz will again miss tonight's contest with that finger issue. That means Taylor Heinicke will once again be at the helm. For me, I would rather have Heinicke at QB instead of Wentz. For me he's led this team and has performed better. The Philadelphia Eagles are the best team in the NFL right now with the only perfect record at 8-0. They lead the Giants by 1.5 games right now in the NFC East. The Eagles are coming off a win over Houston last week, 29-17, but they failed to cover the 14-point spread. Still, they are 5-3 ATS overall on the season. The Eagles have the NFL's third best offense and third best defense. Washington is 21st in offense and 14th in defense. The dog is 3-1-1 ATS the last five games in this series. I expect the Washington defense to keep them close and Heiniecki to play well enough to cover this spread. Take the double digit points with Washington.

Eastern Conference clash here tonight has the Toronto Raptors taking on the Detroit Pistons. The Raptors are in 6th place in the East with a 7-7 record. They have a +2.3 point differential this season. The Raptors are on a road trip and have dropped the first two games of this trip to Oklahoma City, 113-132 and last game at Indiana, 104-118. They look to get back in the win column tonight against the worst team in the East, Detroit. The Pistons are just 3-11 on the season and have the worst point differential at -10.0 ppg. The Pistons have lost their last three games and are 1-4-1 ATS their last five games. They are coming off a loss at home to Boston, 108-117, failing to cover the 8-point dog line. The Raptors have not been good to bettors, going 0-4 ATS their last four games and 3-7 ATS their last 10 games following an ATS loss. Detroit is 4-1 ATS their last five games at home vs a team with a losing road record. The Pistons have also covered the last six games in this series and are 5-2 ATS the last seven meetings in Detroit. I'll take a shot here with the points at home on the Pistons and hope the Raptors continue their poor road play. Take Detroit.

Have to wonder if Raiders HC Josh McDaniels is on a short leash with his job these days. The Raiders led the Jacksonville Jaguars by 17-points, the second time this year they have blown a 17-point lead. And of course, lost to the Jags last Sunday, 20-27. Have to wonder how many big leads the Raiders can blow before the top of Mark Davis' head blows off. Well, this might be the week for the Raiders to get well. If there was one coach and team that has done worse it has been the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts had a very lackluster performance last week in their loss at New England, 3-26. In fact, it was the last straw for Colts HC Frank Reich who was fired after the game. The Colts named Jeff Saturday interim coach for the rest of the season. I believe the Colts have given up on the season and while the Raiders have blown leads, at least they have the offensive weapons to get leads. The Colts have no one right now, not even running back Jonathan Taylor who missed last weeks game with an ankle injury. Get on this one early as I only see the Raiders line going up. Play LV Raiders.

Youngstown looking to improve to three wins here today at Notre Dame. The Penquins have wins over Canisius and UT Martin. Not exactly in the same class as today's opponent. Notre Dame Irish had to come from behind in a shaky first start vs Radford, winning 79-76 but failing to cover the 18-point favorite line. This is a very experienced Youngstown team and are shooting a very good 47% from the field this year. Still yet to be seen if this Notre Dame team will get better on defense. We know they have the power on offense, but they will need to cover some big spreads. Once again they are laying double digits today. This should be a very good contest today and I believe Youngstown gives the Irish all they can handle. Take the points with Youngstown St. 

The Towson Tigers off to a 2-0 start to this season will be looking for their second road win here today at Penn. The Penn Quakers are still looking for that first win after dropping their first two games. Towson is coming off a win over U Mass, 67-55 as a 3.5-point dog. Penn is coming off a loss to Missouri, 85-92 as a 12-point dog. Towson has been good defensively thus far, allowing an average of just 58.5 ppg. Penn has averaged just 67.5 ppg, though struggling on defense as they have allowed 85 ppg. The offensive struggling Quakers will play right into the defensive minded Towson Tigers today. Defense makes the difference in this one. Play Towson. 

Non conference battle here as the Big 12's Oklahoma State travels to Michigan to take on Horizon League's Oakland U. Ok State couldn't quite get there in in their last game at home, losing to Southern Illinois, 60-61. Oakland also coming off a loss at home to Bowling Green, 82-87. Oklahoma State struggled against a mid-major team on their home court and that loss dropped them to 1-1 on the season. The Cowboys only averaging 68.5 ppg thus far. Oakland Golden Grizzlies look to upset the Cowboys for the second straight season. The Grizzlies also dropped to 1-1 after that recent home loss. The Grizzlies are scoring though, averaging 87 ppg thus far. They are also playing well on defense, allowing just 57 ppg. Both teams looking to this game to get them back on track. For me, Oakland getting generous points at home and is able to put points on the board. Play Oakland. 

 The Pacific Tigers are just 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 road games and 6-22-1 ATS in their last 29 overall games. Pacific looks to get into the win column after losing their opening game to Stanford, 78-88. ND State Bison also looking to rebound from an opening loss to Kansas, 59-82. ND State is 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games. Both teams struggled early though the Bison played a very good Kansas team. Have to go against Pacific here as they just are not a good road team. PLay North Dakota State. 

NFC North contest here as last place Detroit Lions (2-6) takes on the next to last place Chicago Bears (3-6). In the North, only the Vikings have a winning record at 7-1 and 4.5-games in first place. The Lions are coming off a improbable win over Green Bay last week, 15-9. Despite having the worst defense in the NFL, the Lions held the Packers to just nine points and picked-off Aaron Rodgers twice in the end zone. The Bears are coming off a loss at home to Miami, 32-35, though they covered the four-point dog line. The Chicago defense is a bit better at 18th in the NFL. The Bears offense ranks 24th while the Lions come in at 7th. The Bears are 3-1-1 ATS their last five home games. The Bears have are also 4-1-1 ATS their last six meetings with the Lions at Chicago. Small home favorite in Chicago, I'll lay the price here with the Bears.

 The New Orleans Saints are 3-6 overall on the season and in third place in the NFC South. The Saints are coming off a home loss to the Ravens, 13-27. The Saints are now just 3-6 vs the spread on the season. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-6 overall and in last place in the AFC North. The Steelers are coming off a loss to instra-state rival Philadelphia, 13-35. The Saints are 6th in the NFL in total offense while the Steelers are 28th. The Saints are also 11th on offense with the Steelers 29th. Still, though the Saints are not having a good season. The Steelers did have last week off to rest and get ready for today. Both teams had poor first halves of the season and both played the Bengals and Bucs. The Steelers beat both those teams while the Saints lost to both. With the week off to prepare and maybe seeing the return of NFL Defensive player of the Year, TJ Watt, I'm taking the Steelers here today.

The Jacksonville Jaguars may only be 3-6 in the NFL but they have put scares into some teams this year. The Jags went on the road at beat Vegas last week, 27-20. They just lost to Denver the week before, 17-21 and New York Giants the week before that , 17-23. They have the 8th ranked offense, 7th ranked rushing attack in the league. Kansas City is 6-2 on the season and one game ahead of the LA Chargers for first place in the AFC West. The Chiefs are the only team in the West with a plus point differential (+57). The Chiefs are coming off a home win last week over Tennessee, 20-17, but failing to cover the 14-point favorite line. The Chiefs have the 2nd ranked offense in the league and top ranked passing attack. The Chiefs are now 0-6 ATS in their last six games vs the AFC and 0-5 ATS in their last five home games. Not covering at home shows how over valued the oddsmaker has made them at home this season. And today I believe they are laying too many points once again. Play Jacksonville.

AFC Clash here on Sunday between the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are in the most competitive division in football with the Bills, Jets and Patriots, just 1.5 games separate first from last. The Dolphins are a half game in second place with a 6-3 record. Miami won on the road last week at Chicago, 35-32. It was the team's third win in a row after losing to Minnesota four weeks ago. The Dolphins have the fifth best offense in the league and the 22nd best in defense. The Browns are 15th in defense and fourth in offense thanks to their 3rd ranked rushing offense. The Browns are 6-2 ATS in their last eight road games vs a team with a winning home record while Miami is 1-5 ATS in their last six games and 1-4 ATS their last five games vs a team with a losing record. I think this game will come down to the final minutes and I will take the points in this one. Play Cleveland.

Oklahoma City Thunder are 5-7 on the season and snapped a four-game S/U and ATS losing streak last time out with a win at home over Toronto, 132-113. The Thunder are 1-4 S/U and 3-2 ATS on the road this season and getting outscored 107.8-113.6 thus far. The Knicks look to get above the .500 mark today as they sit at 6-6 overall. The Knicks are coming off a home win over the Pistons, 121-112, pushing the 9-point favorite line. They are 3-2 S/U and 1-2-1 ATS in their last five games. The Knicks are 4-2 S/U and 2-3-1 ATS at home and out scoring opponents 119-116 thus far on their home court. This is the first game of a four game road swing for OKC. I will take the Knicks at home here in this early Sunday start. Always tougher for the West/Mid West teams to make the East coast trip, especially starting at this early time. Play New York.

These teams playing the first ever game in Germany on Sunday get the early start at 6:30 PT / 9:30 am ET. Who would have figured the Seattle Seahawks to be in first place in the NFC West with the defending champion Rams and the 49ers. But, they are and they are 1.5-games ahead of the Niners with a 6-3 record. Everyone kind of figured the departure of Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos would mean this was a rebuilding period for Seattle. However, Geno Smith has come in and actually played better than Wilson has for the Broncos. Another anomaly is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 4-5 with Tom Brady. But would you believe they are tied for first place in the horrible NFC South? Every team in the division has a sub-.500 record this year. Tom Brady has not looked his old self this year, but part of that is due to injuries to his receivers. The Bucs have the 19th ranked offense and last place rushing offense. They average a paltry 61 yards this year on the ground. Seattle's offense ranks 11th overall and 9th in rushing. Tampa Bay does have the 9th ranked defense, but it was much higher earlier in the season and has steadily declined week by week. Tampa Bay hasn't covered a spread since week 2 of the season vs the Saints. Since then they have gone 0-6-1 ATS. Seattle playing well, they cover spreads and don't look out of sync like the Bucs. Yet, Tom Brady gets the bettors and here the Bucs are a 3-point favorite. Not sure how that happened, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. I'll take the points with Seattle.

A pair of Western conference teams face off today as the Houston Rockets play at New Orleans to face the Pelicans. The Rockets are dead last in the West with a 2-10 record and the worst point differential in the West with a -7.5 ppg. Rockets coming off a loss at Toronto, 109-116, though they covered the +10 dog line. The Rockets are just 1-5 ATS in their last six trips to New Orleans. The Pelicans are 6-6 and in 8th in the West. They have a +2.7 point differential. The Pelicans are coming off a loss at Portland, 95-106, as a 9-point favorite. New Orleans is 10-4 ATS their last 14 times they are coming off a straight-up loss. This should be a good spot for the Pelicans tonight against a poor Houston club. Take New Orleans.

Both teams looking for their second wins of the young season after opening with wins. Arkansas State Red Wolves are coming off a dominating win over Harding, 86-55. Ark State dominated both ends of the court as they cruised to the easy win. LSU is coming off a win over Kansas City, 74-63 and was much closer then expected. Not convinced the Tigers are all that great at this juncture of the season as they struggled vs a team they should have dominated. I'll take Arkansas State plus the generous points today.

A pair of ACC Atlantic teams meet here on Saturday as Clemson hosts Louisville. Clemson is ranked 10th in the nation and is 6-0 and will win the ACC Atlantic with a date for the Conference Championship game. Louisville is 3-3 and in 5th in the Atlantic. The Cardinals have won four straight games both S/U and ATS, including last week over James Madison, 34-10 as a 7.5-point favorite. They are ranked 44th in offense and 29th in defense. Clemson is 8-1 S/U and 4-4 ATS on the season. The Tigers Have Miami Fl and South Carolina left after today. Clemson has the 61st ranked offense and 27th ranked defense. The Tigers coming off that loss last week at Notre Dame, 14-35 to break-up their undefeated season. Clemson is just 3-9 ATS in their last 12 home games. I'm taking the points here today with Louisville.

Non-Conference battle here has the MAC and MVC bash heads. Ball State takes to the road to face Larry Bird's Alma Mater at Indiana State. The Ball State Cardinals opened with a win over Earlham College, DIV 3 foe, 109-39. Indiana State also had an easy time against Green Bay, 80-53. I look at these early contests when we are waiting to see how the talent pans out further down the season. I like that Ball State had an easy time while Indiana State had to struggle a bit more. The Confidence in Ball State should be the difference here today. Take Ball State.

 Big 10 action here has Rutgers traveling to Lansing, MI to play the Spartans of Michigan State. Rutgers has lost two straight games, including last week at home to Michigan, 17-52, as a 26-point dog. Rutgers is 4-5 and if they hope to go to a bowl game they have a hill to climb with their remaining games at Michigan State and Maryland and a home game vs Penn State. Meanwhile Michigan State coming off a home win last week over Auburn, 39-33. That snapped a two-game losing skid for the Spartans. Michigan State could be in a look ahead situation here on Saturday. They have no desire to play Rutgers. Instead they have their sights set on next week's showdown at home with Georgia. Rutgers could sneak in under the spread here today if they can catch this Spartans team flatfooted. Take Rutgers

We all know that Notre Dame is the far better team here on Saturday then Navy. Notre Dame has won three straight games, including last week's big win over previously undefeated Clemson, 25-14. However, it's that last week game that I believe will be their undoing this week. The Irish won that emotional game and now have to go to Baltimore to face the Middies. Navy is 5-0 ATS in their last five vs a team with a winning record. They are 5-2 ATS in their last seven overall and 22-8 ATS in their last 30 in November. I feel the Irish are in for a big letdown here today. I think they will squeak by but can't cover this big line. Play Navy.

The SEC once again the class conference in college football with four teams in the top 10. One of those, the 10th ranked LSU Tigers hope to be in the SEC Championship game as they sit in 1st place in the West division with a 5-1 conference record and 7-2 overall mark. Arkansas is 5th in the West with a 2-3 conference record and 5-4 overall mark. These teams met last year in LSU with the Razorbacks winning the game 16-13. LSU ranked 31st on offense and 42 on defense. Arkansas is 10-4-1 ATS the lst 15 overall meetings between these teams and 5-2 ATS the last seven in Arkansas. I'll take the home team here, play Arkansas.

It's going to be a tough night for the Bucks as they will be short some of their star players. Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is out with a knee issue, Khris Middleton is out with a wrist injury and point guard Jrue Holiday is also out with an ankle injury. Holiday averages 19.6 ppg and Gio averages almost 32 ppg. That's a lot of points to makeup on the rest of the team. Milwaukee has lost just one game and that was on Monday to Atlanta, 998-117. They are coming off an OT win at OKC, 136-132. The Spurs are 5-7 on the season and look to snap a five game losing streak here tonight, after a 5-2 start to the season. Spurs laying 2-points here tonight. I'll take them with all that firepower missing for the Bucks. Play San Antonio. 

 East Carolina looks for the upset here on Friday night and also to extend their win streak to five games. ECU Pirates are 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the AAC. They had last week off after beating BYU the previous week, 27-24. Cincinnati struggled against Navy last week but came away with the 20-10 win, improving their record to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in conference. The Pirates looking for a good bowl game berth has been competitive all season long, even in their losses. The Bearcats of Cincinnati has the 64th ranked rushing attack with 141 yards per game. I'm looking for the upset here tonight with Cincinnati.

Local battle among rivals here as a couple of Philadelphia teams battle tonight with Temple taking on Villanova. No 16 Villanova is coing off a win over LaSalle, 81-68. Meanwhile Temple dropped their opener to Wagner, 76-73. Villanova has handled Temple with seven straight wins dating back to 2014, though their last meeting was in 2020 when Villanova won, 76-56. Kyle Neptune is the new coach at Villanova and looks to get some early wins for the team. Temple looked good in the first half of their game vs Wagner, but came out of the half flat and lost the second half and the game. This is not good as they now play one of the better teams in the country in Villanova. The Cats have a great starting five and have all the edges in this game including speed and talent to blowout their intra-city rivals. Take Villanova.

Tulsa not going to any bowls this year as they sit 3-6 overall on the season and near the bottom of the AAC with a 1-4 record. Memphis not much better at 2-4 in conference and 4-5 overall. The Tigers do have a shot at a postseason shot. Memphis looking to snap a two game losing streak including last week's loss at home to Central Florida, 28-35. The Memphis offense is good, ranked 45th overall in the FBS. Tulsa right behind them at 50th in the country. Both teams close on defense too, with Tulsa at 90th and Memphis at 97th. Tulsa also looking to snap a two-game losing streak including last week's home loss to Tulane, 13-27. Tulsa is 35-16 ATS in their last 51 road games and 7-1 ATS in their last eight November games. Memphis is 1-6 ATS in their last seven home games and 0-4 ATS in their last four November games. They are also 3-9 ATS in their last 12 overall games. The Road team has covered seven of the last 10 in this series and the Golden Hurricane are 4-1 ATS in their last five trips to Memphis. I'll take the points here tonight with Tulsa.

Dallas Mavericks are in 6th place in the West with a 6-4 record and are coming off a loss at Orlando, 87-94 as a 8.5-point favorite. The Mavs are 0-5-1 ATS their last six games. The Mavs are 5-1 at home but just 1-3 on the road with a -1.8 point differential. The Mavericks are just 3-8 ATS their last 11 road games. The Washington Wizards will remain without Bradley Beal here tonight as the star guard is in quarantine. The Wizards are in 8th place in the East with a 5-6 record and are 2-3 at home. The Wizards are coming off a win at Charlotte, 108-100 on Monday and have had a pair of days off now. The Wizards have covered six of the last seven in this series, but the Mavs are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 trips to Washington. I'm taking Dallas here today as Beal continues to miss time for the Wizards.

 The Cleveland Cavaliers are in 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a 8-2 record. The Cavs also have the best point differential in the NBA at +10.9 points. The Cavs had their eight game win streak snapped last time out at the Clippers, 117-119, also failing to cover the spread for the first time in their last eieght games. Sacramento is in 13th place in the Western Conference with their 3-6 record. The Kings are coming off a loss at Golden State, 113-116, though they did cover the 8-point dog line. The Kings return home from their four game road trip tonight. They don't usually do well in their first game back home after being away for 7 days or more, going 4-9 ATS the last 13 times. I like the way the Cavs are playing right now and will lay the points with them here tonight. Play Cleveland.

 The New Orleans Pelicans are 5-5 and looking to get ablove .500 here tonight at Chicago. The have a +3.9 point differential and have lost two games in a row. The Pelicans have lost the first two games on this road trip at Atlanta, 121-124 and then last game at Indiana, 122-129. They have also dropped four straight vs the line. Chicago is 6th in the East with a 6-6 record and have are coming off a win at home vs Toronto, 111-97. The Pelicans are just 1-4 ATS in their last five road games and 1-6 ATS their last seven on the road vs a team with a winning home record. The Bulls are 20-6 ATS in their last 26 home games vs a team with a losing road record. Thee Bulls a small home dog here tonight and for me they are the better team right now. Your free play is on the Bulls.

 Buffalo in the thick of things in the MAC East division as they trail first place Ohio by just one game at 4-1 and are tied with Bowling Green who also plays tonight. The Bulls are comijng off a loss to that first place Ohio team last week, 24-45 as a 3-point favorite.That loss last week was their only loss vs the spread versus seven spread wins. The Bulls have the 77th ranked offense and 88th ranked defense in the country. Central Michigan is fourth in thee MAC West with a 2-3 record an 3-6 overall mark. They are coming off a nice win last week at Northern Illinois, 35-22, as a 4-point dog. Just three games left on the schedule with Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan left to go. The Chippewas have the 50th ranked defense and the 68th ranked offense. Central really likes playing these early week games, going 14-1-1 ATS their last 16 games on Wednesday. They are also 5-1 ATS vs a team with a winning record. Central Michigan is a small favorite here tonight and the favorite has covered the last four in this series. I'll take Central tonight.

 Ball State and Toledo are 1-2 in the MAC West as they battle it out for the right to go to the MAC Championship. Ball State is one game back of Toledo and a win here tonight by the Cardinals would put them in a tie for the MAC West. Ball State beat Kent State last week, 27-20 as a 7-point road dog. Ball State has the nation's 67th ranked offense and the 87th ranked defense. The Cardinals are now 10-4 ATS their last 14 games on the road vs a team with a winning home record. Toledo is coming off a road win two weeks at Eastern Michigan, 27-24, as a 7.5-point favorite. After Ball State tonight, the Rockets have a home game vs Bowling Green and then close out the regular season vs Western Michigan. The Rockets had last week off and they are 5-17 ATS their last 22 times they are coming off a bye week. Ball State has covered seven of the last eight meetings in Toledo and the road team has covered 11 of the last 14 overall meetings. I'll take Ball State here tonight.

High hopes for both teams after very successful campaigns in 2021-22. Rider returns their top player in Dwight Murry Jr and Allen Powell. They also had several transfers come over to bolster the team. Providence went 27-6 last year and won it's first-ever Big East Regular Season title before making a run in the NCAA tournament to the Sweet 16. Providence will have to rebuild after that excellent season last year. The Friars lost all five starters. Returning experience makes a big difference early in the season and that favors Rider here today. With Providence losing all their starters from last year it might take them a bit to get this team going again. Play Rider.

 The Baltimore Ravens are in 1st place in the AFC North, a half game ahead of the Bengals. A win tonight and they are 1-game in front, a loss and they are tied. The Ravens are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven Monday night games. They are also 2-6 ATS in their last eight vs a team with a losing record. The NFC South New Orleans Saints are 3-5 and a win tonight puts them in a three way tie with the Bucs and Falcons in a very weak division. The Ravens have won two straight games after last week's win over the Bucs, 27-22 as a 2-point dog. That break a three-game spread skid by the Ravens. The Saints are coming off a dominating performance last week over the LV Raiders. They held the Raiders very good rushing game to just 38 yards and 183 total yards. They sacked QB Derek Carr four times. The Ravens have the 10th ranked offense in the league, 2nd rushing. The Saints have the 5th ranked offense in the league. The Baltimore defense is 24th and the Saints come in at 10th. The Ravens will be without a key target in this game, TE Mark Andrews who is out with a shoulder injury. They may also be without RB Gus Edwards who is doubtful with a hamstring. I like the home team here though the line is too small. I'll take New Orleans to win the game.

The Phoenix Suns are off to a good start this season at 7-2 S/U and 6-3 ATS. The Suns rebounded from their loss at home to Portland on Friday with a beating of the Blazers on Saturday, 102-82 to cover the 11.5 point line. The Suns might be the deepest team in the NBA as all 12 players scored in their win. The Suns will be without Cameron Johnson who tore his meniscus and will be out indefinitely. Johnson was a finalist for the 6th man award last season. The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled to a 4-6 S/U and ATS mark this year, mainly due to injuries. Their best player, Joel Embiid, has been sideline with a non-covid illness for three games and is close to returning. James Harden is out another month with a tendon issue in his foot. Embiid though is the key to the Sixers winning and right now he's about 50/50 to return, though he struggled in their last practice according to HC Doc Rivers. Rivers is thinking long term and doesn't want to rush Embiid back if it hurts him more. That puts a lot of pressure on the other players to pick up the slack. I look for the Suns to continue their winning ways here on Monday, especially with the Sixers hurting the way they are. Play Phoenix. 

This will be the second straight season these teams start the season against each other. Last year this was a high scoring game as the Ohio Bobcats came away with a 92-80 home win. Now the venue moves to Nashville. Nine new players will grace the Ohio roster this season. Returning will be Miles Brown and Ben Roderick from last year and a lot will be expected of them. To get his young team ready for the season HC Boals had his team to Spain for a three-game set so he could get the freshmen playing time. They lost all three games, but the minutes of experience could be invaluable early in the season. Meanwhile, Belmont moves to the toucher MVC this season and that will be a big challenge for them. Only one starter returns for this Belmont squad. Moreover, depth will be an issue for the Bruins. Both teams in rebuilding mode this year, but for me I'll take the points with Ohio.

Akron opening their season at home here tonight. The Zips finished 24-10 last year and 14-6 in the MAC. They lost two big players from that squad, Ali who avg 13.9 ppg and Bryan Trimbles who avg 10.4 ppg. The Zips won the 2022 MAC Tournament last year under 6th year HC John Groce. Akron is 3rd in the preseason MAC Poll. South Dakota coming off a great season that saw the team win 30 games and 21 games in a row. The JackRabbits lost in the NCAA Tournament to Providence in the first round. Both teams had excellent seasons in 2022 but SDK State looks pretty good getting points in this spot. Take South Dakota State. 

The Washington Wizards hit the road today for a game at Memphis. It's an East vs West contest in the NBA and like usual, the West is just the way better conference. That is panning out again this year. The Wizards are 4-5 S/U and 3-6 ATS on the season. They are coming off a brutal beating in Brooklyn, 86-128 as a 3-point favorite. That makes them just 1-4 S/U and ATS their last five games. The Wizards don't have much magic on the road either where they are 5-11 ATS their last 16. They are also 6-18 ATS in their last 24 road games vs a team with a winning home record. The Memphis Grizzlies are 6-3 S/U and 3-4-2 ATS on the season. Memphis is 3-0 S/U and 2-1 ATS at home with a point differential of 14.7 ppg as they score an average of 126. 3 points on their home court. It pans out then that the Griz are 23-7 ATS in their last 30 home games. Memphis is 17-5-1 ATS their last 23 meetings at home vs the Wizards and 5-1 ATS their last six overall. I look for a Memphis blowout here today. Play Memphis.

NFC West Clash here on Sunday has the 5-3 and 1st place Seahawks taking on the 3-5 and last place Cardinals. No one ever expect much out of the Seahawks after Russell Wilson departed in the offseason for Denver. But here they are with Geno Smith at QB and the 7th top rated QB the season. Smith ranks high than both Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow at this point. The Hawks are coming off a win over the Giants last week, 27-13 and have covered three straight games. The Hawks have the 12th ranked offense and 27th ranked defense. The Seahawks have also gone over in four of their last five road games. There were high hopes in Arizona starting the season, however they find themselves in last place right now, though a big win today would close that gap greatly. The Cards are coming off a loss at Minnesota last week, 26-34, as a 4-point dog. They have now lost three of their last four games. Arizona is also 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games vs a team with a winning record. In addition they are 2-7 ATS in their last nine home games and 0-5 ATS in their last five vs the NFC West. The Seahawks are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games in Arizona and the road team is 11-4-1 ATS the last 16 in this series. I'm taking the Seahawks here on Sunday.

Longtime rivals meet up here in Foxboro, MA on Sunday as the Patriots host the Colts. Colts will start QB Sam Ehlinger today. The Colts are 3-4-1 and the Patriots are 4-4. Matt Ryan was benched in favor of Ehlinger who looks to be in that role for the rest of the season. The Colts also fired offensive coordinator Marcus Ryan and traded reserve RB Nyheim Hines to the bills for Zach Moss and a draft pick. So things are changing in Indy. The Colts trying to improve on an offense that was ranked just 18th overall. The Patriots are coming off a win at the Jets last week, 22-17, despite giving up 336 yards through the air. The Patriots have been changing QB's too, in was Mac Jones then came Bailey Zappe. Now Jones is back behind center. Jones was at the helm of their win over the Jets. Not sure the Patriots should be laying almost a TD to anyone at this juncture. Their offense ranks just 20th overall and 23rd in passing. Even the Colts offense has been better overall this year. I'll take the points in this one and expect a close finish. Play Indianapolis.

The Minnesota Vikings are 6-1 on the season and cruising in the NFC North with a 3.5 game lead over the Packers and Bears. The Vikes only loss of the season coming at the hands of undefeated Philly, 7-24 in week 2. The Vikings offense is 15th overall in the league, 20th rushing. Surprisingly, the defense ranks just 28th overall, though 9th vs the rush. The Vikings are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games and 1-4 ATS in their last five games vs the NFC. The Washington Commanders will once again be without QB Carson Wentz, who will miss another game with a injured finger. QB Taylor Heinicke will make his third start of the season. Heinicke is 2-o in that role, having beaten the Packers 23-21 and then last week over the Colts, 17-16. That makes three straight wins and covers for the Commanders. For me, I think I would rather have Heinicke at QB then the way Wentz had played. Washington was 2-4 under Wentz. The Washington offense still ranks just 22nd overall with the defense coming in at 13th. The dog has covered eight of the last 11 meetings in this series. Moreover, I actually like this Washington team more with Wentz out. I'll take the points here today. Play Washington.

The LA Chargers coming off a home loss two weeks ago to the Seattle Seahawks, 23-37, as a 4.5-point favorite. The Chargers had last week off to get over some injuries, however they are still hurting coming into this game. Star WR Keenan Allen will miss another game with a hamstring injury. Also out is their top WR in Mike Williams who has a ankle injury. That leave QB Herbert with his top two wide receivers out of the game. The Chargers offense is ranked 8th, but 27th rushing and 4th passing. That means the loss of those wide outs will put even more stress on a poor rushing game. The Chargers defense is ranked 20th, 27th vs the rush. The Falcons have surprised many this year as they are 4-4 on he season and 6-2 vs the spread. The Falcons are coming off a home win against Carolina, 37-34, though they failed to cover the 4-point favorite spread. The Falcons are only 25th on offense, though they have one of the better rushing attacks, ranked 5th overall. Defense has been a problem though, ranked 31st in the NFL, with the worst passing defense (32nd) allowing 307 yards per game. If the Chargers had their top WR's this might be a issue, though today not as much. Atlanta has been very competitive this year. Getting a field goal at home is more than enough for me to take them today. Play Atlanta.

The Miami Dolphins have won two straight games after dropping three straight. This includes last week over Detroit, 31-27, just covering the 3.5 point favorite line. The Miami offense ranks 7th overall and third in passing. This despite missing QB Tua for a few games with that concussion. The defense isn't as good, ranking 23rd overall, though 6th vs the rush. The Dolphins are 1-4 ATS in their last five games. The Chicago Bears came off their win at New England two weeks ago, 33-14, with a loss at Dallas last week, 29-49. They gave up 200 yards rushing to a Dallas team that was without Ezekiel Elliot. These teams have only met once in the last five years and that was Miami win 31-28 at home back in 2018. The Bears offense ranks just 27th overall, though they have the league's top rushing attack with 189 yards per game. The defense ranks a bit better at 15th overall and 5th vs the pass. This looks to come down to the Miami rush defense vs the Chicago ground game. I'll take the points at home with the Bears. Play Chicago.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the only undefeated team in the NBA left at 8-0 after they easily cruised to another win on Friday over the Minnesota T'Wolves, 115-102. The Bucks have the best point differential in the East at +11.3 and 2nd in the NBA. Milwaukee is coming off a back-to-back set vs the Pistons where they won both but only covered Wednesday's contest, 116-91. The Bucks have covered seven of their eight games this year and are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 road games. The Bucks will be without Khris Middleton tonight who will sit out with a wrist injury. The OKC Thunder are 4-4 on the season after losing at home on Thursday to Denver, 110-122 as a 6.5-point dog. That snapped a four game s/u and ATS win streak by the Thunder after they started the season 0-3. The Thunder are 1-2 S/U and 3-0 ATS on the road with just a 2-point differential. The Thunder have played well, but I'm sticking with the Bucks who should be 9-0 after this game tonight. Play Milwaukee.

No 4 Clemson heads to South Bend to take on the Fighting Irish here on Saturday evening. The Clemson Tigers have been a good road team to bettors, going 20-8 ATS in their last 28 away games. Clemson is coming off a home win over Syracuse, 27-21, but failed to cover the 13-point line. The Tigers are 8-0 S/U and 4-3 ATS on the season. Notre Dame is coming off a win over Syracuse, 41-24, covering the 2.5-point dog line. The Irish are now 5-3 S/U and 4-4 ATS on the season. With Navy, BC and USC left on the schedule, the Irish should only need to two games to head to another bowl game. Clemson has the 47th ranked offense and the 26th ranked defense. Notre Dame has the 78th ranked offense and 27th ranked defense. The Irish are just 1-5 ATS in their last six home games. Might be one of the best games on Saturday and I will be laying the points on the road with the Tigers. Take Clemson.

Big 12 action here today has No 24 Texas taking on No 13 Kansas State. The Texas Longhorns are 5-3 S/U and ATS this season. They had last week off to prepare for today's contest. They lost the week before at Oklahoma State, 34-41 as a 3.5-point dog. The Texas offense is very good, ranked 30-th overall with the defense coming in at 62nd. Texas has won and covered the last two seasons in this series, including last year at home, 22-17 as a 2.5-point favorite. Kansas State had a huge shut-out win last week at home over Oklahoma State, 48-0. The Wildcats held Ok State to just 217 total yards and forced three turnovers. K State is now 6-2 S/U and 5-3 ATS on the season. They finish the season at Baylor and West Virginia before closing out at home vs Kansas. Should be a good matchup here on Saturday, but I'll take the visitors in this one with Texas.

BYU looked pretty good as the season got underway, starting out at 4-1. However, a week six loss to Notre Dame, 20-28, seemed to start a downhill slide that has seen the Cougars lose four straight games to now be 4-5 and possibly losing a bowl bid. They only have three games left and two are tough road games at Boise today and their final at Stanford. They do have a softball against Dixie State in between. The Cougars rank 64th on offense and 103rd on defense. Meanwhile, Boise State is 6-2 S/U and 5-2 ATS on the season. The Broncos have won four straight games and covered those four also. They are coming off a big win over Colorado State, 49-10. The offense ranks 94th while the defense is 2nd in the nation. I don't see this lackluster BYU offense being able to put up much against the Boise State 2nd ranked defense today. BYU hasn't covered any of their last seven games and 0-5 ATS their last five non-conference games. I'll take Boise here today to hand BYU their bowl berth death sentence. Take Boise State.

Big 10 game here on Saturday has Michigan State taking on the fighting Illini at Illinois. The Spartans are coming off two straight losses in which they were outscored 23-57. The Spartans had been producing big up until these last two games, scoring 39 or more points in five of their six games and going 5-1 S/U and ATS. The Michigan State offense, despite all those points, still ranks just 110th overall and the defense at 107th. They are 1-5 ATS their last six games and 1-4 ATS their last five Big 10 games. They also have not covered any of their last five road games. Now they face the nation's top ranked defense in Illinois. In addition, the Illini have one of the best redzone efficiency ratings at just 42.9% on defense. The defense has allowed just three TD's all season in the redzone. They have also held seven of their eight opponents to 14 points or fewer and five of their eight to nine points or fewer. They are coming off a win at Nebraska, 26-9, as a 7-point favorite. Illinois is 5-1 ATS in their last six home games and 6-2 ATS in their last eight conference games. The favorite has covered seven of the last 10 in this matchup and I don't see the Spartans offense getting many points at all here today. Take Illinois.

We get to see a preview of what could be a playoff matchup here as AP No 2 Tennessee takes on AP No 1 Georgia on Saturday. One of these teams will fall from the undefeated here on Saturday as both sit at 8-0. In the College playoff Rankings Tennessee is No 1 and Georgia No 3. This likely is the last hurdle for Tennessee with Missouri, South Carolina and Vandy remaining on the regular season schedule. Georgia still has to get by a couple of tough road games in Mississippi State and Kentucky. These are the top two offenses in the nation with Tennessee ranked first and Georgia ranked second. Georgia has the better defense, ranked 4th while Tennessee is ranked 82nd. You can really make a case for either team here on Saturday. What sways my decision is that Tennessee gets over a TD here today at around +8 or +8.5 points. That's too much for me to pass on with this top ranked offense. Take Tennessee.

The North Carolina Tar Heels once again a force to be reckoned with on offense as they have scored at least 27 points in all eight games this season. They are coming off a home win over Pitt last week, 42-24, covering the 3.5-point line. The Pitt offense ranks 61st overall in the nation with the defense ranked 38th. The Tar Heels are 7-1 S/U and 4-3-1 ATS on the season. Virginia has had offensive struggles of late, not scoring more than 17 points in each of their last four games. During that span they are 0-4 S/U and 1-3 ATS. Overall, the Cavaliers are 2-6 S/U and 2-5-1 ATS overall on the season. The Cavs would have to win out to have a shot at a bowl game and that will be tough with NCS in their path today. The Virginia offense is 92nd in the country with the defense at 30th. Virginia is also 1-5 ATS in their last six home games. The favorite has covered five of the last six in this series and I look for NCU to have little trouble with the Cavaliers today. Play North Carolina.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the only undefeated team in the NBA left at 7-0 and sitting atop the Eastern Conference. The Bucks have the best point differential in the East at +11.3 and 2nd in the NBA. Milwaukee is coming off a back-to-back set vs the Pistons where they won both but only covered Wednesday's contest, 116-91. The Bucks have covered six of their seven games this year and are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 road games. The Bucks will be without Khris Middleton tonight who will sit out with a wrist injury. They will have Giannis A though who has nursed a knee injury. The Minnesota Timberwolves are 4-4 on the season and have lost two straight games. They are coming off losses at home to the Spurs, 98-107 and then last time out at Phoenix, 107-116. The Wolves are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games and 3-7 ATS their last 10 games coming off a ATS loss. The Wolves also battling injuries. Center Rudy Gobert (Illness) and guard Anthony Edwards (Illness) are both questionable tonight. I'm going to stick with the Bucks until they prove me otherwise. Take Milwaukee

The Utah Jazz are in 3rd place in the Western Conference with a 6-2 mark and have won two straight games. The Jazz are coming off back-to-back wins over Memphis at home, 121-105 and 124-123, covering both games. Now they hit the road again where they are 2-2 both S/U and ATS and have allowed 119.5 ppg this season. The Dallas Mavericks are 3-3 so far and coming off a win at home over Orlando, 114-105, pushing the number. The Mavs remain at home where they are 2-1 S/U and 1-1-1 ATS. The Mavs have averaged 120.7 ppg at home while allowing 106.0 point. Even though Utah has the better record, they are just +3.9 point differential this year compared to the Mavs +7.3 point differential. The Jazz have not been kind to bettors on the road, going 8-22-1 ATS their last 31 away games. They are also 4-12 AT in their last 16 games coming off 1-day rest. The Mavs have been good at home, going 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 home games. The Mavs are 10-1 ATS the last 11 in this series and 5-1 ATS the last six at Dallas. I'll be on the Mavericks here tonight.

The Minnesota T'Wolves in 6th in the West with their 4-3 record. The Wolves coming off a loss at the Spurs, 98-107 as a 6-point favorite. The Wolves only have played twice on the road and are 1-1 both S/U and ATS. The Phoenix Suns are tied for 1st in the West with a 5-1 record. They also have the highest point differential at +12.4 points. The Suns have won and covered four straight games including their last game vs Houston, 124-109. The Suns are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games. They have also gone 6-2 ATS in their last eight meetings with the T'Wolves and 9-4 ATS the last 13 meetings in Phoenix. Take the Suns here on Tuesday.

 The Milwaukee Bucks are the only undefeated team in the NBA right now with a 5-0 record. They host Detroit in a home back-to-back series and I fully expect them to be 7-0 after this series. The Bucks have a +10.4 point differential. The Detroit Pistons are 2-5 on the season and coming off a win at home over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, 128-114. The Pistons have to turnaround and play again here on Monday. The Pistons are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games. The Bucks had Sunday off after beating the Hawks on Saturday, 123-115, covering the 5.5-point line. The Bucks have covered all five games this season. They have also average 119.3 ppg at home this season. Milwaukee has owned the Pistons, going 14-3-1 ATS their last 18 meetings and 7-2-1 ATS their last 10 meetings in Milwaukee. Look for a Bucks blowout here on Monday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers sit in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 record and the best point differential thus far in the East and tied in the overall NBA with +11.8 points. The Cavs started the season with a loss at Toronto, 105-108, but have won four straight games including last game at Boston, 132-123. The Cavs have also covered their last four games. The Knicks are 3-2 both S/U and ATS on the season. They lost last time out at Milwaukee, 108-119 as a 6-point dog. I like the Cavs here at home laying the points.

AFC South matchup here on Sunday between 1st place Tennessee (4-2) and last place Houston (1-4-1). The Titans won their fourth straight game last week at home vs the Colts, 19-10. Both offenses didn't do much with Tennessee having 254 total yards and the Colts 293. Houston won their first game of the season on Oct 8th vs the Jaguars, 13-6, then had the next week off before traveling to Las Vegas last week and getting beat, 20-38. The Texans gave up 400 total yards, 164 on the ground. The Texans have been competitive though vs the number, going 3-2-1 ATS this season. They are also 4-1 ATS their last five games vs a team with a winning record and 6-2 ATS their last eight vs the AFC. The Houston Texans now have the worst defense in the NFL, allowing 412 yards per game. They are ranked last vs the rush and 21st vs the pass. No wonder the Raiders ran wild on them last week. Tennessee ranks 26th on defense with the fourth best rushing defense and 31st ranked passing defense. Both teams have been poor on offense with Houston ranked 26th and Tennessee ranked 31st. The Titans offense also got a big blow as QB Ryan Tannehill will miss today's game with an ankle injury. QB Malik Willis will make his first career start today for the Titans. Tennessee might be in 1st place, but it's more by virtue of a very weak division. I give the Texas a good shot at winning this game on Sunday. Play Houston.

Las Vegas Raiders used their bye week well to rebound from their loss to the Chiefs to beat Houston last week, 38-20. The Raider offense rushed for 164 yards and passed for another 236 yards in the win. The Raiders did get banged-up though as both QB Derek Carr (Back) and WR Davante Adams (Illness) come into this game as probable but ailing. The Raiders offense has been good, ranked 9th overall in the league while New Orleans comes ranked 3rd overall. The Saints defense is ranked 14th and the Raiders 24th. The Raiders are 2-8 ATS their last 10 vs a team with a losing record and 2-5 ATS their last seven on the road. The Raiders have also gone over in their last four games and last five games in October. The Saints have gone over their last 4 and 10-1 O/U their last 11 games in October. These teams have met only once the last five years and that was back in Oakland when the Raiders won 34-24. The Raiders are a small road favorite here on Sunday, but I will be on the Saints.

The Arizona Cardinals tied for last in the NFC West with the SF 49ers as both teams are 2-4. However, the Rams are just a half game in front at 3-3 and the Seahawks are just one game in first place at 4-3. The Cards won at home last week over New Orleans, 42-34 as a 2.5 point favorite. The offense had just 326 total yards and the defense allowed 494 yards. But it was three turnovers by the Saints that led to the Arizona win. That win snapped a two game losing streak for the Cardinals. Minnesota is the leader in the NFC North with a 5-1 record, 2.5-games ahead of the Packers and Bears. The Vikings are the only team in the division with a plus point differential (+21) this year. The Vikings had last week off after beating Miami the week before, 24-16. The only loss for the Vikings this year coming in their second game at Philly, 7-24. The Minnesota defense isn't very good, ranked just 27th overall and 28th vs the pass. The offense comes in ranked 18th overall. Arizona's offense ranks 15th while their defense is 22nd. Arizona has been good on the road, going 20-8-2 ATS their last 30 away games. The Vikings are just 1-4 ATS their last five games and 1-4 ATS their last five games following a bye week. They are also 2-8 ATS vs a team with a losing record. The dog in this series is 7-2-2 ATS and that's what I will be on here today. The underdog Cardinals.

The Milwaukee Bucks lead the early standings in the NBA East with a 4-0 record and with Atlanta right on their heels at 4-1. Both teams play yesterday and both teams coming off wins. Atlanta played last night in Detroit, beating the Pistons 136-112, as a 6-point road favorite. Their only loss thus far coming at home vs Charlotte, 109-126. The Milwaukee Bucks are 4-0 after their win last night at home over the Knicks, 119-108 as a 6-point favorite. They have covered all four games this year. The defense has yet to allow more than 109 points and two opponents have been held under 100 points. The Hawks are now just 8-18 ATS in their last 26 road games and 6-23 ATS in their last 29 games on the road vs a team with a winning home record. The Bucks have covered four of the last five meetings with the Hawks in Milwaukee. I look for another Bucks win and cover here tonight.

Tennessee had a softball tossed to them last week in the manner of Tennessee-Martin and the Vols had little issue in a 65-24 win. That was coming after the biggest win in maybe Tennessee history when they beat Alabama two weeks ago, 52-49. The Vols are now 7-0 S/U and 6-1 ATS on the season. They have also scored at least 34 points in every game this year and rank 1st in the nation in total offense. Kentucky started the season 4-0 before dropping their fifth game at Ole Miss, 19-22 and then dropping the next game vs South Carolina, 14-24. The Wildcats did rebound last week at home over Mississippi State, 27-17, covering the 7-point favorite line. The offense is ranked just 82nd while the defense is very good at 12th. The Wildcats are 20-5-2 ATS in their last 27 games vs a team with a winning record. They are also 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 overall games and 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight road games. As good as Tennessee has been, they are just 9-24 ATS their last 33 home games vs a team with a winning road record. The road team is 6-1 ATS the last seven in this series and the dog is 5-1 ATS the last six in this series. Lots of points here on Kentucky. I'll take a shot with the Wildcats and see if their very good defense can get them the cover. Play Kentucky.

 Missouri snapped a 3-game losing skid last week at home against Vanderbilt, 17-14, failing to cover the 14.5-point favorite spread. Missouri is 3-4 S/U and 4-2 ATS on the season. The Tigers looking to get back to bowl eligible with five games left on the schedule. South Carolina has won three straight after last week's win over Texas A&M, 30-24 as a 3.5-point home dog. USC had just 286 totals yards in the win and allowed 398 to Texas A&M. Both teams had two turnovers and the Aggies had 10 more first downs and 15 more plays. The Gamecocks are 4-2 S/U and ATS on the season. South Carolina is ranked 81st in offense and 51st on defense. Missouri is 92 on offense and 21st on defense. Missouri has won and covered the last three years in this matchup, including last year's 31-28 home win. Missouri has covered six of their last eight conference games. South Carolina is 5-13 ATS in their last 18 conference games. Missouri is getting about a field goal here on Saturday. I'll take the points in this matchup.

Who has the best defensive overall unit in the FBS? If you said Illinois you would be correct. The Illini allow a paltry 221 total yards per game and have an outstanding red zone efficiency rating of just 42.9% on the season. In fact, the Big 10 is the defensive conference this year with four teams in the top six defensive units in the country. Alas, Nebraska is not one of them as the Huskers rank 122nd in the nation. Illinois had last week off to rest up for today's contest. The Illini coming off a 26-14 win over Minnesota, covering the 7-point dog line. They have now allowed 14 points or fewer in all but one game this season and that was their only loss of the year back on Sept 2 at Indiana, 20-23. Nebraska has struggled to a 4-4 record but can still go to a bowl if they can get by the Big 10's best teams in the coming five weeks. The problem is this team's defense that gives up a lot of yards and points. Illinois has won and covered the last two seasons vs Nebraska, including last year's 30-22 win at home as a 6.5-point dog. Illinois is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games and 5-1 ATS in their last six road games. Nebraska is 2-6 ATS in their last eight games. Illinois has covered five of the last seven in this series and I fully expect their defense to shut down Nebraska today and get the cover.

 Oklahoma rebounded from their embarrassing 0-49 loss to Texas with a big win two weeks ago over Kansas, 52-42 as a 7-point favorite. The Sooners had last week off as they head into the final five games of the regular season. The offense has been very good, ranked 22nd overall in the FBS. It's the defense that has been bad, ranked 115th in the country in total defense. Iowa State looks to snap a four-game losing streak here today. The Cyclones started the season 3-0, but have fallen on hard time recently. They are coming off a very good game at Texas, losing a close one 21-24 as a 16.5-point road dog. The Cyclones have been pretty good to bettors with a 5-2 ATS record this year. The offense has been struggling, ranked 86th overall. However, it's their defense that has been getting them these spread covers as the unit is ranked 10th in the country. The Sooners are just 0-4-1 ATS in their last five conference games and 2-6 ATS their last eight vs a team with a losing home record. Iowa State normally does very well in October, going 20-6-2 ATS in their last 28 games this month. Iowa State is also 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings with the Sooners. Iowa State a small home dog here and the dog is 5-2 ATS the last seven in this series. I'm taking Iowa State with their very good defense today.

The LA Lakers looking for that first win of the season are now 0-4 S/U and ATS. As if things weren't in enough disarray, now they could be without star forward Anthony Davis who is questionable with a back injury. They played their last game without guard Russell Westbrook who has a hamstring issue. Not that Westbrook has contributed much, with just 10 point average in the three games this season. He's hitting 28.9% from the field and 8.3% from three point arc. Westbrook didn't work too well last year either and some are calling for his trade to get someone who can help Lebron get this team back on track. Minnesota is 3-2 S/U and 2-3 ATS so far this season. They are coming off a back-to-back series with the Spurs in which they lost the first game, 106-115, but won the last game on Wednesday, 134-122. The Lakers are so lost right now with injuries, looking to maybe get rid of Westbrook and now they head to The Midwest to take on the Wolves. I'm going to go against the Lakers until they show me some team play.

Who would have believed that entering week 7 in the NFL that both a Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers led teams would both have losing records? Surely not Tom Brady who has shown his frustration on the Tampa Bay sidelines with more broken tables then it seems touchdown tosses this year. The Bucs lost to the Carolina Panthers last week, 3-21 despite playing the worst defense in the NFL and a Panther's team that just traded away their star running back in Christian McCaffrey. The Bucs had just 46 rushing yards though they had 16 more offensive plays and three more first downs then the Panthers. Meanwhile, Baltimore held on to beat the Cleveland Browns last week, 23-20, though failing to cover the 6.5-point favorite line. The Browns had 336 totals yards to just 254 by the Ravens. The Ravens are the 14th ranked offensive team while the Bucs are 21st. The Bucs defense has been the best part of their team this year, ranked 7th overall, though they have dropped a few placed in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Baltimore has struggled to a 23rd ranking on defense. The Ravens are tied for the lead in the AFC North at 4-3 with the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite their poor play, the Bucs are tied for first in the NFC North at 3-4 with the Falcons. No team in the North has a positive point differential. The Ravens are 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games and 1-6 ATS vs a team with a losing record. The only bright spot for bettors on the Bucs side of the ball is that they are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games after scoring fewer than 15 points in their previous game. This is a matchup of first place teams, though sure doesn't seem like it. We need little more than a win with the Bucs here tonight so I'll take Brady and a better defense back on the home turf tonight. Play Tampa Bay.

These teams play the 2nd of a back-to-back set here on Thursday as the Clippers lost at OKC a few days ago, 94-108. The loss dropped the Clips to 2-2 on the season and got the Thunder their first win, 1-3. LA played without some starts as Kwahi Leonard, Paul George and Marcus Morris (all starters) missed the game. But the defense really shut down OKC, holding the Thunder to just 38% from the field and 13% from three-point arc. It was turnovers and defensive rebounding that killed the Clippers though with 18 give aways and 13 fewer rebounds, especially on the defensive boards where they gave the Thunder 21 offensive boards or 2nd tries. Leonard is out again here tonight, but Paul and Morris are both questionable and likely will try to make it on the floor Thursday. The Thunder are not that good and I don't expect the Clippers to lose two in a row here tonight. They just need to shore up the turnovers and boards and even without Leonard they should pull out the win here tonight. Play the Clippers.

The season is just a few games old and the Lakers are already panicking after starting the season 0-3. They are already considering trades that can help bolster LeBron James and cast to at least be competitive. The Lakers opened the season with a loss at Golden State, 109-123, then lost to the Clippers, 97-103 and then again dropped their last game at home to the Trailblazers, 104-106. The Lakers might be without guard Russell Westbrook who is nursing a hamstring injury. Not that he's contributed much as it is, with just 10 point average in the three games this season. He's hitting 28.9% from the field and 8.3% from three point arc. Westbrook didn't work too well last year either and some are calling for his trade to get someone who can help Lebron get this team back on track. Meanwhile, Denver is 2-2 after four games played, coming off a loss to the Blazers, 110-135. The Lakers have had a couple days off, but they are just 4-12 ATS in their last 16 when having two days off. Denver is 3-1-1 ATS the last five vs the Lakers and until this Westbrook situation is cleared up, I believe the Lakers will continue to struggle. Play Denver tonight.

NBA Season just underway and the Detroit Pistons are 1-2 after three games. The Pistons opened with a win over the Washington Magic, 113-109, but have lost two straight games. The Washington Wizards are 2-1 after three games. Washington won its first two games but lost its last game at Cleveland in OT, 107-117. Bradley Beal leads the team with 23 ppg average. Center Kristaps Prozingis is averaging eight rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Still early in the season but I like the talent on this Wizards team more than the Pistons. I'll lay the points at home tonight with Washington.

The Pittsburgh Steelers rebounded from their 3-38 beating at the hands of Buffalo two weeks ago with an improbable win at home over Tampa Bay last week, 20-18, as a 9.5-point dog. Miami lost it's third straight last week with a loss at home to Minnesota, 16-24, as a 3-point dog. It's also the third week they failed to cover the spread and scored fewer than 17 points. Of course this was due to the loss of QB Tua Tagovilioa who had a concussion. Tua is expected to return this week though. The Miami offense was ranked 8th because of that passing game that ranks 2nd while the rushing game is just 30th. These teams have met just once in the last five years with the Steelers winning that game in 2019, 27-14. The dog has covered four of the last five in this series. The Dolphins are now 0-6 in their last six October games and 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games following a s/u loss. I don't know how effective Tua will be in his return here on Sunday. I'll take the points with the Steelers.

Big news in San Francisco and potential shift in power is the acquisition of RB Christian McCaffrey from Carolina. McCaffrey returns home to the bay area where he went to college at Stanford. The Panthers in return received a host of draft picks. The 49ers lost last week at Atlanta, 14-28, after being tied 14-14 at one point. The Niners had just 50-yards rushing so the addition of McCaffrey should do wonders for the running game that has been very good overall on the year. The 49ers have the 18th ranked offense and the 11th ranked rushing offense. It's the defense that has been outstanding, ranked 1st overall in the NFL, 2nd in rushing and 2nd in passing. The Chiefs lost the rematch last week with Buffalo, 20-24 as a 2.5-point dog. That makes them 4-2 S/U and 2-4 ATS on the season. The KC offense is ranked 6th overall, 20th in rushing and 4th in passing. The defense ranks 20th overall, 4th vs the rush and 27th vs the pass. The 49ers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games and 6-0 ATS in their last six overall home games. The Chiefs had issues with the Bills defense last week and they will again here with the NFL's best defense. Play San Francisco.

The Indianapolis Colts are 3-2-1 on the season and just percentage points behind the Tennessee Titans for the lead in the AFC South Division. That makes this game today extra special as the winner will take over sole possession of first place. The Colts have won two straight games after last weeks win over over the Jaguars, 34-27, as a 1.5 point dog. The Colts had a season high in passing yards with 389 and a season low in rushing yards with 45. The reason has been the loss of one of the best running backs in the NFL in Jonathon Taylor who has been nursing ankle injury. The good news is that Taylor is expected back this week. Meanwhile, the Titans had the week off last week after beating Washington the week before, 21-17. The Titans lost their first two games of the season but have since won three straight. The offense has yet to score more than 24 points and ranks 31st overall in the NFL even with Derick Henry rushing. The Colts offense ranks 14th overall in the NFL and 5th passing. The Colts defense is 10th overall with the Titans at 28th overall, 5th vs the rush. The Colts have covered 12 of their last 17 road games and are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games vs a team with a winning record. The Colts have also covered seven of the last 10 meetings in Tennessee and the road team is 7-1 ATS the last eight meetings. I'm taking the Colts here with Taylor returning to the rushing game.

The Detroit Lions had a very good offense through four games of the season. Then two weeks ago they got shut out at New England, 0-29. They had a season low in both rushing and passing. The Lions had last week off to stew over the loss and get healthy. In fact, even with that shutout the offense ranks 2nd in the NFL with a balanced attack. Their rush game is 8th and pass 7th. The defense is the problem, ranking dead last in the NFL, last in rushing and 26th in passing. Good news for the Dallas Cowboys is that QB Dak Prescott looks to return this week. His stand-in, Cooper Rush, did a great job leading the team to 4-1 record in Prescott's absence. The offense still ranked just 27th overall. The defense has been very good, ranked 8th in the NFL and 4th vs the pass. The Cowboys are 10-1 ATS their last 11 games vs a team with a losing record and 16-5 ATS their last 21 games vs the NFC. Lions getting right at a TD here on Sunday. That's a lot of points with the 2nd ranked offense in the NFL. I'll take the points. Play Detroit.

The NY Giants won their third game in a row after last week's win over Baltimore, 24-20, as a 5.5-point dog. The Giants have also gone 5-1 ATS on the season. The Jacksonville Jaguars lost at Indianapolis last week, 27-34, as a 1.5-point dog. That makes three straight losses since their big win at the Chargers Sept 25, 38-10. The Giants offense is ranked 17th overall while Jacksonville is 11th overall. The Giants defense is 15th while Jacksonville is 11th. The Giants are now 19-7 ATS their last 26 games on grass and 18-8-1 ATS their last 27 vs a team with a losing record. The Jags are just 4-9 ATS their last 13 at home and 3-11 ATS their last 14 games overall. I like the way the Giants have been playing and the Jags, while improved, still have a ways to go. Take the Giants.

Who's the only team in the NFL with a perfect spread record this year? If you guessed Atlanta you guessed right. The Falcons are 6-0 vs the spread this year and one of the surprise teams after beating San Francisco last week at home, 28-14. The Falcons rushing game has been great this year, ranked 3rd overall in the NFL. They have 151 or more yards rushing in all but one game this year. They had 168 yards on the ground against a the NFL's top rated defense in San Francisco last week. The Falcons defense is another story, ranked 27th overall in the NFL and 31 st vs the pass. Good thing the rushing game is so good, they can play keep away and not have their defense on the field as much. Cincinnati came from behind last week to win on the road at New Orleans, 30-26, just covering the field goal line. That was the fourth straight cover the for Bengals. The Bengals offense isn't as prolific this year, ranked just 20th overall, though the passing game behind Joe Burrows is ranked 8th. This looks to be an interesting matchup here on Sunday. But for me, I like this Atlanta rushing game and will take the Falcons plus the points. Take Atlanta

 Utah State Aggies are 3-4 after winning their last two games over Air Force and Colorado State. The latter as a 10.5 point favorite, failing to cover the 17-13 S/U win. That also makes them 2-4 ATS on the season. Utah State had 390 yards of offense last week to Colorado State's 262 yards. They had 10 more first downs and a +1 turnover ratio. Wyoming snapped their two game losing streak with a win at New Mexico last week, 27-14 as a 3.5-point favorite. The Cowboys are now 4-3 S/U and 4-2 ATS on the season. The Cowboys offense is not that good, ranked just 120th in the country with a poor 64.7 Red Zone efficiency mark. Utah State has a 89th ranked offense. The Aggies are 69th in defense with Wyoming coming in at 78th. Utah State has covered six of their last eight games and are 6-2 ATS in their last eight road games. Wyoming is 2-5 ATS in their last seven vs a team with a losing record. Your free play is on Utah State.

 TCU sits atop of the Big 12 Conference with a 3-0 conference record and 6-0 over record this season. Kansas State is right behind them with a 3-0 conference mark and 5-1 overall mark. Winner of this game takes over sole possession of the Big 12 Conference. A bit surprising that the TCU defense is ranked 89th in the country and the K State defense is 44th. TCU does have the third ranked offense in the country with K State coming in at 64th. The Wild Cats have covered the lst four meetings in this series, including a 31-12 win at K State last week. K State is 11-5-2 ATS in their last 18 road games and 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine games on grass. TCU has not done well at home, going 14-30-1 ATS their last 45 home games. Should be a very good battle for the top conference spot, I'll take the points with Kansas State.

East vs West in the SEC here today as Texas A&M of the West takes on the East's South Carolina. A&M is 1-2 in conference play and just 3-3 overall. South Carolina is also 1-2 in conference play and 4-2 overall. Neither took looks to be contenders in the SEC title, but both are looking to improve their bowl chances. The Aggies lost a close game two weeks ago to one of the best in the country in Alabama, 20-24 as a 24.5-point dog. They had last week off to ponder that loss as they prepare to hit the road today. South Carolina beat a very good Kentucky team two weeks ago on the road, 24-14. They also had last week off to prepare for this game. A&M doesn't have a very good offense, ranked 110th in the nation and a poor red zone efficiency of just 65.5%. South Carolina is 77th in offense and 42nd in defense. A&M is ranked 54th in defense. The Aggies are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games and 8-21 ATS in their last 29 coming off a bye week. I'll take the home dog here today and that's South Carolina.

The Mountain West conference is split into the West and Mountain divisions. The Mountain being the much stronger one with both Boise State and Air Force among the list. Boise Leads right now in the Mountain division with a 3-0 conference record and 4-2 overall mark. Air Force is 2-2 in conference play with a 5-2 overall mark. Air Force went to UNLV last week and trounced the Rebels, 42-7 as a 9.5-point favorite. The Falcons had four take aways that all led to points and an easy win. Boise State had last week off after beating Fresno the week before, 40-20 as a 7.5-point home favorite. Air Force took the game last year in Boise, 24-17, breaking a four game Boise streak of winning and covering. The Broncos are 7-2-2 ATS their last 11 games on grass. The strength of this Boise team is their 2nd ranked national defense that has held opponents to just 236 yards per game. Air Force is no slouch though, ranked 9th in the nation. Air Force has the 39th ranked offense which is led by their top ranked rushing attack which averages 360 yards a game. This one really comes down to the Boise defense being able to contain that Air Force rushing attack. I'm going to take the small points here today with Boise.

UCLA and Oregon face off today in Eugene for the PAC 12. UCLA is 3-0 in conference play and 6-0 overall. Oregon is 3-0 in conference play and 5-1 overall. UCLA had last week off to prepare for today's contest. They are coming off a home win over Utah, 42-32. The Bruins have scored at least 32 in all six games and 40 or more in five games. Oregon also had last week off after demolishing Arizona the previous week, 49-22. The Ducks have scored 41 or more points in every game since their opening week loss at Georgia where they scored just three points. Oregon has the 7th ranked offense in the country and UCLA has the 11th ranked offense. UCLA's defense ranks 33rd overall while Oregon comes in at 60th. UCLA has now covered seven of their last eight road games and are 7-2 ATS overall their last nine games. Oregon is 3-8 ATS their last 11 games following a ATS win. UCLA around a 6-point dog here today. I won't be surprised one bit with a UCLA straight up win. I'll take the points.

This is a MAC Conference matchup that might be for the conference championship as the MAC East leader, Buffalo, takes on MAC-West leader Toledo. Both teams undefeated in conference play at 3-0. Toledo came into MAC play just 2-2 S/U and 1-2 ATS. But three straight conference wins and covers have changed things. The Rockets have scored 52 points in each of their last two games and 142 so far in three conference games. Buffalo may only be 5-3 S/U overall, but they have a perfect 6-0 ATS mark. Their defense has been excellent, holding their last two MAC opponents to just seven points each. Moreover, they have allowed just 34 total points in three MAC games. Their non conference games though still have them at 73rd overall on defense, though they have risen in the past three weeks. Toledo has the 48th ranked defense and 67th ranked offense. Toledo has covered eight of the last 11 road games. Buffalo is 9-3-2 ATS in their last 14 vs a team with a winning record. Clash of first place teams here today, but I'll be on Buffalo as they get at least a TD at home in this contest.

Conference USA matchup here on Thursday has the 4-2 UAB Blazers taking on the 4-3 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Both teams are 2-1 in the conference and trail both North Texas and UTSA who are 3-0. UAB is coming off a home win over Charlotte last week, 34-20, though they failed to cover the 23-point spread. The Blazers piled-up 510 yards of offense in the game. Western Kentucky won on the road at Middle Tennessee State last week, 35-17, cover the 7-point favorite line. They held Mid-Tenn to just 291 yards while gaining 443 yards. These teams have met just twice in the last five years with UAB taking the game in 2020, 37-14 and W.Ky taking the 2019 contest, 20-13. Western has the 15th ranked offense in the country with 144 yards rushing and 344 yards passing. UAB comes in at 34th. UAB has the slightly better defense as they are 19th in the nation with Western at 52nd. Western has covered seven of their last 10 home games and are 8-1 ATS in their last nine conference games. I'll take the home team here tonight. Play Western Kentucky.

The good news for New Orleans is that they will have Zion Williamson in the lineup. He dominated in his Pelicans return last Wednesday night. He had 25 points, nine rebounds and four steels in their 130-108 win over the Nets. The Hornets will be without forward Miles Bridges and point guard LeMelo Bell. Charlotte also looked good in their opener, beating the Spurs in San Antonio, 128-102. The Pelicans are 15-7 ATS in their last 22 road games. They are also 6-0 ATS in their last six trips to Charlotte and 23-11-1 ATS overall their last 35 meetings with the Hornets. With WIlliamson back, I'll take the Pelicans tonight.

The Yankees and Guardians finally got their decisive game five completed on Tuesday with the Yanks taking the contest, 5-1. Houston finally gets back into the game after being off since last Saturday when they took care of Seattle, 1-0 in 18 innings. Justin Verlander will get the start in game one tonight. Verlander had a rare bad start in his last game on Oct 11th vs Seattle where he allowed six runs over four innings of work. Still, he's a favorite for Cy-Young this year with his 18-4 record and 2.01 ERA. The Yankees will counter with Jameson Taillon who is 14-5 overall but has yet to start in the postseason. Tallion has a overall 3.91 ERA but a 4.36 road ERA. Rough series for the Yankees against Cleveland and they might be in for a bit of a letdown here in game one at Houston tonight. I'll lay the Run Line with the Astros.

Opening night of the NBA season and we get a good one to start with the LA Lakers heading North to take on the Golden State Warriors. Golden State begins defense of their NBA Championship from last year. The season hasn't started and it's back to the same old issues for the Lakers, injuries. The Lakers will be hurting at guard with both Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder uncertain about playing. The Warriors will get their Championship rings before the game so the place will be rocking. I'm going to take the Warriors with questions still lingering on the Lakers side. Play Golden State.

The honeymoon of Russell Wilson in Denver looks to be over as the fans must be wondering what they got for all their money as QB Geno Smith was the highest rated passer in the NFL, taking the place of Wilson. The Broncos lost for the 2nd consecutive game last week to the Colts, 9-12. They could manage just three field goals in the loss. They have scored more than 20 points just once this season and that was 23 against the Raiders in a loss. However, their defense has been great, ranking 3rd overall in the NFL an 1st in the NFL vs the pass. The offense ranks 18th overall. The Chargers have won two straight games since their loss at home to the Jaguars back on Sept 25th. They beat the Browns last week in Cleveland, 30-28 as a 1.5-point favorite. The offense ranks 5th overall in the NFL with their passing game coming in at 2nd. Should be a good matchup of the Denver passing defense against the Chargers passing offense. Denver has covered four of the last six in this series. The Broncos have had 11 days to get ready for this game. Plus all the criticism of Wilson's play might actually motivate him here tonight to play well. This is a AFC West clash and division games are usually played quite tight. I don't believe the Chargers should be this big a favorite against a very good Broncos defense. I'll take a shot with Wilson and the underdog Broncos tonight.

NFC East showdown here between the 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles and the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys. No one really expected much from the Cowboys when they lost QB Dak Prescot early on this year. However, Cooper Rush has come in and led the team to four wins. Who would have thought that one of the worst, if not the worst division in football in recent years would be the best this year with a pair of 4-1 teams and the 5-0 Eagles. With Rush at QB, the Cowboys are 7th ranked on offense while the Eagles are 4th ranked. Philly has the 2nd ranked defense in the league while Dallas comes in at 27th. Dallas beat the Rams last week 22-10, holding their second straight opponent to just 10 points. They held the Rams to just 38 rushing yards last week. Philly just got by the Arizona Cardinals last week, 20-17 as a 5.5-point favorite. Dallas has now covered 10 of their last 11 road games. They are also 17-5 ATS in their last 22 games vs the NFC and 22-7 ATS their last 29 vs the NFC East. The Cowboys are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 trips to Philly and 7-2 ATS their last nine overall vs the Eagles. I'm going to take the points with the Cowboys here tonight.

Rematch of that amazing playoff matchup last year between the Bills and the Chiefs. Maybe one of the most exciting games in NFL history as the Chiefs pulled off the comeback in Overtime to shock the Bills. Now we get to see these teams again here in Kansas City. The Chiefs had to hold off the Raiders last week and a late two-point conversion that would have given the Raiders the lead late. KC held on for the win though, 30-29 as TE Kelso had FOUR touchdown receptions in that game. The Chiefs are 4-1 S/U and 2-3 ATS on the season. KC also took over the top spot in the AFC West, one game ahead of the Chargers and two games ahead of the Broncos. Buffalo had little issues at home last week against the Steelers, winning handly 38-3. The Bills had their best offensive output of the season with 120 yards on the ground and 432 yards through the air. The Bills are also 4-1 S/U and 3-1-1 ATS on the season. Their only loss coming at the hands of the Dolphins, 19-21, back on Sept 25th. The Chiefs have covered three of the last four meetings in this series. They will face a Bills team that ranks first in the NFL in offense (15 rushing and 1st in passing) and 2nd in defense (2 vs rush, 4th vs pass). Kansas City has the 6th ranked offense and the 14th ranked defense. The Bills are only 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight vs a winning team and 0-5 ATS in their last five games on grass. The Chiefs are 7-3 ATS their last 10 vs a winning team and 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games on grass. The Chiefs have covered six of the last eight in this series and getting a field goal here is what I'm going to side with. Take the home dog Chiefs in this one.