Ray Monohan
Blackhawks vs. Blue Jackets
Play: Blue Jackets +117
The Blue Jackets welcome in the Blackhawks on Friday night and they have value at plus money. They've gotten almost a week in between games here and are eager to get back on the ice and grab their first win of the season.
Despite an 0-2 start, Columbus hasn't played all that bad. They held a 3-1 lead against the Bruins in game 1 and they had their chances in a 3-2 loss to San Jose. This team has the playmakers and goalie to be a dangerous team.
Situationally, this is a nice spot with them. G Sergei Bobrovsky is 4-2-1 with a 2.67 versus Chicago and with all that time off, they will certainly be fresh compared to a Blackhawks team that has played 4 games already.
A trend to note. Blue Jackets are 5-2 in their last 7 vs. Western Conference.
With the public pounding the Blackhawks too here, this is a nice spot to fade them and take a chance on the Blue Jackets.
Dave Price
Temple +6.5
The South Florida Bulls are getting a lot of love from oddsmakers due to their 6-1 start this season. But they've been favored in all six of their wins, and lost by 20 to Florida State in their only game as an underdog. Temple is the best team that USF will have played outside of FSU. After outgaining Memphis by 204 yards in a 27-34 loss in a game they should have won, the Owls came back last week with a 26-25 road win at UCF as dogs, covering the spread in both of those contests. Temple is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games as an underdog and 6-0 ATS in its last 6 games overall.
David Banks
Oregon @ California
Pick: Over 89
There are two remaining unbeaten teams in Pac-12 Conference play. Oregon is not one of them. In fact, the Ducks have yet to win a conference game in three tries and face another difficult task on Friday night when they face Cal on the road. The up-tempo Air Raid offense of the Bears is bound to give Oregon and its defense fits.
The Ducks, which started the season 2-0, have lost four straight thanks mostly to a defense that has plenty of holes. Oregon is 125th out of 128 FBS teams in scoring defense giving up 41.8 points per game. Cal puts up 530 yards and over 42 points a game and has one of the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks in Davis Webb. The 6-5 senior completes nearly 65 percent of his passes and has thrown for 2,256 yards and 22 touchdowns so far for Cal.
Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich can take solace in the fact that Cal isn’t very good on defense either. The Bears are 3-3 because they give up 40 points a game (123rd nationally). The Ducks still run their up-tempo spread-to-run offense, but they have had some difficulty at the quarterback position. Graduate transfer Dakota Prukop has given way to Justin Herbert, a 6-6 freshman who has had his share of problems at the position. His biggest problem in the Ducks last game was facing one of the nation’s best defenses – Washington.
Webb, who injured a hand in Cal’s 47-44 overtime loss to Oregon State, is expected to start. A win puts Cal another step closer to bowl eligibility. Oregon needs a win to salvage its season and help save Helfrich’s job.
Matt Fargo
South Florida at Temple
Play: Temple +6.5
Temple won a big game for us last Saturday as the Owls rallied from a 25-7 deficit to pull off the minor upset over Central Florida thanks to a late drive that resulted in the winning touchdown with just a second remaining in the game. Temple is now 4-3 on the season following arguably its best season in program history a year ago when it went 10-4 and here we are again with the Owls getting the no respect card. While the Owls have not defeated anyone of real significance either, seven-point losses against 5-1 Memphis and 4-2 Penn St. can certainly be considered quality defeats. Especially the one against the Tigers where they won the yardage battle 531-327 but allowed a defensive score and a special teams touchdown. South Florida is off to a 6-1 start but has not won a single quality game. In the Bulls five FBS wins, three conference wins have come against teams a combined 1-8 in the AAC while the other two victories have come against 1-6 Northern Illinois and 3-4 Syracuse. The lone defeat came against Florida St. and while at the time it was a quality defeat, that is not the case anymore as the Seminoles are struggling. Temple was ranked No. 21 in the nation when these teams met last season and the Owls got thumped 44-23 so there is huge revenge on the board for Friday. Temple is 6-0 ATS in its last six games against teams allowing 425 or more ypg while going 11-3 in 14 games under head coach Matt Rhule against teams averaging 31 or more ppg.
Harry Bondi
TEMPLE +6.5 over South Florida
Easy to take the points here tonight with a Temple team that’s covered six-straight games this season and has also been very profitable both as an underdog (11-6 ATS its last 19) and at home (11-5 ATS last 16 games) and as a single-digit home dog (13-6 ATS last 17). And while South Florida has been putting up points in bunches this season, the Owls defense will be the best they have faced on the road this year, as it allows just 17 points per game. Home dog will be barking tonight!