Nelly
Virginia Tech - over Duke
The Hokies held on Thursday night to move to 4-1 in ACC play to lead the Coastal division and the Hokies will be favored in the three remaining conference games hoping to get a shot at Clemson. Virginia Tech has outscored foes by 90 points in ACC play but this is a second straight road game vs. a Duke team that seems to find ways to hang around. Duke is just 3-5 with a really tough schedule remaining but the Blue Devils have been close to some big upsets this season and last season took the Hokies to four overtimes in getting a win in Blacksburg. That should motivate a vastly superior Hokies squad to play 60 minutes. There is no comparison between these teams statistically and a Hokies defense allowing just 4.8 yards per play and holding foes to 48 percent passing should be at a big advantage. Duke is on a 23-36 ATS run as a home underdog since 2001 despite illusions of success the past few seasons and the best wins for the Blue Devils this season featured some fluky results.
Scott Rickenbach
Nebraska Ohio St
Play: Nebraska
The Buckeyes are a popular choice this week as many are looking at this as their opportunity to finally notch that signature Ohio State blowout victory that we are use to seeing from coach Urban Meyer's team. However, the way I see it, the line move here from as low as 12.5 earlier in the week to now as high as 17.5 as of gameday morning is simply giving us fantastic line value. The Buckeyes are a younger team than they've been in the past. Lets not forget that they only returned 3 starters on each side of the ball coming into this year. Also, Ohio State had to go to OT to beat Wisconsin, lost to Penn State, and barely got by a Northwestern team they normally would have pummeled. Now the Buckeyes are laying 17+ against a Cornhuskers team that comes into this game fired up after an OT loss at Wisconsin last week. Having already faced the Badgers in a hostile environment last week, the Huskers will be ready to go in Columbus tonight. Unlike Ohio State, Nebraska returned a lot of starters this season (and also 51 lettermen compared to 39 for the Buckeyes). In their 2nd year under Mike Riley this team has responded well and they are on a 5-0 ATS run in games played away from Lincoln. Also, the Cornhuskers are on a 8-2 ATS run as an underdog and they are 6-2 ATS when off of a loss in Big Ten action. The Buckeyes are on an 0-4 ATS run in home games with a posted total between 52 and 56 points. The Huskers have only lost 1 game by more than 10 points the past three seasons combined. This line is inflated and the Cornhuskers offense is also potent enough that they certainly have backdoor cover potential should it be needed. But I look for some inexperience at the skill positions for the Buckeyes to continue to prevent them from putting up a lot of points this week. Ohio State is averaging only 28 points per game the last 4 games and they are laying nearly 18 here.
Bob Balfe
Maryland +30
Michigan is rolling at 8-0, but they have their flaws and just are coming off a week against their rival Michigan State where they looked less than perfect. Maryland is a scrappy team that can run the ball and they have a decent secondary that might be able to force some turnovers. We have yet to see Michigan play perfect outside of the Rutgers game. This is a great football team that is well coached and can win the National Title, but it will be a dog fight the entire way there. Look for the Terps to control the ball long enough to keep this game from getting out of reach.
Brad Wilton
The Cardinals of Louisville survived a close shave at Virginia last weekend, and last year at home, the Cards survived a 17-14 close shave against today's host, Boston College.
Time for the Redbirds to step on the gas pedal today in Chestnut Hill where they face a B.C. team that sprang the upset against N.C. State last weekend on the road!
That win, and the close calls that Louisville has been involved in, will serve as a wake up call for the Cardinals in this spot, as I see them getting in gear and routing the Eagles.
Boston College's win at N.C. State snapped a 12-game ACC losing streak, but they are still 0-4 against the spread in the home underdog role since last year, while Louisville has rattled off an average of 50 points per game clip this season. That is something the land-locked Eagles cannot compete with.
This one eventually gets away from the host.
Louisville rolls.
5* LOUISVILLE
Bob Valentino
My free play for tonight is on the Maryland Terrapins, getting it done against the Michigan Wolverines.
I am not writing long for this game, as it really comes down to one thing, and that's respect, or, lack thereof. The Terps are catching 30.5 points. And while I know Michigan is vying for a spot in the College Football Final Four, I don't know if it is going to win by more than four touchdowns against a decent Maryland team.
The Terps still have designs of getting to a bowl game, and though they're not going to win this game outright - not in my eyes - they're not going to lie down and just let Michigan waltz all over them. They will contend in this one long enough, that Michigan won't be able to pull away and cover.
Take the road dog.
1* MARYLAND
Brett Atkins
Today's free play may seem obvious, but there is really no sense is going against the Auburn Tigers right now, especially when today's opponent is Vanderbilt.
Auburn is in the midst of a 5 game run that has seen them outscore the opposition by 11, 53, 24, 51, and 5 points. The Tigers have been humming on offense with 38 points or better in each of their last 4 wins. Vandy has topped 31 points only once this season, so it would appear the Commodores are ill-equipped to keep pace in this one for very long, especially with the Tigers allowing only 16 points per game.
These schools have not met since 2012, and the time before that was 2008. It was Vanderbilt winning both of those meetings; 17-13 in '12, and 14-13 in '08. Rest assured that kind of a final score will not be repeated today at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Blowout from the get-go. Auburn in a steamroll!
5* AUBURN
Brad Wilton
Christian McCaffrey returned to the Stanford attack, so it's not surprising that the Cardinal posted the 34-10 road win and cover at Arizona.
I don't see David Shaw's team pulling away from this Oregon State team that has made good use of the spots Vegas has bestowed on them lately. The Beavers may only own 2 straight up wins this year for Gary Andersen, but they have made good their last 4 games - all as the underdog - and stand at 6-1 against the spread for the year when catching points!
Stanford has failed their last pair at home when laying points, both setbacks in conference action, and the Tree doesn't have much to play for this season except pride.
Cardinal get another win, but it doesn't come by enough points to get the cover.
Beavers make it 5 straight dog covers.
3* OREGON STATE
Eric Schroeder
My free play for Saturday is on the Wisconsin Badgers, laying the number to the Northwestern Wildcats.
Back on the road, the Badgers are going to steamroll the unranked Wildcats, flexing their muscles, while still vying for a Big Ten West title.
Fact is, Wisconsin won't have turnover problems in this one. Northwestern may hang around in the first half, but the Badgers will survive long enough before pulling away in the third quarter and capitalizing on mistakes.
Northwestern has won this meeting the last two seasons, so a double-revenge factor is in place. Losing to the Wildcats again would eliminate any chance the Badgers have of getting into the College Football Playoff.
Lay the road chalk.
5* WISCONSIN
Bruce Marshall
Tulsa -9.5
Not thrilled with price inflating. But they've got the right idea, as Tulsa looks like a real live hurricane now, as the shorter-coiffed Evans appears in total sync with every phase of this offense, plus Tulsa is running the ball like heck this season. Also covering numbers at home which it couldn't last year. Golden Hurricane just took apart a couple of teams (Tulane and Memphis) that are not terrible. Last year Tulsa didn't dismantle some of these mid-level teams as it is doing this season. More shaky efforts than good ones for ECU, which beat a vulnerable UConn but had not covered a game previously since Sept. 10. There are some 10s out there this morning and this line is moving against us, but at moment mostly 9 and 9 1/2s so will go ahead with the red-hot team.
FRANK JORDAN
Air Force +2.5
Air Force is 5-3 and after opening the season 4-0 went on three game losing streak before bouncing back last week with a win over Fresno State by 10. Army had a similar start to their season to get to 5-3 with three wins, two losses and wins in two of their last three. This rivalry has been quite one sided with Air Force winning eight of the past nine meetings. Both of these teams prefer running the ball to passing the ball with at least a 2-1 ratio run to pass in yardage and the majority of the scoring being done on the ground. Look for this game to be a battle in the trenches with Air Force controlling the line of scrimmage and winning 27-24.
Wunderdog
Philadelphia @ Montreal
Pick: Under 5.5
Philadelphia is playing some defense, winning three in a row while allowing a total of eight goals. It's the third game in four nights for the Flyers and they face a terrific Montreal defense that is tops in the NHL in goals allowed. The proud Montreal defense is in bounce-back mode after an embarrassing 10-0 loss at Columbus last night! What a difference a good goaltender can make, as the Canadians went with Al Montoya in the defeat, but welcome back Carey Price for this one. Montoya was torched for all 10 against the Blue Jackets. The Canadiens have won six home games this season allowing a total of five goals. That included a victory over the Flyers, 3-1, and Montreal is 30-13-11 UNDER the total when playing on no days of rest.
SPORTS WAGERS
Vancouver +165 over TORONTO
We have been big supporters of the Maple Leafs this season and still believe in this team big time but they are not ready to be priced in this range just yet. Toronto is coming off back-to-back wins over Buffalo and Florida. However, the Leafs allowed 43 and 46 shots on net respectively in those two victories and one’s win expectation is extremely low when they allow that many shots on net. Roman Polak is getting far too many minutes per game for Toronto. When he’s on the ice, which is roughly 21 minutes a game, nothing good happens. The Leafs may have caught some teams off guard a little bit with their outstanding group of young and talented rookies but there is now much more film out on how the Leafs are operating. Toronto is obviously going in the right direction but they’re still vulnerable. Besides that, if Fredrik Andersen has a poor outing, a distinct possibility indeed, this risk becomes even higher.
The Canucks stock is lower than last year’s right now because they have dropped seven in a row and have been shutout a remarkable four times in their last five games. That, my friends is an anomaly that is about to burst. Vancouver is playing so much better than they were a year ago. They absolutely deserved a better fate against Ottawa (twice), Montreal and Edmonton. Let’s not forget that Vancouver defeated St. Louis, Los Angeles, Buffalo and Calgary before hitting the skids. Yeah, they’re frustrated but the Canucks are working damn hard to snap out of it and hard work pays off. The Canucks are sound defensively and it’s only a matter of time before their top guys start producing. At this price, we’ll bet that the Canucks bury some pucks here.
Columbus +148 over ST. LOUIS
Nobody needs to be told what the Jackets did last night and while it was just one of those crazy games that occurs from time to time, it at least gives the Jackets a huge boost of confidence. Not that needed it. Columbus is 3-0 in its last three games while outscoring the opposition 17-2 over that span. In its last loss in San Jose, they were the better team in that one too. The Jackets have a new-found confidence about them. They’re getting tremendous goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky and they’re getting tremendous efforts from everyone. A team this red-hot is almost always worthy of a wager and that certainly applies here.
The Blue Notes got off to a hot start but so what. We suggested this was a team in trouble before the season started and they are now a game under .500 after 11 games. St. Louis has been outscored 11-2 over its past two games. They have scored one goal or less in five of its last six games. Against Dallas on Thursday, the Blues were smoked, 6-2. Their last win was a lucky, 1-0 victory over the Kings. In its 3-2 win over the Rangers earlier in the season, St. Louis was outshot 35-18. Jake Allen has been shaky recently also so the Blue Notes are turning to career backup, Carter Hutton here against the hottest team in the NHL. It may work out but you might not want to spot -165 or thereabouts to find out. Have another doughnut Ken.
Edmonton +111 over N.Y. Islanders
The Islanders have lost four of their last five games and it’s not a fluke. They are the league’s worst ranked Corsi against team (shots + shots attempts that missed the net + shot attempts that were blocked), giving up 63.6 chances per 60 minutes. On the other end, the Isles are ranked 16th in the NHL in Corsi for. John Tavares looks uninspired. Maybe he's finally fed up with management letting quality guys around him leave for nothing. The latest being Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen. Even their coach is ripping management publicly for stripping 134 points from their lineup. That could be a problem tonight as they'll need every point they can get with the Oilers coming to Brooklyn.
The Oilers had a 3-2 lead in the third period in New York against the Rangers Thursday night before one bad defensive play sent the train off its track. An empty-netter made it 5-3 for the Rangers but it was a game the Oilers could have won. Edmonton has now lost three straight. They turned some heads with a win over the Capitals 10 days ago and we thought maybe they were a bit overvalued coming off that W. That luster is now gone. The Oilers outshot Ottawa 37-22 and lost last Sunday night 2-0. They also outshot the Leafs 46-31 in an overtime loss to start this road trip. The Oilers are still in excellent form still so the time to buy low on them is likely going to close quickly. Connor McDavid is a guy that HATES to lose and his will is greater than anything the Islanders can ice. Lastly, give a huge edge to the Oilers in goal with Cam Talbot against Jaroslav Halak, a goaltender the Islanders are trying to showcase so they can dump him.
Anyone got brandon lang today
Anyone got brandon lang today
LMAO, who in their right mind wants that shit? You are better off throwing your money in the street and running it over with your car and then lighting your car and your money in fire.