NSA
20* Florida St +8
20* Ohio St -20.5
10* Oklahoma -18
10* Michigan St +10
10* Syracuse +3
10* Rice @ Oklahoma St OVER 66.5
Charlie
Northern Illinois/Purdue Over 53',Cal/Minnesota Over 53,Ohio St/Toledo Over 59 (500* trifecta)
Army -8 (30*)
Northern Illinois +12 (20*)
Clemson -7 (20*)
North Carolina -7' (10*)
HalfBets
Nebraska v. Va Tech
PICK: OVER 49 Game (8*) Best Bet
PICK: Va Tech -3 1H (4*)
PICK: Va Tech -5 Game (7*)
Tennessee v. Florida
PICK: Florida -29.5 Game (7*)
Tulsa v. Oklahoma
PICK: OVER 58 Game (8*)
Cincinnati U v. Oregon St
PICK: Oregon St +1 Game (7*)
MLB
Washington v. NY
PICK: Nats ML -110 (7*)
Cleveland v. Oakland
PICK: OVER 9 -105 (8*) Best Bet
LA v. Texas 7pm
PICK: Rangers ML -110 (7*)
Northcoast Sportsline
TV POD
BYU
900 POD
Louisville
Small College Plays
Rutgers
ULM
Small College Totals
Mich St/ND Over
Buffalo/UCF Under
EZWINNERS
** 5 STAR SELECTION **
Cincinnati Bearcats @ Oregon State Beavers
Risk/Win: $550 to win $500
Oregon State Beavers +1
Oregon State is a step up from Cincinnati’s first two opponents and the Beavers play very tough at home. Cincinnati's defense against the run is questionable and they are going to have a hard time with the Beaver’s running back Jacquizz Rodgers. This is a long road trip to the west coast and Corvallis is a very tough place to play (as USC can attest). The Bearcats have lost their last six games against non-conference BCS teams by an average of 21 points per game on the road and should not be favored here. Take the Beavers.
** 3 STAR SELECTION **
Connecticut Huskies @ Baylor Bears
Risk/Win: $330 to win $300
Baylor Bears -10.5
Baylor has had two weeks to prepare for this revenge game with Connecticut who defeated the Bears last year in Storrs. The Huskies are struggling on offense. Starting quarterback Zach Frazer is out with a knee injury and their backup quarterback Cody Enders has been battling a stomach virus all week. I expect Connecticut to struggle to score against the improved Bear defense. On the offensive side of the ball Baylor's quarterback Robert Griffin should put on a show here in the Bears home opener. The Huskies usually don't fare very well when traveling this far west and I don't expect them to here. Lay the points.
** 2 STAR SELECTION **
Nevada Wolfpack @ Colorado State Rams
Risk/Win: $220 to win $200
Colorado State Rams +3.5
The Wolfpack has had two weeks to prepare for this game after being shut out by Notre Dame in their opener, but I don't think this team should be laying points on the road. Colorado State's defense can shutdown the Nevada running game and the Rams quarterback Grant Stucker will be able to exploit the holes in the Nevada secondary. Nevada is only 1-6 against the spread as road favorite the last two seasons and the Rams are 4-0 against the spread as a home underdog under head coach Steve Fairchild. Take the points.
** 2 STAR SELECTION **
Florida State Seminoles @ BYU Cougars
Risk/Win: $220 to win $200
Florida State Seminoles +8
BYU upset the Sooners in their opener and hammered Tulane last week but I like FSU to be in this one down to the wire. Florida State defense plays their best against a pro style offense like the one BYU runs. I don’t see the BYU scoring at will against the Noles. On the other side of the ball, FSU's quarterback Christian Ponder is solid. I think he can take advantage of a BYU defense that is not great in coverage and tends to over pursue. I expect this one to be close all the way. Take the points.
** 2 STAR SELECTION **
Hawaii Warriors @ UNLV Rebels
Risk/Win: $220 to win $200
UNLV Rebels -7
Hawaii is off to a 2-0 start, but they struggled to beat a FCS team in their first game and their score against Washington State last week is a bit misleading because the Cougars self inflected a lot of damage on themselves and Hawaii capitalized on those mistakes. The Warriors defense has been horrible on the road and I look for the Rebels to run it up here. Lay the points.
** 1 STAR SELECTION **
Los Angeles Angels @ Texas Rangers
Risk/Win: $100 to win $102
Los Angeles Angels +$102
Jim Feist
5-Star Inner Circle CFB TV Blaster
ARIZONA VS IOWA
Take: 5-Star ARIZONA
Iowa is not an explosive offense, a slow, plodding/running Big 10 team. Those Big 10 teams can struggle against clubs with speed on both sides of the ball, and that's the case here. Arizona (2-0 SU/1-0 ATS) comes to town playing great defense, plus they still have offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes, who helped get the passing game going the last few years (from Texas Tech). The Wildcat defense is loaded with speed. Iowa escaped with a 17-16 victory in the opener over Northern Iowa, getting outgained 354-329. Play Arizona.
Ben Burns
10* Arizona St Over
Chris Jordan
300♦ BAYLOR BEARS - Remember my free pick last week on UNLV and why my hometown Rebels would cover the number against Oregon State? It was an intangible no one else would dare think about ... especially in Vegas. The weather factor.
I'm linking the same comparison to this game, not to mention I love what coach Art Briles has done for Baylor and have been a big believer since going on ESPN Radio last season to pronounce him as having the biggest coaching impact in the Big 12 for a turnaround program.
Let's start with the weather though ... there's something about coming from a climate that has overnight lows in the 40's, and average temperatures in the cooler 70s, and having to play in the sticky, humid, hot weather. From Storrs, Connecticut to Waco, Texas in mid-September - it makes a difference.
So even though you saw the Huskies lose impressively to North Carolina, I'm telling you now, those big boys from UConn have no clue what they're in store for tonight in that weather, once the fourth quarter rolls around.
But Briles does. And he's going to have his finely tuned offensive scheme running and gunning the first three quarters. That way when the Huskies run out of gas, the hometown Bears can get grizzly and pull away for a win and cover.
And don't forget, the Bears have been hibernating for two weeks. After going to Wake Forest and winning 24-21, they took last week off. U Conn, in the meantime, has been challenged by Ohio, 23-16 in Week 1, and then lost to the Tar Heels last week.
UConn's passing offense has sputtered - it ranks 116th in the nation. The scoring offense is terrible - it ranks 101st in the nation. And the Pass Efficiency defense has been less than spectacular - it's 83rd in the nation.
Baylor on the other hand has plenty to play for in this one. With a win over an ACC foe, a win against a Big East opponent could go a long way when Bowl Committees get together in about 2-1/2 months. On deck are two more home games against Northwestern State and Kent State. Neither will send the Bears to an impressive bowl, as they should be expected to win those games. After that, the Big 12 schedule kicks in.
And don't think for a minute Baylor doesn't believe it can head into the conference slate 4-0. I know it can.
These two met last year and U Conn squeaked out the win up North. But here in the 95 percent humidity under 88 degrees of heat ... the Huskies will be done by mid-third quarter, while Briles' Bears will be heating up!!!
Lay the chalk.
100♦ SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES - Big nasty Virginia. I know all about its size. But I'm not concerned in the least bit.
Southern Miss has tuned up nicely with a 52-0 win over Alcorn State and a 26-19 knock off of Central Florida. For its efforts, USM ranks 13th in the country with its offense and 22nd with the scoring offense. And the stop uinit, 9th overall, 16th in scoring and 7th against the rush.
Now, that being said, I understand this is the ACC. Those were cupcakes with icing. But I also know the Cavaliers are struggling to get into a groove with their new 3-4 defensive scheme, and are still looking for consistency with the special teams unit.
After two losses - including a 26-14 setback to William and Mary - Virginia's scoring defense ranks 91st in scoring and 71st overall. With its special teams, how's about 116th in kick returns and 53 in punt returns. Now here's where it gets worse: Passing offense (113th), Rushing offense (99th), Scoring offense (103rd) and Total offense (112th).
Not exactly a ring-a-ding-ding start to the 2009 season.
I don't see Virginia hanging tough at all with Southern Miss and will gladly lay the points with this one
BARRY HOLTHAUS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
West Virginia at Auburn
Pick: Auburn -7
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
This will be West Virginia QB Jarrett Brown's first ever road start, and he couldn't have picked a tougher venue than Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Mountaineers struggled in their home opener against Liberty and got past East Carolina last week after trailing early. Auburn seems revitalized on offense with new coordinator Gus Malzahn. Look for the Tigers to payback West Virginia for last year's Thursday night road loss.
ANTHONY REDD
25 Dime Washington
25 Dime Oklahoma
25 Dime Arkansas
Wayne Root
10* Kansas St. +12.5 (Perfect Play)
8* Colorado -6.5
7* Florida St. +8
NorthCoast Phone Totals
3* Over Hawaii
3* Over UAB
3* Over Auburn
3* Under buffalo
Wayne Root
Millionaire Club Knockout GOY Ore St.
Kelso
15 Units LA Angels (+105) over Rangers
Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Around 80.
North Coast
Marquee
Okl
SD St