ANDREW TILLS
2* New York/Detroit UNDER 189.5
1* Golden State/LA Lakers UNDER 220.5
4* Pittsburgh/Buffalo UNDER 5.5
ATS LOCK CLUB
3 Units Wisconsin
4 Units Creighton
3 Units Rhode Island
3 Units Okl State
NHL PRO PICKS
Columbus +117
Dallas +127
SPECIAL K
5* UCLA
THIS PLAY IS MIAMI
Ben Burns
Afternoon Annihilator
Temple Owls
TEDDY COVERS
UCLA -4
Miami FL Over 58
Wayne Root
3* Wisconsin +3.5
4* Temple +4.5
4* Louisiana Tech +7
Chris Jordan
400♦ TEMPLE OWLS - This is one team I've had the pleasure of watching and making money with from time to time this year. The Owls won nine straight before an 18-point loss at Ohio for the MAC East championship, and trust me when I tell you that loss is still stinging. And there is nothing more the Owls would love to do than blast the over-rated Bruins who lucked their way into a Bowl game by finishing 6-6.
Admittedly, this is a UCLA team whose defense has been strong, particularly against the run; but it's the offense that has had some issues. The numbers don't lie:
The Bruins are 98th with their rushing game
The Bruins are 52nd with their passing game
The Bruins are 88th with their offense overall
The Bruins are 99th with their scoring offense
Now, that all being said. I'd be remiss if I failed to mention Temple's passing game is one of the worst in the nation - it ranks 112th. And the overall offense was 89th in the country. But that scoring offense was 35th in averaging 30.2 points per game. And get this, two of its biggest outputs this year - 40 and 56 points - were on the highway.
Its defense has been the bread and butter for the most part, and when it turns in a solid performance, the offense steps up and takes advantage of the opportunities. And tonight in this game, I'm thinking the Owls are going to be more appreciative of their bowl presence, than the all-mighty Bruins, who will look at this like a slap in the face game they had to travel across the country for.
UCLA golden boys having to leave their warm and fuzzy California dorms for ice-cold Washington D.C.? The boys from Philly are used to this weather, and will be looking to hit the Bruins as hard as they can in the first quarter to shut them down.
That's the key for Temple: Not to play tentative and to act as if it belongs in the postseason with a program like UCLA. Do that in the beginning, and the momentum is mine right off the bat.
Guys, enjoy this first winner of the first fiscal week of 2010 (my explanation of this is on my homepage, in case you missed it). Let's start the year off much better than how the fiscal year 2009 ended!!! Glad to have you aboard.
If you haven't looked into getting your 365-Day Package - this is the week to do it!!! The first day of the FISCAL YEAR 2010 begins today, so get on board. Last year my clients made more than 9,100♦ of net profit for the Fiscal Year 2009.
Seabass
50* Temple
50* Miami Over
KELSO
25 units Miami (FL) -3.5
10 units UCLA -4.5
Great Lakes Sports
College football
4*Miami
College Hoops
4* Syracuse
3* Kansas State
3* Missouri
NBA
4* Atlanta
3* Washington
3* New Orleans
Bob Balfe
Temple +4.5
Temple was just one vote away from their university dumping the football program. Now, coach Al Golden has turned this program around from being the laughing stock of college football to a legit contender in the MAC Conference. After a 6-6 season, UCLA will have to travel approximately 3000 miles. The Bruins, the last team to earn a bowl birth, have an extremely weak offense and will be without their starting center which will have them shuffling their offensive lineup once again. They probably won't enjoy the travel too well and are probably satisfied enough to just get a bowl bid and make a little bit of money for the school. The meaning and purpose of this game is like night and day. This is arguably the biggest thing to happen to Temple in years, while UCLA enters the matchup embarrassed and uninspired as a team. Take the Owls.
Lenny Del Genio
Atlanta -2
This is a huge game for the Hawks, who are 12-2 SU at home. They have the best pointspread mark in the league at 21-8 ATS, including 11-3 here at Phillips Arena. They have already won road games at Boston, Dallas and Portland while blowing out the likes of Houston, Miami and Denver here at home. Despite all of this, they do not get mentioned amongst the NBA elite, a group that includes tonight's opponent Cleveland. Well, almost no one. John Hollinger's most recent NBA Power Rankings have Atlanta at #1, a system that is derived by formula, not human opinion. Their average margin of victory over the L10 games has come by more than 12 points per game. Their last four wins at home have come by 21 PPG. This is a huge revenge spot for them with the Cavs having swept them out of last year's playoffs. Unlike Cleveland, Atlanta has played only one time since Christmas (Cavs have played three times) and that puts them into a great situation. The Hawks are 8-1 ATS when playing for just the second time in five days. Take Atlanta.
Rocketman
Kansas -30.5
Belmont is 1-5 ATS since 1997 in December. Belmont is 1-5 ATS since 1997 against good defensive teams allowing 64 points per game or less. Kansas is 5-1 ATS last 3 years as a home favorite of 30 1/2 or more points. Kansas is 25-8 ATS at home the past 3 years. Kansas is 39-18 ATS last 3 years when playing against a team with a winning record. Kansas is scoring 88.4 points per game overall this year while allowing 59.3 points per game. Kansas is scoring 94 points per game this year at home while allowing only 58.9 points per game. Bruins are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Jayhawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Jayhawks are 21-7-1 ATS in their last 29 games as a favorite. Jayhawks are 24-8-1 ATS in their last 33 games as a home favorite of 13.0 or greater. Jayhawks are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games as a favorite of 13.0 or greater. Jayhawks are 36-15 ATS in their last 51 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. Jayhawks are 40-17-1 ATS in their last 58 games vs. a team with a winning SU record. Jayhawks are 36-16-1 ATS in their last 53 home games. Jayhawks are 36-16-1 ATS in their last 53 games as a home favorite. Jayhawks are 15-7-1 ATS in their last 23 games following a SU win. Jayhawks are 34-16-1 ATS in their last 51 games overall. We'll play Kansas for 4 units tonight!
Marc Lawrence
Wisconsin +3.5
The Hurricanes face a Wisconsin squad eager to avenge a 42-13 beating they suffered in this very same bowl last year. Bret Bielema’s Badgers bring the nation's 17th-rated defense in to this contest along with an offense that is averaging over 200 yards both on the ground and through the air. Dogs with a ‘double-deuce’ offense are attractive plays in bowl games as they can attack on the ground and through the air. That's good news for Wisky as dogs or favorites of three or less points in the same bowl game that lost the previous year are 10-0 ATS off back-to-back wins versus an opponent off a double-digit win that won seven or fewer games last season. The Canes have failed nine straight times as favorites off a SU and ATS win when tackling a foe also off a SU and ATS win. In addition, Miami is 0-6 ATS off back-to-back SU wins versus the Big Ten. Couple that with the fact that the Badgers are a perfect 6-0 SU and ATS as bowlers off an ATS win of eight or more points and we have live dog looking to make amends here tonight. We recommend a 3-unit play on Wisconsin.