Cajun Sports
WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS +2 over Hawaii Warriors
This will be the first trip of the season to the mainland for the Warriors and they will be here two weeks as they face UNLV next week while the Cougars are in the midst of a three-game home stand to open the 2009 season. Hawaii is 4-16 straight up and 9-11 against the number in their first trip of the season to the mainland. The Cougars will be looking to avenge last season’s 24 to 10 loss in Hawaii as 27.5 point road underdogs to the Warriors. They have tech support for this with a record of 9-1 SU and 7-3 against the spread when facing WAC opponents and the Warriors are only 2-9 against the number when facing teams from the Pac 10 Conference. We are going to take the points here as the Cougars get the straight up victory in Seattle on Saturday night. Washington State 33 Hawaii 29
Sammy Jankus
I rate my plays 3, 4 and 5 stars. Always play the OTHER SIDE of my game writeups.
3* SAN JOSE STATE +14
The good news for San Jose State last week is they led USC 3-0 at the end of the first quarter. The bad news is they were outscored 56-0 the rest of the way while the Trojans rolled to a 500-yard edge in total offense! Now last year’s only unbeaten team, Utah, comes to town and the Utes cruise in after piling up 35 pts and 519 offensive yards against their former defensive coordinator, Gary Andersen, who is now the head coach at Utah State. My lord, if Utah could do that to a team who knew what they were going to run, Jose ain’t got a snowball’s chance in hell of slowing them down! I look for the Utes to collect many a Spartan scalp today in a 28-point massacre– so your play is on SAN JOSE STATE.
Tony Mathews
Utah vs. San Jose State
Play: San Jose State +14
Don't' be alarmed by San Jose State's 56-3 loss to USC last week. USC is in a different class then San Jose State (as far as talent goes), so we expected that blowout win by USC. Even San Jose State's head coach Dick Tomey expected a blowout loss (which is why he played a lot of backups throughout the entire game - he did this so his starters would be fresh for their game this week against Utah).
San Jose State will be led by senior quarterback Kyle Reed. Kyle Reed has talent to work with (senior running back Patrick Perry and senior wide receiver Kevin Jurovich). To say the least, San Jose State should be able to find ways to score today.
One the other hand, Utah will be led by quarterback Terrence Cain who will be making his first career road start. The Utah offense also has running back Matt Asiata, who struggled last week against Utah State (his longest run in 36 attempts was only 14 yards). The fact that San Jose State has a good defense (six of the front seven on defense have returned), means that Utah should struggle to score in this game.
Take San Jose State +14
EZWINNERS
Idaho Vandals @ Washington Huskies
Play: Washington Huskies -20
The Washington Huskies have lost 15 straight games but they are a three touchdown favorite here for a reason. New Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian has this program heading in the right direction. Washington's new, variety-filled offense outgained LSU 478-321 and I expect them to put up big numbers here against Idaho. The Vandals held New Mexico State to only six points last week, but I think we will go back to seeing the Idaho defense that allowed at least 40 points in seven straight road games prior to last week in this contest with the Huskies. Washington is in need of a huge confidence building win after their good showing against LSU last week and they will get it here against an overmatched opponent. Lay the points.
HENTAI SPORTS
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan Wolverines
Prediction : Michigan Wolverines +3
Michigan rushed for 242 yards in their first game of the season and I look for them to dominate the tempo of this game by establishing a solid running game which will wear down the Fighting Irish defense. Michigan held the Fighting Irish scoreless in their previous two home games against them and Michigan’s defense looked solid last week against the Western Michigan Broncos holding them to just 7 points. The Michigan defense allowed just 38 total rushing yards last week and just an average of 1.6 yards per rush while the Notre Dame defense allowed 153 total rushing yards and 5.3 yards per rush. Michigan dominates this game on the ground Saturday afternoon which will keep the Notre Dame offense off the field and wear down the Fighting Irish defense.
Jimmy the Moose
Pittsburgh Pirates at Houston Astros
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a 54-85 record and if it weren’t for the Nationals the Pirates would be the worst team in baseball. With Pittsburgh’s loss last night they are now 17-42 in their last 59 games overall. In their last 60 road games the Pirates are 13-47 and in their last 63 road games vs. a team with a losing record they are 20-43. The Pirates have lost their last 9 games overall vs. a team with a losing record. Tonight the Pirates send Ross Ohlendorf to the mound and the Pirates have lost 7 of his last 8 road starts.
Houston is playing out another disappointing season. At 69-72 the Astros sit in third place in the NL Central 14.5 games behind the division leading Cardinals and they fins themselves 12-games back of the Rockies for the Wild Card. Houston has been playing better of late winning 6 of their last 8 overall and in their last 13 home games they are a money-making 10-3. The Astron are 22-10 in their last 32 home games vs. a team with a winning % below .400. Houston send Moehler to the mound and they are 9-2 in his last 11 home starts vs. a team with a losing record. The Astros are 11-5 in his last 16 starts as a favorite.
The Pirates are 22-54 in their last 74 trips to Houston and the last 20 meetings overall between the clubs the Astros are 16-4. The Pirates have lost Ohlendorf’s last 4 starts vs. the Astros. On Friday Houston beat Pittsburgh 9-1 and you can expect another beating tonight.
Play on the Houston Astros -
Randall the Handle
Texas Christian -11 over VIRGINIA
At first glance this wager seems like a grave overreaction to Virginia losing to FCS opponent William and Mary. Unfortunately for Virginia, the loss wasn’t on a last second field goal or fluke play. The Cavaliers were legitimately beaten in time of possession, total yards and first downs to a team that hadn’t beat a BCS opponent since 1998. The ACC had an embarrassing weekend all around and it certainly seems as if the Big East has a challenger for worst BCS conference this year. Now Virginia must regroup against a team that has BCS aspirations itself in Texas Christian. With BYU and Utah winning over the weekend, TCU is highly motivated to prove that the upper half of Mountain West is a legitimate threat to any BCS team. Texas Christian has a suffocating defense that only allowed 11 points a game last year and hasn’t a allowed more than 18 in the past four seasons. Virginia runs a spread offense that obviously had disastrous results last week. If you look at teams that have installed the spread offense the past few seasons, two things are abundantly clear. One – you need spread oriented players, which after Virginia quarterbacks three interceptions and combined 137 yards passing is still a mystery, and two – it takes time to see positive results. Texas Christian returns six starters on offense, including quarterback Andy Dalton and running back Joe Turner to a unit that averaged 33.6 points a game. Texas Christian prefers to run the ball and limit mistakes, which means they lean heavily on their defense to create turnovers and limit clock killing drives. If you feel confident that Virginia’s offense can turn things around in seven days against a highly motivated TCU team and play at an elite level for 60 minutes – take the Cavaliers. I’ll back a Gary Patterson coached Texas Christian team that has proven it isn’t intimidated (11-5 vs BCS teams), has the defensive pedigree and absolutely must win this game if it has any chance of crashing the BCS. Play: Texas Christian -11 (Risking 2.05 units to win 2)
Notre Dame -3 +1.01 over MICHIGAN
All was well for both historic college football powers in Week 1. Amid all the controversy surrounding both Charlie Weis and Rich Rodriguez, both coaches managed to pull of impressive victories against non BCS teams. Notre Dame finally looked like it had NFL caliber players on the defensive side of the ball as it pitched a shutout and managed to force three turnovers against Nevada. The offense, whose calling card all summer long was that it returned nine starters looked very impressive racking up 510 total yards of offense. Michigan’s offense also looked way better than last years, as highly touted freshman Tate Forcier threw three touchdowns as Michigan rolled over WMU. The key to this game for Michigan will be to repeat its offensive performance against a markedly better Notre Dame defense. Sure, Michigan looked great against WMU but they’re still very inexperienced at key positions to be counted on to score on every drive. A well-run spread offense is supposed to neutralize the talent disadvantage, but Michigan cannot be considered a team that has mastered the spread yet. With the inability to score, Michigan’s defense will have to hold the fort against a much more talented Notre Dame offense. For the first time since Brady Quinn suited up for the Fighting Irish, Notre Dame finally has an offense that will be capable of scoring against averages defenses like Michigan. Jimmy Clausen is an NFL caliber talent that can be trusted to make smart decisions and accurate throws. When backing a road favorite, especially at Michigan Stadium, it is extremely important to have the edge at the pivot as an inexperienced quarterback can single-handedly kill a wager, as Georgia backers will attest to last week at Boone Pickens stadium. The facts are that Notre Dame’s offense is more experienced and talented than the Wolverines and the same can be said on the opposite side of the ball. I expect Notre Dame to neutralize the inexperienced and less talented Michigan offense and continue to gain steam in the top 25 rankings. Play: Notre Dame –3 +1.01 (Risking 2 units)
DUNKEL
Washington at Florida
The Nats come off a 5-3 win yesterday and look to take advantage of a Florida team that is 0-7 in Anibal Sanchez' last 7 starts after allowing 5 or more runs in their previous game. Washington is the pick (+190) according to Dunkel, which has the Nationals favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Washington (+190).
Game 901-902: Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Cueto) 14.867; Cubs (Wells) 15.395
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-175); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-175); N/A
Game 903-904: NY Mets at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Pelfrey) 13.757; Philadelphia (Moyer) 14.321
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-190); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-190); Under
Game 905-906: Atlanta at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Hudson) 15.320; St. Louis (Lohse) 15.817
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-115); Under
Game 907-908: Washington at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Estrada) 15.320; Florida (Sanchez) 14.133
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Florida (-210); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+190); Under
Game 909-910: Pittsburgh at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Ohlendorf) 13.739; Houston (Moehler) 13.613
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Houston (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+120); Over
Game 911-912: Milwaukee at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Bush) 14.193; Arizona (Mulvey) 15.300
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-115); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+105); Under
Game 913-914: LA Dodgers at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Padilla) 15.335; San Francisco (Sanchez) 15.982
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-115); Under
Game 915-916: Colorado at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Rogers) 16.739; San Diego (Stauffer) 15.562
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: San Diego (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+105); Under
Game 917-918: Baltimore at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Matusz) 16.034; NY Yankees (Burnett) 15.781
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-300); 10
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+270); Over
Game 919-920: Oakland at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Anderson) 15.785; Minnesota (Manship) 15.959
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-120); Over
Game 921-922: Chicago White Sox at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Danks) 15.966; LA Angels (Santana) 15.251
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+120); Over
Game 923-924: Toronto at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Richmond) 14.281; Detroit (Jackson) 15.352
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-190); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-190); Under
Game 925-926: Kansas City at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Hochevar) 14.581; Cleveland (Huff) 14.962
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-145); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-145); Over
Game 927-928: Tampa Bay at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Davis) 15.503; Boston (Beckett) 15.442
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-205); 9
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+185); Under
Game 929-930: Seattle at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Morrow) 15.331; Texas (Millwood) 15.185
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-205); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+185); Under
WNBA
Detroit at Chicago
The Shock look to take advantage of a Chicago team that is coming off a victory over Indiana, but is just 3-13 ATS in its last 16 games following a SU win. Detroit is the pick (+3 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Shock favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+3 1/2).
Game 601-602: Atlanta at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 111.777; Washington 113.749
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 2; 169 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Washington by 5; 167
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+5); Over
Game 603-604: Seattle at San Antonio
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle 108.726; San Antonio 116.936
Dunkel Line & Total: San Antonio by 8; 144 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: San Antonio by 6 1/2; 143 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Antonio (-6 1/2); Over
Game 605-606: Detroit at Chicago
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 113.305; Chicago 112.451
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 1; 151
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 3 1/2; 153 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+3 1/2); Under
NCAAF
Game 305-306: North Carolina at Connecticut
Dunkel Ratings: North Carolina 95.818; Connecticut 94.763
Dunkel Line: North Carolina by 1; 42
Vegas Line: North Carolina by 4 1/2; 46
Dunkel Pick: Connecticut (+4 1/2); Under
Game 307-308: East Carolina at West Virginia
Dunkel Ratings: East Carolina 86.001; West Virginia 94.098
Dunkel Line: West Virginia by 8; 53
Vegas Line: West Virginia by 6; 44 1/2
Dunkel Pick: West Virginia (-6); Over
Game 309-310: Syracuse at Penn State
Dunkel Ratings: Syracuse 79.631; Penn State 106.030
Dunkel Line: Penn State by 26 1/2; 48
Vegas Line: Penn State by 28; 54
Dunkel Pick: Syracuse (+28); Under
Game 311-312: Marshall at Virginia Tech
Dunkel Ratings: Marshall 76.005; Virginia Tech 98.106
Dunkel Line: Virginia Tech by 22; 46
Vegas Line: Virginia Tech by 19; 41
Dunkel Pick: Virginia Tech (-19); Over
Game 313-314: Central Michigan at Michigan State
Dunkel Ratings: Central Michigan 79.752; Michigan State 96.820
Dunkel Line: Michigan State by 17; 49
Vegas Line: Michigan State by 14 1/2; 54
Dunkel Pick: Michigan State (-14 1/2); Under
Game 315-316: Eastern Michigan at Northwestern
Dunkel Ratings: Eastern Michigan 68.831; Northwestern 93.784
Dunkel Line: Northwestern by 25; 60
Vegas Line: Northwestern by 19; 56
Dunkel Pick: Northwestern (-19); Over
Game 317-318: Iowa at Iowa State
Dunkel Ratings: Iowa 92.147; Iowa State 86.193
Dunkel Line: Iowa by 6; 48
Vegas Line: Iowa by 6 1/2; 46
Dunkel Pick: Iowa State (+6 1/2); Over
Game 319-320: Mississippi State at Auburn
Dunkel Ratings: Mississippi State 82.121; Auburn 96.612
Dunkel Line: Auburn by 14 1/2; 47
Vegas Line: Auburn by 14; 41
Dunkel Pick: Auburn (-14); Over
Game 321-322: Duke at Army
Dunkel Ratings: Duke 77.739; Army 78.346
Dunkel Line: Army by 1; 38
Vegas Line: Army by 2; 43 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Duke (+2); Under
Game 323-324: Fresno State at Wisconsin
Dunkel Ratings: Fresno State 79.531; Wisconsin 95.370
Dunkel Line: Wisconsin by 16; 47
Vegas Line: Wisconsin by 8 1/2; 53
Dunkel Pick: Wisconsin (-8 1/2); Under
Game 325-326: Stanford at Wake Forest
Dunkel Ratings: Stanford 92.442; Wake Forest 91.861
Dunkel Line: Stanford by 1; 50
Vegas Line: Wake Forest by 3; 46
Dunkel Pick: Stanford (+3); Over
Game 327-328: South Carolina at Georgia
Dunkel Ratings: South Carolina 95.809; Georgia 100.927
Dunkel Line: Georgia by 5; 34
Vegas Line: Georgia by 7; 39
Dunkel Pick: South Carolina (+7); Under
Game 329-330: UCLA at Tennessee
Dunkel Ratings: UCLA 86.054; Tennessee 100.818
Dunkel Line: Tennessee by 15; 52
Vegas Line: Tennessee by 8 1/2; 46 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tennessee (-8 1/2); Over
Game 331-332: BYU at Tulane
Dunkel Ratings: BYU 96.715; Tulane 73.789
Dunkel Line: BYU by 23; 58
Vegas Line: BYU by 17; 54
Dunkel Pick: BYU (-17); Over
Game 333-334: Purdue at Oregon
Dunkel Ratings: Purdue 90.602; Oregon 103.935
Dunkel Line: Oregon by 13 1/2; 64
Vegas Line: Oregon by 12; 59 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oregon (-12); Over
Game 335-336: Texas at Wyoming
Dunkel Ratings: Texas 111.517; Wyoming 78.290
Dunkel Line: Texas by 33; 61
Vegas Line: Texas by 33 1/2; 56
Dunkel Pick: Wyoming (+33 1/2); Over
Game 337-338: Louisiana Tech at Navy
Dunkel Ratings: Louisiana Tech 81.244; Navy 87.433
Dunkel Line: Navy by 6; 53
Vegas Line: Navy by 7 1/2; 50
Dunkel Pick: Louisiana Tech (+7 1/2); Over
Game 339-340: Notre Dame at Michigan
Dunkel Ratings: Notre Dame 89.184; Michigan 92.252
Dunkel Line: Michigan by 3; 44
Vegas Line: Notre Dame by 3; 48 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Michigan (+3); Under
Game 341-342: Idaho at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Idaho 59.324; Washington 84.706
Dunkel Line: Washington by 25 1/2; 54
Vegas Line: Washington by 20 1/2; 52
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-20 1/2); Over
Game 343-344: SMU at UAB
Dunkel Ratings: SMU 67.049; UAB 80.013
Dunkel Line: UAB by 13; 54
Vegas Line: UAB by 11 1/2; 58
Dunkel Pick: UAB (-11 1/2); Under
Game 345-346: Pittsburgh at Buffalo
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 97.391; Buffalo 82.018
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 15 1/2; 46
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh by 10; 50
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-10); Under
Game 347-348: TCU at Virginia
Dunkel Ratings: TCU 102.012; Virginia 93.079
Dunkel Line: TCU by 9; 45
Vegas Line: TCU by 11; 42
Dunkel Pick: Virginia (+11); Over
Game 349-350: Kent State at Boston College
Dunkel Ratings: Kent State 71.665; Boston College 96.849
Dunkel Line: Boston College by 25; 51
Vegas Line: Boston College by 20 1/2; 46 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston College (-20 1/2); Over
Game 351-352: Rice at Texas Tech
Dunkel Ratings: Rice 73.596; Texas Tech 108.139
Dunkel Line: Texas Tech by 34 1/2; 69
Vegas Line: Texas Tech by 27; 66
Dunkel Pick: Texas Tech (-27); Over
Game 353-354: Air Force at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Air Force 93.079; Minnesota 89.004
Dunkel Line: Air Force by 4; 43
Vegas Line: Minnesota by 3 1/2; 47 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Air Force (+3 1/2); Under
Game 355-356: Hawaii at Washington State
Dunkel Ratings: Hawaii 72.910; Washington State 72.776
Dunkel Line: Even; 52
Vegas Line: Hawaii by 2 1/2; 50
Dunkel Pick: Washington State (+2 1/2); Over
Game 357-358: Western Michigan at Indiana
Dunkel Ratings: Western Michigan 79.018; Indiana 77.688
Dunkel Line: Western Michigan by 1 1/2; 44
Vegas Line: Indiana by 1 1/2; 51 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Western Michigan (+1 1/2); Under
Game 359-360: Bowling Green at Missouri
Dunkel Ratings: Bowling Green 86.833; Missouri 103.003
Dunkel Line: Missouri by 16; 53
Vegas Line: Missouri by 19; 59 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Bowling Green (+19); Under
Game 361-362: Kansas at UTEP
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas 97.391; UTEP 81.153
Dunkel Line: Kansas by 16; 58
Vegas Line: Kansas by 11 1/2; 62 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas (-11 1/2); Under
Game 363-364: Central Florida at Southern Mississippi
Dunkel Ratings: Central Florida 74.767; Southern Mississippi 90.187
Dunkel Line: Southern Mississippi by 15 1/2; 55
Vegas Line: Southern Mississippi by 14 1/2; 52
Dunkel Pick: Southern Mississippi (-14 1/2); Over
Game 365-366: Houston at Oklahoma State
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 88.915; Oklahoma State 108.533
Dunkel Line: Oklahoma State by 19 1/2; 65
Vegas Line: Oklahoma State by 15; 67
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma State (-15); Under
Game 367-368: Miami (OH) at Boise State
Dunkel Ratings: Miami (OH) 68.126; Boise State 106.200
Dunkel Line: Boise State by 38; 47
Vegas Line: Boise State by 36 1/2; 52 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boise State (-36 1/2); Under
Game 369-370: Vanderbilt at LSU
Dunkel Ratings: Vanderbilt 86.314; LSU 103.545
Dunkel Line: LSU by 17; 45
Vegas Line: LSU by 14; 46 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LSU (-14); Under
Game 371-372: Tulsa at New Mexico
Dunkel Ratings: Tulsa 95.121; New Mexico 77.066
Dunkel Line: Tulsa by 18; 53
Vegas Line: Tulsa by 17 1/2; 57 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tulsa (-17 1/2); Under
Game 373-374: USC at Ohio State
Dunkel Ratings: USC 117.521; Ohio State 112.776
Dunkel Line: USC by 4 1/2; 50
Vegas Line: USC by 7; 47
Dunkel Pick: Ohio State (+7); Over
Game 375-376: Utah at San Jose State
Dunkel Ratings: Utah 100.276; San Jose State 82.443
Dunkel Line: Utah by 18; 53
Vegas Line: Utah by 13 1/2; 47
Dunkel Pick: Utah (-13 1/2); Over
Game 377-378: Oregon State at UNLV
Dunkel Ratings: Oregon State 90.725; UNLV 87.420
Dunkel Line: Oregon State by 3 1/2; 56
Vegas Line: Oregon State by 7; 54
Dunkel Pick: UNLV (+7); Over
Game 379-380: Arkansas State at Nebraska
Dunkel Ratings: Arkansas State 77.223; Nebraska 103.888
Dunkel Line: Nebraska by 26 1/2; 53
Vegas Line: Nebraska by 23; 56 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Nebraska (-23); Under
Game 381-382: Florida International at Alabama
Dunkel Ratings: Florida International 75.443; Alabama 108.296
Dunkel Line: Alabama by 33; 52
Vegas Line: Alabama by 34; 48
Dunkel Pick: Florida International (+34); Over
Game 383-384: South Florida at Western Kentucky
Dunkel Ratings: South Florida 92.833; Western Kentucky 65.344
Dunkel Line: South Florida by 27 1/2; 44
Vegas Line: South Florida by 24; 48
Dunkel Pick: South Florida (-24); Under
Game 385-386: Troy at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Troy 79.236; Florida 120.500
Dunkel Line: Florida by 41 1/2; 64
Vegas Line: Florida by 36; 59 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-36); Over
Game 387-388: Ohio at North Texas
Dunkel Ratings: Ohio 73.457; North Texas 71.667
Dunkel Line: Ohio by 2; 46
Vegas Line: Ohio by 3; 52 1/2
Dunkel Pick: North Texas (+3); Under
Game 389-390: Memphis at Middle Tennessee St.
Dunkel Ratings: Memphis 78.204; Middle Tennessee St. 76.659
Dunkel Line: Memphis by 1 1/2; 50
Vegas Line: Middle Tennessee State by 1; 52 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+1); Under
Game 391-392: Kansas State at UL Lafayette
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas State 83.760; UL Lafayette 78.123
Dunkel Line: Kansas State by 5 1/2; 59
Vegas Line: Kansas State by 8; 64 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UL Lafayette (+8); Under
Brian Hansen
USC at Ohio State University
Prediction: Ohio State
Ohio State has bigtime revenge on its mind. Ohio State is playing at home. Forget about last week. The Buckeyes were looking ahead and USC had nothing to look ahead to. This year will be different. Mark my words. Play OHIO STATE!
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on UNC Tar Heels -4.5
Bottom Line: UNC is the more talented side and I like it to win this game by at least a TD. UConn is one dimensional (running team) so I expect UNC's strong defense to play the run and UConn will be all bottled up. The Tar Heels are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game so they seem to feed off strong defensive performances. Plus, the Huskies are only 3-9 ATS in their last 9 vs. a team with a winning record. Lay the number.
Dave Price
1 Unit on South Carolina Gamecocks +7
I'll take the points in what figures to be a low-scoring defensive battle. We saw in Week 1 that Georgia is not going to be able to replace the offensive fire power it lost off last year's team and we also saw that the S. Carolina defense, which was one of the best in the country a year ago, can be just as good, if not better. The Bulldogs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 conference games. I'll take the points.
Charlie Scott
North Carolina vs. Connecticut
Play: North Carolina -4.5
U Conn is a nice Big East team, but struggle when they match up with teams that have speed, and with opponents that don't let U Conn out physical them. North Carolina simply just recruits the more talented athlete than U Conn. North Carolina Head Coach Butch Davis enters his 3rd Season and has had top recruiting classes each year. U Conn is a Mid Major who lost a number of players to the NFL this past draft. The USC's and Florida's just reload HS All Americans when they lose this many players, but for Mid Major like U Conn it takes time to develop talent and right now U Conn is young. U Conn returns 12 starters and has a new QB, while NC returns 15 players and an experienced QB. Tar Heels Win !
Tom Freese
Los Angeles at San Francisco
Los Angeles is 10-1-2 UNDER their last 13 games vs. a starter who has a WHIP of over 1.30 and they 20-6-3 UNDER their last 29 games overall. The Dodgers are 7-2-1 UNDER their last 10 road games and they are 37-18-2 UNDER off a win. San Francisco is 7-2 UNDER their last 9 games and they are 18-8 UNDER their last 26 games as favorites. The Giants are 8-1 UNDER when their opponent scored 5 or more runs in their last game and they are 7-1 UNDER after allowing 5 or more runs in their last game. PLAY ON 'UNDER'
LT Profits
Kansas State at UL Lafayette
This game vs. Kansas State means a lot more for UL Lafayette than it does for the Wildcats, as the Ragin Cajuns would love to give the Sun Belt Conference a major boost by knocking off a Big 12 opponent.
Lafayette is quite capable of pulling off the upset too, as Kansas State was life-and-death to escape with a 21-17 win at home last week over a non-lined opponent in Massachusetts. Sure, the Sun Belt conference is an added conference, but at least those games are on the board, meaning that the Cajuns are actually a step up in class for the Wildcats here.
That is bad news considering that Kansas State failed to score in three out of four quarters vs. a supposedly outclassed foe last week, as all 21 points came in the second quarter. In fact, if not for a couple of crucial third-down conversions by the Wildcats on their final drive, the Minutemen would have had the ball with a chance to pull a monumental upset.
The Cajuns also opened with a minor opponent in Southern University, but unlike Kansas State, ULL did what they were supposed to do, coming away with the 42-19 rout. This was a perfect opportunity for Lafayette to break in new quarterback Chris Masson, who completed 18 of 24 passes for a nice 283 yards, as well as new running back Undrea Sails, who also did not disappoint with 114 rushing yards on 19 carries.
We feel the Cajun youngsters gained some valuable experience last week, and we look for UL Lafayette to put up enough points vs. the disappointing Kansas State squad to at the very least cover this touchdown spread.
Pick: UL Lafayette +7
BIG AL
Chicago at Los Angeles
There are plenty of good news-bad news stories in the Majors heading into the stretch drive, and the Angels are certainly no exception. The good news for them is that they're getting the best pitching they've seen all season from both their starters and relievers. For example, for the season, Los Angeles is ranked 11th in the American League with a 4.62 ERA, but for the month of September so far, they are #1 with an incredible 2.00 ERA. The bad news is simply that they must find a way to get more run production. It's fine when they're playing teams like Seattle and Kansas City to score two or three runs as they still have a pretty good chance of winning those games against teams with little or no offense, but they can't afford to do that when they get into the playoffs against the likes of Boston, New York, and Detroit. In their last nine games (all against KC and Seattle), the Angel offense only managed to score more than three runs on two occasions, and they still won six of those nine contests. Ervin Santana will try and keep the incredible pitching run going this afternoon, but if the Angels bats are in the same mode they were in for those nine games, then they're surely going to have a tough time against one of the toughest lefthanders in the league in Chicago's John Danks. Danks is coming off his sixth quality start in a row and two of those were against the Red Sox. Heading into Friday's game, the under is 20-8-1 in the last 29 meeting of these two teams.
PLAY UNDER