MLB DUNKEL
Texas at Oakland
The A's look to build on their 15-1 record in Gio Gonzalez' last 16 starts as a favorite. Oakland is the pick (-145) according to Dunkel, which has the A's favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-145).
Game 901-902: Atlanta at Washington (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Lowe) 15.583; Washington (Maya) 14.627
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-165); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-165); Under
Game 903-904: St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Carpenter) 14.960; Cubs (Coleman) 15.720
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-165); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+145); N/A
Game 905-906: NY Mets at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Gee) 14.015; Philadelphia (Kendrick) 16.706
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 2 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-165); 9
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-165); Under
Game 907-908: Houston at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Norris) 13.456; Pittsburgh (Duke) 14.597
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Houston (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+105); Over
Game 909-910: Florida at Milwaukee (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Volstad) 15.263; Milwaukee (Narveson) 14.881
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+120); Over
Game 911-912: LA Dodgers at Arizona (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Ely) 14.522; Arizona (Hudson) 15.603
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-185); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-185); Under
Game 913-914: San Francisco at Colorado (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Zito) 15.702; Colorado (Hammel) 15.849
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-135); 9
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-135); Over
Game 915-916: Cincinnati at San Diego (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Wood) 15.463; San Diego (Garland) 15.658
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 6
Vegas Line: San Diego (-115); 7
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-105); Under
Game 917-918: Baltimore at Toronto (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Guthrie) 15.386; Toronto (Romero) 14.787
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-165); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+145); Under
Game 919-920: Texas at Oakland (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Holland) 15.034; Oakland (Gonzalez) 16.472
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Oakland (-145); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-145); Over
Game 921-922: Boston at NY Yankees (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Lester) 14.767; NY Yankees (Nova) 15.786
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-105); Under
Game 923-924: Kansas City at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Greinke) 15.684; Cleveland (Gomez) 14.877
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-145); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-145); Over
Game 925-926: Minnesota at Detroit (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Pavano) 15.627; Detroit (Bonderman) 16.416
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-110); Over
Game 927-928: Seattle at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Fister) 15.386; Tampa Bay (Garza) 15.168
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-240); 8
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+200); Under
Game 929-930: Chicago White Sox at LA Angels (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Danks) 14.564; LA Angels (Kazmir) 15.601
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+110); Under
CFL
Saskatchewan at Hamilton
The Tiger-Cats look to take advantage of a Saskatchewan team that is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games as a road underdog from 1 to 3 points. Hamilton is the pick (-1) according to Dunkel, which has the Tiger-Cats favored by 3. Dunkel Pick: Hamilton (-1)
Game 483-484: Saskatchewan at Hamilton (6:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Saskatchewan 112.323; Hamilton 115.088
Dunkel Line: Hamilton by 3; 50
Vegas Line: Hamilton by 1; 53 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Hamilton (-1); Under
Game 485-486: BC at Calgary (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: BC 111.311; Calgary 122.915
Dunkel Line: Calgary by 11 1/2; 51
Vegas Line: Calgary by 10; 55
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (-10); Under
Tony George
Alabama vs. Arkansas
Play: Alabama -7
When you look at this on paper it is all Alabama. I do not know how the Razorbacks have warranted such high praise as a team who is a giant killer all of a sudden, other than the usual media hype. ESPN College Gameday even passed on this game and opted for the Boise State game.
If you look closely in the last 2 Years Alabama has scored 84 points to Arkansas's 21 in blowout wins. Alabama runs it for 6.8 yards per carry, has a great defense and are returning national champs and clearly are the best team in football. Arkansas boasts the best QB of course, Mallett is a stud, but Alabamas QB has a 71% completion rate and 6 TDS against 1 interception, and that is pretty solid when backed by a superior running game.
Better team overall, better defense overall, deeper, more talented, and led by an awesome coach who knows how to win big games comsistently.
Alabama 31 Arknasas 21 Lay the Wood in this marquee game.
Steve Merril
Utah State vs. San Diego State
Play: San Diego State -8.5
Coaching is a major factor when handicapping college football and you would be hard-pressed to find a better overall coaching staff in the country than what head coach Brady Hoke has assembled at San Diego State. The Aztecs may have the best pair of coordinators in college football with Al Borges calling the offense and Rocky Long running the defense. Hoke, Borges, and Long are no strangers as they were all part of the UCLA staff back in 1997. Borges was fantastic while at Auburn where his team led the SEC in scoring in back-to-back years. Long was the head coach at New Mexico for 11 seasons and his defenses were always rock solid. The Aztecs come into this game at 2-1 straight-up and a perfect 2-0 against the spread against their FBS opponent. They should have won last week in Missouri as they had the ball with a 24-20 lead with just over 1:40 left to play. But Missouri had their timeouts left and forced a punt. The Tigers went 88 yards for the winning touchdown after a screen pass went 68 yards for the game-winner with less than a minute to play, handing SDSU a heartbreaking 27-24 loss. Now there is concern about a hangover here for the Aztecs off that loss, but their scheduling dynamic should have them focused. They have a bye next week, and the last thing they want to do is go into their off week off back-to-back losses, especially since their next game is on the road at conference opponent BYU. This is a big game for the Aztecs as far as momentum goes, and since they catch a beaten-up and tired Utah State team, we’re not too worried about their opponent jumping on them early. Utah State also comes in off a disappointing home loss to Fresno State. The Aggies led that game 24-17 late in the third quarter before their special teams did them in and they lost 41-24. That was a demoralizing loss, especially after the team learned 4 more players suffered serious injuries and will be out for the next few weeks. "When somebody goes down, somebody else has to step up and take those reps on offense and defense," head coach Gary Andersen said. "We just have to keep on fighting through those injuries and keep battling." The other intriguing angle on this game is the fact that Utah State offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin held the same job under SDSU defensive coordinator Rocky Long at New Mexico. Long knows Baldwin’s offense, and since he’ll have limited weapons with all of the injuries, we expect Long’s defense to have a distinct advantage here.
Charlie Scott
Nevada vs. BYU
Play: BYU +4
I just Don't Understand this line ! Early in the season every Year the Public and the oddsmaker seem to overreact to teams after 1 or 2 games. For the most part BYU Wins at Home, and except for last Friday night, when Nevada steps up in class they lose ! Nevada and their Pistol offense is a nice story for TV, but teams also need a defense. Nevada defense is terrible vs the run and look for this little Italian RB for BYU Di Luigi to have a big night. Bettors who play Nevada are not only asking a team that doesn't step up in class well to not only win on the road, but win on the road by more than 4 ? When I lived in Nevada in the 80's the prettiest girl at UNLV was a Mormon girl, I had a buddy of mine that was persistent and spent the whole Year trying to score with her, but had no Luck. Well tonight the Mormon's score Plenty !
Rocketman Sports
Tulane vs. Houston U
Play: Houston U -19
Tulane is 4-12 ATS last 3 years against conference opponents. Houston is 13-0 SU and 9-1 ATS at home the past 3 seasons. Houston is scoring 61 points per game at home this year. Houston is 2-0 SU and ATS overall vs Tulane last 3 years. Houston has won by 28 points both times in their last two games against Tulane. Green Wave are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games as an underdog. Green Wave are 9-26 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. Green Wave are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog of 10.5 or greater. Cougars are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite of 10.5 or greater. Cougars are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games. Cougars are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite. Favorite is 7-0 ATS in their last 7 meetings. Green Wave are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 meetings. We'll recommend a small play on Houston today!
Rob Vinciletti
West Virginia vs. LSU
Play: LSU -10
LSU is a solid 7-1 in non conference games if they are off a straight up and ats win and have won 50 of their last 55 games here at home. West Virginia has failed to cover every time the past few years as a non conference dog of 7 or more points. This game also fits a solid game 4 system that plays against certain road teams that have won their first 3 games of the season and are now underdogs. Look for LSU to be too much to handle for West Virginia. Take LSU.
Scott Spreitzer
Nevada @ BYU
PICK: Nevada -4
We had plays in each of these team's contests last weekend and went 2-0 backing Nevada on Friday night, while going against BYU on Saturday. We'll continue to go against BYU this week. The Cougars are in definite rebuilding mode as we mentioned last weekend. The QB situation is not good. Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson are not bringing back memories of Ty Detmer and Jim McMahon. The pair have combined to complete just 50 of 100 passes, with only 3 TDs in three games, along with a couple of picks. The two have been sacked a combined eight times, or almost three sacks per game. The Cougars have been outscored 69-24 in their last two games. And the season opening, close win over Washington doesn't look so hot now, after watching Nebraska dismantle the Huskies last Saturday in Seattle. There's nothing wrong with Nevada - and HC Chris Ault will have his team focused. They believe if they stay undefeated and if they can beat Boise State on November 26, that they have a right to be in the mix for a BCS bowl appearance. That may be wishful thinking on their part, but it is a motivating factor. The fact is, we saw again last week, that BYU is short on athleticism and quickness. They had no chance stopping the option attack of Air Force. The Cougars offered very little resistance to Florida State in the second half last week. And now they have to face the finely tuned Pistol offense of Nevada, led by the most underrated QB in college football, Colin Kaepernick. Nevada hung 52 on California, and I believe they'll put up big numbers in this one. I'm backing Nevada in Provo, on Saturday.
BIG AL
Royals @ Indians
PICK: Over 7.5
This season was certainly not the type of follow-up to his Cy Young campaign that Royals ace Zack Greinke had hoped for. The veteran righthander will finish this season with a losing record and an ERA around four runs which is a far cry from what he has accomplished the last two seasons for KC. Greinke is in his prime (26 years old) so it's hard to pin-point exactly what went wrong this year. It would lessen the blow if Greinke had turned things around in the second half, but that didn't happen either, as Greinke's 4-5 record and 4.38 ERA since the All-Star break are significantly worse than his performance prior to that. Poor run support can explain his losing record, but not his high ERA as he's allowed far too many base-runners this season (257 in 209 innings vs. just 246 in 229 in all of 2009) and actually Greinke's run support has improved significantly lately with the Royals scoring 24 runs in his four September starts so far. You would think Greinke would have had a lot of success against this Cleveland team in the past, but he's only 8-8 with a 3.42 ERA against the Tribe. Young righthander Jeanmar Gomez of the Indians started out showing a lot of promise when he moved into the rotation right after the break, but he's really fallen apart lately with 15 runs surrendered in his last two starts, including seven (six earned) in his last start at home against the Angels. Heading into today, the over is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings. Take the 'over.'
Bob Wingerter
Buffalo Bulls vs. Connecticut Huskies
Play: Connecticut Huskies -18
Buffalo has a reputation as a team that usually starts slow and excels as the year matures, but with a new head coach and offense to adjust to, I’m not sure if they can afford to. They were clearly overmatched in a 30-6 loss to Baylor but actually had a few statistical advantages against Central Florida in a 24-10 defeat, but the common thread is offense doesn’t do anything particularly well. QB Jerry Davis is struggling to find open receivers and when he finds them it’s no guarantee they’ll catch the ball.
Jack Jones
South Carolina vs. Auburn
Pick: South Carolina +3
This is the best Gamecocks team in the Steve Spurrier era. South Carolina has opened the season 3-0, with a signature 17-6 victory over Georgia in their second game of the year. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 17 heading into this one, and for good reason. Top recruit Marcus Lattimore is a stud at tailback, and he gives South Carolina a legitimate running game. He rushed for 182 yards against a stingy Georgia defense to lead his team to victory. QB Stephen Garcia is experienced, and he's playing better than ever this year.
Auburn has been escaping with wins, proving victorious by exactly 3 points in three of their last four games overall dating back to last year. The Tigers won by just 3 at Mississippi State, and needed overtime to beat Clemson last week. Their luck runs out today against a more complete South carolina team. Auburn is 1-9 ATS off 1 or more consecutive unders over the last 3 seasons. The Tigers are 6-16 ATS in home games after a win by 6 or less points since 1992. The Tigers are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite, and 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite. Take South Carolina Saturday.
Freddy Wills
So Mississippi Golden Eagles vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Play: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs +5
Last week we were on this team over Navy as +3 dogs, and we looked good as LA Tech's offense looked to gel and they held a 23-16 lead at half time. However, they didn't score in the second half and the much physical Navy offense took advantage from there. Although Southern Miss has a solid running game thus far this season LA Tech will look a lot better in my opinion as the OL of Southern Miss is not close to what Navy had presented. La Tech was +5.5 and moved from that number to +3.5 in some books despite 82% of the pub being on Southern Miss mostly because of their win vs. a Big 12 Kansas team. However, this hasn't been a good road tam and I think they'll have a lot of issues against La Tech's QB Colby Cameron who was 31/43 against Navy. La Tech's defense is in the top 10 in takeaways and I expect a close game here.
Dave Price
1 Unit on Arkansas Razorbacks +7.5
After getting smacked around by Alabama the last couple seasons, the hogs will be hungry to knock off the defending national champs. An inexperienced Alabama defense is yet to see a passing attack like Ryan Mallett and Arkansas bring to the table, and I expect that passing attack to give Bama all kinds of problems. The Razorbacks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a home underdog. Expect the Razorbacks to take Bama down to the wire Saturday.
Kyle Hunter
West Virginia vs. LSU
Play: Under 44
The LSU Tigers have a terrific defense, and a very poor offense. West Virginia's offense is decent, but they'll likely have a tough time getting anything consistent going against LSU's very tough defensive front. On the other side, LSU will want to run, but I fully expect West Virginia to stack the box and try to force Jefferson and the passing game to beat them. The under is 8-1 in LSU's last 9 home games. Without a strong aerial attack from either team, expect to see the clock ticking away quickly in this one. Both defenses will have the upper hand in this one, so I think under 44 is a great value!
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Kentucky +14 over FLORIDAFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Both teams come in 3-0 but the knock on the Wildcats is that they haven’t been tested yet. That’s pretty interesting when you consider that the Gators haven’t beaten anyone either. In fact, Florida has played two home games, against Miami-Ohio and South Florida and both those teams hung around for a while before the Gators pulled away in the second half. Florida went into rebuilding Tennessee last week and won by 14 but they were a 14-point favorite and that game was tied often. So, to recap what the Gators have accomplished thus far is that they won two home games against two cupcakes and one road game in Tennessee against a Vols team that was destroyed by Oregon the previous week, 48-13. Fact is, the Gators passing attack ranks 103rd in the land and overall they rank 53rd. This is a hugely overvalued squad that is ranked 9th in the country but in no way are the ninth best team, not even close. When you consider its play and its rankings, you also have to consider the opposition and Florida has played nobody. The Wildcats opened the year with a win in Louisville and followed that up by blowing out both W. Kentucky and Akron. Kentucky has developed both a strong running game and passing game. They’ve yet to commit a turnover, while racking up 242 yards-per-game on the ground. No doubt, running the ball against the Gators will be a much sterner test but we really don’t know how good this Kentucky team is yet but one thing we do know is that your paying a premium to wager on a #9 ranked team that really hasn’t proven anything yet. Play: #359 Kentucky +14 (Risking 2.1 units to win 2).
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ARIZONA ST +12 over OregonFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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We keep hearing how the Ducks just might be the best team in the nation and that’s because they’ve scored 189 points in three games. That’s nice, it really is but the only thing that has done is create an inflated number for this one. The Ducks whacked New Mexico, Tennessee and Portland St. so you’ll have to excuse us while we crap our pants in awe of the Ducks. Yeah, they’re good but they’re not nearly as good as advertised and let’s not forget that the Vols went toe-to-toe with them in the first half and even led for a big portion of that first half before they self-destructed. Also note that Oregon has a huge game on deck in Stanford next week and that is most surely in the back of their minds. It’s actually quite interesting that the Ducks are a 12-point choice here while Stanford is just a 4½-point favorite in Notre Dame and trust us when we suggest that Stanford is better than Oregon and Arizona St. is better than Notre Dame. The Sun Devils went into #11 Wisconsin last week and lost by a single point. That’s significant and that’s what is referred to as battle tested. They, too, played two cupcakes to open the year but destroyed them both in the same fashion that Oregon destroyed its opponents. So, what we have here is an unranked quality team taking back 12-points at home against a team that is grossly overpriced due to the fact that they’re ranked #5 in the land and that they’ve scored an attention getting 189 points. We’ll pass on them. Play: #388 Arizona St +12 (Risking 2.1 units to win 2).
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W. Kentucky +28½ over S. FLORIDAFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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When you dig down deep into the schedule you can almost always find soft numbers due to the lack of public interest in many of the 40+ games on the menu. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers come in 0-3 but have played what might be considered the toughest three-game schedule in the land. Thus far, the Hilltoppers have battled #8 Nebraska, #9 Florida and Indiana. Nebraska is truly a powerhouse and while the Hilltoppers defense leaves plenty to be desired, they can score points and they can use up a ton of clock in doing so. The Hilltoppers have one of the best RB’s in the nation in Bobby Rainey. This kid is dynamic with a capital D and the Hilltoppers will run left, run right and run up the middle all game long. While, wagering on a one-dimensional offense is usually risky, the fact that we’re taking back better than four converted TD’s makes it much less so and it’s not like the Bulls are the cream of the crop or anywhere near for that matter. For one, they’ve played just two games and they come in 1-1 after beating Stony Brook. That’s right, Stony Brook, a team that sounds like a squad that Fred Flintstone would play for. They went into Florida and lost 38-14 and while they did hang around for a bit, the fact is they were whacked. South Florida has a decent QB in BJ Daniels and they also have a couple of decent receivers, especially Evan Landi but other than that they lack a whole lot more on both sides of the ball. These Hilltoppers have the best player on the field by a wide margin and he alone will keep them well within this margin. Big overlay. Play: #395 Western Kentucky +28½ (Risking 2.06 units to win 2).
Jimmy BoydFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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1 Unit on Boise State -17
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The Broncos are one of the best against the spread teams in the land, and they are tough as nails on the blue turf. In fact, the Broncos check in on an impressive 44-20-2 ATS run in their last 66 home games. With a pair of covers to start this season, they are now 19-6 ATS in all lined games since the beginning of the 2008 season, winning these contests by an average of 24.9 points. Odds makers have had a tough time assessing Boise State's willingness to run up the score, especially early in the season. Dating back to the beginning of last season, the Broncos are now a perfect 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games in the first month of the season, winning these contests by an average of 26.5 points. The Broncos were able to sneak past VA Tech in their season opener. At the time it looked like an impressive win, but the Hokies have since slipped up. This is Boise State's last opportunity to make some serious noise against a BCS opponent, and I expect the Broncos to do just that. Oregon State's last two trips to Boise have ended in 19 and 28-point defeats with the Broncos covering the spread each time. We'll bet Boise State today.