Dennis Macklin
Pittsburgh Panthers at Connecticut
Prediction: Pittsburgh Panthers
At face, this one appears to me to be the wrong team getting points. Both teams only playing for Bowl position but .... Pitt has played better schedule and is 5-1 ATS vs. winning records this year. UConn is tough in Storrs but this edition of the Huskies a bit below recent. Premier RBs McCoy and Brown square off here in what figure to be a run fest. Barring Wannstedt moment, I have Pitt with double revenge winning this one 27-17 in this battle of Big East also rans.
Jimmy The Moose
Atlanta Thrashers at New York Islanders
Prediction: Over
The over is a profitable 17-8 for both the Thrashers and the Islanders on the year. On the road the over is 10-3 for Atlanta and at home the over is 10-3 for New York. The over is 4-0 in the Thrashers last 4 game vs. Eastern Conference opponents. Their last 6 games have played over the total. New York has played the over in 7 staright games. The over is 6-1 in their last 7 vs. Southeast Division teams. The team's have played over the total in 5 of their last 7 meetings. Play the over.
Stephen Nover
Alabama @ Florida
PICK: Alabama
The No. 2 team in the country is a double-digit favorite over the top-ranked school. Are the pollsters that far off?
Not when it comes to this SEC championship game between Alabama and Florida. These are two outstanding teams that are near even statistically.
Florida has the more explosive offense. But Alabama has the better defense, can run the ball, is road tested and has fewer key injuries.
All of this puts me on the Crimson Tide at this big of a spread. You don't get a class underdog like this every day.
Alabama is averaging 202 yards rushing per game led by Glen Coffee, who is averaging 6.2 yards per run. The Tide allows just 2.7 yards per rush. Alabama has recorded 23 sacks, has 24 takeaways and has allowed only a 25 percent success rate on third-down conversion attempts.
Alabama definitely can control the line of scrimmage and win the battle of the trenches. Florida hasn't quite encountered such a physical, pounding foe.
The Crimson Tide owns road victories against Georgia, LSU and Clemson. It's a real insult for Alabama to be such a heavy underdog.
Next to Tim Tebow, Florida's most valuable offensive player is versatile Percy Harvin. He's accounted for more than 1,000 yards rushing and receiving and has scored 16 touchdowns. He couldn't practice this week because of an ankle sprain.
The Gators' leading rusher, Chris Rainey, also is banged-up with a groin injury. Rainey should play, while Harvin is questionable and would be less than 100 percent if he did play.
John Fisher
Navy vs. Army
Play: Navy -10.5
I was really surprised by this line. After good wins against Wake Forest, Rutgers, and Northern Illinois and close contests to Notre Dame and Ball State this line should be 17 points. Yes, you can close the stat books when these two Academys meet. However, I really do not see Army moving the ball much against a quicker Navy defense that looks really good. They shutout a better N. Illinois team as visitors last week. Look for Navy to control this game from the beginning and score at will. 10 STAR PLAY here!! Navy 31 Army 16
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Oklahoma -16.5
OU beat Mizzou by 21 in last year's title game. The Tigers were playing for a BCS bowl and could not put together a better effort. This year's OU team is better than last year's and this one will not be settled by less than 21 points again so we will make the lay. The key to victory is plain and simple, OU is 6-0 ATS vs. poor passing defenses - allowing a comp. pct. of 58% or worse this season. OU is winning these games by an average score of 60.2 to 28.3. OU is also 9-0 ATS after gaining 6.25 or more yards/play in 3 consecutive games since 1992, winning these games by an average score of 52.9 to 28.8. The OU offense is rolling and with a national title game appearance on the line, the Sooners will hold nothing back. Lay the points.
John Fina
East Carolina/Tulsa Over 65
Reason: Put us down on East Carolina/Tulsa Over 65 for our Free College Football Selection on Saturday. This week, the East Carolina Panthers will travel to H.A. Chapman Stadium to meet the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes at home in this Conference USA Championship game. The Golden Hurricanes are coming off their regular season finale game where they won 38-35 against Marshall last week. On the same day of that Victory, Rice defeated Houston which gave the Golden Hurricanes a 7-1 win for the title in the West Division. The title was up for grabs between Tulsa and the Owls until the Golden Hurricanes broke the tie with a victory over Rice at the beginning of the season. Tulsa’s accomplishment is no surprise since the Golden Hurricanes had already won the Conference USA Championship back in ‘05. That win came against the Knights after losing the title to UFC the prior season; both games where on the road. This week however, Tulsa hosts and the Golden Hurricanes who couldn’t be better at home with a perfect 6-0. In the East Division, the Panthers have had a nice finish to the regular season at 6-2 while earning that title. Opening the season, East Carolina had two consecutive upsets against teams in the top 25 ,and in their last 6 games have won all but 1. The Pirates haven’t won a title in over 30 years, so being 1 of just 2 teams in the C-USA that are nationally ranked this year is a big deal. Of course the other ranking team is the Golden Hurricanes! However, Tulsa has lead the Pirates 5-2 in the all time series and has won over ECU in their last two meetings. Their last matchup, two years ago, took place in Greenville where Tulsa managed a blowout win over the Pirates 31-10. This season East Carolina has a fairly decent offence that puts up an average of 23.5 points per game and total of 340.8 yards per game. While rushing the ball isn’t exactly the Pirates strong suit, they have done well through the air with a passing average of 214.8 yards per game. One of ECU’s biggest faults have been turnovers, which have been committed by the Pirates 26 times so far this season. We’ve seen Pirates’ QB Pat Pinkney’s performance be touch and go this year, but on average he’s done pretty well. Pickney has completed 64.4% of pass attempts throwing for 2, 257 yards. He has had managed to score 11 times and has had 7 interceptions this season. This week’s prime target is Davon Drew, a Pirate tight end who has caught 35 passes for 547 yards and 3 scores. Running backs Norman Whitley and Brandon Simmons have 956 yards and 9 touchdowns combined. Tulsa is boasting one of the top offenses in the nation, with an average of 49.3 points per game along with a remarkable total yardage of 578.9 per game. The Golden Hurricanes have been striking in their ground attack as well as through the air with 259.1 yards per game on the ground and 319.8 through the air. Tulsa has reached the 45 point mark in their last eight games. QB David Johnson, who has recorded 42 touchdowns this season, is ranked one of the best passers in the nation and leads the Hurricanes with a 66.1% completion attempts for 3, 671 yards. Johnson has contributed 3 additional scores on the ground and has been excellent at spreading the ball around. Four different teammates have caught 7 or more TDs this season. One of them, wide receiver Damaris Johnson has caught 44 passes and 9 TDs. Another Key player is Brennan Marion who has gained 1,058 yards and 8 TDs. Running back Tarrion Adams has also proved to be quite valuable for Tulsa with 1,196 yards, 9 touchdowns and going 6 yards per carry. The bottom line, we should see a high-scoring game today! Take East Carolina/Tulsa Over 65!
Bob Balfe
Tulsa -12 over East Carolina
Tulsa will be looking to win the C-USA Title on their home field today and this offense is nothing short of spectacular. East Carolina had their trouble moving the ball this season at times and if this team gets down early this will be a blowout. This game reminds me a lot of when ECU played Houston a few weeks ago. Houston moved the ball up and down the field and I believe Tulsa will do the same. This team is going to put up points and I don't think ECU can match them. Take Tulsa.
Karl Garrett
Navy -10' vs. ARMY - at Philadelphia
G-Man gave you another winner last NBA on the 76ers outright at Detroit. Now 8-0-1 comp play run the last 9 days!
Traditional battle from Philadelphia today, as Army and Navy have at it once again.
G-Man going to lay the wood with the Navy today, as the Middies should certainly know a thing or two about defending the Army option attack since they see it every day in practice.
Navy has won the last 6 series meetings, going 5-1 against the spread, with an average score of 40-12 in that span!
The Middies are on a 16-8 spread mark away from home their last 24 lined games, and they are also a positive 10-4 against the spread their last 14 as a road fave.
Army is improved, but Navy has played the tougher schedule, and the G-Man sees the Midshipmen extending the series winning streak to 7 straight, with 6 covers along the way.
Lay it!
4♦ NAVY
Sports Gambling Hotline
USC at UCLA +32
Why not take a chance in this rivalry game on the Uclans plus the points?
UCLA has gotten the job the last 2 series meetings against the spread, including a stunning Rose Bowl outright upset 13-9 back in 2006 as the double-digit underdog.
The Bruins are a positive 14-5 against the spread their last 19 when installed as the underdog, and they are also 20-6 ATS their last 26 lined home games.
USC must contend with the fact offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has agreed to be the head coach at Washington, and they also have to contend with the fact they are just 5-11 against the spread their last 16 on the conference road.
As long as the Bruins limit their turnovers, this is simply too many points to lay on Southern Cal in this spot.
Play on UCLA plus the massive amount of points!
3♦ UCLA
Bobby Maxwell
East Carolina at TULSA -13
Today on the college gridiron we're coming with a play on Tulsa as the Golden Hurricane host East Carolina in the Conference USA championship game.
A conference championship game on the home field. That's a huge bonus for Tulsa and will be a huge factor in this one. We're laying the chalk with Tulsa tonight with absolute confidence as the Golden Hurricane will get that offense going and blow out East Carolina.
Tulsa is in the Conference USA title game for the third time in four years and they won the West Division with last week's 38-35 win at Marshall, outgaining the Thundering Herd 516-437. The Hurricane didn't come close to covering as a 16-point favorite, but they got the job done in a hostile environment. Tulsa actually finished tied with Rice for the division crown at 7-1, but got the tiebreaker thanks to the 63-28 blowout of the Owls back on Oct. 4.
East Carolina won five of six down the stretch to win the East Division by two games over Memphis and Southern Mississippi. This is the Pirates first appearance in the C-USA title game.
Tulsa won the title in 2005, beating Central Florida 44-27, but lost in last year's championship game 44-25 as a 7 1/2-point 'dog. These two teams have met twice in conference play with Tulsa winning both easily, including 45-13 as a 9 1/2-point home chalk in 2005 and 31-10 as a three-point road favorite in 2006.
Tulsa's offense averages 49.3 points and 578.9 yards per game, numbers that have them in the top seven in the country in every offensive category. At home they are even better, putting up 60.5 points and over 600 yards of offense. Senior QB David Johnson has thrown 42 TDs and 13 INTs in a superb season.
Meanwhile East Carolina hadn't scored more than 30 points all year before last week.
It's going to be too tough for East Carolina to keep up with the Tulsa offense. Play the Golden Hurricane at home in a game that turns into a blowout.
3♦ TULSA
San Diego +4 at SAN DIEGO STATE
Very different tactics for these two city rivals this season as San Diego has played a rough preseason while San Diego State has cruised with an easy preseason schedule.
San Diego State has played the likes of Western Carolina, Northern Colorado, Hampton and UCSD. Meanwhile San Diego has been playing the likes of Wisconsin, UNLV, Nevada and Miami, Fla. Very different opposition and you'll see tonight the difference that makes. We're going to grab the points and play San Diego to beat the city rivals in this one.
The last two years this game has come down to the wire with the Aztecs getting the best of the Toreros. But at the betting window, San Diego has gotten the cash in six of the last nine.
The Toreros are on ATS runs of 6-2 against teams from the Mountain west, 23-8 in their last 31 overall and 49-21 in their last 70 on the road. San Diego State is 2-6 ATS in their last eight games overall, 2-7 ATS in their last nine non-conference games, 1-5 ATS in their last six after a straight-up win and 1-6 ATS in their last seven against teams with a winning record.
San Diego is better prepared for this one and motivated for it after the last two years, losing tough ones to the Aztecs. Play the Toreros in this one.
4♦ SAN DIEGO
Tony Mathews
Matchup: Navy vs. Army
Selection: Navy -11.5
The Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Knights will meet once again at Lincoln Financial Field for one of the finest traditions in college football: two teams competing against each other for the 109th time. The Midshipmen lead the Black Knights by a marginal 52-49-7, however their recent contests show a domination over Army that isn’t reflected in the record. Navy has beat Army by an average of 28.2 points per game over their last six consecutive games which is a record breaking winning streak in the all time series. The Midshipmen are on a special mission this week, looking to secure their 6th straight Commander In Chief’s Trophy which is a coveted award by all three service academies; Navy, Army and Air Force.
Navy has proved to be superior over both the Black Knights and the Falcons, with 11 consecutive wins against those rivals. This season, Navy has won 7 games and will head into this game winning all but one of their last four contests. In their last game, Navy defeated the Huskies 16-0. Army on the other hand, has been defeated by their opponents in eight out of their last eleven games. They lost the last three games in a row prior to this one. The most recent loss was a mortifying one to Rutgers at a 30-3 defeat.
Navy does not rely on any elusive game plan. On the contrary, their strategy is well known to everyone; the Midshipmen simply run the ball for the entire game barreling through the rivals’ frontline. Navy has an excellent average on the ground of 292 yards per game. They have scored 34 touchdowns this year and all but 5 of those touchdowns have come by way of the run. The Midshipmen’s overall average is at 355.5 yards per game and 27.3 points per game. TB Shun White has been a big component, rushing for 873 yards and 7 touchdowns. Fullback Eric Kettani is also valuable with 807 yards and three scores and Ricky Dobbs with 493 yards while breaking the team’s seasonal record with 8 TDs. In that recent win against the Huskies, Dobbs led the team with 124 yards and a touchdown, and Kettani gained 92 yards and a score. Overall, Navy beat Northern Illinois with 262 yards rushing and 2 TD. On the defensive side, Army has been very efficient, however the Black Knights will be operating above their means in trying to stop the Midshipmen ground game. We expect to see Navy pull through with their 7th consecutive win against Army this weekend.
Take Navy -11.5!
Jeff Benton
I'm now 14 for my last 19 with freebies after the Bucks rallied for the narrow cover against the Bobcats in NBA action Friday night. For Saturday’s free winner in College Football, we’ll take the generous points with UCLA against USC.
There’s a better chance that I’ll get struck by lightning – twice! – today than there is of the Bruins actually winning this football game. UCLA has struggled to get to 4-7 this year, while the Trojans are one of the three best teams in the country in my opinion. Still, to be getting nearly 5 TDs with the home team in a rivalry game is just too good to pass up. After all, as much as UCLA has limped along this season, especially offensively, the Bruins have truly only been blown away once this year, and that was the 59-0 loss at BYU in Week 2 (I had BYU that day, thank you very much!).
Yes, UCLA lost 34-9 at Arizona State last week, but the Bruins had four turnovers returned for touchdowns (the only TDs ASU scored) and they were only down 17-9 entering the fourth quarter. They also competed against Oregon State (34-6 road loss, but it was a 3-3 game at halftime), Cal (41-20 road loss, but it was 17-13 entering the fourth quarter); Oregon (31-24 road loss); and Arizona (31-10 home loss, but it was 17-10 entering the fourth quarter).
Meanwhile, as complete a team as USC is, its offense has struggled to find the end zone on multiple occasions against quality defenses (UCLA’s D qualifies as “quality,” giving up just 324.5 total yards and 159 passing yards per game). The Trojans plodded their way to close wins against Cal (17-3 at home) and Arizona (17-10 on the road), failing to cover in both games. They also were tied with Stanford 17-17 at the half and failed to cash in that contest. And even last week, USC dominated Notre Dame in every facet – 449-91 in total yards, 22-3 in first downs, 34-26 in time of possession – but still barely covered in a 38-3 win as a 33-point favorite.
Finally, with one exception – a 66-19 loss at USC as a 21-point ‘dog in 2005 – the Bruins have competed against USC recently. They lost 24-7 but covered as a 19½-point underdog last year, lost 29-24 as a 21½-point pup in 2004 at home, and, two years ago, they shocked the Trojans 13-9 as a 10½-point home ‘dog.
USC is just 4-5 ATS in its last nine overall (1-3 on the road) and hasn’t covered in two straight since the first two games of the season. Meanwhile, UCLA is 20-7 ATS in its last 27 games at the Rose Bowl, 15-6 ATS in its last 21 in Pac-10 action and only twice since the start of last season – on the road at BYU this year and at Utah last year – have the Bruins lost by more than 28 points. After last week’s four-turnovers-for-TDs debacle at Arizona State, look for UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel try have an ultraconservative offensive game plan and play this game not to get embarrassed. Take the points.
4♦ UCLA BRUINS (College Football)
Matt Rivers
For Saturday take the points with the Crimson Tide.
I can't go against the Gators in a big money type of a play because Tim Tebow and the rest of Urban Meyer's squad are so fast and so good that they can beat any team by double digits anywhere. But today's opponent in Alabama is certainly no slouch and a team that is extremely stout defensively and posesses a running game that can move the ball against anybody and control the clock possibly keeping that Florida offense off of the field a bit longer than most opponents.
Percy Harvin's injury could have a big impact as the guy is lightning fast and a clear game breaker. If he plays he will be dangerous but he also may still be banged up and possibly more of a decoy hampering today's favorite just a bit.
Nick Saban has done an amazing job this season with Alabama and to get the number one Crimson Tide plus right around double digits is worth at least a small play. Could they get blown out like everybody else by these big bad Gators? I guess they could as Florida is an offensive machine but everything has come up smelling like Roses this eason for Alabama and with their loads of talent and confidence to get such a healthy price back is enough here in this spot.
In the end John Parker Wilson, Glen Coffee, Julio Jones and the top ranked Tide are playing for a National Championship and are being slapped in the face a bit as the 10 or so point dog in this neutral field game. Win or lose it's a total no-brainer as there's just too much value on our side!
Jake Timlin
Your Saturday selection is the California Golden Bears.
No doubt a lofty number in Berkley today, but given just how bad Washington is I say that California covers it. After all given that California is playing hands down the worst BCS team in the nation and do so with revenge I don’t see the Golden Bears give to much mercy today. Not that is will be needed as thanks to Washington being winless on the season and doing so going 1-11 ATS as they are losing by an average of 24 points a game it’s not like California will have much choice in not running up the score. After all given that California is a perfect 6-0 at home this year and fighting for bowl position I realistically see a 40 plus point win for the Bears today. With that take California minus the points as they end the Huskies embarrassing season with a blowout.
Tony Weston
The total for tonight is set at about 78 1/2 points, depending on where you go. And while you may consider that relatively high, don’t worry because these teams are going to blow past that.
For Oklahoma, the Over is 10-1 this season, while it is 6-5 for Missouri. The Over is on an 8-9 run for the Sooners and is on a 2-0 streak for the Tigers, who have totaled an average of 74.5 points per game their last two contests. Missouri has also totaled 69.6 points each of their last six games.
For the Sooners, they’ve totaled, on average, 88.7 points their last seven games and have totaled, on average, 93 points a game their last four contests.
For the season, Oklahoma is average 53.3 points per game, while Missouri is putting up 45 points a contest.
The teams will light up the scoreboard again and blow past total and hit that Over easily. Take the Over on this one tonight.
3♦ OKLAHOMA-MISSOURI OVER