Friday's Betting Tips
Covers.com
Weather watch
Thunderstorms are in the forecast for Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals host the Twins Friday. There is a 92 percent chance of rain and wins blowing ENE at 11 mph.
Who’s hot?
Oakland Athletics – The A’s keep trucking toward the postseason, winning six straight to grab the lead in the AL Wildcard standings. Oakland is a -180 favorite over Boston at home Friday.
Who’s not?
Cleveland Indians – The Tribe have set up shop in the “Who’s not?” section of our daily betting tips during the second half of the season. Cleveland has dropped five in a row and is a +146 home underdog hosting Texas Friday.
Key stat
0-47 – The Yankees are the only team in baseball to have yet to win a game when trailing after eight innings. They are 0-47 in such circumstances.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Rafael Furcal, St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals may lose their starting shortstop after Furcal suffered an elbow injury Thursday night. He’s flying back to St. Louis for further tests but it is suspected he has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Game of the day
Boise State Broncos at Michigan State Spartans (-6.5, 46)
Notable quotable
"He already told you what happened. There you go.” -- Philadelphia Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins on manager Charlie Manuel’s decision to bench him for not hustling for the second time this season. Rollins failed to run out a pop-up that was dropped by the pitcher Thursday night.
Betting news and notes
Tennessee won its first two games at the Georgia Dome, but has lost six straight. The Vols are 3-point favorites versus North Carolina State at the Georgia Dome Friday.
Stanford has won the last four meetings since suffering a humbling 35-34 loss to the Spartans in 2006. The Cardinal lead the series 50-14-1 and are 25.5-point favorites Friday.
The Giants have won 17 of 22 on the road and eight of 10 overall. Their 37-29 road mark is fourth-best in the majors. San Francisco has earned 11.72 units on the road and is a -178 favorite at Wrigley Field Friday.
The Pirates are 3-3 in a stretch that has them scheduled to play 28 consecutive games against teams from the NL Central. Pittsburgh is 33-23 versus divisional foes this season.
Five Things You Need to Know for Friday, Aug. 31
Atssportsline.com
5 Things You Need to Know in Sports
Want to start your day off right? Looking for some action and the most interesting events of the day? There are three games in college football tonight and a full baseball schedule. Here is a brief look at the top four important matchups of the day along with a glance at future odds.
1)Tennessee vs. NC State, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Geo., 7:30pmET (ESPNU)
The Vols takes on a pretty tough ACC opponent at a neutral site. After a devastating 5-7 campaign in 2011, the Vols are more experienced and talented in 2012. However, star WR Da'Rick Rogers was suspended and left the program at the conclusion of camp. That will make an already difficult game even harder for the Vols as they take on an up-and-coming NC State squad.Tennessee is 8-3 ATS L11 as a road fave. Tennessee is a 3.5-point favorite and the total is 52.
2)Boise State at Michigan State, Spartan Stadium, Lansing, Mich. , 8pmET (ESPN)
Boise State has to replace Kellen Moore, record-setting quarterback. But Michigan State has the same issue with replacing Kirk Cousins. Junior Joe Southwick will take over for Moore. In 16 career games, he’s gone 40 of 54 for 400 yards. Boise State has won their last 6 openers including the likes of Georgia, Virginia Tech and Oregon. Michigan State will have to rely on their defense and running game led by Le'Veon Bell (948yds, 13 TDs) with the loss of Cousins and WR B.J. Cunningham. MSU is 19-32-1 ATS vs. non-conf. opponents. Michigan State is a 7-point favorite and the total is 46.5.
3)San Jose State at Stanford, Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, Calif, 10pmET (Pac-12 Network)
Andrew Luck is gone but the Cardinal are still respected by the pollsters, picked 21st in preseason. .Josh Nunes has got big shoes to fill but expect Stanford to become more of a running team this year. Senior RB Stepfan Taylor, whose 2,467 yards rushing over the last two seasons ranks as the nation's 11th-best total. San Jose State is excited about its own new quarterback, juco transfer David Fales. Stanford is 7-0 ATS last 7 vs. non-conf. opponents. Stanford is a 24-point favorite and the total is 50.5.
4)Baltimore at NY Yankees, Miguel Gonzalez (5-3, 3.66 ERA) vs. Hideki Kuroda (12-9, 2.98 ERA), Yankee Stadium, 7:05pm
The Orioles have crept back in the race after beating the Chicago White, 3 out of 4 games. They are just 3 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. Gonzalez has been a pleasant surprise for the Orioles, while Kuroda has been one of the best pitchers in the American League and an excellent pick up from the Dodgers. The problem for the Yanks is that they are without 3B Alex Rodriguez and 1B Mark Teixeira due to injuries. Orioles are 10-4 in their last 14 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The Yankees opened as a -200 favorite and the total opened at 9.
5)College Football Conference Odds
The college football season has begun. Here are the latest odds to win each from Bovada.
ACC - Odds to Win
Florida State 1/1
Virginia Tech 3/1
Clemson 5/1
Miami (Florida) 9/1
Georgia Tech 12/1
Virginia 18/1
NC State 20/1
Wake Forest 40/1
Boston College 60/1
Duke 100/1
Maryland 100/1
ACC Atlantic Division - Odds to Win
Florida State 1/2
Clemson 11/4
NC State 9/1
Wake Forest 16/1
Boston College 22/1
Maryland 30/1
ACC Coastal Division - Odds to Win
Virginia Tech 11/10
Miami (Florida) 17/2
North Carolina 5/2
Georgia Tech 5/1
Virginia 17/2
Duke 30/1
BIG 12 - Odds to Win
Oklahoma 1/1
Texas 4/1
West Virginia 5/1
Oklahoma State 8/1
TCU 9/1
Kansas State 16/1
Texas Tech 30/1
Baylor 40/1
Iowa State 75/1
Kansas 150/1
Big East - Odds to Win
Louisville 2/1
South Florida 7/2
Cincinnati 4/1
Rutgers 11/2
Pittsburgh 6/1
Connecticut 25/1
Syracuse 25/1
Temple 30/1
Big Ten - Odds to Win
Wisconsin 3/2
Michigan 2/1
Michigan State 5/1
Nebraska 11/2
Illinois 18/1
Iowa 25/1
Purdue 30/1
Northwestern 40/1
Indiana 65/1
Minnesota 150/1
Big Ten - Leaders Division Winner (Without Ohio State)
Wisconsin -500
Illinois +550
Purdue +800
Indiana +2000
Big Ten - Legends Division Winner
Michigan 6/5
Nebraska 3/1
Michigan State 3/1
Iowa 10/1
Northwestern 15/1
Minnesota 50/1
PAC 12 - Odds to Win
USC 5/9
Oregon 9/4
California 20/1
Washington 22/1
Stanford 25/1
Utah 30/1
UCLA 40/1
Arizona 50/1
Arizona State 60/1
Oregon State 60/1
Washington State 60/1
Colorado 150/1
PAC 12 - North Division Winner
Oregon 4/11
California 7/1
Washington 7/1
Stanford 15/2
Oregon State 20/1
Washington State 20/1
PAC 12 - South Division Winner
USC 1/7
Utah 10/1
Arizona 15/1
UCLA 15/1
Arizona State 18/1
Colorado 50/1
SEC - Odds to Win
Alabama 2/1
LSU 5/2
Georgia 5/1
Arkansas 8/1
South Carolina 11/1
Florida 12/1
Auburn 25/1
Mississippi State 35/1
Tennessee 35/1
Missouri 40/1
Texas A&M 50/1
Vanderbilt 100/1
Kentucky 200/1
Mississippi 200/1
SEC - East Division Winner
Georgia 5/4
South Carolina 11/4
Florida 7/2
Tennessee 12/1
Missouri 14/1
Vanderbilt 20/1
Kentucky 50/1
SEC - West Division Winner
Alabama 7/5
LSU 8/5
Arkansas 5/1
Auburn 12/1
Mississippi State 16/1
Texas A&M 25/1
Mississippi 75/1
Conference USA - Odds to Win
Central Florida 11/4
Houston 9/2
Southern Miss 9/2
Tulsa 6/1
SMU 13/2
East Carolina 9/1
Marshall 12/1
UTEP 15/1
Rice 30/1
Tulane 30/1
UAB 30/1
Memphis 50/1
Conference USA - East Division Winner
Central Florida 5/4
Southern Miss 9/4
East Carolina 4/1
Marshall 13/2
UAB 14/1
Memphis 22/1
Conference USA - West Division Winner
Houston 9/5
SMU 5/2
Tulsa 5/2
UTEP 6/1
Rice 14/1
Tulane 15/1
Mid-American Conference - Odds to Win
Ohio 3/1
Western Michigan 4/1
Toledo 6/1
Northern Illinois 15/2
Bowling Green 8/1
Kent State 8/1
Miami-Ohio 10/1
Ball State 16/1
Eastern Michigan 20/1
Buffalo 22/1
Central Michigan 25/1
Akron 40/1
Mid-American Conference - West Division Winner
Western Michigan 9/5
Northern Illinois 5/2
Toledo 13/4
Ball State 13/2
Eastern Michigan 15/2
Central Michigan 9/1
Mid-American Conference - East Division Winner
Ohio 7/5
Bowling Green 7/2
Miami-Ohio 7/2
Kent State 9/2
Buffalo 10/1
Akron 12/1
Mountain West Conference - Odds to Win
Boise State 1/4
Nevada 11/2
Fresno State 8/1
Wyoming 18/1
Air Force 22/1
San Diego State 22/1
Colorado State 35/1
Hawaii 40/1
UNLV 65/1
New Mexico 100/1
WAC - Odds to Win
Louisiana Tech -175
San Jose State +400
Utah State +450
Idaho +1000
New Mexico State +1000
Sun Belt Conference - Odds to Win
Florida International 5/2
Arkansas State 7/2
Louisiana-Lafayette 9/2
Troy 5/1
Louisiana-Monroe 15/2
Western Kentucky 9/1
Middle Tennessee 15/1
North Texas 15/1
Florida Atlantic 30/1
South Alabama 75/1