Surprisingly the Boston Celtics will meet the Detroit Pistons for the first time this season Friday. The Celtics were able to avoid a three game losing streak by mounting a comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks. The late surge was done via offensive spurts that should carry over against the Detroit Pistons. Grab the Celtics to roll Friday.

Thursday night a big game will take place between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. The Rockets have already defeated the Clippers once this season but that was when the Clippers were minus Paul George. Houston has also been sporadic as of late. Yet even with the Clippers strong home record look for the Rockets to play spoiler as they did earlier this season. Grab Houston.

Wednesday the Boston Celtics will look to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. They’re on the road against a Dallas Mavericks team that ended the Milwaukee Bucks eighteen straight victories on Monday. It was a big win but also showcased the Mavericks strong away record at 10-2. At home they’re not as strong. Look for the Celtics to take advantage tonight. 

Aside from a blowout losses to Milwaukee and Houston the Orlando Magic have been ATS friendly against teams above .500. A strong reason for that is their immense depth which translates to different scoring options. Yet look for the Jazz to have one of their showcase home wins as they neutralize the Magic’s depth advantage.

Tuesday extended rest is on the side of North Texas as they travel to take on the Dayton Flyers. The Mean Green come in on ten days of rest while Dayton played on the fourteenth. Tail end of non-conference end of first semester has always been a tricky spot for teams. With the Mean Green recent single digit losses to Utah State and Oklahoma don’t expect the Flyers to be lackadaisical. Grab Dayton.  

Remarkably the Pittsburgh Steelers have endured three different quarterbacks and still are in contention for a playoff spot. To inch closer they’ll need to stick to their bread and butter game plan. That involves offensive game management and relying on their defense. Josh Allen still played well against the Ravens but took a beating in the process. Look for the Steelers to keep drilling Allen and capitalize at home. Grab Pittsburgh.

Dallas continues to defeat themselves and now are facing a Rams team rolling. Many can argue that the Rams are clicking at levels seen in early 2018. That means Dallas can ill afford to continue to wait to make a move. Expect them to finally get going and force the Rams Jared Goff into issues seen prior to Thanksgiving. Grab the Cowboys to end their three game losing streak.

One of the more peculiar lines for Saturday in college basketball lies with Wisconsin-Green Bay against Evansville. Evansville and Wisconsin-Green Bay have opposite records in terms of wins and losses with Evansville boasting a 7 and 3 record. Their stand out victory over Kentucky will likely go down as the biggest upset of the season. Yet Wisconsin-Green Bay has been battle tested with seven of their ten games on the road. They hang around in recent double-digit underdog losses against Central Florida and Xavier. Look for a break out game for the Phoenix Saturday. 

    DePaul fell from the list of unbeaten teams in their last matchup against Buffalo. Saturday they'll face an Illinois-Chicago team that is just 4-6 and whom they defeated 70-50 in 2018. Expect an angle of revenge to be at hand for Illinois-Chicago. They may be 0-3 away but have a sound starting five that includes electric scoring guard Tarkus Ferguson. Grab the points here on the Flames

Pre-season expectations can overwhelm teams and that appears to be the case for Michigan State. Three losses have dropped them to sixteenth in the country. They're coming off a game against Rutgers that was closer than the final score of 77 to 65. Expect Michigan State to have a complete two halves of excellent basketball against and cruise against Oakland to begin Saturday's college basketball slate. 

The Knicks just ended their elongated losing streak but still made it difficult on themselves. They blew an 18 point lead against the Warriors and had to win the game in overtime. Friday they’ll face a Kings team that has won three straight games. They also have a road blowout win at Madison Square Garden under their belt. Still look for the Knicks to continue to show fight as they continue on their west coast road trip 

Ineligibility for Oscar Frayer and Jaylen Fischer for Grand Canyon has had a ripple effect on the Antelopes. They opened the year with a loss to a division two school in a pre-season exhibition and also lost their first three games . Dan Majerle’s limited depth have led to playing only seven athletes. They’ll need to find scoring somewhere to hold against a Northern Iowa team that is 9-1 and just upset Colorado. Look for the edge for the Antelopes to come at the free throw line and with a turnover advantage. Grab Grand Canyon. 

Eight straight losses by the Cleveland Cavaliers have put them in another predicament. Trade rumors have began to swirl around big man Kevin Love as the Cavaliers look to go in a complete rebuild mode. Friday they’ll face a Spurs team that has recently patched together wins after losing ten of eleven. Still there are high concerns in uncharted territories for a Spurs team coached by Popovich. Grab the points here on the Cavaliers. 

Matchup issues exist tonight for the Cyclones as they take on in-state rival Iowa. Big man Luka Garza will be the main point of emphasis for Iowa State. Garza on the year is averaging over twenty-two points a game, which included a recent forty-four point effort against Michigan. Garza’s play has led to kick out passes for perimeter shots and extended trips to the free throw line. Look for the Cyclones to feed off their crowd and make enough runs to hold off the Hawkeyes. Grab Iowa State.

The Michigan Wolverines avoided back to back let downs with a win over Iowa. They did so by putting on a clinic offensively and scoring 103 points. Today they’ll face a Big 10 opponent in consecutive games which is also the case for Illinois. The Fighting Illini nearly defeated the Terrapins but failed to execute for two halves. Look for that to change tonight as they look to make a statement against Michigan. 

The Virginia Tech Hokies began the season 6-0 and covered every number in the process. This included a big upset win over Michigan State. Since their play and results on the court have flipped dramatically with three consecutive losses. Today they’ll face a small school opponent in Chattanooga that has value based on the Hokies losing streak. Grab the Mocs.

The Miami Heat’s home dominance has reached double digits at 10-0. Two of their victories have came against tonight’s opponent in the Atlanta Hawks. Both matchups were decided by nine points or more. With the Hawks poor defense and Heat’s ability for explosive offensive quarters a third victory is likely for Miami. Yet I’ll take the points here as Atlanta gives a better effort than the prior two.

The Pittsburgh Steelers elevated level of play has been impressive on both sides of the football. Defensively they’re hindering opponents just enough to keep the offense from being uncomfortable. For Arizona the rookie woes of Kyler Murray were inevitable and showcased in last week’s blowout home loss to the Rams. Sunday look for Murray and the Cardinals to re-establish themselves and get the home cover.

The New England Patriots may only have two losses but the last weeks poor loss has high concerns.  Kansas City’s defense will likely give the Patriots offense plenty of opportunities but look for Andy Reid to continue to have regular season success over the Patriots. Expect another poor performance from the Patriots as Kansas City shines. 

The respect for the top part of the Sun Belt has grown in recent years. Their success in bowl games has stood out amongst the non-power five conferences. Saturday a familiar Sun Belt conference championship matchup will take place between Appalachian State and UL Lafayette. In their lone matchup this season UL Lafayette struggled to move the football and lost at home 17-7. Expect another low scoring matchup but for UL Lafayette to have a bit more success than their October matchup. Grab the points here.

A team that has vastly under performed to start the season has been Providence. Not just from a wins and losses stand point but also ATS. They had lost three straight games before surviving to hold off a hot shooting Pepperdine team. All four of those matchups they faltered ATS. Friday look for a change over as Providence started to find their flow offensively in their latest win over Pepperdine. Grab Providence.

An uncanny conference matchup starts the college hoops schedule off Friday. Michigan will host Iowa looking to redeem themselves from a tough loss against Louisville. They’ll face a Hawkeyes team that has had heavy travel. Iowa had a tournament in Las Vegas last week before traveling to upstate New York against Syracuse. While the Wolverines likely will dictate tempo look for the Hawkeyes to have a scouting report and execution edge over the Wolverines

The High Point Panthers stand at 1-7 with their only win against a non division one school. In fact all of their losses have been by double figures including a 59-33 loss to Boston College and their latest loss 93-70 against North Florida. Yet look for tonight to be a winnable game against an Elon team that’s vulnerable on the offensive end of the floor. Grab the points here. 

With Houston’s loss last night the Mavericks moved up to first place in the division. Winners of eight of their last nine games the Mavericks have shown they are a true elite contender in the West. They’re also returning home from three straight road wins that featured a six-point outright win over the Lakers. I’ll still take the points here as the Mavericks have shown a bit of weakness at home and the Timberwolves on the other hand play better on the road. Grab the Timberwolves. 

South Carolina’s struggles to begin the year have featured three losses. Two losses to non power five schools in Boston and Northern Iowa as well as a blowout loss to Wichita State. The offensively challenged Gamecocks will face a Umass team on a three-game losing streak. Look for South Carolina to impose their defensive presence to offset their offensive issues. Grab the Gamecocks. 

Offensively the Portland Trailblazers have seen a spark since acquiring Carmelo Anthony. Where they still are lacking is defensively. That could be troublesome Tuesday against a Clippers team that prides itself of both ends of the floor. On a big number look for Portland to have a couple of surges offensively to offset the number and Clippers 12-1 home record. 

A young Indiana Hoosiers team will have their hands full Tuesday against Florida State. The Seminoles climbed in the polls thanks to an impressive week that featured wins over Tennessee and Purdue. Yet this Florida State team is missing one more scorer that was vital to their tournament runs in recent years. Look for the young undefeated Hoosiers to gain another win. 

The Miami Heat extend from Brooklyn to Toronto for Tuesday’s big showdown. Miami’s win over the Nets boosted them back over .500 on the road at 6-5. Meanwhile the Raptors have been undeniable at home with a stout 9-0 record. They’ve been able to carry over last year’s title run with a deep roster of talent. Tonight though look for the Miami Heat to match the Raptors intensity and come within the number.

Internal issues have once again carried over onto the court for the Chicago Bulls. Three straight losses have dropped them to 6-14. If not for a dramatic come from behind win against the Hornets they’d be on a five game losing streak. They’ll face a Sacramento Kings team coming off a thrilling crazy fourth quarter against the Nuggets that led to an overtime win. Here though look for the Bulls to finally showcase a formidable effort and get the job done ATS. 

After three of four road games the Seattle Seahawks schedule does not lighten up. They’ll return home to face a Minnesota Vikings team that has shown great balance on both sides of the football. Even with the Seahawks likely to not play their A-game look for their home crowd and Russ Wilson improvisational plays to push them to the home win. Grab them here on a key number.

The Rams have been exposed on both sides of the football all season long. Play calling to mask Jared Goff’s limitations has been harder with the defenses struggles. One thing we know about Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is he is not going to shy away from play calls. Look for that to be a catalyst for a defense that will have opportunities to get turnovers on rookie quarterback Kyler Murray. On a small road number look for the Rams to prevail ATS. 

A battle in the Big 12 of teams at 7-4 will take place between Iowa State and Kansas State. Look for the Cyclones to air it out plenty against a Kansas State defense that has been susceptible against the big play. In what should be a close game for four quarters expect a late touchdown by the Cyclones to get past the number. 

Saturday the Pittsburgh Panthers will look to bounce back from a shutout loss against Virginia Tech. Already bowl eligible they’ll look to sharpen their miscues against a hungry Boston College team. Boston College must win Saturday to get into bowl season. Yet look for the Panthers to finally clear their woes of winning games by close margins. Grab Pittsburgh.

Saturday’s slate features a bit less of matchups after a heavy board in prior days of college basketball tournaments. A game of focus for Zack will be the Hoyas against UNC Greensboro. Greensboro returned several starters that fell one game short of reaching the big dance last year.  They also played Kansas tough a few weeks ago in a 74-62 loss. Yet Patrick Ewing has the Hoyas trending in the right direction. Grab Georgetown to secure an ATS win with strong offense for two halves 

Tuesday the Washington Wizards will embark on their second west coast road trip of the season. They’ll begin in Denver ahead of back to back scenario Wednesday night against the Suns. Denver has raced out to a 12-3 record while picking up three straight home wins over the Rockets, Celtics, and Suns. That’s created a window of value on a Wizards team that will not let up on the offensive end. Grab Washington. 

Down in Florida in more tournament action Radford will take on Monmouth. Both teams are struggling out the gate with subpar records. The Monmouth Hawks though have faced stiffer competition with losses to power five schools in Kansas State, Kansas, and Pittsburgh. Although Radford has only one win against a division one school expect the Highlanders to pull away here.

One of last year’s opening round thrillers came with New Mexico State losing in the final seconds against Auburn. The Aggies retained several key players heading into the 2019 season but are minus guard AJ Harris (fractured finger). South Florida lacks the depth and scoring power of the Aggies but have adjusted without their injured leader Alexis Yetna. Grab South Florida.

The Murray State Racers may be minus Ja’Morant but they’ve kept their offensive system in line. Today down in Florida they’ll face a La Salle team that is just 1-2 on the year. LaSalle has shot the ball poorly as they look for consistency amongst a young starting five. Look for the neutral court to help the Explorers as they break out of an offensive rut. Grab LaSalle.

Value is to be had on a tough Pittsburgh squad Wednesday. They’ll face a Kansas State team that is undefeated but playing in a tournament format today. That should change the ebb and flow of both halves to better suit Coach Capels solid half court defense. Grab the points here with Pittsburgh 

The Brooklyn Nets will play their in town New York City NBA team in the New York Knicks. For the Knicks they’re coming off a  blowout home loss against a Spurs team that had dropped several straight. As great as the Nets are at scoring look for the Knicks to find rhythm even in a back to back scenario. Grab the Knicks 

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off one of the top outright wins of the season against San Francisco. They were able to enjoy a bye week and will now put their 5-0 road record to the test against the Eagles. Philadelphia’s injury issues have put a high burden on Carson Wentz who has struggled this year against quality teams. Sunday look for a reversal as the Eagles have shown over the last several years to be one of the best late November/December teams. Grab Philadelphia 

The Denver Broncos have covered three weeks in a row. They’ll go for their fourth straight as they take on a Buffalo Bills team that’s aiming to solidify a playoff position. Look for safe calls on both sides of the football to keep Denver in this game for four quarters, and cover on a small number.

A teams free fall that was unexpected in-conference has been Duke. In an ACC conference filled with transitional teams Duke has been unable to capitalize. Last week’s blowout home loss to Syracuse put a new low on Duke’s four game losing streak. Expect a prideful performance against their close in-state rivals of Wake Forest. Grab Duke.

Saturday Texas A&M will get a chance to play spoiler on the road against Georgia. The Bulldogs pulled off an impressive road win a week ago against Auburn but must raise their level of offense. Over the past five games in the SEC they’ve averaged just twenty-two points. Expect the defense to continue to aide the offense as Georgia pushes past the double-digit number. Grab Georgia. 

Both Georgia Southern and Arkansas State became bowl eligible last week. Saturday led by freshman quarterback Layne Hatcher Arkansas State will aim to win their fourth straight game. Even as the road team expect Georgia Southern’s run heavy offense to wear down Arkansas State over four quarters. Grab the small underdog here. 

On a neutral court tonight Fresno State and St. Mary’s will play in Sacramento. The Gaels have one of the best returning backcourts in the country led by Jordan Ford. Ford’s efficient career shooting has carried over to his senior season as he is shooting 47 percent from three point range. Fresno State’s youth depending on two freshman is a bonus ATS tonight. Grab Fresno State as they give the Gaels a sweat for forty minutes. 

Just six days ago the Miami Heat blew out the Cavaliers on the road by eleven points. The final score was not indicative of the halftime twenty-four point lead the Heat held over Cleveland. In the second half the Heat scored just forty points. This time around look for value on the Cavaliers as the Heat’s unblemished 5-0 home record gets tested. 

A team that has carried over their strong home court edge from the past two seasons has been the Toronto Raptors. They’re 5-0 at home and have been soaring past the ATS number. Tonight look for that to change based on Orlando Magic team soaring with confidence. They’ve won three straight games and will be aiming to avenge last year’s embarrassing playoff series against the Raptors. Grab Orlando. 

A team that has passed the eye test amongst smaller conferences thus far has been Ball State. They have hindered opposing teams in Illinois-Chicago and Indiana State to an average of 51.5 points. Their lone loss was against an Evansville team that toppled Kentucky. While Northern Kentucky has hold over upperclassmen talent they’re missing interior defense and prone to turnovers. Grab Ball State. 

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off one of the biggest ATS meltdowns in recent memory. The botched field goal gave the Titans new life and they stole the win. Issues around the offensive play calls and inconsistency at tailback should play into the hands of the Chargers. Expect the Chargers to continue to have key play calls minus Ken Whisenhunt and hang around in Mexico City. Grab the points.

It’s hard to argue that the Bears offense has been the worst over the last five to six weeks. The ratio of yards rushing and passing ranks towards the bottom of football in both categories. Yet defensively they should be able to be the latest to stunt the offense of the Rams. Jared Goff and company do not look comfortable. Turnovers continue to happen. Expect the Bears to capitalize in prime time. 

For the second consecutive season Arizona State has had a quick reversal to their season. Shocking wins early on got them ranked inside the top twenty five. Three straight losses have exposed how far back their offense is in the conference. Add a worn down defense and ASU could be in trouble for a fourth straight loss. Yet look for Oregon State’s tempo offensively to fit ASU’s style of play. Grab ASU. 

Young teams in a tough conference are going to tailspin south. That has been the case for South Carolina as their battles in-conference carried over to an out of conference loss last week. Appalachian State out of the Sun Belt defeated the Gamecocks 20-15. Now the Gamecocks must travel on the road to face an Aggies team playing their best football of the season and off a bye. Still grab the Gamecocks on a number just a bit too high. 

A week ago out in the Sun Belt South Alabama nearly upset Texas State. They took advantage of key field position and volume carries for their tailbacks. Saturday UL Lafayette will feature their own high dosage of strong running that will make South Alabama one dimensional. That will put pressure on their inexperienced quarterbacks and give UL Lafayette a chance for fifty plus points. Grab UL Lafayette.

The Oklahoma City Thunder return home in hopes of reversing losing three of their last four games. A positive is they’ve been a juggernaut at home ATS, covering four of their last five. For the 76ers their road heavy schedule to start the season has shown in the wins and loss column. Overall in 11 games they’ve played seven on the road. Look for the Sixers to shown a road warrior mentality in this one and get the win ATS. 

A small sample size to begin the season has shown huge weaknesses for Florida Gulf Coast. Their athleticism from their hey day runs has diminished. Furthermore they’re 0-3 to begin the year and are coming off just a 49 point performance. Traveling on the road against former conference rival Mercer is an untrustworthy spot from oddsmakers. Instead look for FGCU to overcome their small sample size woes and get the cover.

Phoenix was brought down to Earth two nights ago as the Lakers pulled away to defeat them. They’re now 6-4 but have caught the attention of NBA circles with their strong starting five and young bench. Thursday they’ll face an electric young Hawks team that is coming off a big outright win over the Denver Nuggets. Yet Thursday look for the Suns hosting their fifth straight home game to pull through ATS.

Wednesday saw a Big 10 school in Ohio State destroy Big East and national power Villanova. Thursday a short handed Seton Hall squad must try and halt an experienced Michigan State team. Turmoil of Pirates Coach Willard serving a suspension and injury to star Myles Powell are signs to fade the Pirates. Instead look for the Pirates to show the level of maturity of a Big East school that deserves to be ranked in the top twelve. Grab Seton Hall

A first true road game for any college basketball team is difficult. Tonight power five school Oklahoma State heads to take on College of Charleston. Expect the Cowboys balance offensively and defensively to prove to be a challenge for College of Charleston. Turnover issues from the Cougars should lead to the ATS road pull away tonight. Grab Oklahoma State. 

The Memphis Grizzlies head to take on a Charlotte team Wednesday that has lost a bit of their early success. After beginning the season 4-3 they’ve dropped three straight. Offense shouldn’t be an issue for the Hornets tonight at home but look for their defense to continue to suffer. Memphis gets the job done Wednesday with their impact young roster.

The winless Akron Zips are running out of time to get a win in 2019. Tonight they’ll host an Eastern Michigan team that’s lost four of five but been in games. The Zips on the other hand have been blown out with very little offense. Look for the Zips to finally show some worth ATS in this one. Grab Akron 

The Dallas Cowboys looked like a shaky team Monday Night in a road environment against the Giants. Late third they were able to turn the corner as the defensive line over powered the Giants offensive line. They’ll need a similar defensive effort to overcome an offense that has been sporadic since the first two games. Look for another poor prime time performance from Kirk Cousins and the Cowboys to cover.

What will give Sunday? The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a back to back scenario. Typically back to back games involve travel but that’s not the case as the Thunder are hosting consecutive nights. The team they will play in the Milwaukee Bucks is enduring their fourth straight road game. Expect the Bucks to get back on track after a let down against the Jazz Friday. Grab Milwaukee. 

The Carolina Panthers have been a team that has taken care of business against subpar teams. Sunday they’ll have a huge step up in class as they travel on the road against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay comes in off a loss to the Chargers. In years past the offense has struggled in streaks. Look for the Panthers to have a disguised defense and enough offensively to cover the number. 

The Rams have changed their offensive philosophy. Unlike a year ago the blowouts have been toned down as the team finds their new strength. Ball control and finishing teams off has been their strength. Pittsburgh has enjoyed the benefit of not traveling on the road for nearly a month. Three straight victories and improved defense have helped masked Rudolph’s issues. Look for the Rams to spring to life and pull away in the second half. 

Over reaction to game one of the college hoops season can lead to quick over reaction. For Princeton they had a sizable early lead over Duquense before things snow balled quickly. They ended up yielding over ninety points defensively and were blown out. Now they’ll travel to play a San Francisco team at the brand new Chase Center. As balanced as San Francisco is they play a heavy rotation. Look for that to open the door for Princeton to get the cover. 

The Pelicans have shown flashes of what they can be but are lacking a secondary scorer. Brandon Ingram needs help and should get it Saturday against a Hornets team that has issues with on ball defense. Expect Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart to be able to attack and get their shots. The Pelicans finally get back in the win column and go to 2-7.

One of the more intriguing college hoops matchups Saturday involves San Diego State and BYU. Both have already opened up the season with wins. This is an old Mountain West matchup that changed when BYU joined the WCC. BYU can be a difficult place to play but look for the Aztecs to hang for two halves. Take the points 

The unknown Saturday comes into play with how effective Alabama quarterback Tua Tagavailoa will be. In years past Tua has been able to come back and not skip a beat. Yet Saturday’s challenge is much different. Alabama’s dominance over LSU has featured several blowouts and a win over the Tigers in seven straight years. Look for the Tigers to finally challenge the Crimson Tide and cover. 

Execution of game plans has been one of the main strengths of Virginia Tech. Through numerous issues at the quarterback position they’ve found a way to win or be in winnable situations. Their only bad loss came against Duke. Look for the Hokies to be up for the challenge to limit Demon Deacons quarterback Kaleb Newman. Grab Virginia Tech.

Two teams that have been plagued with poor play in the Sun Belt are South Alabama and Texas State. South Alabama comes in with an edge in terms of having a bye week last Saturday. Having faced the upper echelon of the Sun Belt in consecutive weeks figures to  the advantage of Texas State. Yet quarterback Tyler Vitt has been extremely turnover prone. As inefficient as South Alabama has been offensively look for short fields to spark them ATS. Grab South Alabama.

Losing a coach from a smaller school typically gets side stepped. That’s not the case for Georgia State as losing Ron Hunter to Tulane made waves throughout college basketball. Although College of Charleston has some holes offensively they play solid half court ball denial defense. Look for their sets to frustrate Georgia State. Grab College of Charleston 

The Miami Heat extend their NBA road trip as they play the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s hard to argue the Heat’s depth and team defense. That’ll put up a challenge against a Lakers team that has still shown to be highly vulnerable defensively. Still look for the Heat to showcase a bit of tired legs in the second half. Grab the Lakers. 

The Thunder went from 1-4 to 3-4 thanks to consecutive home wins over the Pelicans and Orlando Magic. Still they have a lot of pieces in their starting five and bench rotation that are becoming accustomed to NBA minutes. Facing a well coached veteran Spurs team on the road will be a challenge. Yet look for the Thunder to continue to be competitive and close within the number. 

For the first time in a couple of seasons Florida State begins the year outside of the top twenty five. Three straight years of seeing talent head to the NBA has left them with several voids on the bench and amongst their starting five. They’ll face a Pittsburgh team that endured the rigors of a team in transition in 2018. Returning four starters gives them automatic cohesion for game one. Yet look for Florida State’s athleticism to lead them to victory and a cover. Grab Florida State. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off one of the worst home losses by an NBA team this young season. Against the Dallas Mavericks they were gave up 131 points in a twenty point blowout loss. This loss showcased their young back court and inexperienced NBA coaching from John Beilein. With the Celtics coming off strong wins look for value here on the home Cavs. 

The Toledo Rockets will one again be without their top two quarterbacks. For the second straight game Eli Peters will get the start. Peters is not lacking of experience with several starts under his belt last season. Kent State should hang around in this one but look for Toledo to make the necessary adjustments and power run game to pull away. 

A contrast of styles will take place tonight as East Carolina hosts VMI. VMI is known for a fast pace tempo with scorers multiple volume scorers. A four-game win streak to conclude the regular season in 2018 should embolden a team that has four of five starters back. Yet look for East Carolina’s transition defense to lead to easy baskets and a pull away from the number. Grab East Carolina.

Preparation to change over at the key position of quarterback is never an easy change. For the Washington Redskins they’ve dealt with a plethora of injuries and off/on field issues to suffer to a 1-7 record. They’ll face a Bills team that’s been dominant at home and coming off their worst loss of the season. While Haskins has not shown promise yet this should be a good spot for safe short throws that aided the Eagles last week. Grab Washington. 

The Bears offense does not seem to have any life to it. On top of it they now have uncertainty with their kicking game. Defensively they’ve shown to be a bit worn down and will face an Eagles team returning home after three weeks on the road. Yet look for this team to find life to capture a bit of their road block from last season’s playoff loss to the Eagles. Grab the Bears. 

The Indianapolis Colts have shown their versatility all season long in ways they can win. They toppled the Chiefs, Texans, and Broncos with an array of differences other teams in the NFL have not shown. Pittsburgh’s challenges offensively are not going to go away. Where they can muster proficiency is with a defense that has shown the same trait as years past. They’re improving as the season goes on. Although Jacoby Brissett is use to being a starter this is his first year as the main guy. Expect the Steelers to pick up on game film tendencies and disrupt Brissett and the Colts offense. Grab Pittsburgh. 

Indiana has just one win on the season and will be without Myles Turner tonight against the Cavs. That shouldn’t stop their potent offensive attack and may even increase their pace to a higher level. That’s concerning for a Cavaliers team that uses several big men for offensive balance with Kevin Love/Tristan Thompson and still has a young back court adjusting to the NBA. Grab Indiana here.

The switch to Ryan Tannehill for the Titans proved right for last week. Now they’ll face a Tampa Bay team fresh off a bye week. It’ll be interesting to see how aggressive the Titans call their offensive plays against a dynamic Bucs team. Even with the Dolphins Tannehill showed he can be a streaky winner. Look for that to continue as the defense makes enough plays to keep Tannehill comfortable. 

After showing signs of life at 2-2 with Daniel Jones things have quickly changed. Three straight losses for the Giants have been caused by poor defense and Jones looking confused at times. They’ll face a Lions team that has looked great but lost in winnable games against the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings. Expect the Giants to finally be in a game and cover Sunday.

Tough schedules are a by product of sports. The Philadelphia Eagles will embark on their third straight road game as they travel to face the Buffalo Bills. Thus far the defense has not been up for the challenge as the Eagles have given up 37 and 38 points the past two weeks. Facing the red-hot Bills is going to be a challenge but look for the Eagles to be up for the challenge. Grab Philadelphia. 

The Temple Owls main weakness this season has been on the road. Last week’s loss to SMU marked their second road loss by double-digits this season. At home though they’ve been unblemished with a 4-0 record. Yet they’ve faced octane offenses in consecutive weeks against Memphis and SMU that has exposed them. Look for Central Florida to attack often and cover the double-digit number. 

The Tennessee Volunteers will host the 3-4 South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday. They’ll do so with uncertainty surrounding who starts at quarterback. A bright spot is that the Volunteers defense showed strides in putting up a respectable effort against the Tide. Still look for the Gamecocks to get back to .500 with the in-season experience freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski has gained. 

The Bulldogs switch to freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader has been a true transition. The freshman showed flashes in a loss to Kansas State and built upon that with a pull away win against Kentucky. Since those brief flashes the offense has struggled in the mighty SEC faltering three straight. Saturday expect the Bulldogs to be competitive on both sides of the football against an Aggies team that’s been poor ATS all season. Grab the Bulldogs. 

The pressure is on the LA Lakers after an opening night loss to the Clippers. In the loss they showed they do have the offense to contend right away. Several spurts erased big Clippers leads but the defense just was not there. That’s going to continue to be a problem for Friday’s contest against the size and half-court sets of the Jazz. Grab Utah. 

For the first time in several seasons the New York Knicks have formidable players at every starter position. Backing the starters up will be one of the more intriguing second units in the NBA. What will be missing in game one against the Spurs is on court execution. Expect the Spurs embedded style of basketball to wreak havoc in turnovers for the Knicks and create pull away opportunities. Grab the Spurs. 

The new look Boston Celtics will be missing three familiar players in Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, and Terry Rozier. They’re now expected to let their young stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum take the next step forward alongside free agent pickup Kemba Walker. Facing a Philadelphia 76ers team that has elevated expectations and improved defense will be an immense challenge. Yet grab the Celtics to make a statement and cash Wednesday. 

The second day of the NBA season features a bevy of marquee games. One that will fly under the radar are the Timberwolves vs the Nets. Minnesota’s core of players has the same featured talent while the Nets kick things off with Kyrie Irving. Lacking big names around him should provide Irving a calmer setting to just play his game. Look for the Nets to feed off his play while the Timberwolves falter in the second half. 

The new season kicks off with all eyes on the new acquisitions of both LA teams. The Lakers of course added Anthony Davis and a bevy of veteran free agents. Their quest looks much stronger than the youth mix they had a season ago. Meanwhile the Clippers big acquisitions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will be minus George to start. That’s a factor but expect the Lakers units to struggle at times adjusting to the new season. That’ll leave the door open for the Clippers to cash in a neutral site game. Grab the Clippers. 

Can the Jets build off their outright win over the Dallas Cowboys? They’ll face a New England team that has been unstoppable ATS. They’ve covered every way imaginable and have extra rest from their week six Thursday win. With the Jets offense a bit more comfortable look for the Jets to have enough answers to sneak within this steep MNF spread. Grab the Jets. 

The Bears hope to shake the offensive and defensive rust exhibited in their overseas game against the Raiders. The shaky performance does cast doubt offensively with Mitch Trubisky set to return. They’ll face a stout Saints defense that’s helped boost Teddy Bridgewater to a 4-0 record. Yet expect both teams offensive limitations to bode to the advantage of the Bears. Grab Chicago. 

The NFC North has been hard to figure out because of how stout the division is. Minnesota has answered most questions except inside their division. Against the Packers and Bears their offense was hindered based on Kirk Cousins play. Traveling on the road may trigger some of Cousins problems. Yet this is a sound team that has overcome internal adversity to focus on the season at hand. Look for their team confidence to shine once again. Grab Minnesota. 

The Army Black Knights have fallen in consecutive games to Tulane and Western Kentucky. They’ll head on the road for a second consecutive week and face a Georgia State team with a similar offensive attack. Expect the Black Knights to run over the Panthers smaller sized defense and win the turnover advantage. Grab Army.

The Ohio Bobcats peculiar season has featured a 2-4 start. Under senior quarterback Nathan Rourke they’ve failed to muster proficiency to finish off games. In fact two of their losses have been by three points or less. Saturday look for Kent State to be the latest to get Ohio to play to the level of their competition. Grab the points here. 

Syracuse’s woes on the offensive side of the football are proven to be uncorrectable in-season. As the offense continues to work on getting better it’s created a burden for the defense. At the mid-season point look for Syracuse’s defense to show more and more cracks against a sound Pittsburgh team. Grab Pittsburgh in the Carrier Dome to get the win and cover the number ATS. 

Off a bye week Arkansas State will have rest and extra preparation over Thursday’s opponent in UL Lafayette. It’ll be interesting to see how UL Lafayette adjusts from another loss last week to the Sun Belt’s premier team in Appalachian State. Road environments have been friendly for the Ragin Cajuns with their offense producing forty-five points against Ohio and thirty-seven against Georgia Southern. Look for their offense to be a catalyst edge over Arkansas State.