Probably the biggest game Sunday will be played in Dallas. Green Bay comes in banged up with their biggest weapon out in wide receiver DaVante Adams. Targets for the Packers receivers will now go to a cast of former third and fourth wide receivers. Woes offensively for Green Bay have featured sporadic play. That combined with the Packers poor run defense leaves Sunday’s matchup in doubt. Still the Cowboys are prone to leaving teams in games. Look for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense to have just enough surge to cover this spread. 

The Saints have changed over their offensive game plan to fit their strengths minus Drew Brees. The change over has featured short throws and opportunistic defense. What will give Sunday as the Saints face one of the top offenses in the league in Tampa Bay? Tampa put on a big display of points against the Rams and has been in every one of their games win or loss. Yet look for the Saints to pull through with a strong fourth quarter. 

The Atlanta Falcons had one of the biggest let downs last week a home loss to the Titans. The offense was inept and the defense was torn apart by a formerly struggling Marcus Mariotta. Now they’ll travel on the road to face a Texans team that’s been strong defensively and has weapons galore on offense. Look for the Falcons to rise to the occasion on this one and get the cover. 

The 1-4 UCLA Bruins could easily be 0-5. Their lone win came in a desperation comeback down four touchdowns against Washington State. Last week’s golden opportunity to get a win with Arizona’s quarterback out faltered. Now they’ll face an Oregon State team that nearly comeback to defeat Stanford. They also have a senior quarterback in Jake Luton at their disposal that will test a poor UCLA defense. Still the Beavers always find a way to neutralize themselves on the field. Look for key penalties to derail their chance at a cover. Grab UCLA. 

The Arizona Wildcats will venture on the road for the first time since their loss to Hawaii. Two solid wins in a row have still placed doubt on Arizona’s offense that has not looked like a Kevin Summerlin type. Yet their defense has rose to the challenge and gave Colorado quarterback Steven Montez troubles in last year’s contest. Grab Arizona to win the turnover battle and secure an ATS cover. 

One of the biggest letdowns last week in college football was Nebraska. They faltered as steep home underdogs against the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes. This week they’ll get a chance to avenge that embarrassing loss as they remain at home against Northwestern. The Wildcats have looked sloppy at times but remain well coached. Look for Northwestern to  have the edge and get the cover. 

One of the key early morning games will come between Army and Tulane. Both teams are well-rested with Tulane coming off the memorable thrilling cover against Houston. They’re capabilities offensively will test an Army squad that may still be without quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. Expect a back and forth affair with Army gaining the pace and key stops late to get this cover. 

The Dallas Cowboys have torn apart the Giants, Redskins, and Dolphins. Their strength of schedule will take a big rise Sunday night as they face the New Orlean Saints. Teddy Bridgewater and the Saints defense were strong in their road win over the Seahawks. Factoring the Saints home edge and prime time spot should put the Cowboys in a tough spot. But look for the focus of this Cowboys team to remain sharp. Grab Dallas. 

The Bears are now 2-1 but many are basing that on the quality of their opponents. They barely escaped Denver and clearly won a sloppy performance against the Redkins on Monday Night. Stepping up against a higher caliber opponent in the Vikings will be a tough challenge. Defensively the Vikings have a solid script on Mitch Trubisky based on their past meetings. With Dalvin Cook running wild this could be a pace game that the Vikings dictate. In the end though look for the Bears to convert their red zone opportunities into touchdowns and prevail ATS. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have shown that they’re still exhibitioning some of the characteristics under their old regime. Two home losses were both led by execution failures against the 49ers and Giants. Now they’ll travel to California to face one of the best teams in football the past two seasons in the LA Rams. Issues may continue arise for the Bucs offense but look for their defense to show up and override last week’s meltdown against the Giants. Grab Tampa Bay. 

The Arizona Cardinals are putting a big burden on rookie quarterback Kyler Murray. While he may have the eye-popping stats the on field results have been lackluster. Yet look for this week to be a competitive game for the Cardinals. Seattle has been prone to playing down to a team home or away. Grab Arizona to put in a quality effort and cover the home points here. 

The Buckeyes inexperience at quarterback has not hurt them one bit. Justin Fields has stepped in and took the reigns with no problem. In a big home spot for the Cornhuskers look for Fields to have the edge over Nebraska’s quarterback in Adrian Martinez. Grab the Buckeyes to continue to cover at a blistering rate.

The Stanford Cardinals free-fall has put them in unchartered territory. At 1-3 they’ve been blown out by double-digits in their last three games. They level of competition will be a couple of steps down for them this Saturday against Oregon State. Yet this is a chance for the Beavers to exact revenge for years of Cardinals beat downs. Grab Oregon State. 

The Fighting Irish did not fall much in the polls after their competitive loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Defensively they showed they are more than capable of contending with anyone on any given Saturday. Yet look for the challenge of slowing Bryce Perkins to be a different beast. Virginia may be prone to close games but that bodes to their advantage in this tough road environment. Grab Virginia.

The Sooners and Texas Tech will open up Big 12 conference play Saturday morning. Both teams come in having had a full week of rest in between their last games on September 14th. Don’t expect the Sooners to have any display of rust. They’ll keep their octane offense and show enough improvements defensively to cover a nearly four touchdown spread.

The Bears are fortunate to not be 0-2. Thanks to a miraculous long range field goal week two to defeat Denver they are 1-1. That does not provide relief for an offense that has looked MIA for the first two weeks of the season. Yet, Monday expect things to open up for the run game and eventually Mitch Trubisky. Washington is vulnerable on both sides of the football and will give the Bears opportunities for short fields. Grab Chicago.

The San Francisco 49ers took care of business to jump out to a 2-0 record. They’ve done so with injuries at the tailback position and re-acclimating Jimmy Garrappollo to the offense. It’s working and right now they have a prime spot to unleash years of misery for the 49ers franchise. Pittsburgh will fight to avoid an 0-3 start but this is a 49ers team out the gate with high intensity offensively and defensively. Grab San Francisco. 

Making a quarterback change in the NFL to a rookie is usually done in an opportune spot. Facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers improving defense under Todd Bowles may serve to be a tough challenge for Daniel Jones. With an extra three days off since their win over Carolina the defense should be extra prepared. This is a spot that I’ll side with the underdog as they find a way to lean on Saquon Barkley and get the tempo in place to keep Daniel Jones unnerved. Grab the Giants. 

Could this be de ja vu for the Arizona State Sun Devils? Similar to last year an upset over Michigan State led to a top twenty five ranking for the Sun Devils. This time around though they are not led by a senior quarterback. Instead they’re led by a freshman who the Sun Devils have kept under wraps in wins over Sacramento State and Michigan State. This week look for the Sun Devils to continue to lean on their defense and get enough from their offense. Grab ASU. 

Comfort in a home schedule for the entire month of September did not bode to the advantage of Mississippi State last week. The game slipped away as Kansas State answered a score with a special teams touchdown. Saturday expect the Bulldogs to learn from that situation regardless of who is quarterback. Kentucky has looked the part with a cover over Toledo and nearly upsetting Florida last week. Expect this to be a reality check matchup with the Bulldogs succeeding. 

Saturday, Texas A&M finds themselves crunched with two top matchups over the next three weeks. Saturday they’ll face Auburn before they host Alabama in two weeks. This matchup is a rematch of one of the worst meltdowns of a team in-conference last season. Texas A&M let a sure win slip away in the final minutes by allowing two touchdowns in the final five minutes. Expect A&M to show pride this time around and get the win over a better Auburn Tigers team.

The Philadelphia Eagles survived a scare in week one against the Washington Redskins. Now they’ll face an Atlanta Falcons team that has their backs up against the wall after a poor showing against the Minnesota Vikings. Offensively the Falcons look a few notches behind what you would expect with the veteran talent they have. Look for the Eagles to put on a showcase performance and the Falcons to start off 0-2. 

The Chiefs potent offense did not skip a beat week one with an injured Tyreek Hill. They’ll travel to face an Oakland team that does not have the weapons to play at a face pace. Yet look for the Raiders to benefit from two home games to start the season and ride their rookie tailback Josh Jacobs as they did against Denver. Grab Oakland here. 

Saturday an odd matchup will take place between the Sun Belt’s Georgia State and MAC’s Western Michigan. Just two weeks ago the Panthers pulled off the biggest upset of the young season over Tennessee. That was nearly overrode last week in a close victory over Furman 48-42.  Look for Western Michigan to take advantage of a poor Panthers defense and cruise Saturday  

The Bulls find themselves in a similar spot as a season ago when they were six point favorites on the road against Rutgers. This time they’ll face a Liberty team that has not shown the offensive flashes they did a season ago with quarterback Stephen Calvert. The senior has just one touchdown in two games with a QBR rating of 11.7. Although the Bulls are led by a freshmen quarterback look for them to have the edge and ATS cover here. 

A year ago Herm Edwards Sun Devils were able to stun Michigan State on their home field. It was the type of game that the offense did very little until the final window of the fourth quarter. That’s fresh in the minds of a Michigan State team that will have opportunities against a different caliber ASU team. Don’t expect them to let off the gas in this one. Grab Michigan State. 

Saturday morning SEC’s Mississippi State will host the Big 12’s Kansas State. This matchup marks the third straight home game to begin the season for Mississippi State. Penn State quarterback transfer Tommy Stevens has looked efficient. Yet look for Kansas State’s pace of play to be a boost ATS here. Grab the full touchdown of points.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will aim to go 3-0 as they travel in-state to take on Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons have shown a prolific offense scoring 38 points and 41 to begin the season. They’v also played both of their first two games on Friday. Look for a full four quarters of focus to continue to benefit the Tar Heels. Grab North Carolina. 

The prime time lights will feature two Monday night football games. One of focus will be the Saints. They’ll take on a Houston Texans team that has octane weapons at wide receiver and one of the streakiest quarterbacks in football in DeShaun Watson. The Saints will have to adjust without former tailback Mark Ingram and the fact that there are still concerns at the receiver position behind Mike Thomas. Expect the ageless veteran Drew Bree’s to deliver a typical Brees prime time performance and a Saints cover. 

Over the years the Carolina Panthers have developed a stout reputation with Cam Newton under center as a great home team. They’ve had a way of controlling pace and finishing off games in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile the Rams were one of the few teams to not play their starters one bit in pre-season. Expected rust and a long road trip have trimmed this spread down. Yet I expect to see Jared Goff prepared with his vast weapons at wide receiver to showcase the Goff that flashed to begin 2018.

The hype for the Cleveland Browns finally takes center stage Sunday. All the additions and coaching changes have shifted the mentality of on field expectations. They’ll face an AFC opponent in the Titans that have under achieved multiple years with Marcus Mariotta as quarterback. His pre-season performance put a cloud on if he’ll be able to maintain the starting job over Ryan Tannehill. Defensively they can stay in this game. While the Titans offense gets enough done to cover here. 

Justified concerns exist for both Stanford and USC entering Saturday. Injuries to their top quarterbacks have cast doubt on the prospects of their season. Stanford showed in week one that their offense is going to be a work in progress all season, and this hit probably expands those worries. As much as people harp on David Shaw’s coaching style this is the type of game where he can lean on a structured balanced game plan. Grab Stanford.

The Colorado Buffaloes showed strengths and weaknesses in their opening victory over Colorado State. Their offense is dynamic with multiple potent weapons in their backfield and familiar names at wide receiver. A plus for their quarterback Steven Montez is his best collegiate performance came against Nebraska last year in which he threw for 351 yards. Trying to replicate that performance and an up tempo game plan bodes to the advantage of the Cornhuskers. Grab Nebraska to avenge last year’s home loss.

One of the worst performances of week one came from the Akron Zips. They were blown out by an Illinois team that dominated from start to finish 42-3. Returning home for week two they’ll face a UAB team that struggled to beat Alabama State 24-19. Yet look for UAB’s dual threat quarterback Tyler Johnston III to keep pace on UAB’s side. Eventually look for the ground game of the Blazers to over power the Zips. Grab UAB. 

The first game to kick things off Saturday comes between the ACC Pittsburgh Panthers and MAC Ohio Bobcats. This is a familiar spot and number for Ohio who faltered a year ago against Virginia. Senior quarterback Nathan Rourke has never been a light it up type of collegiate quarterback but has the savvy to keep the Bobcats in this one. Expect a close competitive game where the Bobcats hold on for the cover in the fourth. 

For the second straight week the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will play on Friday. Last week they had a thrilling comeback victory and held off Utah State. Now they’ll face a Rice team that had a disastrous 2018 season in which they finished 2-11. Offensively they did not show much in week ones loss to Army scoring just seven points. Yet they gained confidence defensively and should maneuver against a Demon Deacons defense that isn’t as strong as years past. Grab Rice

The Oklahoma Sooners will be in the Sunday prime time spot as they take on the Houston Cougars. Lots of changes have been made for the Houston Cougars as they brought in former West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen. Holgorsen inherits lethal dual threat senior quarterback D’Eriq King and a talented Cougars team that finished he regular season 8-4. Holgorsen’s familiarity of the Big 12 and Oklahoma could be a catalyst early for the Cougars. Yet expect the Sooners who have steadily improved defensively to push through for the cover. Grab Oklahoma. 

Virginia Tech and Boston College will kick off the first true conference matchup on the new ACC network. The Golden Eagles ended last season on a three game slide after starting the year 7-2. The Hokies will attempt to avenge last years home loss to the Golden Eagles. Similar to last year the point of the season for this scheduled matchup gives the edge to the Golden Eagles style. Grab Boston College 

The Kentucky Wildcats will aim to take another big step forward after 2018s strong season. Minus running back Benny Snell the Wildcats will have a big void to fill. They’ll face a Toledo team that’s been ATS friendly and led by returning junior quarterback Eli Peters. Yet look for the Wildcats to put their imprint on this opener and get the ATS cover.

The Colorado Buffs were one of the more disappointing teams in the Pac-12 last season. Expected momentum off of prior seasons just did not happen. Quarterback Steven Montez’s struggles were well documented but he is a candidate to make one of the better turn arounds this season. In a battle of in-state teams look for the Buffaloes to pour it on and start the 2019 season off with a quality win. 

Noteworthy line movements in the NFL are typically correct. A three point line move from the initial Super Bowl offering to the Patriots is for proper reason. Towards the tail end of the season the Patriots utilize their defense to pick up their offense. Now in the playoffs the offense has met the defense to create a better team than last year’s run. Meanwhile the Rams injuries with Kupp/Gurley have diminished the offense. As great as the defense is they’re susceptible to both the run/pass. Look for the Patriots to squeeze out another Super Bowl title to the Belichick/Brady dynasty. 

During Tom Brady’s Father Time era he has produced to a high degree especially without Peyton Manning in his way. Sunday is a different story though as the Patriots will not host the AFC Championship. That’s a big key as Tom Brady and the Patriots are just 1-4 on the road in the AFC since 2005. Look for Andy Reid and the Chiefs to have the offensive production to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Grab the Chiefs. 

The Saints turn around a week ago was brilliant from a defensive view. Yet the offense still has not been the same as it was through late November. The same can be said for the LA Rams who’ve limited Jared Goff’s passing and relied heavily on a ground attack. Look for more the Rams to get Goff going early and for the ground attack that the Eagles did not have to carry the Rams in the second half. Take the points here. 

The Philadelphia Eagles had the game that every big seed in March Madness has that does well. They survived a game they should have lost against the Chicago Bears. Now they’ll get new life with a prime matchup against a Saints team that blew them out 48-7. Since that game both teams have gone in different directions. While the Eagles still don’t have top notch personnel defensively they’ve grown enough to trust in this tough spot. Back the Eagles here.

Throughout the final leg of the NFL season the discussion of the Patriots has been Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski’s decline. While the offense has not been stellar guess which unit has? Their defense. Aside from the crazy game against Miami the Patriots defense has surrendered 17 points or less since mid-November. That’s a big key against a Chargers team continuing an East coast road playoff round for the second consecutive week. Grab the value on the Patriots. 

It’s another college football championship and yet another matchup between Clemson and Alabama. While Alabama has a lot of the same key pieces as prior runs, it’s Clemson that has modified their team. A true freshman quarterback and key upgrades defensively have them primed to stay in this game similar to their run with DeShaun Watson. Line detraction for the Tigers lies with suspensions on the defensive side of the football. Yet look for Dabo and his assistants to have a proper game plan in place. Grab Clemson. 

Conditions in San Diego are expected to involve rain. Throughout the year Northwestern was a darling ATS. Covering a plethora of matchups with late surges and underdog outright victories. Yet Utah is a team that has size on the defensive end to prevent Wildcats sustained drives. There offense is never great but look for key plays to lead to a spread clearance. Grab the Utes. 

Most of the games that have NFL playoff implications are slotted in the afternoon slots. With that being said the team needing to win to get in are the Minnesota Vikings. They’ll face a Chicago Bears team that likely knows off the bat that they aren’t going to hurdle the Rams for a bye week. That’s boosted the line too high on the Vikings side. Grab the value on the Bears. 

Down the stretch we saw the Virginia Cavaliers fade. They lost three of four in a tough ACC conference, and it appeared quarterback Bryce Perkins wore down a bit. The Cavaliers offensive system puts too much of a burden on Perkins which is a heavy factor in the original point spread. Although South Carolina’s schedule doesn’t match Virginia they’re the right side. Grab South Carolina. 

An aggressive line buy down has made tonight’s night matchup even more intriguing. Washington State will be the second bowl representative out of the Pac-12. It’s well known that the Pac-12 has been subpar and mediocre in bowl seasons of the past. Iowa State’s been a team that will fight no matter the scenario of their game. Yet look for Washington State to be able to counter Iowa State’s in-game adjustments to pull off the cover. Grab Washington State. 

Seeing Auburn finish 3-5 in conference play was shocking. They’ll face a Purdue team that has rose to the occasion this year against top teams such as their win over Ohio State. Senior quarterback David Blough and the Boilermakers will look to replicate their upset last year as a small dog over Arizona. Instead grab the value on Auburn whom has the offensive and defensive balance to topple Purdue ATS. Grab Auburn. 

Stumbling into bowl season is typically a recipe for disaster. Vanderbilt comes into tonight’s bowl with impressive late season wins in SEC conference play. That in itself is an ATS inflator with eyes on the impressive SEC. Look for Baylor’s quick strike offense and speed to keep them in this game. Grab Baylor. 

The Seattle Seahawks continue to be small number underdogs or favorites at home. That’s a sign of their team not having much of an identity. During their five game win streak they found ways late to prevail to victory. Last week it finally bit them as they lost in overtime against San Francisco. Sometimes it takes a loss as such for the pendulum of confidence to settle in. Look for the Chiefs to be better prepared after a couple of rusty weeks minus Kareem Hunt. 

San Francisco suddenly has has found an offensive package that works for quarterback Nick Mullens. They’ll face a Chicago Bears team that has won seven of eight games and has covered in all victories (10) but one game. That’s created value similar to the small road number the Bears were in a loss to the Giants. Grab San Francisco whom seems to be riding the same end of season wave they had a year ago with Jimmy Garrapollo.

The MAC for years has been a disappointment during bowl season. That has changed to begin bowl play and I look for that to continue this evening with Buffalo. An interesting angle for today’s bowl is that Troy is playing in their home state of Alabama. The MAC is one of the few conferences thats travel is minimal throughout conference play for away games. That presents value on a Buffalo team thats program is on the rise. Grab Buffalo.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are one of a team that strangely became better minus their starting quarterback. With backup Kaleb Newman in the team has re-energized with upsets over NC State and a strong win over Duke. Although Memphis is tough to handle defensively for four quarters look for the ACC Demon Deacons to prevail ATS. 

A five game losing streak has left the Carolina Panthers from a likely playoff team to a what-if season. A tough five game stretch featured four of five road games. Yet overall the Panthers have been a great home team at 5-1 which likely downgraded Monday’s spread. In a division rivalry game look for the value to be on a Saints team that is oblivious to any opponents dire situations. Grab New Orleans.

Issues with the Eagles have been visible all season long. Lacking an impact runner due to injuries the offense has not looked the same. Now it appears Carson Went will sit out the final two games with the Eagles playoff chances slim. With the LA Rams coming off a loss one would expect the Rams to respond strongly. Yet look for the Eagles to show some pride. Nick Foles is similar to Ryan Fitzpatrick in the fact that he can produce in spot start opportunities. Grab the Eagles.

During bowl season the Sun Belt has done an outstanding job over the years. Appalachian State has stood out from the pack thanks to their superb regular seasons. They’ll look to finish off another great year against a Middle Tennessee team that lost two of their final three games. Yet Appalachian State’s methodical offense is an issue ATS. Grab the points here on Middle Tennessee. 

Fresno State will look to finish off a solid year with a victory over a potent Arizona State offense. Arizona State is led by senior quarterback Manny Wilkins whom has done a solid job transitioning from Todd Graham. Still, ASU’s defense is going to have high problems against the Bulldogs offense. That’s where the tail end growth of ASU nixing a defensive strategy comes into play. Look for ASU to match the Bulldogs scoring and cover an aggressive line move.  

This is a spot where a young team can grow within the season from a Chicago Bears stand point. In a similar spot the Bears stormed out to a sizable lead against the New England Patriots only to lose their composure in small areas (special teams, turnovers, etc). With Mitch Trubisky returning rust is expected but look for the Bears defense to continue being opportunistic. Grab Chicago. 

On the year the Arizona Cardinals have been a solid team ATS. They’re one of the few teams that have been able to accomplish this with a poor record. After last week’s outright win against the Packers their value is sky high. With the Lions poor road record and tailspin season this is a tough spot to assess, especially with the Cardinals new found rushing attack. Yet look for the Lions to get some balance going for four quarters and defeat Arizona. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers suddenly find themselves with their backs against the walls. Two straight losses and three straight wins by the Ravens have made the AFC North very interesting. While the Raiders are still abysmal on both sides of the ball they’re starting to show signs of fight. The ability to play spoiler should keep this team in another game on a high spread. Grab the Raiders. 

At no point this season have the Eagles looked like prior Super Bowl champions. They’ve struggled to generate the same offense under the same scheme and defensively they’re not the same. They’ll take on a Washington Redskins team that has equal incentive to win with playoff hopes riding on tonight. Extra rest is tied into the Redskins MNF spread similar to their MNF matchup against the Saints (Off a bye week). Look for similar results as the Redskins have been a team ready to crumble for weeks. Grab Philadelphia.

Both the Chargers and Steelers have a common loss on their resume in losing to Denver. Aside from each loss both have ripped off big win streaks. In a potential playoff wild card matchup look for the Chargers to continue their upper level play on the road. Overall they’re 4-1 on the road and also have a home London win on their belt. Look for the Chargers to find plenty of offense on the Steelers defense similar to the way the KC Chiefs spread offense attacked. Grab LA 

The injury ravaged San Francisco 49ers have not been effective ATS. That’s not the norm for a team getting points on a weekly basis. Yet this week’s matchup bodes advantageous for the 49ers. Value factors are available with the 49ers heavy road travel. They’re coming off a trip to Tampa Bay, Florida and now will go into the always difficult Seahawks Century Link Field. The Seahawks recent big wins are a bit misleading as they’ve been in difficult holes. Look for that to be a catalyst in a 49ers cover. Grab San Francisco

It’s hard to believe that the Jets were once a .500 team near the mid-season point at 3-3. Five straight losses have all been linked to ATS results as well. After last week’s near cover it showcased just how poor the Jets talent is offensively. Many would expect the Titans to storm over the Jets but the Titans have a look of a team that’s shaken. Tough losses on the year including a failed two point conversion against the Chargers and consecutive division losses are gut wrenching. Grab the value on the Jets.

A revenge spot for the Sooners lies in Saturday’s Big 12 matchup against Texas. With a win and a Georgia loss the Sooners likely would make it back to the CFB playoff. Motivation to impress for the committee is certainly a spread uplifter. Instead look for Texas to play spoiler in more ways than one. The Sooners have been winning but they’ve shown plenty of weaknesses as of late. Grab Texas.

For the first time the Sun Belt hosts a conference championship. As expected Appalachian State is back but will take on a veteran UL Lafayette team. A vulnerable element for a high spread is the fact that the Mountaineers haven’t been scoring many points in-conference. Instead they’ve relied on their defense and that’s where the value on Appalachian State lies. In four of their six conference wins they’ve allowed ten points or less. Expect much of the same Saturday and a cover.

The second matchup of the season between the Packers and Vikings will be on Sunday Night football. This is a do or die matchup for both the Vikings and Packers as each team has to make a run to get into the post-season. While many are use to Aaron Rodgers willing his team after an average start times are changing. Look for the Vikings depth and prime time devalue (2 SNF losses) to play into the hands of the small favorite. Grab Minnesota.

Off a poor loss to the Broncos signs are that the Chargers may revert to the pattern of seasons past. Yet the NFL is a new style game that bodes to the advantage of the Chargers ATS Sunday against the Cardinals. The safe Cardinals passing offense under new OC Byron Leftwich appears to be hitting a bit of a wall. Look for the Chargers to be aggressive defensively and for a big day for the Chargers.

Two former top twenty-five teams have seen reversals of their seasons. California has turned theirs around thanks to improved defense and winning three of their last four. Meanwhile Colorado has dropped six straight while not covering any of those matchups. Damaging their season further was the firing of Coach MacIntyre, with him gone for Saturday the line has moved further up. Instead of looking at the Buffaloes dropping their heads look for them to play strong. They still have a chance to become bowl eligible and will put up a hard fought game. 

The SMU Mustangs will have one last try to secure a bowl bid after faltering last week to Memphis. They’ll take on a Tulsa team that’s record is not true to their true capabilities. With a chance to play spoiler expect Tulsa to play with impact energy. On the year all four of their home losses were by close margins. That’ll continue Saturday and on a small number be key to an SMU cover. 

In key spots the Syracuse Orangemen have shown they’re still a few key position spots away from having the talent to be elite. In all likelihood they’ll be without senior quarterback Eric Dungey and have to rely on freshman Tommy DeVito. DeVito did not look prepared last week but has shown the capabilities to be an emerging quarterback. Look for Syracuse’s defense to be prepared off the embarrassing performance and boost the Cuse’s chances.

Bettors are backing the strength of schedule of Marshall over Florida Internationals. Marshall faced Southern Miss in conference as the Panthers did not, they also had a non-conference loss to NC State. Returning from three of four road games the pressure is certainly on the Panthers. Look for them to respond 

Nebraska’s end of season conclusion in the right direction has one more stop Friday. They’ll travel to Iowa and take on a Hawkeyes team that is coming off one of the more dominating victories of the season. Last week they walloped Illinois 63-0 to improve to 7-4 on the year. The Cornhuskers will face a step up in class against the Hawkeyes in a road environment. Yet look for the line move to provide value on the underdog. Grab Nebraska. 

The Atlanta Falcons disappointing season has finally crossed over to value depreciation. On a short week they’ll take on a Saints team that has shown no mercy against countless opponents including last year’s Super Bowl champion in the Philadelphia Eagles. The dismantling of the Eagles on a high number forced the oddsmakers hands on a short week. Look for Atlanta to show signs of a divisional team and cover a high number. 

Coming off a bye week the NFC North race can be swung a tad with Sunday Night football’s matchup between the Vikings and Bears. From a strength of schedule standpoint oddsmakers have not been fooled by the Bears. Their lone win against a quality opponent came in week two against the Seahawks, and their 3-straight wins came against the Jets, Bills, and Lions. Yet there is a moment to swing a division and give a new team momentum. The Vikings still have ATS value attraction based on last year’s strong run but look for the Bears to add a cushion to the division. 

Growing momentum ATS has continued to pick up for the Chargers. Beyond the mid-season it can be hard for bettors to gravitate towards a team. Well the Chargers have rolled off six straight wins and covered five in a row. After four straight games on the road one would expect a team rolling to continue at home. Yet look for the Broncos and their inner divisional knowledge of the Chargers to keep this closer than oddsmakers think. Grab the Broncos.

Since changing over and firing offensive coordinator Mike McCoy the Cardinals have looked much better. New OC Byron Leftwich has blended the offense for proper play calls to aide rookie Josh Rosen. A comeback win over San Francisco and a tough loss to the KC Chiefs showcased that the Cardinals are playing harder. That can’t be said for the Oakland Raiders whom have looked poor in every possible phase. Yet this is a spot where the Raiders personnel is not over whelmed talent-wise. Grab the value on Oakland. 

There are few teams in college football that have got more out of their talent than ASU. There’s no doubt that Herm Edwards has had his team well prepared week in and week out. Now they’ll venture on the road to Oregon against a Ducks team that’s decimated with injuries on both sides of the football. That’s a big factor in the small line but look for the Ducks to be ready for the Devils simplified game plan. Grab Oregon.

After the Cowboys faltered in the fashion they did one has to wonder their psyche for Saturday. They’ll face a Mountaineers team that has shown no mercy home or away and is primed to put on another offensive dazzling show behind quarterback Will Grier. Oklahoma State’s poor conference record has created value on them Saturday. Look for an enthused Cowboys squad that puts in a max effort. Grab Oklahoma State. 

The fact that Georgia State has not been winning is well known at just 2-8. Yet they’ve been able to produce points within the conference. They’re averaging 31 points per game through six conference games. Yet Appalachian State has a size/speed advantage to limit the Panthers offense. Grab Appalachian State to cruise Saturday.

The Dallas Cowboys hit a team low point losing to the Tennessee Titans off their bye week. A defense that had been strong most of the year failed to get off the field and the offense continued its woes. They’ll face an Eagles team that for the third time this season will have extra days of preparation (2 Thursday games/Bye Week). That’s a factor into this spread as well as the Cowboys abysmal 0-4 record. Grab the Cowboys.

The Packers did not get any scheduling benefits with their criss cross consecutive games against the Patriots and Rams. They’ll face a Dolphins team that has a bit of confidence at 5-4 with a sound home performance win over the Jets. This is where the early season high lines of the Packers finally sways to their advantage. Even off their high mileage consecutive road games expect the Packers defense to hunker down and limit a Dolphins offense that’s struggled on the road. Grab Green Bay. 

After a stretch that featured three of four home games the Oregon State Beavers now venture on the road to take on Stanford. Thus far on the year Oregon State’s Pac-12 losses have all been by high-teens or higher. With a Stanford team looking for confidence one would expect this to be a boosting ATS performance. Instead the Cardinals issues are prevalent against any Pac-12 opponent. Look for Oregon State to take advantage in regards to a high number. 

In a span of a week the Utah Utes went from a potential Pac-12 threat to back in the pack with everyone. The defensive schemes of Arizona State gave Utah huge problems as well as a broken collarbone injury to Nick Huntley. Undoubtedly the task will be tough for Utah starting a backup quarterback. Yet Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert has not been the same since a home win against Washington. Grab the home short favorite value on the Utes.

For the first time the Sun Belt conference will host a conference championship this season. That’s a factor to consider in Saturday’s Troy vs Georgia Southern matchup. Over the years Troy has been one of the prominent Sun Belt teams along with Appalachian State, yet Georgia Southern has a chip on their shoulder after last week’s loss. Look for the Eagles to regroup on a number that likely would have been in their favor if they were still undefeated in conference.

A profiled team the last month for myself has been North Carolina. They’ve been a strange team for oddsmakers to figure out. On paper their talent does not match their record of 1-7. It’s been an under lying factor as they have not lost by more than ten points in four straight weeks. This is the week that ATS value is finally on their side as the Duke Blue Devils return home off of three of four road games. Grab the value on North Carolina.

Sometimes towards the tail end of a season you can get reverse value in key matchups. That’s the case with TCU against West Virginia. Off of West Virginia’s thrilling victory over Texas they have their sights on something special. Opposite TCU has struggled mightily at just 4-5 as Michael Collins has taken over at quarterback for injured quarterback Shawn Robinson. Their ugly one point win over Kansas State to end a three-game losing streak did not showcase any positives. Yet look for TCU to hang around as West Virginia comes back down to Earth.

Seeing teams make a big push in the polls late in the year does not happen. For the Syracuse Orangemen they’ve had quite a reversal after a near third straight loss at home against UNC. That game sparked them and they now have regained momentum offensively to match an under rated defense. Over the years they’ve had their woes against Louisville and the Cardinal have not shied away from running up scores. Victories in 2017 of 56-10, 2016 in 62-28, and 2015 41-17. Look for the Orange to give the Cardinal a dose of their own medicine as a heavy upper class Orange squad delivers ATS. 

Stand out successive wins have been the staple for the Ohio Bobcats. They’ve won three straight games by an average of 53 points. Defensively they’ve matched their potent offense by giving up fourteen points in each of those contests. They’ll face a Miami-Ohio team that’s been subpar offensively all season. Yet they’ve also had a road heavy schedule playing five of their last seven away. Look for Miami-Ohio to find balance defensively to keep them in this game. Grab Miami-Ohio. 

The clear front runner in the MAC has been Buffalo. At 8-1 they’ve shown versatility each and every week. This started with a runaway victory as six point road favorites against Rutgers. They’ve also shown an uncanny ability to surpass the number ATS. Tonight should be another instance as the drop down in line value is centered on Kent States recent string of close losses. Grab Buffalo 

The Dallas Cowboys showed enough before their bye week to believe they’re a team turning the corner. An unfortunate loss to Washington happens in inner divisional play. As poor as the Titans have been offensively this season one can expect it to be difficult to score against the Dallas defense. Yet this Titans team is also under rated defensively and should be able to gut out a tough road performance. Grab the underdog Titans. 

There are certain teams that have a look mid-season that may be their peak form. The New Orleans Saints are at that point. Defensively they’ve sharped up from last year’s issues against the Rams and their playoff exit against the Vikings. The undefeated Rams will be able to throw different defensive looks to keep the Saints offense at bay. Yet it’s the defensive improvements that give the Saints the edge. Grab the Saints to give the Rams their first loss of the season. 

Nothing has been pretty with the Denver Broncos offensively this season aside from Philip Lindsay. At this juncture don’t be surprised to see Denver rotate their offensive mindset to what was working in the second half against the Chiefs. More runs versus risky throws from quarterback Case Keenum. The Texans five straight wins coupled with extra rest from a Thursday victory pose as value for the home Broncos. Grab Denver. 

Sometimes teams can get a dose of their own medicine in a quick scenario. The Seahawks took advantage of their bye week to script out a great game plan offensively and defensively against the Lions. Now they’ll face a Chargers team that has ample time post bye week and has an under rated element as they’ve been masked by the Chiefs start. LA’s balance offensively and defensively is not mind blowing but they’ve found a way to thrive with Rivers controlling his turnovers. Grab the Chargers as oddsmakers placed high value on the Seahawks home strength that has featured just a two-point loss to the Rams. 

The Minnesota Vikings are a team that are showing a bit of weakness signs. At this time last year they were going upward with Case Keenum under center. One would expect the same in the signing of veteran Kirk Cousins but that has not been the case. Although the Lions performed woefully post against the Seahawks one has to give the Seahawks credit for a post bye week game plan. Grab the value here on the Lions.

Certain teams have a lull ATS yearly hangover to the public and sharps. That team is the Atlanta Falcons. A near Super Bowl champ two years ago to a divisional round exit last year. With many of the same pieces on both sides of the ball things just have not been the same. Even coming off a bye week the value remains on the Redskins. This is a team that has found a way to win games late and is under valued at home. Grab the Redskins.

During a short week the Dolphins defense suffered mightily against the Texans potent offense. That should change this week against a Jets offense that did very little in a road spot last week against the Bears. Marking his fourth consecutive start for the Fish will be Brock Osweiler whom has looked comfortable under center at home. Miami’s early season road win at the Jets coupled with the Jets plethora of injuries poses as value on the Dolphins. Yet look for the Jets to shake off last week’s rust and attack a Miami defense that appears to be worsening as the season stretches on.