Sunday 9-3-17 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

[Can'tPickAWinner]

[New York Knight]

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech from Landover, MD (Sun. - ABC, 7:30 p.m.)


Unless you're alumni, or from the Appalachia region, this game doesn't have as much meaning. But, ahh, you'll watch because it's football, and, well, it's football. The Mountaineers of the Big 12 head to suburban D.C. looking to shine their star a bit. They haven't fared well against the number in big games in recent times, going 6-15 ATS in their past 21 against ACC foes, 1-4 ATS in their past five non-conference battles and 0-4 ATS in their past four on a neutral field. On the flip side, Virginia Tech is tabbed to contend for the Coastal Division in the ACC, and another 10-win season could easily be within reach. The 'over' has hit in four of the past five for West Virginia on a neutral field, whilegoing 5-1-1 in Virginia Tech's past seven in such situations. Therefore an offensive feast might be on tap. Virginia Tech has hit the over in 13 of their past 16 outside of the ACC, too.

[New York Knight]

Texas A&M at UCLA (Sun., Sept. 3 - FOX, 7:30 p.m. ET)


In one of the final games of the opening weekend, Texas A&M invades the Rose Bowl to battle UCLA. While a lot of the national media focuses on cross-town rival USC's QB, the Bruins have a good one of their own in Josh Rosen. He is making his way back from a shoulder injury which derailed his season early on. He is healthy, and if the team's offensive line play is better he has a chance to lead this team to big things. The Aggies have promise at QB, but it's uncertain if we'll see Jake Hubenek, Kellen Mond or Nick Starkel - or all three - in the opener. Both teams have struggled in non-conference games lately, with A&M 2-6 ATS in their past eight and UCLA 0-5 ATS in their past five outside of the conferences.

[New York Knight]

Sunday, September 3


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W VIRGINIA (10 - 3) vs. VIRGINIA TECH (10 - 4) - 9/3/2017, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
W VIRGINIA is 10-23 ATS (-15.3 Units) against ACC opponents since 1992.
W VIRGINIA is 6-19 ATS (-14.9 Units) in games played on a neutral field since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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TEXAS A&M (8 - 5) at UCLA (4 - 8) - 9/3/2017, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS A&M is 10-22 ATS (-14.2 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points since 1992.
TEXAS A&M is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
UCLA is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1992.
UCLA is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TEXAS A&M is 1-0 against the spread versus UCLA over the last 3 seasons
TEXAS A&M is 1-0 straight up against UCLA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[New York Knight]

7:30 PM
WEST VIRGINIA vs. VIRGINIA TECH
West Virginia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Virginia Tech
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of West Virginia's last 5 games when playing Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Virginia Tech is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing West Virginia



7:30 PM
TEXAS A&M vs. UCLA
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Texas A&M's last 18 games
Texas A&M is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of UCLA's last 7 games
UCLA is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games

[New York Knight]

Sunday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider




**Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia**

-- These former Big East rivals will square of in Landover, MD, where the Redskins call home in NFL action. FedEx Field is located 214 miles away from Morgantown and 285 miles from Blacksburg. These schools haven’t met since 2005. Virginia Tech has a 9-3 record in this rivalry.

-- As of Saturday afternoon, most betting shops had Virginia Tech installed as a four or 4.5-point favorite with a total of 51.5. The Mountaineers were available on the money line for a +175 return (risk $100 to win $175).

-- Virginia Tech went to the ACC Championship Game in its first season under Justin Fuente, coming up on the short end of a 42-35 decision against eventual national champ, Clemson. The Hokies took the cash as 10.5-point underdogs, however. Also, they overcame a 24-0 halftime deficit to rally past Arkansas for a 35-24 win as seven-point ‘chalk’ at the Belk Bowl.

-- Fuente’s first team finished 10-4 straight up and 8-6 against the spread. The negative was losing twice as a double-digit favorite at Syracuse (31-17) and vs. Ga. Tech (30-20) but after four consecutive seasons of winning eight games or fewer, the vibe out of Blacksburg was all positive going into the offseason.

-- Virginia Tech returns five starters on offense and seven on defense. Josh Jackson, a redshirt freshman, has won the starting QB job and will replace Jerod Evans. Jackson will rely heavily on senior wide receiver Cam Phillips, who had 76 receptions for 983 yards and five touchdowns last year. Junior Travon McMillian will get the bulk of the carries after rushing for 671 yards and seven TDs in 2016. McMillian averaged 4.6 yards per carry.

-- Virginia Tech has one of the top defensive coordinators in all of college football in Bud Foster. His unit gave up 22.8 points per game last season. This group has 11 of its top 14 tacklers back, including junior outside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who was a third-team All-American selection in ’16. Edmunds produced 106 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, nine QB hurries, three passes broken up, one forced fumble and one interception. Senior MLB Andrew Motuapuaka recorded 114 tackles, 3.5 TFL’s, two sacks, five QB hurries, four passes broken and three interceptions.

--West Virginia is off its best season since joining the Big 12 in 2012. Dana Holgorsen’s squad went 10-3 SU and 5-8 ATS, but it lost a 31-14 decision to Miami as a 2.5-point underdog at the Russell Athletic Bowl. Holgorsen has taken WVU to five bowl games in six years, going 2-3 in those postseason appearances. This was Holgorsen’s second year with a double-digit win total (10-3 in ’11), but the Mountaineers hadn’t won more than eight games in their first four years of Big 12 play. Holgorsen is now 46-31 at WVU, going 4-4 in eight neutral-site games with a 2-6 spread record.

-- This game will mark the return of former Florida QB Will Grier, who led the Gators out to a 6-0 start in ’15 before being issued a one-year suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. After the end of the season, Grier decided to transfer to WVU and had to sit out ’16 per transfer rules. He has two years of eligibility remaining. As a redshirt freshman ’15 with UF, Grier completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 1,204 yards with a 10/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also rushed for 116 yards and two scores.

-- WVU brings back only eight of 22 starters, five on offense and merely three on defense. Senior RB Justin Crawford returns after rushing for 1,184 yards and four TDs with a 7.3 YPC average. Sophomore Kennedy McKoy started a pair of games at RB as a true freshman, producing 472 rushing yards and four TDs while averaging 6.5 YPC.

-- WVU lost its top two pass catchers, but senior Ka’Raun White appears poised to have a breakout year. White had 48 catches for 583 yards and five TDs last season. Junior Jovon Durante had 35 catches for 331 yards and two TDs, but he elected to transfer Florida Atlantic a few weeks ago. Marcus Simms, a sophomore WR who had six catches for 95 yards and one TD in 10 games as a freshman, is currently suspended.

-- WVU lost four of its top five tacklers from the best defense of Holgorsen’s tenure. That unit allowed 24.0 PPG. One of the three returning starters is out indefinitely with a knee injury. That would be sophomore LB David Long, who recorded 65 tackles, two sacks, 2.5 TFL’s and two QB hurries last season. WVU’s defensive leader is senior LB Al-Rasheed Benton, who had 80 tackles, three QB hurries, one TFL and one interception in ’16. Senior LB Kyzir White had 58 tackles, three sacks, four TFL’s, five PBU and one QB hurry.

-- ABC will have the telecast at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.



**Texas A&M at UCLA**

-- As of Saturday afternoon, most spots had UCLA listed as a four-point favorite with a total of 57. The Aggies were +160 on the money line.

-- When these teams met in College Station in last season’s opener, UCLA trailed 24-9 with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Bruins scored on back-to-back drives and after Josh Rosen threw a 62-yard TD pass to Kenneth Walker, his two-point conversion pass to Austin Roberts knotted the score. In overtime, Texas A&M got a one-yard TD run from Trevor Knight and then got a stop to capture a 31-24 win. The Aggies covered the number as four-point home favorites, while ‘under’ backers took a tough-luck push when the 55 combined points hit right on the total.

-- Rosen threw for 343 yards and one TD in the losing effort at A&M, but he was intercepted three times. UCLA had a 468-442 advantage in total offense. RB Soso Jamabo rushed for a team-high 91 yards on 23 carries. For the Aggies, Trayveon Williams ran for 94 yards on 15 totes, while Christian Kirk had 107 all-purpose yards on 11 touches.

-- This is a crucial season for Texas A&M sixth-year head coach Kevin Sumlin, who has seen his last three teams get off to hot starts only to collapse down the stretch. The end result has been three straight 8-5 campaigns after his tenure started with an 11-2 record in ’12 and a 9-4 ledger in ’13. Sumlin owns a 44-21 record at A&M and a 79-38 career record that includes his time at Houston.

-- Texas A&M won its first six games last season and had a 14-13 lead in the third quarter at top-ranked Alabama. However, the Crimson Tide scored 20 unanswered points en route to a 33-14 victory. The Aggies would lose five of their last seven contests, including their last four SEC games. They lost at Mississippi St. and vs. Ole Miss (against a starting QB taking his first-ever collegiate snaps) as double-digit favorites. Also, A&M dropped a 33-28 decision to Kansas St. at the Texas Bowl.

-- Texas A&M returns five starters on offense and seven on defense. Williams enjoyed a banner freshman campaign, rushing for a team-best 1,057 yards and eight TDs while averaging 6.8 YPC. Keith Ford also ran for 669 yards and six TDs, averaging 5.3 YPC, so the Aggies are set in the backfield with a pair of quality players. They lost three excellent WRs in Josh Reynolds, Speedy Noil and Ricky Seals-Jones. However, Christian Kirk is back after garnering first-team All-American honors for his special-teams play. Kirk had 83 catches for 928 yards and nine TDs and also scored three times on punt returns.

-- Texas A&M lost its top two tacklers and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft in Myles Garrett. Nevertheless, John Chavis’s unit will be a solid group in ’17. Senior DBs Armani Watts and Donovan Wilson are All-SEC candidates. Wilson tallied 59 tackles, 4.5 TFL’s, two QB hurries, two PBU, one interception and one sack in ’16, while Watts produced 56 tackles, one sack, five TFL’s, three PBU, two interceptions and one QB hurry.

-- Sumlin has named redshirt freshman Nick Starkel as his starting QB. He’ll be making his first career start on the road, which is typically a difficult task.

-- Texas A&M senior starting cornerback Nick Harvey is out indefinitely with a knee injury. Harvey recorded f66 tackles, one interception and 10 PBU last season.

-- UCLA won at least eight games in each of Jim Mora Jr.’s first four seasons, but it limped to a 4-8 record last year after losing Rosen to a season-ending shoulder injury. Before going down in the sixth game, Rosen completed 59.3 percent of his throws with a 10/5 TD-INT ratio. He also had a pair of rushing TDs. As a true freshman in ’15, Rosen started all 13 games and connected on 60.0 percent of his passes for 3,668 yards with a 23/11 TD-INT ratio.

-- UCLA lost four one-possession games last season. The Bruins won at BYU and at home over UNLV, Arizona and Oregon St. They bring back nine starters on offense and six on defense.

-- UCLA returns its top-five rushers and its top two WRs, but the ground game was a joke last season. Jamabo rushed for a team-high 321 yards and three TDs, but he averaged just 3.9 YPC. In fact, the Bruins top three rushers each averaged 3.9 YPC or fewer. WR Darren Andrews is off a 55-catch campaign that netted 709 receiving yards and four TD grabs. Jordan Lasley had 41 receptions for 620 yards and five TDs.

-- UCLA’s defense allowed 27.5 PPG in ’16. This unit will be led by senior LB Kenny Young, a second-team All Pac-12 pick last year when he had 90 tackles, five sacks, 3.5 TFL’s, two PBU and one interception.

-- UCLA owns an 11-13 spread record in 24 games as a ,home favorite on Mora’s watch. The Bruins are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 such spots.

-- Texas A&M has compiled a 4-7 spread record as a road underdog during Sumlin’s tenure.

-- Kickoff on FOX is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

[New York Knight]

R&R Totals

OVER 51.5 West Virginia/Virginia Tech

[New York Knight]

Mikey Sports

UCLA -3.5

[New York Knight]

Atlantic Sports

St Louis Cardinals even

[New York Knight]

The Vegas Steam Line

MINNESOTA (Santana) -150 over Kansas City

[New York Knight]

Nevada Sharpshooter

KANSAS CITY/MINNESOTA UNDER the total of 9½

[New York Knight]

RAZOR SHARP

SEATTLE (Albers) -130 over Oakland

[New York Knight]

John Anthony Sports

Baltimore Orioles - 135

[New York Knight]

High Stakes Syndicate

Los Angeles Dodgers -205

[New York Knight]

Hawkeye Sports

Chicago Cubs -260

[New York Knight]

Sharp Bettor

(921) TAMPA BAY RAYS (M ANDRIESE - R) VS (922) CHICAGO WHITE SOX (L GIOLITO).

Play UNDER the total.

[New York Knight]

Platinum Plays

Toronto Blue Jays w/Anderson +125 over Baltimore

[New York Knight]

#1 Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers -205

[New York Knight]

Roz's Sunday, September 3, 2017, Free Pick

(909) ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (L WEAVER - R) VS (910) SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (M BUMGARNER).

Play the Giants.

[New York Knight]

Totals4U

St Louis Cardinals/San Francisco Giants under 8