Saturday 9-9-17 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

[New York Knight]

When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 9, 2017
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Preview: Stanford at USC
Gracenote
Sep 6, 2017

No. 5 USC has lost seven of the last nine meetings in the all-time series but will look to buck that trend when it hosts 14th-ranked Stanford in a Pac-12 matchup on Saturday. Stanford has won three in a row against USC since suffering a 13-10 loss in 2014, with all three wins coming by double digits.

The teams had vastly different experiences in their season-opening victories. The Cardinal traveled to Australia to play Rice on Aug. 26 and won so easily, the starters were able to watch the second half of the 62-7 victory from the sideline. The Trojans didn't have it so easy in their opener last Saturday, falling into 28-28 tie against visiting Western Michigan midway through the fourth quarter before escaping with a 49-31 win. USC's most glaring weakness seemed to be its tackling, and that's an area that must be improved against an even more physical Stanford team.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: USC -6.5

ABOUT STANFORD (1-0): The Cardinal pride themselves on their offensive balance, and running back Bryce Love looked comfortable against the Trojans last season, rushing for 51 yards on 11 carries. Love doesn't have to share the backfield this season with Christian McCaffrey, the No. 8 overall draft pick of the Carolina Panthers last spring, and should get the chance to play the entire game against USC, so expect 20-25 carries. Love also should relieve some of the pressure on senior quarterback Keller Chryst, who's 7-0 as a starter at Stanford but still green in many ways.


ABOUT USC (1-0): The Trojans will try for the same type of balance as Stanford, but quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Ronald Jones II need to avoid looking desperate for their first career win against the Cardinal. Darnold wasn't yet the starter when Stanford beat USC last season but moved into that role the following week, and the Trojans have won 10 of 11 since. Jones could be the key if the Trojans' defense can prevent another shootout, as his workload was limited in the second half against Western Michigan.

EXTRA POINTS

1. USC has won 10 straight games against FBS opponents, the nation's second-longest streak behind Oklahoma (11). Stanford is fifth on that list at seven straight wins.

2. Stanford has made 177 consecutive extra-point attempts dating to Oct. 26, 2013, the third-longest streak in the nation behind Michigan (287) and Memphis (213).

3. Stanford has gained at least 500 yards of total offense and scored at least 40 points in four of its last five games.

PREDICTION: USC 24, Stanford 21

[New York Knight]

When: 10:15 PM ET, Saturday, September 9, 2017
Where: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah

Preview: Utah at BYU
Gracenote
Sep 6, 2017

Once a November staple with conference-title hopes usually on the line, the Utah-BYU game now is a non-league September matchup with little more at stake than Beehive State bragging rights. The latest installment of the Deseret First Duel is set for Saturday in Provo as the Cougars host the Utes.


This will be the fifth straight September game in the regular-season series – the teams also played in the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl – after a run of 92 straight October, November and December matchups that ended when Utah left the Mountain West for the Pac-12 Conference in 2011. “You just play them as they unfold as your schedule dictates so we don't have a lot of control over it right now,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, a BYU graduate, said at his weekly news conference Monday. “I think given the circumstances with the conference we are in, and the situation with the two schools, I think (the game) fits best right where we are at. I don't know how you could play it late in the season.” This will be second game and first road test for Whittingham’s Utes while the Cougars will be playing in their third game – and second home contest – following a 20-6 win over visiting Portland State and a 27-0 neutral-site shutout loss vs. No. 13 LSU last Saturday in New Orleans.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: BYU -1


ABOUT UTAH (1-0): Sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley made his first career start in the Utes’ Aug. 31 opener and was intercepted on his third pass of the game but impressively righted the ship to throw for 227 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 70 yards and two more scores in a 37-16 win over North Dakota of the FCS. “What you saw after those first couple series is what he’s all about,” Whittingham told the media. “He’s going to get better and better as the season wears on and as he gets more comfortable and settled in.” Huntley also has plenty of help in running back Zack Moss (22 carries-128 yards-TD vs. North Dakota) and wide receiver/Oregon transfer Darren Carrington (10 receptions-127 yards-1 TD) and a defense which limited the Fighting Hawks to 55 yards on 28 rushing attempts.

ABOUT BYU (1-1): The Cougars enter the contest with offensive concerns after being limited to 97 total yards and six first downs by the host Tigers. Quarterback Tanner Mangum has yet to get untracked at 28-of-51 for 296 yards, one TD and one interception so far while Squally Canada and the BYU rushing attack have similarly been bottled up with 166 yards on 49 attempts in the two games. Defensively, linebacker Fred Warner has totaled 18 tackles so far for a unit which has been much stouter against the pass (159.5 yards allowed per game) than the run (190 yards) so far.


EXTRA POINTS

1. Utah has won six straight and 11 of the last 15 games in the series after thwarting a BYU two-point conversion with 18 seconds remaining in last season’s 20-19 home win.

2. The Utes are looking for their first seven-game win streak in the series since 1957.

3. BYU DB Micah Hannemann will miss the first half Saturday after getting ejected for targeting vs. LSU.


PREDICTION: Utah 24, BYU 20

[New York Knight]

When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 9, 2017
Where: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon

Preview: Minnesota at Oregon State
Gracenote
Sep 6, 2017

After opening the season with a pair of uneven performances, Oregon State looks to put together a complete effort Saturday against visiting Minnesota. The Beavers, who were underwhelming in a blowout loss to Colorado State and a close win over FCS Portland State, need to see dramatic improvement against a Minnesota team led by energetic new coach P.J. Fleck.

Oregon State has given up 1,040 yards in the first two weeks of the season, including 515 in last Saturday’s 35-32 win over Portland State of the Big Sky Conference. The Beavers allowed 291 rushing yards against the Vikings and will be hard-pressed to slow down a Minnesota ground attack led by the duo of Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks, who combined for 145 yards and one touchdown in last Saturday’s 17-7 triumph over Buffalo. The Beavers have committed seven turnovers in their first two games and given fans little reason to believe they can be competitive in the Pac-12 North Division. “My biggest problem right now, I would say, is there’s not one part of the run game defense that we’re playing well,” coach Gary Andersen told reporters. “We’re not tackling well. The middle of the defense is soft at times. We have to become a team that can tackle, secure the edges in the run game.”

TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS1. LINE: Oregon State -2

ABOUT MINNESOTA (1-0): Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Johnson made six catches for 141 yards against Buffalo, including a 61-yard touchdown, as Fleck became the first Golden Gophers coach to win his debut since John Gutekunst in 1986. Conor Rhoda and Demry Croft shared time at quarterback and executed a conservative gameplan in the second half, while Smith and Brooks were held to a combined 145 rushing yards and a touchdown. Fleck was most impressed by the play of Antoine Winfield Jr., who led the defense with seven tackles and one sack, broke up a long flea-flicker and blocked a field-goal attempt.

ABOUT OREGON STATE (1-1): Senior inside linebacker Manase Hungalu battled through a bruised hip and finished with a team-high nine tackles, two tackles for loss and a 21-yard TD off an interception in the win over Portland State. While Hungalu has done his part, the rest of the defense has looked awfully similar to last season’s unit, which gave up 5.3 rushing yards per carry. On offense, junior quarterback Jake Luton has thrown three touchdowns against four interceptions in his first two games while running back Ryan Nall was limited to 59 yards and a score on 16 carries against Portland State.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Smith rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns to lead Minnesota to a 30-23 victory over the Beavers last season.

2. Oregon State is 53-17 over its last 70 games when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent.

3. Fleck held DE Tai’yon Devers out of the season opener for undisclosed reasons and said the sophomore also could miss Saturday’s game.

PREDICTION: Minnesota 27, Oregon State 24

[New York Knight]

When: 10:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 9, 2017
Where: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona

Preview: Houston at Arizona
Gracenote
Sep 5, 2017

Arizona will try to continue running wild when it hosts Houston on Saturday night. The Wildcats have rushed for more than 500 yards in back-to-back games, but that will be a tall task against an experienced Houston defense.

The Cougars, who did not play in Week 1 when their opener against Texas-San Antonio was postponed by Hurricane Harvey, have three of their top four tacklers returning, including AP Preseason All-American Ed Oliver. The Wildcats had six players record rushing touchdowns last week while piling up 506 yards, just shy of the school-record 511 Arizona had in last year's finale. Junior Brandon Dawkins didn't throw the ball well in the opener against Norther Arizona but is confident his offense can move the ball. "It just depends how the team plays us," Dawkins said after the opener. "We're a team that's built on having a triple-option attack: We can throw the ball, we can run the ball with our running backs or I can run the ball. So whatever a team does, we just gotta make sure we don't let them be right, and that's when our offense is most effective."

TV: 10:30 p.m., ESPNU. LINE: Houston -3.5.

ABOUT HOUSTON (2016: 9-4): First-year coach Major Applewhite won't announce a starting quarterback -- either Texas A&M transfer Kyle Allen (2,210 passing yards, 17 TDs, seven INTs in 2015) or senior Kyle Postma (29-of-46, 210 yards, two INTs in 10 games and one start last year) -- until Friday. The starter will be backed by returning starters Duke Catalon (518 rushing yards, 10 scores), Linell Bonner (98 catches for 1,118 yards, three scores) and Steven Dunbar (53 catches for 692 yards, five scores). Oliver (66 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, five sacks) is joined by leading tackler Matthew Adams (82 stops, two sacks) and Khalil Williams (69 tackles) from a squad that allowed 100.2 rushing yards last year.

ABOUT ARIZONA (1-0): Dawkins rushed for a team-high 92 yards and two scores and went 7-of-13 passing for 89 yards and a touchdown in the 62-24 opening win. Senior Nick Wilson added 87 rushing yards and a score while junior Tony Ellison caught five of Dawkins' completions for 79 yards and a score. The Wildcats forced three turnovers -- including two interceptions by Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles -- after having a minus-7 turnover margin last year, but allowed 562 yards to their FCS opponent.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Wildcats are 12-0 at home against non-Pac-12 opponents under coach Rich Rodriguez.

2. Shun Brown's 66-yard punt return TD topped Arizona's entire 2016 season total for punt return yards (56).

3. Applewhite said between 10-15 Houston players' immediate families were directly affected by flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

PREDICTION: Houston 34, Arizona 24

[New York Knight]

When: 10:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 9, 2017
Where: Martin Stadium, Pullman, Washington

Preview: Boise State at Washington State
Gracenote
Sep 6, 2017

Washington State once coveted Brett Rypien during the recruiting process but it has worked out much better that it is Luke Falk who serves as the squad's quarterback as the No. 22 Cougars entertain Boise State on Saturday. Rypien, the nephew of former Cougars' star Mark Rypien, chose Boise State and struggled in the Broncos' opener while Falk continued his assault on the school record books.

Falk opened his senior season with 311 yards passing and three touchdowns as Washington State rolled to a 31-0 victory over Montana State. The big performance gave him 92 career passing touchdowns as he surpassed Connor Halliday (90 from 2011-14) for the school mark and he needs just 101 passing yards to break the record set by Halliday (11,304) in that category. Meanwhile, Rypien had an inauspicious start to his junior campaign by going 13-of-23 for 160 yards and throwing an interception returned for a touchdown in a 24-13 win over Troy. Rypien's shaky performance saw him spelled by backup Montell Cozart -- a graduate transfer from Kansas who guided the team to both its offensive touchdowns -- but coach Bryan Harsin insists the job still solidly belongs to Rypien.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Washington State -10.5

ABOUT BOISE STATE (1-0): Rypien, who is from Spokane, Wash., passed for 299 yards and a touchdown in a victory over Washington State last season but also was picked off three times. Sophomore Alexander Mattison is the new starting running back and he recorded a 49-yard touchdown in the opener while accumulating 82 yards on 13 carries. The Broncos allowed just 215 yards and forced three turnovers against Troy with redshirt freshman linebacker Curtis Weaver registering two sacks in his first college game.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (1-0): Falk, who completed 33-of-39 passes in the opener, riddled Boise State at will last season when he completed 55-of-71 throws for 480 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Sophomore James Williams set school marks for a running back in the opener against Montana State as he caught 13 passes for 163 yards, while senior running back Jamal Morrow provided 116 all-purpose yards to move into eighth place in school history with 3,238. Junior defensive tackle Hercules Mata'afa dominates in the trenches with 27 career tackles for loss while sophomore safety Jalen Thompson stood out in the opener with a team-best seven tackles and his first career interception.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Washington State leads the series 4-1 but the Broncos recorded a 31-28 victory in Boise last season.

2. Redshirt freshman Avery Williams returned an 81-yard punt for touchdown versus Troy, the fifth longest in Broncos' history.

3. Falk's career passing touchdowns count ranks fifth in Pac-12 history and he needs 25 to surpass record-holder Matt Barkley (116 from 2009-12) of USC.

PREDICTION: Washington State 35, Boise State 28

[New York Knight]

When: 11:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 9, 2017
Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

Preview: San Diego State at Arizona State
Gracenote
Sep 6, 2017

Arizona State has yet to lose to San Diego State, but its perfect record likely will be put to the test when it hosts their showdown on Saturday. Arizona State is 10-0-1 all time against San Diego State, the only team it has faced at least 10 times without losing.

The Sun Devils looked vulnerable in their season opener against New Mexico State on Aug. 31, giving back most of a 24-point fourth-quarter lead before holding on to win 37-31. San Diego State is coming off an 11-3 season in which they easily beat Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl, and junior quarterback Christian Chapman is back as the starter and playing confidently. Arizona State allowed 398 passing yards and three touchdowns to New Mexico State, so its secondary is an area the Aztecs might look to exploit early. Kalen Ballage appears to have solidified himself as the No. 1 running back for the Sun Devils as he produced 79 yards on 18 rushes in the season opener while former 1,000-yard rusher Demario Richard was limited to just one carry.

TV: 11 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Arizona State -3.5

ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE (1-0): Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 2,133 yards and scored 17 touchdowns for the Aztecs last season, but he's now a rookie for the Philadelphia Eagles, opening the door for Rashaad Penny to show what he can contribute on a full-time basis. Penny still had 1,005 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns last season, but expect more of what he displayed in the season opener against UC Davis, when he totaled 197 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns. Penny, at 5-11, 220 pounds, is a much different runner than the 5-9, 175-pound Pumphrey, but still possesses breakaway speed.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (1-0): The Aztecs will need to find an answer for Manny Wilkins, who completed 22-of-27 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns against New Mexico State to become the first Arizona State quarterback to complete at least 80 percent of his passes in a season opener. Wilkins has thrown for 300 yards or more in three of his last four games dating to last year, and his confidence level will be key in this matchup. John Humphrey caught seven passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in his Arizona State debut and might be the fastest receiver San Diego State will face this season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Sun Devils have scored 70.8 percent of the time following a turnover since 2012, with 54.6 percent of the scores being touchdowns.

2. Humphrey's 123 receiving yards were the second-most by an Arizona State player in his debut behind the 201 recorded by Calvin Demery in 1969.

3. San Diego State is 22-3 in its last 25 games, and its .880 winning percentage since Oct. 3, 2015 is third-best in the FBS behind Alabama (.962) and Clemson (.929).

PREDICTION: San Diego State 31, Arizona State 30

[New York Knight]

MARC LAWRENCE

Play - Middle Tennessee State (Game 339).

Edges - Blue Raiders: Head coach Stockstill 5-0 ATS career after his team scored 10 or less points, and Stockstill 8-1 ATS in last nine game following a loss of 20 or more points… Orange: 6-19 SU and 8-17 ATS lined home games following a home game; and head coach Babers 1-3 SU and 0-3 ATS as a single-digit favorite in his career. With Raiders off their lowest scoring output at home since 2009, we recommend a 1* play on Middle Tennessee State. Thank you and good luck as always.

[New York Knight]

PRO COMPUTER GAMBLER

CFL | Sep 09, 2017
Hamilton vs. Ottawa

Hamilton+13½ -130

FREE CFL SYSTEM OF THE WEEK : Road dogs of +4 to +13 and Home dogs between -1 and +2 that finished last season at least 2 games below .500 are 88-44-4 ATS.

[New York Knight]

Wunderdog

New Mexico St/New Mexico
Over 72.5

The last four meetings have gone OVER, including New Mexico State's 32-31 win last year. The Aggies lost 37-31 at Arizona State in their opener as they scored 18 points fourth quarter points to make it respectable. Tyler Rogers threw 57 times and completed 40 passes for 398 yards and three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Aggies accumulated 549 yards of offense and allowed the Sun Devils to rack up 400 total yards, including 300 through the air. New Mexico defeated FCS Abilene Christian while rushing for 259 yards on 40 carries by seven different players. Lamar Jordan was 11-of-17 for 213 yards and a touchdown for the Lobos. New Mexico gave up 31 points per game last season and only two starters return from that stop-unit and New Mexico State allowed 39 points per contest. The Aggies are 21-6-1 OVER their last 28 road games and 19-7 OVER their last 26 September games. New Mexico has gone OVER 19 of its last 26 home games and 12 of its last 16 overall. Also, the Lobos are 6-1 OVER after an ATS loss.

[New York Knight]

The Real Animal

Wisconsin -31.5

At one time the NBA was a head coach carousal. Guys like Del Harris, Doug Moe, Kevin Loughery, and Brian Hill seemed to resurface every season without ever winning anything. I think it's safe to say a college football version of that will be Lane Kiffin in years to come. Kiffin and his new team, Florida Atlantic University, allowed 526 yards and 6.1 a carry in the 42-19 home defeat to Navy last week. Kiffin is now 7-9 in his last 16 games coached at USC, Tennessee, and Florida Atlantic Does anybody remember his NFL stint with the Raiders at 5-15? I will never understand teams that desire mediocre coaches with a shaky track record at best. This week in Madison the Badgers don't figure to get off to a 10-0 deficit like they did against Utah State and then score 59 points consecutively. Wisconsin averaged 5.2 yards per carry and it's safe to assume the famed Badger offensive line has more size and strength than Navy. Plus QB Alex Hornibrook was 15-of-23 with three touchdowns and 244 yards passing. Hard to get better balance offensively than what Wisconsin displayed last week. Jonathan Taylor and Bradrick Shaw ran for 87 and 84 yards respectively while star receiver Troy Fumagalli averaged 21 yards a catch on five receptions. FAU probably glad to be out of the Sunshine state this weekend although there were three lightening delays last week in Madison. FAU defensive line only averages 265 pounds per man. Kiffin is only 4-15 ATS in his last 19 as a head coach. Meanwhile Coach Chryst has cashed 4/5 recently when laying 20 or more. Watch the Badgers go to 14-6 ATS or 70% in non-Big 10 games with a blowout of epic proportion.

[New York Knight]

Rob Veno

Marshall at NC State
Under 55

Complete opposite results for these teams in Week 1 as NC State clearly won the box score and lost to South South Carolina while Marshall lost the box score but managed to beat Miami-Ohio. The Thundering Herd’s 31-26 win was propelled by 99- and 97-yard kickoff return touchdowns plus a 72-yard pick six. Aside from that, Marshall mustered 10 offensive points and 267 total yards. The most troubling aspect is the fact that their rushing attack was non-existent with only 67 true rushing yards on 24 carries (2.8 ypc). Defensively they had issues as well allowing Gus Ragland to throw for 298 yards and gain 429 overall. Those numbers are 67 and 62 yards above Miami’s averages last season and they are 56 and 79 more than Marshall allowed in 2016. The offseason chatter about a much improved defense did not happen last Saturday against a decent but not overwhelming MAC offense.

NC State meanwhile was victimized by a game opening 97-yard kickoff return touchdown by South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel and a pair of long TD passes (34 and 39 yards). Outside of those passes, South Carolina’s much heralded sophomore quarterback Jake Bentley and the Gamecocks offense managed just 173 yards on 48 total plays for a miserable yards per play average of 3.6. The Wolfpack held every statistical edge including +17 in first downs (29-12), +49 in total plays (99-50), +258 in total yards (504-246), +13:22 in TOP (36:41-22:19) and they threw for 415 yards. The game ended with NC State failing on 4th-and-goal from the 6-yard line and they also missed a 29-yard field goal.

Expect the backwards results to reverse themselves this weekend as Marshall figures to have a difficult time running on the Wolfpack’s front seven and protecting Chase Litton. On the other side, Ryan Finley should have his way with the Marshall secondary and it’s also likely that Dave Doeren’s group will focus on establishing more of a ground game this week. Laying the asking price of -24.5 is a bit over a what my power ratings suggest is a comfortable threshold (-21.5) but this one does set up nicely for an “under.” The current number of 55 allows some leeway in this matchup which if the fundamentals play out, should land somewhere in the 38-10 range.

[New York Knight]

Ian Cameron

Tulane -13

Tulane struggled in Willie Fritz’s first season on the job (4-8 ) be he has a very distinguished history of his teams improving from Year 1 to Year 2. Central Missouri jumped from 5-6 to 8-3 in Fritz's second year. At Sam Houston State; 6-5 to 14-1. And most recently, Georgia Southern where the Eagles went 8-4 and reached the postseason. It is reasonable to expect an uptick at Tulane and I think it happens thanks to one of the better defenses in the AAC. Eight starters are back from a unit that allowed only 364.5 ypg. And in last year’s very competitive 21-14 loss to Navy, Tulane held the Midshipmen to a respectable 287 yards and 5.2 ypc on the ground both marks below Navy’s seasonal averages (310 rypg/5.9 ypc). Offensively, Tulane may have found one of their most talented quarterback in some time with JC transfer Jonathan Banks earning the starting job in camp. When Banks was asked to throw the football last week in his first start, he completed 10-of-15 passes for 185 yards and a 3-0 TD-INT ratio. He also rushed for a team-high 69 yards.

Navy quarterback Zach Abey benefited from getting thrown into the fire late last season after starter Will Worth went down with an injury. Important to note that Worth was actually a fairly polished passer. He missed two games and still threw for nearly 1,400 yards and a stellar 11.9 ypa. But one of his worst showings of the year came against Tulane (5-of-12, 59 yards). Abey hasn’t shown nearly as much acumen in the passing game (3-for-10 in Week 1). Passing obviously isn’t a big part of either team’s game plan but whatever team is able to hit on a few big plays through the air will be on the fast track to a pointspread cover and I see Tulane as having the edge with Banks.

Tulane has outgained four of its last five opponents dating back to last season which speaks to Fritz’s ability to develop talent. And last year’s loss to. Navy came in Week 3; the infant stages of a complete program overhaul. Navy was not favored by double digits against a single FBS foe last season so this is somewhat of a rarified pointspread range. Tulane on the rise and more than capable of making this a one score affair.

[New York Knight]

Alan Harris

Calgary vs. Edmonton
Over 56

Two teams that have been trending to the over will meet when the Calgary Stampeders hit the road to take on the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, AB, on Saturday night. Calgary has posted a perfect 6-0-1 record to the over in their last seven games played in the month of September, and they have gone an excellent 5-1 to the over in their last six games following an ATS win. The Eskimos have been an over team as well in the spot they are in here on Saturday as they have gone a perfect 4-0 to the over in their last four games versus a West Division rival and they are 8-3 to the over in their last eleven Week 12 games. They have also gone up and over the number in seven of their last ten games when facing a team with a winning % of .500 or higher and they are a lights out 13-6 to the over in their last nineteen home games. Throw in the fact that these two teams have gone over the number in their last four head-to-head meetings, including a 39-18 win by Calgary on Monday, and that's where we'll have our play as we expect both teams to struggle a bit to get defensive stops in Edmonton on Saturday evening.

[New York Knight]

Jason Sharpe

Boise State / Washington State Under 58.5

Both of these two teams have well-known quarterbacks leading their teams, which gives them the reputation of bring more of an offensive team, but the fact is their defenses carried both of them in Week 1, allowing a combined 13 points for the week. I made this total in the low 50s, so looks to be lots of value here in this one. Go 'under' the total here.

[New York Knight]

Strike Point Sports

Syracuse -8.5

The Orange looked outstanding in their first game, and it was due to their understanding of Dino Babers' offensive schemes. Once this team clicks they are going to surprise some people. This game is by no means a trap game as they have the easiest part of their schedule the first three weeks. The Orange know that they need to take care of business the first few weekends if they have any shot at making a bowl game. Look for the Orange to control the tempo of this game throughout and for this squad to grab another easy victory. Yes, MTSU is a more viable opponent, but it won't matter as the Orange cruise 41-24