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Welcome to the inaugural issue of DRF Sports Form, which will be coming your way throughout the 2018 football season. Launched on the heels of the recent legalization of sports betting in both New Jersey and Delaware, we have created the publication to be the ultimate go-to source for anyone looking to get an edge.

The publication will cover every NFL game, and each issue will also deliver analysis on more than 40 college football games. Every issue will be packed with in-depth analysis, proprietary angles, and exclusive insight generated by Daily Racing Form’s renowned StatFox brand, which has been the leading logic in sports handicapping for more than two decades.

Those familiar with the online offerings at StatFox.com and FoxSheets.com are fully aware of the outstanding track record, which included a monster 2017 NFL regular season during which NFL Lock of the Week picks in StatFox’s Best Bets package compiled an impressive 12-4-1 ATS (75%) record. In the midst of that was an epic eight-week win streak during which StatFox NFL Lock of the Week picks went 8-0 ATS; all eight picks beat the spread by 6 points or more, with five of the eight picks beating the spread by more than 15 points. The average pick among the eight beat the spread by more than 16 points. Mean-while, StatFox ended its college football season on a 9-0 ATS run in games that were delivered in its Best Bets offering.

On behalf of everyone at Daily Racing Form and StatFox, I’d like to thank you for your interest in out latest product. We greatly appreciate your support and hope you stick with us for what promises to be a very exciting—and hopefully very profitable—2018 football season.

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Issue 1: August 30 - September 32018

ISSUE 1 AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 3, 2018

DAILY RACING FORM LLC



2018 REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 9 (-130) / UNDER 9 (+110)

ATLANTA FALCONS

2018 REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 5½ (-150) / UNDER 5½ (+130)

ARIZONA CARDINALS

OFFENSE: The offense will be built around RB David Johnson, who led the NFL in touchdowns and yards from scrim-mage in 2016 but suffered a season-ending wrist injury in Week 1 last September. QBs Sam Bradford and Josh Rosen both come to Arizona with injury concerns and inherit a flimsy offensive line. Catch-and-run throws to WR Larry Fitzgerald and Johnson are likely to be featured. The Cards lack proven skill-position talent beyond their two stars.DEFENSE: New head coach Steve Wilks is implementing a more basic defense than what James Bettcher ran in his three seasons as coordinator. Wilks and new coordinator Al Holcomb aim to force opponents to adjust to them and out-execute, rather than outsmart, opposing offenses. With All-Pro performers in OLB Chandler Jones and CB Patrick Peterson, and a rising young star in S Budda Baker, Arizona has the talent to remain a top-10 defense.BOTTOM LINE: Arizona has a new coaching staff and uncertainly under center—not a promising combination. While neither Bradford nor Rosen are likely to implode, they have little to work with. Defensively, a strong unit may experience growing pains adjusting to a new system. UNDER 5½PLAY

OFFENSE: Matt Ryan’s 2017 performance was disappointing coming off his 2016 MVP season, but his production wasn’t far off his career averages. WR Julio Jones remains one of the NFL’s premier playmakers, and Atlanta gets decent production from the rest of its receiving group when Jones draws defensive attention. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman might be the NFL’s best RB tandem when considering their ability to run and catch the ball.DEFENSE: Atlanta allowed only 28 points in two playoff games, including stymieing a Rams offense that had led the NFL in scor-ing during the regular season. Former first-round edge-rushers Vic Beasley and Takkarist McKinley need to improve, though the secondary is one of the league’s best with CBs Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford flanking S Keanu Neal. The front seven lost both DE Adrian Clayborn and DT Dontari Poe leaving in free agency.BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta’s offense is far removed from its 2016 dominance, as coordinator Steve Sarkisian has proven to be a major downgrade from former OC (and current 49ers head coach) Kyle Shanahan. Head coach Dan Quinn’s D is trending up, but that won’t be enough in a tough division. UNDER 9PLAY

Countdown to Kickoff!With the start of the 2018 NFL regular season now just days away, here’s how to place your bets on win props for all 32 NFL teams

While the following pages offer our take each of the 32 NFL teams prior to the start of the 2018 season, you might be looking only for the team that offers the best value on winning Super Bowl LIII. In that case, consider the Saints at 16-to-1.

Only once in the past seven NFL regular seasons have the Saints ranked lower than second in the league in total offense, and that was in 2013 when New Orleans finished fourth. They weren’t always able to turn all of that offense into victories, however, thanks to the defense ranking 31st, 31st and 27th in three straight 7-9 seasons in 2014, ’15 and ’16.

The Saints’ performance on the defensive side of the ball improved drastically last season, with the team finishing 17th in yards allowed and 10th in points allowed en route to an 11-5 regular season. There are reasons to believe the defense will continue to improve a season after cornerback Marshon Lattimore and safety Marcus Williams were arguably just as effective on the defen-sive side of the ball as fellow rookies right tackle Ryan Ramczkyk and running back Alvin Kamara were on the offensive side.

WWW.DRF.COM/SPORTSFORM | DRF SPORTS FORM AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 3, 2018 | PAGE 5


BALTIMORE RAVENS

2018 REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 9 (+140) / UNDER 9 (-160)

CAROLINA PANTHERS

2018 REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 5½ (-110) / UNDER 5½ (-110)

BUFFALO BILLS

OFFENSE: After another disappointing season from QB Joe Flacco, Baltimore overhauled its receiving corps by adding free agent WRs Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead, along with rookie TEs Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews—Brown could end up being the biggest prize after having signed a one-year, $5 million contract in March. RB Alex Collins emerged as a bona fide No. 1, but Baltimore is severely lacking in depth behind him.DEFENSE: While the Ravens defense put up impressive numbers last season, they faced a comically weak set of op-posing QBs (DeShone Kizer twice, E.J. Manuel, Matt Moore, Brett Hundley and Tom Savage among them). New to 2018’s schedule are Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers. While the secondary remains strong, the Ravens can’t be expected to force a league-high 34 turnovers for a second straight season. BOTTOM LINE: While Baltimore tallied nine wins a year ago, it was due in large part to a fortuitous schedule. The fact that the Ravens spent a first-round draft pick on quarterback Lamar Jackson suggests that they might be ready to start rebuilding what’s become a floundering offense. UNDER 8PLAY


OFFENSE: RB LeSean McCoy remains one of the league’s most productive runners, though he reportedly came out of Buffalo’s second preseason game with a sore groin, has some off-field troubles looming and will be without three starting offensive lineman from a year ago. The passing game is bound to be feeble, as Buffalo has arguably the league’s worst receiving corps and a trio of unproven quarterbacks vying for playing time.DEFENSE: Buffalo’s opportunistic defense had quite a few bounces go its way last season. The secondary was great, with CB Tre’Davious White making an immediate impact as a playmaking rookie and veteran safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer each intercepting five passes. The front seven failed to generate much pass-rushing pressure, though the arrival of former Panthers DT Star Lotulelei gives the Bills a stout interior defensive line.BOTTOM LINE: After ending their long playoff drought in surprising fashion, the Bills are likely to take a step back in Sean McDermott’s second season as head coach. Although the offense lacks talent and the defense’s luck is due to run out, it’s hard to think Buffalo will be worse than a six-win team.

OVER 5½PLAY

OFFENSE: New coordinator Norv Turner has acknowledged that the Panthers are at their best when QB Cam Newton uses his legs, despite the injury risk. RB C.J. Anderson will try to revive the team’s power run game, and he should represent an upgrade over departed veteran RB Jonathan Stewart. RB Christian McCaffrey is in for a larger role as both a runner and receiver. TE Greg Olsen’s return from an injury-mired 2017 offsets a weak WR group.DEFENSE: New coordinator Eric Washington, a Carolina assistant since 2011, won’t be making many changes to the Panthers’ 4-3 scheme. LBs Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Shaq Thompson are the most athletic and effective linebacking corps in the league, though Davis suspended until Week 6. The secondary lacks talent, but it’s a weakness that’s overcome by both a zone scheme and a defensive line that accounted for 40 of Carolina’s 50 sacks in 2017.BOTTOM LINE: The NFC South is a tough division, and a defense susceptible in the passing game could be an issue against the likes of Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston. Only three of Carolina’s first 13 games, however, are against teams that reached the playoffs last season.

OVER 9PLAY




CLEVELAND BROWNS


CINCINNATI BENGALS

OFFENSE: Chicago hired former Chiefs OC Matt Nagy as its head coach, and he has revamped the passing game around second-year QB Mitch Trubisky. The Bears had an utterly atrocious receiving corps in 2017 and made major upgrades with WR Allen Rob-inson and TE Trey Burton. RB Jordan Howard is among football’s best zone-scheme runners, and RB Tarik Cohen is a versatile back who will have value as both a big-play threat and a misdirection decoy.DEFENSE: Coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit adds rookie linebacker Roquan Smith to a defense that ranked among the NFL’s top-10 in scoring defense a year ago. DE Akiem Hicks is an unheralded game-changer up front, thriving as a pass-rusher as well as a run defender. An NFC-low eight interceptions is a mark Chicago hopes to improve as young safeties Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos mature. BOTTOM LINE: The last Andy Reid disciple to take a head coaching job was Super Bowl LII champion Doug Pederson. And while it’s obviously far too early to tab the Bears as closing in on a championship run, Nagy is taking over an offense that is far more talented than it was last season.

OVER 6½PLAY


CHICAGO BEARS

OFFENSE: Cincinnati’s offensive woes the past two seasons were due largely to poor line play. First-round draft pick C Billy Price and former Bills OT Cordy Glenn could be major upgrades. WR A.J. Green remains one of the NFL’s top big-play threats, RB Joe Mixon showed promise as a rookie and speedy second-year WR John Ross is back from a 2017 lost to injury. The key will be protect-ing QB Andy Dalton long enough for him to get the ball to his playmakers.DEFENSE: Longtime defensive-line tandem DE Carlos Dunlap and DT Geno Atkins are monsters up front, each tallying more than 60 career sacks for Cincy. LB Vontaze Burfict is productive when he stays out of trouble, and former Bills LB Preston Brown is an upgrade in the middle of the defense. In William Jackson, Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard, the Bengals have a trio of former first-round CBs who held opponents to 6.5 yards per attempt in 2017.BOTTOM LINE: Cincinnati’s stout defense gives them a chance to win every week, and Dalton has a talent with which to work among Cincy’s skill positions. After winning 43 games from 2012 to 2015, this team could end up surprising a lot of people by contending for a playoff spot in 2018.

OVER 6½PLAY

OFFENSE: QB Tyrod Taylor is likely to start the year under center for Cleveland before eventually giving way to No. 1 overall draft pick QB Baker Mayfield. Although the Browns’ receivers struggled to get open last season, the team’s quarterbacks will have more to work with in 2018 with former Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry added to the roster. RB Carlos Hyde is a solid early-down back while RB Duke Johnson thrives in the passing game.DEFENSE: Cleveland’s defense showed improvement in coordinator Gregg Williams’ first season, ranking near the middle of the pack in yards per game and yards per play (the offense’s league-high 41 turnovers inflated the defense’s points-allowed totals). The arrival of first-round draft pick CB Denzel Ward and former Packers DB Damarious Randall will sure up coverage, which could lead to more sacks for 2017 No. 1 overall pick DE Myles Garrett.BOTTOM LINE: Though they are trending in the right direction at many positions, particularly at quarterback after having rid themselves of the turnover machine that is DeShone Kizer, it’s hard to expect a team coached by Hue Jackson to improve by six or more games from the prior season.

UNDER 5½PLAY

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DETROIT LIONS


DENVER BRONCOS

OFFENSE: With a formidable offensive line and RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas will continue to lean on its productive run game, particu-larly after having seen QB Dak Prescott struggle in the six games Elliott missed in 2017. The loss of TE Jason Witten as an effective possession receiver will likely hurt more than the loss of WR Dez Bryant, whose production had been declining sharply in recent seasons. The WR and TE depth charts are riddled with third-string talent.DEFENSE: Dallas’ defense was great when LB Sean Lee was on the field last year, allowing 16 PPG in games he played (and 29 PPG when he was hurt). DE Demarcus Lawrence tallied 14.5 sacks last year and DT David Irving (seven sacks in eight games) has a chance to be a pass-rushing force if he’s able to return from a four-game suspension he’ll serve at the start of the season for having violated the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.BOTTOM LINE: If Lee stays healthy and Elliott, Lawrence and Irving stay out of trouble, Dallas will at least have a team that can defend and run its way to some grind-it-out victories. It’s the lack of talent in the passing game that could ultimately prevent the Cowboys from reaching the .500 mark.

UNDER 8PLAY


DALLAS COWBOYS

OFFENSE: The Broncos are banking on QB Case Keenum’s breakout season in Minnesota last season having not been a fluke. He inherits a reliable WR duo in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, though there are the same question marks that have existed for years elsewhere among the receiving corps. Denver is looking to third-round draft pick RB Royce Freeman to energize the running attack despite him running behind a poor offensive line.DEFENSE: Although Aqib Talib is gone, the CB combo of Chris Harris and Bradley Roby could be one of the league’s best. Harris held opponents to 26 yards per game and has the versatility to cover the slot. The Broncos held opponents to a league-best 3.3 yards per carry, and the pass-rush should get a boost from the arrival of No. 5 overall pick edge-rusher Bradley Chubb. He’ll lineup up opposite perennial DPOY candidate Von Miller.BOTTOM LINE: The Denver defense remains formidable, but the unit did not always play to its potential in head coach Vance Joseph’s first season. And while the offense should improve with Keenum under center, plenty of other problems still exist on that side of the ball.

UNDER 7PLAY

OFFENSE: QB Matthew Stafford can play at MVP level even with a weak supporting cast. WR Marvin Jones has developed into an impressive big-play, contested-catch weapon while Golden Tate is an explosive run-and-catch threat. Detroit invested heavily in its perennially weak running game by signing RB LeGarrette Blount and spending early draft picks on C Frank Ragnow and RB Kerryon Johnson.DEFENSE: Aside from All-Pro CB Darius Slay, Detroit’s defense underperformed in 2017. DE Ziggy Ansah continues to be wildly inconsistent (he had three three-sack games last season, but disappeared in most others). ILB Jarrad Davis should take a step for-ward in his second season anchoring the defense, though the free agency losses of DT Haloti Ngata and LB Tahir Whitehead may end up being difficult to overcome.BOTTOM LINE: Stafford can single-handedly win close games, and any semblance of an effective running game would go a long way toward making Detroit a playoff contender. New head coach Matt Patricia, former Patriots defensive coordinator, should be able to improve the Lions defense.

OVER 7½PLAY



GREEN BAY PACKERS


INDIANAPOLIS COLTS


HOUSTON TEXANS

OFFENSE: While much of the blame for the Packers missing the playoffs last season can be placed on the broken collarbone QB Aaron Rodgers suffered in Week 6, Green Bay’s weaknesses at several offensive positions were exposed when the future Hall of Famer wasn’t on the field to hide them. The Packers are banking on TE Jimmy Graham being able to help breathe some life into the team’s passing game.DEFENSE: After giving up the most yards per pass attempt in the NFC (7.9), the Packers traded away CB Damarious Randall and lost versatile S Morgan Burnett to free agency. CBs Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson, first- and second-round draft picks respec-tively, need to get up to NFL speed in a hurry. Nick Perry and Clay Matthews are solid edge-rushers and DL Mike Daniels is a force up front. But if the Pack can’t cover, they’ll be forced into shootouts.BOTTOM LINE: As bad as the Brett Hundley Era was, keep in mind Green Bay was merely 4-3 with Rodgers under center last season. The struggling defense may have lost more talent than it gained this offseason, and Rodgers can only do so much to prop up a weak supporting cast.

UNDER 10PLAY

2018 REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 10 (+110) / UNDER 10 (-130)

OFFENSE: Head coach Bill O’Brien overhauled his offense last season to fit then-rookie QB Deshaun Watson’s strengths, and Watson answered by racking up 1,472 passing yards and 18 touchdowns over a five-game stretch before suffering a season-ending knee injury. WR DeAndre Hopkins is one of the NFL’s best on contested catches, and WR Will Fuller has shown consistent playmaking ability when he’s been healthy enough to take the field.DEFENSE: Injuries are partly to blame for Houston’s league-worst 27 PPG allowed. DE J.J. Watt and LB Whitney Mercilus, both of whom missed 11 games in 2017, are key to the effectiveness of Houston’s five-across-the-line pass-rush. Their presence also frees up DE Jadeveon Clowney to avoid double-teams. The secondary is not built to hold up if the pass-rush isn’t getting home, though the addition of former Cardinals S Tyrann Mathieu has a chance to help.BOTTOM LINE: When fully healthy, Houston is a legitimate playoff contender. So much rides on the health and effectiveness of Watson, Watt and Mercilus, as well as promising but injury-prone CB Kevin Johnson. Although Houston shares a division with a pair of teams that reached the playoffs last season, the Texans have as good a chance as any team to win the AFC South in 2018.

OVER 8½PLAY

OFFENSE: New head coach Frank Reich’s top priority is keeping QB Andrew Luck healthy. Indy drafted G Quenton Nelson with the NFL Draft’s sixth overall pick, and the team signed former Chargers G Matt Slauson in an attempt to improve its pass protec-tion. The expected improvement of the line should help a running game that ranked 28th in the NFL a year ago with a yards-per-carry average of 3.7. Luck’s receiving corps is extremely thin behind WR T.Y. Hilton.DEFENSE: New coordinator Matt Eberflus will run a 4-3, zone-based defense that emphasizes athleticism. The problem is that he inherits some of the worst defensive personnel in the NFL. Aside from second-year S Malik Hooker and competent-but-inconsis-tent DE Jabaal Sheard, there is little with which to work. The Colts ranked 30th in both yards and points allowed last season, and the team failed to make significant personnel additions in the offseason.BOTTOM LINE: Indy is still a year or two away from competing as they rebuild the roster that former GM Ryan Grigson absolute-ly decimated with a slew of atrocious personnel moves. If Luck ends up missing significant time, this team would appear to have little chance of winning seven games.

UNDER 6½PLAY




LOS ANGELES CHARGERS


KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

OFFENSE: Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett worked wonders in 2017, implementing an old-school, run-heavy offense that excelled in the red zone. RB Leonard Fournette is a rising star, albeit one with a mounting injury history, and RB T.J. Yeldon is one of the league’s better No. 2s. The offense will only be as effective as erratic QB Blake Bortles, who is coming off his most mistake-free season. His receiving corps lacks star power but is one of the NFL’s deepest.DEFENSE: The Jaguars have the league’s best passing defense, which held opponents to a league-low 68.5 QB Rating in 2017. CBs Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye were the NFL’s best duo last season and Ramsey is arguably the best shutdown corner in the game right now. Defensive linemen Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Malik Jackson and Dante Fowler combined for 42.5 sacks, though the running game of some opponents gave Jacksonville trouble.BOTTOM LINE: After enjoying one of the NFL’s easiest schedules last season, the Jaguars play seven games against playoff teams in 2018. As long as Bortles doesn’t significantly regress, Jacksonville should again ride its running game a star-studded defense to a playoff appearance.

OVER 9PLAY


JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

OFFENSE: Despite QB Alex Smith’s career year, head coach Andy Reid decided to move forward with 2017 first-round draft pick QB Pat Mahomes under center. Mahomes is far less conservative than Smith and profiles as a risk-taker with a cannon arm. He’s surrounded by proven playmakers in WR Tyreek Hill, TE Travis Kelce, RB Kareem Hunt and newly acquired WR Sammy Watkins. The 2018 K.C. offense should be much different—and likely more entertaining. DEFENSE: Coordinator Bob Sutton’s bend-don’t-break defense tries to limit big plays at the expense of lightening the box and al-lowing opponents success in the running game. Mercurial CB Marcus Peters was traded away, but three-time All-Pro S Eric Berry is back after last year’s Week 1, season-ending Achilles injury. Kendall Fuller (acquired in the Alex Smith trade) is one of the league’s best slot CBs and DE Chris Jones is developing into a top-tier pass-rusher.BOTTOM LINE: Head coach Andy Reid finds a way to win more often than not, and K.C. is 16-2 against the AFC West over the past three seasons. While there’s uncertainty with a new quarterback taking over, it’s hard to envision this team failing to compile a winning record in 2018.

OVER 8PLAY

OFFENSE: The additions of former Dolphins C Mike Pouncey and 2017 second-round draft pick G Forrest Lamp (missed 2017 with a torn ACL) bolster L.A.’s biggest offensive weakness, its line. QB Philip Rivers calls and controls the game at the line of scrim-mage and has skill-position talent to with which to work.DEFENSE: The Bolts could not stop the run last season, leading to the signing of former Seahawks DT Brandon Mebane. The pass defense has an elite combination of pass-rushing and coverage abilities. CBs Casey Hayward and Trevor Williams were stellar last year, and the addition of first-round draft pick S Derwin James bolsters the secondary. Edge-rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram combined for 23 sacks last year—they could be even more effective rushing the passer if they can worry less about compensating for a weak run-defending defensive interior.BOTTOM LINE: L.A. has a playoff-caliber roster that’s arguably as good as any in the AFC. An argument could be made that they were just a few missed field goals away from a division title in 2017. They’ll likely be favorites in six of their first seven games, allow-ing them to avoid another slow start.

OVER 9PLAY



LOS ANGELES RAMS


MINNESOTA VIKINGS


MIAMI DOLPHINS

OFFENSE: Reigning NFL Coach of the Year Sean McVay turned L.A.’s offense around with an effective running game and creative passing attack. RB Todd Gurley was the only NFL player to top 2,000 scrimmage yards, and he led the league with 19 touchdowns despite sitting out the meaningless season finale. Gurley’s success allowed QB Jared Goff to succeed as a play-action passer, and the arrival of WR Brandin Cooks gives the Rams a formidable deep threat.DEFENSE: Veteran coordinator Wade Phillips will work with a rebuilt defense in 2018. OLB Robert Quinn, ILB Alec Ogletree and CB Trumaine Johnson are out. DT Ndamukong Suh and CBs Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters, all former All-Pros, are in. The new corners have reputations for gambling to make big plays while also allowing some. Aaron Donald last season became the first pure defensive tackle to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year since Warren Sapp in 1999.BOTTOM LINE: Coming off an 11-win season with a QB still on his cheap, rookie deal, the Rams are going all in for 2018. Suh, Talib and Peters are volatile personalities, but they’re unlikely to cause trouble if Los Angeles keeps winning. The Rams are easily the NFC West’s best team entering 2018.

OVER 10PLAY

2018 REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 10 (-105) / UNDER 10 (-115)

OFFENSE: QB Ryan Tannehill was 8-5 as a starter in head coach Adam Gase’s first season (2016). He’ll be 13 months removed from an ACL tear, though top target WR Jarvis Landry was traded to Cleveland. What’s left is an uninspiring group that Gase thinks can win with scheme rather than athleticism. RB Kenyan Drake showed explosiveness late last year but may cede playing time to 35-year-old RB Frank Gore. The offensive line struggled last season.DEFENSE: Miami cut DT Ndamukong Suh but retain a promising young DT duo of Jordan Phillips and Davon Godchaux. Edge-rusher Robert Quinn was brought in to rush the passer opposite ageless DE Cameron Wake. CB Xavien Howard has developed into a legitimate No. 1 coverage guy, while playmaking S Reshad Jones and first-round draft pick S Minkah Fitzpatrick round out what should be a solid secondary. The linebacking unit is a glaring weakness.BOTTOM LINE: Gase cleaned house and jettisoned some of Miami’s top players (including Landry, Suh, C Mike Pouncey and RB Jay Ajayi) over the past 10 months. Although he believes his staff can overcome talent limitations with game-planning, this looks like a dougle-digit-loss roster.

UNDER 6½PLAY

OFFENSE: Minnesota believes it upgraded its offense by signing QB Kirk Cousins. Expert coordinator Pat Shurmur is gone, though John DeFilippo (considered by many to be a future NFL head coach) was a solid hire to replace him. WRs Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen developed into a lethal duo, both excelling as route-runners and in contest-catch situations. RB Dalvin Cook looked like a star before tearing his ACL in Week 4 of his rookie campaign.DEFENSE: You wouldn’t have known it from the NFC Championship Game, but Minnesota had the league’s best defense last sea-son. The Vikings led the NFL in scoring (15.8 points per game) and opponents’ 3rd-down conversion rate (25%). S Harrison Smith, CB Xavier Rhodes and LBs Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks are among the top performers at their positions. Up front, DEs Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter combined for 20 sacks last season.BOTTOM LINE: Off a 13-win season, Minnesota doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. If DeFilippo and Cousins can gel, the of-fense could be even better with a healthy Cook than it was in 2017. With a championship-caliber defense, the Vikes seem primed to make another run at a Super Bowl berth.

OVER 10PLAY



REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 7 (-130) / UNDER 7 (+110)

NEW YORK GIANTS


NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

OFFENSE: The genius of head coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady is their ability to adapt the gameplan week-to-week, antici-pating their opponent’s approach and exploiting weaknesses. Once WR Julian Edelman returns from a four-game suspension, the Pats will be well-equipped for a quick-strike passing attack. Rob Gronkowski remains the NFL’s top tight end when healthy, and the backfield has players who contribute in both the running and passing games.DEFENSE: New England’s defense is masterful at the bend-don’t-break philosophy. Last season, the unit allowed the NFL’s second-highest yards-per-play average (5.7), but the fifth-fewest points per game (18.5). The return of ILB Dont’a Hightower from injury and the addition of DT Danny Shelton should sure up what was at times a shaky run defense. The secondary righted itself after a disastrous start to 2017 and is unlikely to have another false start in 2018.BOTTOM LINE: The Pats enter 2018 as the favorite the represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIII, and it would be surprising if they didn’t go at least 5-1 in their weak division. The 11-win prop number seems strangely low considering New England has surpassed that total in each of the past eight seasons.

OVER 11PLAY


NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

OFFENSE: Though he’s lost some arm strength, QB Drew Brees continues to masterfully run the New Orleans offense. WR Michael Thomas has emerged as one of the game’s top young receivers while WR Ted Ginn remains a formidable deep threat. WR Cam Meredith and TE Ben Watson add depth after having been signed this spring. RB Alvin Kamara proved to be a matchup night-mare in space, averaging a remarkable 9.0 yards per touch as a rookie.DEFENSE: The 2017 Saints’ D ended the team’s three-year run of finishing among the bottom five in points allowed. DE Cam Jor-dan earned All-Pro honors with 13 sacks amidst frequent double-team blocking. CB Marshon Lattimore is already a true shutdown corner, and fellow 2017 draft pick S Marcus Williams was key to New Orleans’ defensive turnaround. Free agent arrivals CB Patrick Robinson and LB Demario Davis upgrade the unit.BOTTOM LINE: There are reasons to believe the defense will continue to improve a season after Lattimore and Williams were arguably just as effective on the defensive side of the ball as fellow rookies Kamara and right tackle Ryan Ramczkyk were on the offensive side. New Orleans would then become as tough an out as any NFL team come playoff time.

OVER 9½PLAY

OFFENSE: Former head coach Ben McAdoo and his ineffective iso/spread offense have been replaced by new head coach (and 2017 AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year) Pat Shurmur. Shurmur will surely be more creative with star WR Odell Beckham and keep defenses honest against him by utilizing athletic TE Evan Engram and No. 2 WR Sterling Shepard. No. 2 overall draft pick Saquon Barkley projects as the best Giants RB in at least a decade.DEFENSE: Many pieces remain from New York’s stellar 2016 defense, and new coordinator James Bettcher can be expected to get the most out of his stars. S Landon Collins is a dynamic playmaker and CB Janoris Jenkins is hard to beat when his head is on right. DT Damon “Snacks” Harrison is a run-stuffer while former Rams LB Alec Ogletree greatly improves a previously awful line-backing unit.BOTTOM LINE: With his star WR healthy, a dynamic young RB and a proven offensive mind taking over at head coach, there are no excuses for veteran QB Eli Manning to have another poor season. If Bettcher gets the defense back to playing at a high level, the G-Men should bounce back in 2018.

OVER 7PLAY



NEW YORK JETS


PHILADELPHIA EAGLES


OAKLAND RAIDERS

OFFENSE: Despite a better-than-expected showing from the offense in 2017, coordinator John Morton was let go in favor of former QBs coach Jeremy Bates. There’s little to like about the offensive personnel. Despite a weak O-line, RBs Isaiah Crowell has the patience and quickness to be effective and RB Bilal Powell has value in a part-time role. WR Robby Anderson has emerged as a lethal deep threat, but the rest of the receiving corps is thin on talent.DEFENSE: The losses of DE Muhammad Wilkerson and leading tackler LB Demario Davis are unlikely to prevent the Jets D from taking a step forward in 2018. Safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye played well as rookies, and former Rams CB Trumaine John-son is an upgrade in the secondary. LBs Jordan Jenkins and Darron Lee should improve as third-year players in head coach Todd Bowles’ system, and DE Leonard Williams has loads of upside.BOTTOM LINE: Bowles’ young defense (Adams, Maye, Jenkins, Lee and Williams are all 25 or younger) has the athleticism to improve from last season. The offense, however, is still rebuilding and has too many holes to consistently put points on the board with rookie QB Sam Darnold under center.

UNDER 6PLAY

REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 6 (+105) / UNDER 6 (-125)

OFFENSE: QB Derek Carr needs more from his supporting cast. New head coach Jon Gruden wants to resuscitate Amari Cooper after his nightmare 2017 season. Cooper will have to either work from the slot or constantly go in motion because of how much he struggles against press coverage. WR Jordy Nelson looked done last year, WR Martavis Bryant is maddeningly inconsistent and RB Marshawn Lynch will only be effective if his touches are limited.DEFENSE: It’s starting to look increasingly likely that perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate DE Khalil Mack won’t be a Raider a season after he and OLB Bruce Irvin combined for 18.5 sacks. Oakland, meanwhile, got little production from the rest of the front seven. The young secondary was problematic last season, though 2017 first-rounder CB Gareon Conley should be an asset as he returns from a shin injury that limited him to two games last season.BOTTOM LINE: With Jon Gruden having spent nine years out of coaching, it’s certainly not a guarantee that his transition back to the sidelines will be a seamless one. A last-place finish in what could turn out to be a tough AFC West in 2018 is a distinct possibility.

UNDER 8PLAY

OFFENSE: While the belief remains that QB Carson Wentz, the MVP front-runner before tearing his ACL in Week 14, will be ready for Week 1, “When they clear him, he’ll be cleared,” was the terse response Eagles head coach Doug Pederson gave when speak-ing to the media on Sunday. The offensive line is fantastic, allowing Philly to run a diverse and expansive set of running plays. TE Zach Ertz and WR Alshon Jeffery sit atop a deep skill-position group.DEFENSE: Philly’s defensive line is dominant. Fletcher Cox may be the NFL’s most underrated player, and Brandon Graham, Tim Jernigan and Derek Barnett would be the stars of many teams’ front sevens. The additions of former Pro Bowlers Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata as rotational depth further bolsters the front seven. Rookie CB Sidney Jones (who would’ve been a 2017 first-rounder if not for a season-ending injury) provides another upgrade.BOTTOM LINE: It is rare for the Super Bowl champions to enter the following season with a better roster, but Philadelphia has done just that. If their MVP-caliber quarterback is back under center, the Eagles will be tough to beat with the firepower they added to their smothering defense.

OVER 10PLAY




SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 8½ (+110) / UNDER 8½ (-130)

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

OFFENSE: QB Ben Roethlisberger gets the ball out quickly most of the time, with plenty of downfield bombs worked in. WR Antonio Brown remains the NFL’s top receiver, and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster impressed as a rookie while ascending to the No. 2 role. RB Le’Veon Bell is a good enough pass-catcher to play wideout, and his patient running style behind a robust O-line allows the Steelers to pound with the running game when defenses focus on the pass.DEFENSE: The Steelers’ defense was gashed in the run game and beaten with long passes too often last season. Pittsburgh led the league with 56 sacks in 2017 (12 by All-Pro DE Cam Heyward) and the hope is that former Packers S Morgan Burnett and first-round draft pick S Terrell Edmunds can sure up the secondary. The linebacking unit will continue to be a weakness without ILB Ryan Shazier.BOTTOM LINE: When CG Technology in May continued its annual tradition of releasing odds for every NFL game (apart from Week 17) for the upcoming season, the Steelers’ Week 16 game in New Orleans was the only one in which Pittsburgh was an underdog.

OVER 10PLAY


PITTSBURGH STEELERS

OFFENSE: Head coach Kyle Shanahan is an outstanding play-designer, and once QB Jimmy Garoppolo got under center in No-vember, the Niners offense started to click. Garoppolo played at a 4,934-yard pace over five starts, all of which were San Francisco wins. The outstanding receiving skills of RB Jerick McKinnon should be a good fit in Shanahan’s system. While the WRs aren’t great, Shanahan’s system can win with scheme where it might lack talent.DEFENSE: Coordinator Robert Saleh has some pieces in place to build an effective Cover-3 defense. While the young D-line trio of DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead has considerable upside, the linebacking corps has some question marks with ILB Reuben Foster set to serve a two-game suspension to start the season. If former Seahawks CB Richard Sherman has anything left in the tank, the secondary will get a huge boost.BOTTOM LINE: San Fran’s five-game win streak to end 2017 included strong performances against playoff teams Tennessee and Jacksonville. While the offense should thrive in Shanahan’s second year at the helm, the defense has enough promising young tal-ent to compete for a Wild Card berth.

OVER 8½PLAY

OFFENSE: Seattle’s weak offensive line play is often compensated for by the fact that QB Russell Wilson is the NFL’s best on-the-move passer. WR Doug Baldwin is a true No. 1 and the only proven asset in the receiving group. After three seasons of RB futility (no Seattle RB reached 250 rushing yards in 2017), the Hawks have high hopes for RB Chris Carson, who missed 12 games as a rookie in 2017. Seattle also drafted RB Rashaad Penny in the first round.DEFENSE: The Legion of Boom has been dismantled as Seattle parted ways with many key contributors this offseason—coor-dinator Kris Richard, CB Richard Sherman, S Kam Chancellor and DL Michael Bennett among them. The outstanding LB duo of Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright will continue to the anchor the defense, while emerging stars DE Frank Clark and DT Jarran Reed will be tasked with doing far more than they’ve been asked to do in the past.BOTTOM LINE: The window on Seattle’s run as dominant defense has closed—too many stars are gone to expect a return to the defense’s 2012-15 form. Although Wilson is a premier playmaker, the lack of talent around him will prevent Seattle from a seventh consecutive winning season.

UNDER 8PLAY



TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS


WASHINGTON REDSKINS


TENNESSEE TITANS

OFFENSE: Head coach Dirk Koetter emphasizes a vertical passing game and QB Jameis Winston (who’s suspended till Week 4) shows no fear on his aggressive throws. WR Mike Evans is a high-point specialist whom Winston targets even when he’s covered. The TE combo of Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard gives the Bucs options up the seam. The running game should get a boost from rookie RB Ronald Jones joining RB Peyton Barber in a committee.DEFENSE: Tampa’s defense struggled in every facet of the game, giving up a league-high 378 yards per game. The non-existent pass-rush generated a league-low 22 sacks on the season and left the basic, zone-based secondary to cover for far too long. So much is riding on the success of newly acquired DEs Vinny Curry and Jason Pierre-Paul. DT Gerald McCoy and LBs Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander are the lone returning bright spots.BOTTOM LINE: With Koetter on the hot seat and matchups with the Saints, Eagles and Steelers while Winston is suspended (followed by trips to Chicago and Atlanta when he’s back), 2018 could go off the rails in a hurry. Tampa Bay may be the NFC’s worst team by season’s end.

UNDER 6½PLAY

REGULAR SEASON WINS PROP: OVER 6½ (+110) / UNDER 6½ (-130)

OFFENSE: New coordinator Matt LaFleur is tasked with getting QB Marcus Mariota on track after a letdown 2017. LaFleur certain-ly has the pedigree, having worked in recent years under both Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, two of the NFL’s better offensive minds. The RB duo of Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis should have success behind a solid O-line, and that would allow Mariota to thrive as a play-action passer (like Jared Goff did with LaFleur last year).DEFENSE: New coordinator Dean Pees, Baltimore’s DC for the past six seasons, inherits an improving unit. Anchored by mon-strous DT Jurrell Casey, the Titans allowed just 3.6 yards per carry in 2017 (4th best in the NFL). The secondary is shaping up to be one of the AFC’s best. Former Patriots CB Malcolm Butler joins physical CB Logan Ryan and speedster CB Adoree’ Jackson. All-Pro S Kevin Byard just turned 25 and is already one of the NFL’s best at his position.BOTTOM LINE: Houston and Jacksonville are quality teams to contend with as Tennessee looks to return to the playoffs. As good as the Titans defense is, the uncertainty of both Mariota and a new staff under first-time head coach Mike Vrabel could lead to Ten-nessee taking a step back in 2018.

UNDER 8PLAY

OFFENSE: Head coach Jay Gruden gets the most out of his offense, and it’s unlikely that Washington would have acquired QB Alex Smith if Gruden didn’t think he could run the team effectively. But with rookie RB Derrius Guice having suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Redskins’ first preseason game, Washington is left with one of the NFL’s weakest skill-position units—certainly a downgrade from what Smith worked with in Kansas City.DEFENSE: Washington showed some improvement in coordinator Greg Manusky’s first season, but the team parted with prom-ising CBs Kendall Fuller and Bashaud Breeland in the offseason. LBs Ryan Kerrigan and Zach Brown are solid, and there’s hope for improvement up front with the addition of first-round draft pick DT Da’Ron Payne and the healthy return of 2017 first-rounder DE Jonathan Allen, who missed 11 games with a foot injury last season.BOTTOM LINE: Washington’s roster doesn’t stack up in the NFC East, and there aren’t many games in which the Redskins are expected to be favored. It’s difficult to project the offense to be significantly better with Smith replacing Kirk Cousins, and the defense figures to once again struggle.

UNDER 7PLAY

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 3

College Football Rotation Schedule Thursday, August 30

133 Central Florida

134 Connecticut

Thursday, August 30

135 Northwestern

136 Purdue

Thursday, August 30

137 New Mexico State

138 Minnesota

Thursday, August 30

139 Wake Forest

140 Tulane

Friday, August 31

141 Utah State

142 Michigan State

Friday, August 31

143 Syracuse

144 Western Michigan

Friday, August 31

145 Western Kentucky

146 Wisconsin

Friday, August 31

147 Colorado State

148 Colorado

Friday, August 31

149 San Diego State

150 Stanford

Friday, August 31

159 Army

160 Duke

Saturday, September 1

151 Florida Atlantic

152 Oklahoma


153 Houston

154 Rice


155 Oregon State

156 Ohio State


157 Appalachian State

158 Penn State


161 Akron

162 Nebraska


163 Massachusetts

164 Boston College


165 Kent State

166 Illinois


167 Texas State

168 Rutgers


169 Indiana

170 Florida International


171 Northern Illinois

172 Iowa


173 Texas

174 Maryland


175 Boise State

176 Troy


177 Louisiana Tech

178 South Alabama


179 Marshall

180 Miami (OH)


181 SMU

182 North Texas


183 Middle Tennessee

184 Vanderbilt


185 BYU

186 Arizona


187 Texas-San Antonio

188 Arizona State


189 UNLV

190 USC


191 Cincinnati

192 UCLA


193 Washington

194 Auburn


195 Central Michigan

196 Kentucky


197 Ole Miss

198 Texas Tech


199 Coastal Carolina

200 South Carolina


201 West Virginia

202 Tennessee


203 North Carolina

204 California


205 Washington State

206 Wyoming


207 Bowling Green

208 Oregon


209 Old Dominion

210 Liberty


211 Michigan

212 Notre Dame


213 Louisville

214 Alabama


215 Navy

216 Hawaii

Sunday, September 2

217 Miami

218 LSU

Monday, September 3

219 Virginia Tech

220 Florida State


COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 THURSDAY, AUGUST 30

New UCF head coach Josh Heupel has a lot of talent returning to what was the highest-scoring offense in FBS in 2017. Central Florida 41, Connecticut 13

T H U R S D AY, A U G U S T 3 0 , 7 : 0 0 P. M . E T • C E N T R A L F LO R I D A BY 2 3 ½

CONNECTICUT2017 RECORD: 3-9 (5-7 ATS)

CENTRAL FLORIDA2017 RECORD: 13-0 (8-3-2 ATS)

AT

B O T T O M L I N E

VS. POINT SPREAD HEAD-TO-HEADOVER / UNDER TEASER

> All five games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL against a 6-point teaser line since the start of 2013.

> The ROAD team is 3-0 ATS over the past three meetings be-tween Central Florida and Connecticut.

> Four of the past five meetings between Central Florida and Connecticut have gone OVER THE TOTAL.

> CONNECTICUT is 0-10 ATS over its first five games of a season since the start of 2016.

Power Trends

New Mexico State has enough pieces returning on defense to keep the final margin of this one to within three scores. Minnesota 31, New Mexico State 16

T H U R S D AY, A U G U S T 3 0 , 7 : 0 0 P. M . E T • M I N N E S OTA BY 2 1

MINNESOTA2017 RECORD: 5-7 (4-7-1 ATS)

NEW MEXICO STATE2017 RECORD: 7-6 (7-5-1 ATS)

AT

B O T T O M L I N E

VS. POINT SPREAD MONEYLINEOVER / UNDER HEAD-TO-HEAD

> NEW MEXICO STATE won 28-21 as a 22½- point underdog in its only prior trip to Minnesota, in 2011.

> NEW MEXICO STATE is 2-3 (+9.2 Units) as a road underdog of between 14½ and 21 points since the start of 2013.

> OVER THE TOTAL is 25-7 in New Mexico State road games since the start of the 2013 season.

> NEW MEXICO STATE is 8-1 ATS in non- conference games since the start of the 2016 season.

Power Trends

With starting QB Kendall Hinton suspended for the first three games, Wake Forest lacks experience under center for this one. Tulane 23, Wake Forest 20

T H U R S D AY, A U G U S T 3 0 , 8 : 0 0 P. M . E T • W A K E F O R E S T BY 6 ½

TULANE2017 RECORD: 5-7 (8-4 ATS)

WAKE FOREST2017 RECORD: 8-5 (8-4-1 ATS)

AT

B O T T O M L I N E

VS. POINT SPREAD MONEYLINEOVER / UNDER HEAD-TO-HEAD

> TULANE is 2-0 ATS vs. Wake Forest, including a 4-point loss as a 14- point road underdog on Sept. 1, 2016.

> WAKE FOREST is 9-2 (+12.3 Units) over its past 11 meetings with American Athletic Conference opponents.

> UNDER THE TOTAL is 10-5 in Wake Forest road games in the first half of the season since the start of 2014.

> TULANE is 4-0 ATS as an underdog of between 3½ and 10 points since the start of the 2016 season.

Power Trends


COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 THURSDAY, AUGUST 30

• T H U R S D AY, A U G U S T 3 0 • 8 : 0 0 P. M . E T • E S P N •

Provided that Clayton Thorson is healthy, the Wildcats have an edge over a Purdue squad that lacks experience on defense. Northwestern 28, Purdue 21

The Wildcats are coming off a 2017 season in which they rattled off eight straight victo-ries after having started 2-3. With all-time leading rusher Justin Jackson having departed for the NFL’s Chargers, Northwestern’s 2018 hopes are tied to QB Clayton Thorson’s recovery from ACL reconstruction surgery he had in January after suffering an injury in the team’s Music City Bowl win over Kentucky.

Thorson has started 39 games and is expected to be an early-round selection in next April’s NFL Draft. Chicago’s Daily Herald reported on Monday, “All signs point to Thorson being ready to play,” before quoting the quarterback as saying, “I’ve been practicing full the past few weeks, doing every-thing, feeling really good.”

The Boilermakers’ 7-6 record in 2017 was their first winning

season since they posted the same record in 2011. In Jeff Brohm’s first season as Purdue’s head coach, it represented a four-win improvement from 2016. The key to the turnaround was a defense that went from rank-ing 117th among FBS teams in scoring in 2016 to 24th in defensive coordinator Nick Holt’s first year in 2017. The team lost eight players who saw significant action, how-ever, including both starting cornerbacks.

This is a head-to-head series that had been dominated by the road team in recent sea-sons prior to last year’s 23-13

victory for Northwestern as a 6½-point home favorite. The road team had been 4-1 straight-up and 5-0 ATS over the five previous meetings despite the fact that the only time the road team was fa-vored was in Northwestern’s 45-17 victory as a 13½-point favorite in 2016. The Wildcats have gone 4-0 straight-up and 3-1 ATS against Purdue since the start of the 2014 season, winning the four games by an average margin of more than 17 points while holding Purdue to 17 points or fewer each time. They’re 6-1 (5-2 ATS) against the Boilermakers since 2008.

AT

L AT E S T L I N E : P U R D U E BY 2 ½

PURDUEBOILERMAKERS2017 RECORD: 7-6 (9-4 ATS)

NORTHWESTERNWILDCATS

2017 RECORD: 10-3 (9-4 ATS)

Big Ten foes open season in unfamiliar fashion Northwestern visits Purdue for a nationally televised prime-time game and a chance to draw first blood in the conference battle

B O T T O M L I N E

VS. POINT SPREAD MONEYLINEOVER / UNDER TEASER

While it’s normally such perennial Big Ten powers as Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State who gar-

ner attention on the national stage, it’s instead a pair of often-overlooked programs in Northwestern and Purdue that will start the 2018 season in the spotlight.

> Each of the past six games Northwestern has played at Purdue has gone UNDER THE TEASER TOTAL. The average score was NORTHWESTERN 29.2, PURDUE 25.0

> NORTHWESTERN is 12-5 (+10.1 Units) vs. conference opponents since the start of the 2016 season. The average score was NORTHWESTERN 28.6, OPPONENT 21.7

> UNDER THE TOTAL is 66-39 in Northwestern games played on a grass field season since the start of 2006. The average score was NORTHWESTERN 25.3, OPPONENT 23.0

> NORTHWESTERN is 16-8 ATS as a road un-derdog of between 3½ and 10 points since the start of 2006. The average score was NORTHWESTERN 25.9, OPPONENT 28.2

Power Trends

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 FRIDAY, AUGUST 31

> VS. SPREAD Syracuse is 15-3 ATS over its past 18 games against Mid-American Conference opponents.

> OVER/UNDER OVER the total is 10-2 in games Western Michigan has played at home since the start of the 2016 season.

> MONEYLINE Road favorites who won between 25% and 40% of their games the prior season are 24-3 (+20.1 units) since the start of 2009.

> SCORECAST Syracuse 27, Western Michigan 17

F R I D AY, A U G U S T 3 1 , 6 : 0 0 P. M . E T • S Y R A C U S E BY 6

WESTERN MICHIGAN2017 RECORD: 6-6 (5-7 ATS)

SYRACUSE2017 RECORD: 4-8 (6-4-2 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Utah State is 4-12 ATS as an underdog since the start of the 2016 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 9-1 in the 10 games in which Michigan State has been favored at home since the start of the 2016 season.

> FIRST HALF Utah State is 21-11 against the first-half line in the first half of the season since the start of 2013.

> SCORECAST Michigan State 38, Utah State 13

F R I D AY, A U G U S T 3 1 , 7 : 0 0 P. M . E T • M I C H I G A N S TAT E BY 2 3 ½

MICHIGAN STATE2017 RECORD: 10-3 (8-5 ATS)

UTAH STATE2017 RECORD: 6-7 (6-7 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Army is 8-3 in games played on natural grass since the start of the 2014 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 11-2 in the 13 games Army has played as an underdog since start of the 2016 season.

> 6-PT. TEASER Army is 12-1 against a 6-point teaser line as a road underdog since the start of the 2014 season.

> SCORECAST Duke 24, Army 16

F R I D AY, A U G U S T 3 1 , 7 : 0 0 P. M . E T • D U K E BY 1 3 ½

DUKE2017 RECORD: 7-6 (7-5-1 ATS)

ARMY2017 RECORD: 10-3 (6-6-1 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Western Kentucky is 1-8-1 ATS in non-conference games since start of the 2016 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 7-3 in the 10 non-conference games Western Kentucky has played since start of the 2016 season.

> FIRST HALF Wisconsin is 8-4-1 against the first-half line in non-conference games since the start of the 2015 season.

> SCORECAST Wisconsin 52, W. Kentucky 10

F R I D AY, A U G U S T 3 1 , 9 : 0 0 P. M . E T • W I S C O N S I N BY 3 6

WISCONSIN2017 RECORD: 13-1 (9-5 ATS)

WESTERN KENTUCKY2017 RECORD: 6-7 (3-9-1 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Stanford is 15-6 ATS as a favorite of between 10½ and 21 points since the start of the 2011 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 10-1-1 in the 12 games San Diego State has played in the first two weeks of a season since start of the 2012.

> MONEYLINE San Diego State is 1-5 against the money line (-11.2 Units) in its past six games played during the month of August.

> SCORECAST Stanford 38, San Diego State 21

F R I D AY, A U G U S T 3 1 , 9 : 0 0 P. M . E T • S TA N F O R D BY 1 4 ½

STANFORD2017 RECORD: 9-5 (7-6-1 ATS)

SAN DIEGO STATE2017 RECORD: 10-3 (8-5 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Colorado is 7-3-1 ATS in its 11 neutral-site games against Colorado State since the start of the 2007 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 6-1 in the seven games Colorado has played on a neutral field since start of the 2013 season.

> MONEYLINE Colorado State is 0-4 against the money line (-13.6 Units) in games played on a neutral field since start of the 2016 season.

> SCORECAST Colorado 31, Colorado State 20

F R I D AY, A U G U S T 3 1 , 9 : 3 0 P. M . E T • S P O R T S A U T H O R I T Y F I E L D I N D E N V E R • C O LO R A D O BY 7 ½

COLORADO2017 RECORD: 5-7 (3-9 ATS)

COLORADO STATE2017 RECORD: 7-6 (4-9 ATS)

VS

PAGE 20 | AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 3, 2018 DRF SPORTS FORM | WWW.DRF.COM/SPORTSFORM

AGAINST THE SPREAD HEAD-TO-HEADOVER / UNDER

> NOTRE DAME is 6-2 ATS in its past eight home games against Michigan, which includes a 3-0 mark (both straight-up and ATS) as a home underdog. The average score was NOTRE DAME 26.6, MICHIGAN 20.1

> OVER THE TOTAL is 7-1 in the eight non-conference games Michigan has played since the start of the 2016 season. The average score was MICHIGAN 38.5, OPPONENT 18.5

> The HOME TEAM is 7-1 ATS over the past eight games played between Michigan and Notre Dame since the start of the 2007 season. The average score was HOME TEAM 36.4, ROAD TEAM 20.9

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

• S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 • 7 : 3 0 P. M . E T • N B C •

Given Michigan’s recent poor performance against quality opponents, it’s hard to back the Wolverines in this one. Notre Dame 27, Michigan 23

Jim Harbaugh immediately turned things in the right di-rection in Ann Arbor after tak-ing over as the Wolverines’ head coach prior to the start of the 2015 season. But while he led Michigan to back-to-back 10-3 records in 2015 and ’16, the team’s 8-5 mark last season could be seen as a step backward.

Michigan has consistently underwhelmed against quality competition. In their

past 20 games dating back to the midway point of the 2016 regular season, the Wolverines have faced eight opponents that ended their season with a winning record. Michigan has lost all eight of those games while covering the point spread in only two of the eight—both narrowly against rival Ohio State (in a three-point loss as a 3½-point underdog in 2016 and in an 11-point defeat as a 12-point

home underdog last season). It’s the Wolverines’ offense that’s been mostly to blame, as only once in the six non-Ohio State games against quality opponents has Michigan managed to reach 20 points.

The lone common oppo-nent between Michigan and Notre Dame last season was Michigan State, which lost by 20 points at home to the Irish two weeks before winning outright as a 13-point under-dog in Ann Arbor. The only loss Notre Dame suffered at home last season was a one-point defeat to Georgia, which ended up falling three

points shy of winning the national championship.

Although much has been made over the fact that Notre Dame lost a pair of offensive linemen to the NFL draft with Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey both being se-lected among the top 10 picks, the Irish return 10 starters to a defense that improved from 62nd in FBS in scoring defense in 2016 to 31st last season. While it’s rarely a good idea to question the way Vegas bookmakers set their lines, there’s a lot of evidence to support the claim that the wrong team might be favored in this one.

AT

L AT E S T L I N E : M I C H I G A N BY 1 ½

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH2017 RECORD: 10-3 (8-5 ATS)

MICHIGANWOLVERINES

2017 RECORD: 8-5 (6-7 ATS)

Two storied programs renew their rivalryThree-year absence of Michigan–Notre Dame is longest hiatus between the Wolverines and Irish since series resumed in 1978

B O T T O M L I N E

Much has changed since Michigan last faced Notre Dame on Sept. 6, 2014. Brady Hoke was the

Wolverines’ top man in what would turn out to be his final season as Michigan’s head coach. His team’s 31-0 road loss to the Irish likely helped seal his fate.

Power Trends




Don’t expect the controversy surrounding Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer to have any impact on this game.Ohio State 48, Oregon State 10

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 2 : 0 0 N O O N E T • O H I O S TAT E BY 3 9

OHIO STATE2017 RECORD: 12-2 (7-7 ATS)

OREGON STATE2017 RECORD: 1-11 (3-9 ATS)

AT

B O T T O M L I N E

VS. POINT SPREAD FIRST HALFOVER / UNDER TEASER

> OHIO STATE is 17-4 against a 6-point teaser line in games played on artificial turf since the start of 2016.

> OREGON STATE is 1-5 against the first-half line in non-conference games since the start of the 2016 season.

> UNDER THE TOTAL is 4-1 in the past five games Oregon State has played against Big Ten opponents.

> OHIO STATE is 12-2 ATS in its past 14 games against opponents from the Pac-12 Conference.

Power Trends

The line on this game moved three points after Maryland coach DJ Durkin was placed on administrative leave on August 11. Texas 41, Maryland 28

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 2 : 0 0 N O O N E T • F E D E X F I E L D I N L A N D O V E R , M D • T E XA S BY 1 3 ½

MARYLAND2017 RECORD: 4-8 (5-7 ATS)

TEXAS2017 RECORD: 7-6 (9-4 ATS)

VS

B O T T O M L I N E


> OVER THE TOTAL is 8-1-1 against a 6-point teaser line over Maryland’s past 10 September games.

> MARYLAND is 4-1 vs. the money line (+13.4 Units) on the road in the first half of the season since the start of 2016.

> UNDER THE TOTAL is 18-7 in the 25 games Texas has played since the start of the 2016 season.

> TEXAS is 1-5 ATS in its past six games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference.

Power Trends

Don’t be surprised to see close to 100 points scored in a game that could be won by whichever team possesses the ball last. Texas Tech 49, Mississippi 45

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 2 : 0 0 N O O N E T • R E L I A N T S TA D I U M I N H O U S TO N • T E XA S T E C H BY 2

TEXAS TECH2017 RECORD: 6-7 (6-6-1 ATS)

MISSISSIPPI2017 RECORD: 6-6 (4-7-1 ATS)

VS

B O T T O M L I N E


> OVER THE TOTAL is 20-2-2 against a 6-point teaser line in Ole Miss games since the start of 2016.

> Neutral-field favorites with 8 defensive starters returning are 14-1 (+12.6 units) since the start of the 2014 season.

> OVER THE TOTAL is 10-5 in Ole Miss regular- season non-conference games vs. FBS teams since the start of 2013.

> TEXAS TECH is 9-1-2 ATS in September games since the start of the 2015 season.

Power Trends



Although this game is being played on a “neutral” field, Washington won’t be far away from Auburn’s backyard. Auburn 26, Washington 20

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 3 : 3 0 P. M . E T • M E R C E D E S - B E N Z S TA D I U M I N AT L A N TA • A U B U R N BY 1 ½

AUBURN2017 RECORD: 10-4 (5-7-2 ATS)

WASHINGTON2017 RECORD: 10-3 (7-6 ATS)

VS

B O T T O M L I N E


> UNDER THE TOTAL is 16-3 against a 6-point teaser line in Auburn’s September games since the start of 2013.

> AUBURN is 7-1 (+4.6 Units) vs. the moneyline over its past eight games as a neutral-field favorite of -300 or less.

> UNDER THE TOTAL is 15-8-2 in the 25 non-conference games Auburn has played since the start of 2013.

> WASHINGTON is 2-5 ATS since the start of 2014 in games with a point spread between +3 and -3.

Power Trends

West Virginia isn’t as good—and Tennessee likely isn’t quite as bad—as this point spread would seem to suggest.West Virginia 37, Tennessee 34

S AT. , S E P T. 1 , 3 : 3 0 P. M . E T • B A N K O F A M E R I C A S TA D I U M I N C H A R LOT T E , N C • W E S T V I R G I N I A BY 1 0

TENNESSEE2017 RECORD: 4-8 (3-9 ATS)

WEST VIRGINIA2017 RECORD: 7-6 (5-8 ATS)

VS

B O T T O M L I N E


> TENNESSEE is 7-0 against a 6-point teaser line as an underdog since the start of the 2016 season.

> WEST VIRGINIA is 13-2 (+9.2 Units) as a favorite vs. the money line since the start of the 2016 season.

> OVER THE TOTAL is 6-1 in games West Virginia has played in September since the start of 2016.

> WEST VIRGINIA is 0-11 ATS over its past 11 games as a neutral-field favorite.

Power Trends

With Louisville’s defense returning only three starters, the Cards won’t be able to stop the Tide from rolling. Alabama 42, Louisville 13

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 8 : 0 0 P. M . E T • C A M P I N G W O R L D S TA D I U M I N O R L A N D O • A L A B A M A BY 2 4 ½

ALABAMA2017 RECORD: 13-1 (6-8 ATS)

LOUISVILLE2017 RECORD: 8-5 (5-8 ATS)

VS

B O T T O M L I N E

VS. POINT SPREAD FIRST HALFOVER / UNDER TEASER

> ALABAMA is 8-0 against a 6-point teaser line in games played on artificial turf since the start of 2016.

> ALABAMA is 6-3 ATS against the first-half line when facing an ACC opponent since the start of 2007.

> OVER THE TOTAL is 19-6 over the past 25 games Alabama has played as a favorite on a neutral field.

> ALABAMA is 15-6 ATS as a favorite of between 21½ and 31 points since the start of the 2007 season.

Power Trends



> VS. SPREAD Boston College is 7-0 ATS over its past seven games as a home favorite of between 17½ and 21 points.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 11-3 since the start of the 2013 season in games in which Boston College has been favored at home.

> MONEYLINE Massachusetts is 1-9 against the moneyline (-9.1 Units) in the first half of the season since the start of 2016.

> SCORECAST Boston College 34, Massachusetts 10

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 : 0 0 P. M . E T • B O S TO N C O L L E G E BY 1 8

BOSTON COLLEGE2017 RECORD: 7-6 (8-4 ATS)

MASSACHUSETTS2017 RECORD: 4-8 (6-5-1 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Kent State is 3-10 ATS against opponents from the Big Ten Conference since the start of the 2000 season.

> OVER/UNDER OVER the total is 6-0 since the start of 2015 in games Kent State has played over the first two weeks of the season.

> MONEYLINE Kent State is 7-22 (-13.6 Units) against the moneyline in its past 29 non-conference games.

> SCORECAST Illinois 38, Kent State 21

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 2 : 0 0 N O O N E T • I L L I N O I S BY 1 6 ½

ILLINOIS2017 RECORD: 2-10 (5-7 ATS)

KENT STATE2017 RECORD: 2-10 (4-8 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Texas State is 1-3 ATS as an underdog of between 10 ½ and 21 points since the start of the 2012 season.

> MONEYLINE Home favorites from an FBS Power Five conference are 52-4 against the moneyline since the start of 2009 when facing an

opponent from an FBS Group of Five conference, with the average score over those 56 games having been 43 to 17.

> SCORECAST Rutgers 35, Texas State 14

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 2 : 0 0 N O O N E T • R U TG E R S BY 1 6 ½

RUTGERS2017 RECORD: 4-8 (8-4 ATS)

TEXAS STATE2017 RECORD: 2-10 (5-6-1 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD South Carolina is 2-7 ATS as a favorite of 20 or more points since the midway point of the 2012 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 13-3-2 in games South Carolina has played in the first half of the season since the start of 2015.

> 6-PT. TEASER Coastal Carolina was 6-0 against a 6-point teaser line over the first half of last season.

> SCORECAST South Carolina 31, Coastal Carolina 7

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 2 : 0 0 N O O N E T • S O U T H C A R O L I N A BY 2 9 ½

SOUTH CAROLINA2017 RECORD: 9-4 (8-4-1 ATS)

COASTAL CAROLINA2017 RECORD: 3-9 (5-7 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Florida Atlantic is 0-8 ATS over its past eight games when playing against an opponent from the Big 12 Conference.

> OVER/UNDER The OVER is 9-4 in Florida Atlantic road games since the final game of the 2015 season.

> FIRST HALF Florida Atlantic was 12-2 against the first-half line last season.

> SCORECAST Oklahoma 48, FAU 24

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 2 : 0 0 N O O N E T • O K L A H O M A BY 2 1

OKLAHOMA2017 RECORD: 12-2 (8-6 ATS)

FLORIDA ATLANTIC2017 RECORD: 11-3 (10-4 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Rice is 7-18 ATS over its past 25 games as an underdog of between 21½ and 31 points.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 16-6 since the start of the 2012 season in games Houston has played during the month of September.

> HEAD-TO-HEAD Houston is 5-1 ATS in games played against Rice since the start of the 2009 season.

> SCORECAST Houston 51, Rice 17

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 2 : 0 0 N O O N E T • H O U S TO N BY 2 5

RICE2017 RECORD: 1-11 (4-8 ATS)

HOUSTON2017 RECORD: 7-5 (6-6 ATS)

AT



> VS. SPREAD Penn State is 13-7 ATS as a favorite since the start of the 2016 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 8-4 in Appalachian State road games since the start of the 2016 season.

> FIRST HALF Penn State is 15-6 ATS as a home favorite against the first-half line since the start of the 2014 season.

> SCORECAST Penn State 43, Appalachian State 17

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 3 : 3 0 P. M . E T • P E N N S TAT E BY 2 3 ½

PENN STATE2017 RECORD: 11-2 (9-4 ATS)

APPALACHIAN STATE2017 RECORD: 9-4 (6-7 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Marshall is 9-3 ATS as an underdog since the start of 2016, which includes a 6-0 ATS mark as an underdog last season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 6-1-1 since the start of 2016 in games where Miami Ohio has been a home favorite of 7 points or fewer.

> HEAD-TO-HEAD Marshall is 8-2 ATS over its past 10 games played against Miami Ohio.

> SCORECAST Marshall 34, Miami Ohio 30

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 3 : 3 0 P. M . E T • M A R S H A L L BY 1

MIAMI OHIO2017 RECORD: 5-7 (3-9 ATS)

MARSHALL2017 RECORD: 8-5 (9-4 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Kentucky is 2-8 ATS as both a home favorite and in non-conference games since the start of the 2016 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 14-8 in the 22 games Central Michigan has played as an underdog since the start of the 2015 season.

> MONEYLINE Central Michigan is 5-3 against the money line (+12.3 Units) as a road underdog since the start of the 2016 season.

> SCORECAST Kentucky 23, Central Michigan 17

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 3 : 3 0 P. M . E T • K E N T U C K Y BY 17

KENTUCKY2017 RECORD: 7-6 (4-9 ATS)

CENTRAL MICHIGAN2017 RECORD: 8-5 (7-6 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Northern Illinois is 7-1-1 ATS over its past nine games as a road underdog of between 10½ and 14 points.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 11-6 in non-conference games Northern Illinois has played on the road since the start of 2013.

> HEAD-TO-HEAD Northern Illinois is 3-1 ATS in games played against Iowa since the start of the 2006 season.

> SCORECAST Iowa 26, Northern Illinois 24

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 3 : 3 0 P. M . E T • I O W A BY 1 0 ½

IOWA2017 RECORD: 8-5 (6-6-1 ATS)

NORTHERN ILLINOIS2017 RECORD: 8-5 (6-7 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Wyoming is 6-1 ATS in games where the total is between 42½ and 49 since the start of the 2016 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 4-0 in each of the past four games Wyoming has played against Pac-12 Conference opponents.

> MONEYLINE Wyoming is 9-3 against the money line (+16.4 Units) in home games since the start of the 2016 season.

> SCORECAST Wyoming 41, Washington State 37

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 3 : 3 0 P. M . E T • W A S H I N G TO N S TAT E BY 1 ½

WYOMING2017 RECORD: 8-5 (8-5 ATS)

WASHINGTON STATE2017 RECORD: 9-4 (7-6 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD North Carolina is 2-8 ATS in games played away from home during the month of September since the start of the 2012 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 10-3 in games North Carolina has played as an underdog since the start of the 2016 season.

> HEAD-TO-HEAD California won outright, 35-30, as a 13-point underdog at North Carolina in the teams’ 2017 season opener.

> SCORECAST California 36, North Carolina 24

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 4 : 0 0 P. M . E T • C A L I F O R N I A BY 7

CALIFORNIA2017 RECORD: 5-7 (8-4 ATS)

NORTH CAROLINA2017 RECORD: 3-9 (5-7 ATS)

AT



> VS. SPREAD Southern Cal is 2-7 ATS in games played during the month of September since the start of the 2016 season.

> OVER/UNDER OVER the total is 5-1 in games UNLV has played against opponents from the Pac-12 Conference since the start of 2011.

> FIRST HALF UNLV is 9-1 as a road underdog against the first-half line since the start of the 2016 season.

> SCORECAST Southern Cal 42, UNLV 21

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 4 : 0 0 P. M . E T • S O U T H E R N C A L BY 2 6

SOUTHERN CAL2017 RECORD: 11-3 (4-10 ATS)

UNLV2017 RECORD: 5-7 (6-5-1 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Boise State is 9-3 ATS as a road favorite since the midway point of the 2015 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 6-2 in Troy games played during the month of September since the start of the 2016 season.

> FIRST HALF Boise State is 18-2 against the first-half line in non-conference games since the start of the 2014 season.

> SCORECAST Boise State 30, Troy 17

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 6 : 0 0 P. M . E T • B O I S E S TAT E BY 1 0 ½

TROY2017 RECORD: 11-2 (6-6-1 ATS)

BOISE STATE2017 RECORD: 11-3 (8-5-1 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Louisiana Tech is 6-0 ATS against opponents from the Sun Belt Conference since the start of the 2005 season .

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 6-2 in games South Alabama has played during the month of September since the start of the 2016 season.

> FIRST HALF South Alabama is 7-0 since the start of 2016 against a first-half line in which they’re an underdog of between 6 and 11½ points.

> SCORECAST Louisiana Tech 27, South Alabama 14

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 7 : 0 0 P. M . E T • LO U I S I A N A T E C H BY 1 0 ½

SOUTH ALABAMA2017 RECORD: 4-8 (6-6 ATS)

LOUISIANA TECH2017 RECORD: 7-6 (7-6 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD UCLA is 4-12-1 ATS since the start of the 2014 season in games played prior to the month of October.

> OVER/UNDER OVER the total is 7-3 in games UCLA has played as a home favorite since the start of the 2016 season.

> TEASER Cincinnati is 5-2-1 against a 6-point teaser line as a road underdog since the start of the 2016 season.

> SCORECAST UCLA 41, Cincinnati 27

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 7 : 0 0 P. M . E T • U C L A BY 1 6 ½

UCLA2017 RECORD: 6-7 (4-9 ATS)

CINCINNATI2017 RECORD: 4-8 (4-8 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Indiana is 3-6 ATS in its past nine road games since the midway point of the 2016 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 8-3 in Indiana road games since the start of the 2016 season.

> MONEYLINE Florida International went 4-0 (+7.8 Units) against the money line as a home underdog last season.

> SCORECAST Florida International 26, Indiana 24

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 7 : 0 0 P. M . E T • I N D I A N A BY 1 0 ½

FLA INTERNATIONAL2017 RECORD: 8-5 (6-7 ATS)

INDIANA2017 RECORD: 5-7 (3-9 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Vanderbilt is 9-0-1 ATS against opponents from Conference USA since the start of the 2008 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 9-4 in Middle Tennessee games played in the month of September since the start of the 2015 season.

> FIRST HALF Middle Tennessee is 2-9 since the start of 2006 against a first-half line in which they’re an underdog of between 2 and 3½ points.

> SCORECAST Vanderbilt 28, Middle Tennessee 20

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 7 : 3 0 P. M . E T • VA N D E R B I LT BY 3 ½

VANDERBILT2017 RECORD: 5-7 (4-7-1 ATS)

MIDDLE TENNESSEE2017 RECORD: 7-6 (6-7 ATS)

AT


> VS. SPREAD North Texas is 1-6 ATS since the start of the 2016 season in games where the over/under is 63 or more.

> OVER/UNDER OVER the total is 6-0 in games North Texas has played as a home favorite since the start of the 2016 season.

> FIRST HALF SMU is 8-1 against the first-half line since the start of the 2016 season in games played during the month of September.

> SCORECAST SMU 42, North Texas 37

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 7 : 3 0 P. M . E T • N O R T H T E XA S BY 4 ½

NORTH TEXAS2017 RECORD: 9-5 (8-6 ATS)

SMU2017 RECORD: 7-6 (6-7 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Akron is 5-1 ATS on the road since the start of the 2016 season in games where the over/under is between 49½ and 56.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 11-2 in games Nebraska has played as a favorite since the start of the 2016 season.

> FIRST HALF Nebraska is 1-9 against the first-half line as a home favorite since the start of the 2016 season.

> SCORECAST Nebraska 34, Akron 14

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 8 : 0 0 P. M . E T • N E B R A S K A BY 2 4 ½

NEBRASKA2017 RECORD: 4-8 (4-8 ATS)

AKRON2017 RECORD: 7-7 (9-5 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Bowling Green is 0-8 ATS in non-conference games since the start of the 2016 season.

> OVER/UNDER OVER the total is 16-3 in Oregon home games since the start of the 2015 season.

> FIRST HALF Bowling Green is 1-8 against the first-half line in games played during the month of September since the start of 2016.

> SCORECAST Oregon 56, Bowling Green 17

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 8 : 0 0 P. M . E T • O R E G O N BY 3 1 ½

OREGON2017 RECORD: 7-6 (6-7 ATS)

BOWLING GREEN2017 RECORD: 2-10 (3-9 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD UT San Antonio is 3-0-1 ATS against opponents from the Pac-12 Conference since the start of the 2013 season.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 7-1 since the start of the 2016 season in UTSA road games where the total is between 49½ and 56.

> MONEYLINE UT San Antonio is 6-2 against the first-half line in non-conference games since the start of the 2016 season.

> SCORECAST Arizona State 26, UT San Antonio 21

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 0 : 3 0 P. M . E T • A R I ZO N A S TAT E BY 1 8 ½

ARIZONA STATE2017 RECORD: 7-6 (7-5-1 ATS)

UT SAN ANTONIO2017 RECORD: 6-5 (3-8 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Arizona is 2-14 ATS over the last 16 home games in which the team has been favored by between 10½ and 14 points.

> OVER/UNDER UNDER the total is 9-2 in games Brigham Young has played as an underdog since the start of the 2016 season.

> FIRST HALF Brigham Young is 2-9 as an underdog against the first-half line since the start of the 2016 season.

> SCORECAST Arizona 31, Brigham Young 23

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 1 0 : 4 5 P. M . E T • A R I ZO N A BY 1 2

ARIZONA2017 RECORD: 7-6 (6-7 ATS)

BRIGHAM YOUNG2017 RECORD: 4-9 (4-9 ATS)

AT

> VS. SPREAD Navy is 8-2 ATS in September games since the start of the 2015 season.

> OVER/UNDER OVER the total is 8-0 in Hawaii’s non-conference games since the start of the 2016 season.

> FIRST HALF Navy is 8-2 against the first-half line in non-conference games since the start of the 2016 season.

> SCORECAST Navy 41, Hawaii 27

S AT U R D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 11 : 0 0 P. M . E T • N AV Y BY 11

HAWAII2017 RECORD: 3-9 (2-9-1 ATS)

NAVY2017 RECORD: 7-6 (7-5-1 ATS)

AT


COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 & MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3


The over/under of 45½ represents the lowest total on the board for college football’s opening week, and points will be hard to come by. Miami 23, LSU 17

S U N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 , 7 : 3 0 P. M . E T • AT & T S TA D I U M I N A R L I N G TO N , T X • M I A M I BY 3 ½

LSU2017 RECORD: 9-4 (7-6 ATS)

MIAMI2017 RECORD: 10-3 (8-3-2 ATS)

AT

B O T T O M L I N E

AGAINST THE SPREAD 6-POINT TEASEROVER / UNDER

> MIAMI is 8-1 ATS against a 6-point teaser line in non- conference games since the start of the 2016 season. The average score was MIAMI 41.0, OPPONENT 16.9

> UNDER THE TOTAL is 6-0 in games Miami has played where the point spread has been between +3 and -3 since the start of the 2016 season. The average score was MIAMI 26.0, OPPONENT 17.8

> LSU is 2-10 ATS in games played during the month of September since the start of the 2015 season. The average score was LSU 26.6, OPPONENT 19.0

Power Trends

This has the makings of a relatively high-scoring affair when considering the inexperience of the Virginia Tech defense. Florida State 34, Virginia Tech 31

M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3, 8 : 0 0 P. M . E T • F LO R I D A S TAT E BY 7 ½

FLORIDA STATE2017 RECORD: 7-6 (8-4-1 ATS)

VIRGINIA TECH2017 RECORD: 9-4 (6-7 ATS)

AT

B O T T O M L I N E

AGAINST THE SPREAD MONEYLINEOVER / UNDER

> FLORIDA STATE is 3-5 against the moneyline in home games against conference opponents since the start of the 2016 season. The average score was FLORIDA STATE 28.4, OPPONENT 24.1

> OVER THE TOTAL is 5-0 in games played between Virginia Tech and Florida State since the start of the 2005 season. The average score was VIRGINIA TECH 29.6, FLORIDA STATE 27.8

> VIRGINIA TECH is 14-4 ATS over its past 18 games as a road underdog of between 3½ and 7 points. The average score was VIRGINIA TECH 27.2, OPPONENT 25.4

Power Trends

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 & MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3


The over/under of 45½ represents the lowest total on the board for college football’s opening week, and points will be hard to come by. Miami 23, LSU 17

S U N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 , 7 : 3 0 P. M . E T • AT & T S TA D I U M I N A R L I N G TO N , T X • M I A M I BY 3 ½

LSU2017 RECORD: 9-4 (7-6 ATS)

MIAMI2017 RECORD: 10-3 (8-3-2 ATS)

AT

B O T T O M L I N E

AGAINST THE SPREAD 6-POINT TEASEROVER / UNDER

> MIAMI is 8-1 ATS against a 6-point teaser line in non- conference games since the start of the 2016 season. The average score was MIAMI 41.0, OPPONENT 16.9

> UNDER THE TOTAL is 6-0 in games Miami has played where the point spread has been between +3 and -3 since the start of the 2016 season. The average score was MIAMI 26.0, OPPONENT 17.8

> LSU is 2-10 ATS in games played during the month of September since the start of the 2015 season. The average score was LSU 26.6, OPPONENT 19.0

Power Trends

This has the makings of a relatively high-scoring affair when considering the inexperience of the Virginia Tech defense. Florida State 34, Virginia Tech 31

M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3, 8 : 0 0 P. M . E T • F LO R I D A S TAT E BY 7 ½

FLORIDA STATE2017 RECORD: 7-6 (8-4-1 ATS)

VIRGINIA TECH2017 RECORD: 9-4 (6-7 ATS)

AT

B O T T O M L I N E

AGAINST THE SPREAD MONEYLINEOVER / UNDER

> FLORIDA STATE is 3-5 against the moneyline in home games against conference opponents since the start of the 2016 season. The average score was FLORIDA STATE 28.4, OPPONENT 24.1

> OVER THE TOTAL is 5-0 in games played between Virginia Tech and Florida State since the start of the 2005 season. The average score was VIRGINIA TECH 29.6, FLORIDA STATE 27.8

> VIRGINIA TECH is 14-4 ATS over its past 18 games as a road underdog of between 3½ and 7 points. The average score was VIRGINIA TECH 27.2, OPPONENT 25.4

Power Trends

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While the Bengals nearly pulled off an upset before falling in overtime at Green Bay this past Sunday, the Browns come into this one off back-to-back road losses in Baltimore and Indianapo-lis. That doesn’t bode well for the home a here, as teams with a win percentage of less than 25 percent on the season are just 4-21 ATS since the start of 2013 when coming off two straight road losses like the Browns are. Cincinnati has dominated this head-to-head series in recent seasons, going 5-0 both SU & ATS against Cleveland over the past five meetings between these teams. The Bengals have outscored the Browns 152 to 40 over the five games, three of which have been in Cleveland.

We e k 4 N F L Lock o f the Week : Cincinnati -3

The Cowboys’ two wins this season have come against a Giants team that’s 0-4 and a 2-2 Cardinals squad whose two victories both went to overtime, against a woeful Colts team and at home this past Sunday over the winless 49ers. In the losses Dallas has suffered, the team has allowed a combined 77 points to the Bron-cos and Rams. Teams coming off a game in which they allowed 35 or more points are 3-23 straight-up since the start of the 2013 season when facing an opponent that led its previous game by 14 or more points at the half. NFL teams with nine days rest after having played on Thursday the prior week are 6-0 ATS so far in 2017, which is the spot Green Bay finds itself in this week.

We e k 5 N F L Lock o f the Week : Green Bay +2

Favorites coming off a game in which they scored 30 or more points are 34-13-1 ATS since the start of the 2013 season (includ-ing 14-4 ATS since the start of 2015) when facing an opponent coming off a game in which 60 total points or more were scored (the favorite has outscored the underdog in those 48 games by an average margin of more than 10 points). Each of the past eight times Oakland has come through with an upset win over a division rival as a home underdog, the Raiders have followed it up with a loss both straight-up and ATS. They’ve been outscored in those eight games by an average margin of 23 points. The Bills won’t win by 23, but a double-digit victory wouldn’t be a surprise.

We e k 8 N F L Lock o f the Week : B u f fa l o -2½

Road teams averaging 17 or fewer points per game are 48-19-3 ATS since the start of the 2008 season after having allowed 30 or more points in their previous game. While San Francisco is 0-10 ATS since the start of last season against teams that are allowing an average of at least 235 passing yards per game, the Cardinals are 11-2 ATS under current head coach Bruce Arians after having allowed 400 or more total yards in their previous game. The 49ers are also 1-8 ATS since the start of 2015 when coming off back-to-back games in which they allowed more than 24 points.

We e k 9 N F L Lock o f the Week : A r i zo n a -1½

The Buccaneers received a surprisingly early bye week when the team’s Week 1 game scheduled to be played in Miami was postponed until November because of Hurricane Irma. Tampa Bay is 8-3 ATS since the start of the 2006 season when coming off a bye. The Bears, meanwhile, are just 4-8-2 ATS over their past 14 road games against teams from the NFC South, a mark that includes the 36-10 loss they suffered to the Buccaneers last November. Chicago’s starting quarterback Mike Glennon is likely to be at a disadvantge in this one as he goes up against a defense that should be familiar with his tendencies—Glennon was a member of the Bucs for the four seasons prior to this one.

We e k 2 N F L Lock o f the Week : Ta m p a B ay -6½

When considering that each of the past three games between these division rivals has been decided by a field goal, this seems to be an awful lot of points to pass up. The Saints are 4-0 ATS against the Panthers since the start of the 2015 season, and they’re 3-0 ATS in Carolina since the start of 2014. New Orleans is 19-8-1 ATS under head coach Sean Payton as an underdog of between 3½ and 9½ points. Although the Panthers’ defense has looked formidable while allowing only 3 points in back-to-back games, those games were against two of the NFL’s worst offenses in San Francisco and Buffalo. A moneyline wager at anything north of +200 is a strong play here too.

We e k 3 N F L Lock o f the Week : N ew O r l e a n s +6

The Lions enter this week as one of four NFL teams allowing an average of fewer than 75 rushing yards per game. The team’s pass defense, however, is another story, as Detroit is one of six NFL teams allowing an average of more than 250 passing yards per game. It’s the type of defense against which New Orleans has thrived in recent seasons, as the Saints are 6-0 ATS since the start of 2015 against defenses that allow an average of 90 or fewer rushing yards per game. The Saints are the only NFL team that has yet to turn the ball over this season, which bodes well when con-sidering that favorites of between 3½ and 10 points are 10-1 ATS since the start of the 2015 season when coming off four straight games of committing zero or one turnover, and facing an oppo-nent coming off a game in which they failed to force a turnover.

We e k 6 NFL Lock of the Week: New Orleans -4½

The 49ers come into this one still looking for their first win of the season, and teams with a winning percentage of 25% or worse are 18-45-3 ATS since the start of the 2008 season when coming off back-to-back road losses. While the Cowboys are 16-6 ATS on the road prior to the midway point of a season since the start of 2011, San Francisco is 2-11 ATS over the past 13 times they’ve played at home when coming off back-to-back road losses. And if you exclude games the Cowboys have played against the division rival Giants, Dallas is 9-1 ATS since the start of the 2003 season when coming off a bye.

We e k 7 N F L Lock o f the Week : Da l l a s -6

The NFL Lock of the Week picks in our Best Bets package compiled an impressive 12-4-1 ATS (75%) record during the 2017 regular season. That included the below eight-week win streak during which all eight of our NFL Lock of the Week picks beat the spread by 6 points or more, with five of the eight picks beating the spread by more than 15 points. (The average pick among the eight beat the spread by more than 16 points.)

the team’s Week 1 game scheduled to be played in Miami was postponed until November because of Hurricane Irma. Tampa Bay is 8-3 ATS since the start of the 2006 season when coming off a bye. The Bears, meanwhile, are just 4-8-2 ATS over their past 14 road games against teams from the NFC South, a mark that includes the 36-10 loss they suffered to the Buccaneers last November. Chicago’s starting quarterback Mike Glennon is likely to be at a disadvantge in this one as he goes up against a defense that should be familiar with his tendencies—Glennon was

When considering that each of the past three games between these division rivals has been decided by a field goal, this seems to be an awful lot of points to pass up. The Saints are 4-0 ATS against the Panthers since the start of the 2015 season, and they’re 3-0 ATS in Carolina since the start of 2014. New Orleans is 19-8-1 ATS under head coach Sean Payton as an underdog of between 3½ and 9½ points. Although the Panthers’ defense has looked formidable while allowing only 3 points in back-to-back games, those games were against two of the NFL’s worst

While the Bengals nearly pulled off an upset before falling in overtime at Green Bay this past Sunday, the Browns come into this one off back-to-back road losses in Baltimore and Indianapolis. That doesn’t bode well for the home a here, as teams with

2017 COLLEGE BEST BETS: AFTER WEEK 122017 COLLEGE BEST BETS: AFTER WEEK 12

Army will try to make it two in a row against Navy in a rivalry game that features the nation’s two best rushing offenses—Army rushes for an average of 368.1 yards per game, Navy averages 347.5 rushing yards. While Army has won six of its past seven games, Navy has lost five of its past six contests, the lone vic-tory over that stretch being a 43-40 home win against SMU on November 11. Also in the Black Knights’ favor is the fact that neutral-field underdogs that are outrushing their opponents by an average of 100 or more yards per game on the season are 14-1 ATS since the start of 2013 when coming off three straight games in which they rushed for 225 or more yards.

D e c . 9 Lock o f the Week : A r my + 3

Boise State’s biggest weakness is arguably its pass defense, as 67 FBS teams have held opponents to a completion percentage lower than the 59% the Broncos have allowed this season. Or-egon, however, is 0-6 ATS away from home since the start of last season against opponents that allow a completion percentage of at least 58 percent. The Ducks went 0-4 both straight-up and ATS in Pac-12 road games in 2017, losing the last three of those by an average of more than 31 points per game. Boise State, meanwhile, has gone 5-1 ATS away from home in 2017, a mark that includes three victories by 17 points or more. Getting more than a touchdown here is a gift, and a moneyline in the neighbor-hood of +250 is far too good a price to pass up.

D e c . 1 6 Lock o f the Week : B o i se St ate + 7½

While Oklahoma is 4-7 ATS over its past 11 games against SEC op-ponets, Georgia comes into this one having gone 8-3 both straight-up and ATS over its past 11 bowl games. The Bulldogs are also 7-0 both straight-up and ATS away from home against non-conference opponents since the start of the 2014 season, with all of seven of those games coming against teams from Power 5 conferences.

R OS E B OW L Pick : G e o rg i a -1½

Alabama’s last-second loss to Clemson last year’s title game is the only straight-up defeat the Crimson Tide have suffered over seven games against ACC opponents in the past 10 years (Alabama is 5-2 ATS in those games). In 20 prior instances under head coach Nick Saban that the Crimson Tide went into a game having failed to cover the spread in three of their previous four contests, they’ve gone 19-1 straight-up and 15-4-1 ATS.

S U G A R B OW L Pick : A l a b a m a -2½

Purdue comes into this one having gone 7-1 straight-up and 6-2 ATS over the past eight times they’ve been favored at home against Indiana. The six ATS wins have been by an average mar-gin of 34.8 points and includes the Boilermakers’ 56-35 win as a five-point favorite two seasons ago when these teams last met in West Lafayette. Indiana, meanwhile, had been 0-7 ATS against Big Ten opponents this season before last Saturday’s home win against lowly Rutgers.

N ov. 2 5 Lock o f the Week : P u rd u e -2½

Undefeated Wisconsin has won each of its past six games by double digits, and by an average margin of 22.7 points. The Bad-gers lead the nation in total defense, allowing an average of only 237 total yards per game, and they’re second only to Alabama in scoring defense, giving up an average of just 12.0 points per game. They also have RB Jonathan Taylor riding a nine-game streak of 100-yard rushing games, which is a big reason why the team ranks second in the nation in time of possession. They’re 5-0 ATS as an underdog over the past two calendar years, and they’re 12-3 ATS since the start of last season when coming off back-to-back games in which they allowed 17 or fewer points. Ohio State, meanwhile, is 0-6 ATS over the past six times they’ve been favored by fewer than 13 points. Head coach Urban Meyer is 1-3 straight-up at OSU when favored in neutral-site games.

D e c . 2 Lock o f the Week : W i sco n s i n + 6½

Texas Tech ended the regular season with a 27-23 win over Texas to become bowl eligible. The Red Raiders, however, had entered that finale with just two straight-up victories in their prior eight games, over Kansas and Baylor teams that each went 1-11 in 2017. (Kansas’ lone win was against FCS Southeast Missouri State in the season opener; Baylor beat only Kansas.) South Florida, meanwhile, has lost only twice all season, by 4 points to Houston and by 7 to UCF, a pair of teams that combined to go 19-4 straight-up in 2017.

D e c . 2 3 Lock o f the Week : S o u t h F l o r i d a -2½

Washington State is 1-5-1 ATS over its past seven games vs. Big Ten teams, with the lone ATS win in that span being a 3-point victory in the 2015 season’s second week vs. a Rutgers squad that would end that year as one of the worst teams among Power 5 conferences. While Michigan State is 4-1 both straight-up and ATS over its past five bowl games, the Cougars are 1-4 straight-up and 2-3 ATS over their past five bowls. Washington State went 1-3 both straight-up and ATS away from home over the second half of the 2017 season.

D e c . 2 8 Lock o f the Week : M i c h i g a n St ate -1

We ended our 2017 college football season on a roll, going on a perfect 9-0 ATS run in the below games we wrote up in our Best Bets offering.

The remarkable stretch included eight games that took place after the month of November, and it was capped with an ATS victory on Georgia’s

cover as an underdog in the Bulldogs’ heartbreaking overtime loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

Purdue comes into this one having gone 7-1 straight-up and 6-2 ATS over the past eight times they’ve been favored at home against Indiana. The six ATS wins have been by an average margin of 34.8 points and includes the Boilermakers’ 56-35 win as a five-point favorite two seasons ago when these teams last met in West Lafayette. Indiana, meanwhile, had been 0-7 ATS against Big Ten opponents this season before last Saturday’s home win

Neutral field underdogs that average at least 225 rushing yards per game are 11-0 ATS since the start of the 2013 season when coming off four straight games with 225 or more rushing yards. Georgia is one of 31 FBS teams to average more than 200 rushing yards per game in 2017, and the Bulldogs will be the fifth such team Alabama has faced. The Crimson Tide are 0-4 ATS in their previous four meetings against teams that ended the season with an average of more than 200 rushing yards per game, and each of those four opponents rushed for 144 or more yards against Alabama. Neither Colorado State, LSU, Mississippi State nor Au-burn boasts a rushing attack as potent as that of Georgia, which has surpassed 200 rushing yards in 11 of its past 12 games.

National Championship Pick: G e o rg i a + 4½

Texas Tech ended the regular season with a 27-23 win over Texas to become bowl eligible. The Red Raiders, however, had entered that finale with just two straight-up victories in their prior eight games, over Kansas and Baylor teams that each went 1-11 in 2017. (Kansas’ lone win was against FCS Southeast Missouri State in the season opener; Baylor beat only Kansas.) South Florida, meanwhile, has lost only twice all season, by 4 points to Houston and by 7 to

237 total yards per game, and they’re second only to Alabama in scoring defense, giving up an average of just 12.0 points per game. They also have RB Jonathan Taylor riding a nine-game streak of 100-yard rushing games, which is a big reason why the team ranks second in the nation in time of possession. They’re 5-0 ATS as an underdog over the past two calendar years, and they’re 12-3 ATS since the start of last season when coming off

Washington State is 1-5-1 ATS over its past seven games vs. Big Ten teams, with the lone ATS win in that span being a 3-point victory in the 2015 season’s second week vs. a Rutgers squad that would end that year as one of the worst teams among Power 5 conferences. While Michigan State is 4-1 both straight-up and ATS over its past five bowl games, the Cougars are 1-4 straight-up and 2-3 ATS over their past five bowls. Washington State went 1-3 both straight-up

While Oklahoma is 4-7 ATS over its past 11 games against SEC opponets, Georgia comes into this one having gone 8-3 both straight-

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Central Florida 23½ CONNECTICUT

PURDUE 2½ Northwestern

MINNESOTA 21 New Mexico State

Wake Forest 6½ TULANE

MICHIGAN STATE 23½ Utah State

Syracuse 6 WESTERN MICHIGAN

WISCONSIN 36 Western Kentucky

Colorado 7½ Colorado State

STANFORD 14½ San Diego State

DUKE 13½ Army

OKLAHOMA 21 Florida Atlantic

OHIO STATE 39 Oregon State

BOSTON COLLEGE 18 Massachusetts

Indiana 10½ FLA INTERNATIONAL

Texas 13½ Maryland

VANDERBILT 3½ Middle Tennessee

ARIZONA 12 Brigham Young

ARIZONA STATE 18½ Texas-San Antonio

SOUTHERN CAL 26 Unlv

UCLA 16½ Cincinnati

Auburn 1½ Washington

KENTUCKY 17 Central Michigan

Texas Tech 2 Mississippi

SOUTH CAROLINA 29½ Coastal Carolina

West Virginia 10 Tennessee

CALIFORNIA 7½ North Carolina

Washington State 1½ WYOMING

OREGON 31½ Bowling Green

Michigan 1½ NOTRE DAME

ALABAMA 24½ Louisville

Miami Florida 3½ Lsu

FLORIDA STATE 7½ Virginia Tech










DUKE 13½ Army





Texas 13½ Maryland


















Taking three home favorite on Saturday then topping it off with a Sunday Hammertime blowout . . . will be partying Sunday night with a turnover chain around my neck!

Boston College could end up beating UMass by twice as much as this spread. Wyoming is getting too much credit for this past Saturday’s win over a weak New Mexico State team.

Dave Bartman Gary Bennett

4-FOR-4 PARLAY CARDS BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE SIMPLY CAN’T RESIST

College Football Week 1 Aug. 30 - Sept. 3

NAME: NAME:

FAVO R I T E FAVO R I T EU N D E R D O G U N D E R D O GL I N E L I N E











DUKE 13½ Army





Texas 13½ Maryland



























DUKE 13½ Army





Texas 13½ Maryland


















Scott Gramling Brian Graham

4-FOR-4 PARLAY CARDS PLAY THEM AT YOUR OWN RISK

NAME: NAME:

FAVO R I T EFAVO R I T E FAVO R I T EFAVO R I T EU N D E R D O GU N D E R D O G U N D E R D O GU N D E R D O GL I N EL I N E L I N EL I N E

I said when Herm Edwards was announced as Arizona State’s head coach that I would bet against the Sun Devils until the bookmakers realized what an awful coach he is.

I made my picks before seeing what the other guys had, but happy to know that I’m overlapping with each of them while flying solo on my Tennessee selection.

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