Joseph D'Amico

Air Force Falcons.

Air Force comes into this game with a 3-1 SU record. Granted, laying around the TD on the road is always a bit shaky. But that’ll change your point of view when you look at Northern Illinois. This is a team that going back to last season, that has now dropped six in a row and eight of their last 10 straight up, and has only covered one game since mid-November. This season they have covered just one outing, and believe it or not, it was because their opponent let their foot off the gas. Their closest margin of defeat came by four-points against an FCS opponent in Illinois State in which they dropped the game 28-24. Statistically, this team owns some of the worst numbers on offense and on defense in college football. They average just 13.8 PPG and have turned the ball over six times. They have no ground attack ranking 138 in rushing. Their passing unit is almost as bad. On defense, they rank 130th, yielding a whopping 36.3 PPG and are equally bad against the rush as they are against the pass. But it is their run defense which will be in dire trouble here. They face the #3 running offense in the nation. The Falcons average 297.3 yards per game on the ground and are scoring over 29.0 PPG. They will dominate the line of scrimmage, move the chains with ease with their potent rushing attack, keeping their opponents defense on the field, tiring them out early and often. This game will get out of hand. Take the Falcons. Thank you.

Alabama Crimson Tide on the Moneyline.

We have two of the top teams in the nation, both undefeated, and both covering four of their five outings this season, going up against one another here. Yes, there is certain concerns about whether. And as of post, it is still not certain if this game will be played in the original location. Having said all that, I like the Crimson Tide. Both offenses are among the top-scoring in the nation, while both defenses are among the stingiest. Yes, on paper the Bulldogs offense scores a bit more while their defense allows a bit less. But I feel the Crimson Tide stop-unit is better battle-tested and has forced more turnovers. Not only that, but I feel their quarterback is a better big game QB. You know the Crimson Tide don’t lose too many games in the state of Alabama. While they took last year’s regular season matchup on the road, they still dropped the conference championship to Georgia in Atlanta. This is a big revenge factor and this team knows how to win in big game situations. Take the Alabama Crimson Tide. Thank you.

Texas Longhorns.

Before we start talking about Texas not covering since their season opener, neither has Oklahoma. But there are some very big disparities in this matchup. The Longhorns are now riding a seven-game straight up win streak going back to last season. Meanwhile, the Sooners have dropped three of their last five going back to last season. Not only that, but they’ve only covered one game since the third week of November. This team is pointspread poison. Yes, Texas has won and covered each of the last two meetings, one on the road and one at home, outscoring Oklahoma by a combined 57-9. This season, the Longhorns defense is looking even stronger. They are allowing just 13.3 PPG behind an equally strong stop-unit against the pass as well as the rush. I doubt very much they are worried as they face an Oklahoma offense which is absolutely deplorable ranking in the bottom third in just about every category, committing 10 turnovers and only accounting for 22.0 PPG. They cannot run the ball at all, making them very one-dimensional. On the flipside, yes, the Sooners defense is pretty good themselves. But they’ve only forced one turnover and are beatable on the ground. Next week, the Longhorns have the Gators at home while the Sooners will be hosting the Wildcats. This is the game that will measure Texas’ strength for the remainder of the regular season. They must come out and win big here. Take the Longhorns. Thank you.

UCLA Bruins.

Yes, Oregon has had their way in this series taking five in a row and nine of the last 10 straight up, covering six of those 10 matchups. But the Ducks aren’t quite the same team as we remember them in recent seasons. They started off this season with back-to-back, no covers, as I believe they are being overvalued. As a matter of fact, take away the 84-0 victory over Portland State, and this defense has gotten smoked for 27, 39, and 27 points. Meanwhile, the Bruins come into this matchup, a perfect 4-0 both SU and ATS. They have covered both road games thus far this season, and going back to last season have covered three straight as a visitor. Oregon has Nebraska on deck at home while UCLA also at home will be facing Wisconsin next week. Without question the Ducks have more reason to look ahead. Yes, they once again have one of the highest-scoring offenses in the nation. But their defense is getting smoked as I mentioned a moment ago. They are one of the worst in the nation against the pass and are facing an offense that’s putting up 44.8 points per game. UCLA owns a top-five rushing attack that keeps defenses honest, while opening up their passing attack. On defense, they are excellent against the run and are only yielding 18.8 PPG, having forced eight turnovers already. I just think this is way too many points. Take the Bruins. Thank you

James Madison Dukes.

Don’t look now, but James Madison is a perfect 5-0 both SU and ATS this season. They are playing some very good football, my friends. Granted the last four meetings in this conference rivalry has been benefited by each team playing at home. But this is a very different Dukes team and certainly a lot stronger than the Eagles. Having said that, James Madison enters this matchup one of the most bankable teams in the nation winning 16 of their last 17 going back to last season and covering six in a row and eight of those last 10 outings. When asked to step up in class, they played well last December against Oregon and took down Liberty in their season opener this year, not to mention a few weeks back, taking down San Diego State on the road. Georgia Southern comes off their first victory following three consecutive losses. Granted those three games were on the road at Clemson and Jacksonville State and at home against Houston. But this team’s defense is getting smoked. They are not very threatening only creating two turnovers. Granted, defensively the Dukes leave a bit to be desired in the air. But they are excellent at stopping the rush. The Eagles don’t have too much of a a run-oriented offense as they depend solely on the pass. But they turned the ball over five times and only score 24.8 PPG offensively. JMU is one of the best units in the nation ranking seventh in scoring, averaging 44.8 PPG, equally strong in the air as they are on the ground. Speaking of their running game, that is where this game will be won. They have an explosive rushing attack that will move the chains on the ground, and eat up a lot of clock, while keeping their opponents defense on the field. Let’s not forget they only allow 13.2 PPG and forced five turnovers on the defensive side of the ball, to boot. Yes, they do have Georgia State on deck. But this team will not be caught looking ahead. They are too smart and too well-coached. Take James Madison. Thank you.

Minnesota Golden Gophers on the Moneyline.

Very surprisingly, Minnesota enters this game 4-1 both straight up and against the spread this season. As a matter of fact, going back to last season, they have prevailed in six of their last seven outings and have covered seven of their last eight contests. This team covers the spread. There are many naysayers out there that will fade them this week because last week at home they took down Michigan as nearly a touchdown underdog. However, if they were going to come back down to earth, it would’ve been in that game following their road victory as a 12.5-point underdog at Washington the week before. I think this team is a genuinely solid team that plays good football. I doubt very much you’re going to see them fall flat here. Yes, Purdue has faced some pretty solid opposition this season in Wake Forest, UCLA, and Notre Dame. But your defense is absolutely deplorable. The Golden Gophers are off next week before they play a home game against the Hawkeyes. Having said that, the Boilermakers are at home next week against the Huskies and might be in a look ahead spot here. They have no running game whatsoever ranking 130th on the ground averaging 99.2 yards per game. Their offensive unit does not have what it takes to keep a defense honest. Especially when you’re going up against a stop-unit like this opponent possesses. The Minny “D” ranks 35th in the nation yielding just 18.0 points per game equally strong against the pass as they are against the rush ranking in the top-20 in both of those categories. Yes, Purdue can pass the ball. But without that running game to keep this defense honest, I feel they’re in for a long day. On the flipside, granted the Golden Gophers offense leaves a bit to be desired, but they are still scoring 32.0 PPG. The Boilermakers defense is outclassed and will be in for a long day here. This game will get ugly. Take Minnesota. Thank you.

Duke Blue Devils.

Yes, it’s true, Georgia Tech has had their way with Duke taking five consecutive meetings in this rivalry. But these are two very different teams this season. The Yellow Jackets have just a few starters returning from last year‘s offense. This certainly shows as they rank 109th on the ground and 58th in the air. They’ve also coughed the ball up five times. They enter this matchup with a 1-3 straight up record and have not covered a game thus far this season. As a matter of fact, going back to last season they have dropped six of their last seven SU, and eight of the last nine ATS. Now in comes Duke who happens to be a perfect 4-0 both SU and ATS, and have taken down some solid opposition. Going back to last season this team has now rattled off eight consecutive straight up victories, covering seven of those eight outings. With one of the best running attacks in the nation and a solid passing game, this offense is making very few mistakes, and accounting for over 36.3 PPG. That would be enough for me here. But their defense ranks in the top-five yielding just 11.0 PPG. They are one of the best in the nation at stopping the rush, and are very frustrating at stopping the pass. The Georgia Tech offense has no ground game to keep defenses honest. That makes them very one-dimensional and the way the Duke defense has played, I feel things are going to go from bad to worse for the Yellow Jackets here. This might be one of the strongest releases and most lopsided contests this Saturday. Take the Blue Devils. Thank you.

USC TROJANS.

Yes, the Trojans are 5-1 straight up this season, but have only covered one of those six outings. I am fully aware their defense is yielding 25.5 points per game. But this team is off next week before they take it on the road to face the Badgers. Their defense does leave a lot to be desired. But their offense is lighting up scoreboards for over 37.3 PPG, with an amazing aerial attack, and a solid ground game to keep defenses on their toes. Meanwhile, what can we say about Penn State? They are just 3-2 this season and have failed to cover three of their five outings. Over the last two weeks they have lost back-to-back games against conference opponents they should’ve beaten. As a matter of fact, they got smoked for a combined 58 points against Wisconsin and Northwestern. They were favored in both of those outings, my friends. Yes, playing at home gives this team a big advantage. However, next week on the road, they have to go into Michigan and maybe caught looking ahead a bit here. Having said that, they really aren’t running the ball all that great, nor can their defense stop to run at all. That is where this game will be won, on the ground. The USC ground game will pound the ball up the middle, move the chains, and eat up clock. This will allow their passing game to attack. Yes, the Nittany Lions pass defense is one of the stingiest in the country. But by the time, the second half comes, their stop unit will be fatigued. They just don’t have the roster to keep pace on the scoreboard in this matchup. Take the Trojans. Thank you.

Illinois Fighting Illini on the moneyline.

Illinois comes into this game, just 2-3 both SU and ATS. But I think this is the game they turn things around and give themselves a well needed victory and some self-confidence. They play a Michigan State opponent that is just 2-3 straight up, but has covered three of their five outings this season. Yes, the Spartans are 2-1 straight up at home, but those two victories were against two MAC opponents. The Fighting Illini had problems with the Blue Devils, the Buckeyes and the Boilermakers. I think we can all agree Ohio State is one of the top teams in the nation. I think we can also all agree both Duke and Purdue are better than we had anticipated. They have an off week next week before a home game against Oregon. And I feel they certainly will outscore the MSU lackluster “O”, which is only accounting for 18.2 PPG and has committed six turnovers already. On the defensive side of the ball, the Spartans have only forced one turnover. I feel they’re going to have some real issues here trying to defend the well-balance offense of the Fighting Illini. This is a contest Illinois will focus on because next week as I mentioned a moment ago they are off and then have to step up in class with tougher opposition looming. Take the Fighting Illini. Thank you.