SHARPEST EDGE SPORTS
NCAAF
USC Trojans at Stanford Cardinal
A showdown on the farm between the Trojans and Cardinal is an early season Pac-12 matchup with lasting implications. It has been a mixed bag for the Cardinal to open the season as they opened the season against Kansas State, as Stanford jumped to a 17-point lead before having issues holding on. It was a typical run-heavy Stanford game, but first-year starting QB Stanford Ryan Burns who completed over 75 percent of his passes. The Cardinal were well on their way to putting up big points before absolutely hitting a wall, but they have had a week off to regroup offensively. Everyone in Troy was glad to put the embarrassing 46-point loss to Alabama behind them by thumping the Aggies of Utah State 45-7. The sample size is small but even with a new QBs these teams have a history of scoring. The two met twice last season, with USC losing 41-31 at home early in the regular season and 41-22 in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Those two games totaled 72 and 63 points respectively, and even with a drop off, I see enough.
PICK: Over 52.5 – 4 Units
Pittsburgh Panthers at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Coming off the craziest game of the year and one of the most controversial finishes of all-time, Oklahoma State welcomes the Panthers of Pittsburgh to Stillwater. The Panthers have the feel-good story of the year in the comeback of RB James Conner. Pittsburgh looked great early against in-state rival Penn State only to see the Nittany Lions roar back but ultimately fall short 42-39. The Cowboys had absolutely no business losing to a team like Central Michigan even if they “really won”. The Pokes have to be hurt with the outcome but they have no one to be mad at but themselves. There are two ways to go here; pity or payback. I am going with the latter at home.
PICK: Oklahoma State Cowboys -3.5 – 3 Units
Oregon Ducks at Nebraska Cornhuskers
When I first saw this matchup I was very intrigued. For the second year in a row the Ducks are starting a new QB, still trying to fill the giant-sized shoes left by Heisman winner, Marcus Mariota. With Vernon Adams last year, they finished 9-4 but still averaged 43 points per game on offense. The problem was their defense gave up 37.5 points per game. Oregon's offense looks as good as usual with an average of 48.5 points through two weeks. They are still loaded at the skill positions with RB Royce Freeman, TE Pharaoh Brown, WR Devon Allen and WR Darren Carrington, but the problem still lies on the defensive side of the ball. Oregon's defense is allowing 27 points per game in wins over UC Davis, a FCS school, and Virginia, which opened the season with a loss to FCS Richmond. Cornhusker fans are finally getting to see their offense open up. Coming off a 2015 season where they averaged 32.8 points per game, they are averaging 47.5 this season through their opening two games. I said this game was intriguing so I am passing on the side and kicking my feet up to watch what should be a fun up-and-down game.
PICK: Over 74.5 – 3 Units
NCAAF
USC Trojans at Stanford Cardinal
A showdown on the farm between the Trojans and Cardinal is an early season Pac-12 matchup with lasting implications. It has been a mixed bag for the Cardinal to open the season as they opened the season against Kansas State, as Stanford jumped to a 17-point lead before having issues holding on. It was a typical run-heavy Stanford game, but first-year starting QB Stanford Ryan Burns who completed over 75 percent of his passes. The Cardinal were well on their way to putting up big points before absolutely hitting a wall, but they have had a week off to regroup offensively. Everyone in Troy was glad to put the embarrassing 46-point loss to Alabama behind them by thumping the Aggies of Utah State 45-7. The sample size is small but even with a new QBs these teams have a history of scoring. The two met twice last season, with USC losing 41-31 at home early in the regular season and 41-22 in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Those two games totaled 72 and 63 points respectively, and even with a drop off, I see enough.
PICK: Over 52.5 – 4 Units
Pittsburgh Panthers at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Coming off the craziest game of the year and one of the most controversial finishes of all-time, Oklahoma State welcomes the Panthers of Pittsburgh to Stillwater. The Panthers have the feel-good story of the year in the comeback of RB James Conner. Pittsburgh looked great early against in-state rival Penn State only to see the Nittany Lions roar back but ultimately fall short 42-39. The Cowboys had absolutely no business losing to a team like Central Michigan even if they “really won”. The Pokes have to be hurt with the outcome but they have no one to be mad at but themselves. There are two ways to go here; pity or payback. I am going with the latter at home.
PICK: Oklahoma State Cowboys -3.5 – 3 Units
Oregon Ducks at Nebraska Cornhuskers
When I first saw this matchup I was very intrigued. For the second year in a row the Ducks are starting a new QB, still trying to fill the giant-sized shoes left by Heisman winner, Marcus Mariota. With Vernon Adams last year, they finished 9-4 but still averaged 43 points per game on offense. The problem was their defense gave up 37.5 points per game. Oregon's offense looks as good as usual with an average of 48.5 points through two weeks. They are still loaded at the skill positions with RB Royce Freeman, TE Pharaoh Brown, WR Devon Allen and WR Darren Carrington, but the problem still lies on the defensive side of the ball. Oregon's defense is allowing 27 points per game in wins over UC Davis, a FCS school, and Virginia, which opened the season with a loss to FCS Richmond. Cornhusker fans are finally getting to see their offense open up. Coming off a 2015 season where they averaged 32.8 points per game, they are averaging 47.5 this season through their opening two games. I said this game was intriguing so I am passing on the side and kicking my feet up to watch what should be a fun up-and-down game.
PICK: Over 74.5 – 3 Units
RICKENBACH SATURDAY NCAA FB (4 plays):
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #174 - 8* Oklahoma State Cowboys (-3.5) vs Pittsburgh Panthers @ 3:30 ET - After the gut-wrenching loss to Central Michigan last week, Oklahoma State is fired up for this one. The Cowboys also benefit from catching Pittsburgh off of an emotional win over in-state rival Penn State as the Panthers renewed their rivalry with the Nittany Lions last week. Pitt has their ACC opener on deck and, even though OSU has their Big 12 opener on the deck, the travel situation strongly favors the Cowboys here. Oklahoma State is playing their third straight home game while the Panthers are making an unusual road trip to Big Twelve country. It is the first time Pittsburgh has played on the road against a Big 12 team since they traveled to Nebraska in 2005. The Cowboys returned the majority of their starters from last season's team so they have a veteran group that is ready to respond appropriately at home in Stillwater, OK after last week's unreal finish that handed them a tough loss. Look for the Cowboys to improve to 10-5 as a home fave in a range of 3.5 to 10 points while dropping the Panthers to 3-9 ATS in their last 12 non-conference games. 8* OKLAHOMA STATE Saturday
TOP Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #168 - 10* Top Play Nebraska Cornhuskers (-3) vs Oregon Ducks @ 3:30 ET Saturday - Here you have an unranked Cornhuskers team taking on a ranked Ducks team and yet Nebraska is a 3 point favorite over Oregon. Of course this has many bettors flocking to Oregon but truly the odds makers knew what they were doing here. Nebraska is a team on the rise and the Ducks truly aren't the same team they were in recent seasons and yet Oregon remains very popular with bettors. Of course this helps drive value for us in spots like this as I expect Nebraska win this game by double digits. The Huskers have an edge here with head coach Mike Riley formerly coaching at Oregon State. As head man of the Beavers you have to know the Ducks program inside and out and that is an edge here. Cornhuskers QB Armstrong had a huge game last week through the air and Nebraska also delivered a huge game on the ground in the prior week. Certainly I respect the Oregon offense but their defense is very vulnerable and even got gashed by the ground game of Virginia and the Cavaliers certainly aren't known for that. The Huskers have the right personnel and systems to pound on the ground again like Nebraska teams of old but Armstrong also gives them the huge aerial threat that keeps defenses off balance. Note that Oregon had their worst season in a long time with a 9-4 showing last year and their defense allowed 485 yards per game and they now have a new defensive coordinator in Brady Hoke. This is a team that is regressing even though head coach Mark Helfrich is in his fourth year here. They just don't have the same talent level they had in the Chip Kelly years and they lost a ton of starters from last year's team. Conversely, Nebraska returned most of their starters from last year and, after a down year last year, they are poised to bounce back and have already covered each of their first two games while the Ducks are already 0-2 ATS. 10* NEBRASKA Saturday afternoon.
Blowout Game of the Month - Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #186 - 10* Top Play Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-7) vs Michigan State Spartans @ 7:30 ET Saturday - Michigan State is ranked HIGHER than Notre Dame and yet the Spartans opened up as MORE than a TD underdog in this game! What does that tell you? Exactly! If you're a contrarian player like I am you are all over the Fighting Irish in this game. There is a reason the line may "look funny" and that's because Michigan State has had many successful seasons in recent years. However, as I stated before the season, the Spartans will be one of the teams I'll be looking to fade this year. Michigan State lost QB Connor Cook and also a ton of other returning starters on both sides of the ball. Even though the D should still be solid for the Spartans (despite losing a lot of starters) their offense is truly being "rebuilt" and they won't have the firepower to keep up with Notre Dame here. The Fighting Irish have already been tested as they had that tough battle with Texas to open up the season. As for the Spartans, they opened up against an FCS team, Furman, and then had a bye week last week. This has done very little to prepare Michigan State for the "onslaught" that this high-powered Notre Dame offense is going to throw at them Saturday. The Irish offense has averaged 33.5 points per game under Brian Kelly the last two seasons and they are already putting up big points this season (and not against FCS schools). The Spartans only beat Furman by 15 points in week one and the Irish didn't allow a TD to Nevada last week until late 4th quarter. It was a much better performance for the defense compared to week one against Texas but, again, the key here is that the Irish are at home and can put up points in a hurry and the Spartans offense just doesn't have the ability to "keep up" in a game like this. Don't be fooled by the line here. The Spartans will be exposed early this season and this is the first such opportunity so it is the right time to jump in. Michigan State is 2-6 ATS in September games the past 2+ seasons. The Irish are on an 11-2 SU run and 9-4 ATS run in home games! 10* NOTRE DAME Saturday evening
Marquee Showdown - Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #192 - 8* Oklahoma Sooners (+1) vs Ohio State Buckeyes @ 7:30 ET Saturday - Ohio State is ranked #3 in the country and the Buckeyes have won their first two games this season by a combined score of 125 to 13. Oklahoma is ranked #14 in the nation but what the betting markets remember about them is their ugly season-opening loss against Houston. The Sooners are 0-2 ATS on the season and the Buckeyes are already 2-0 ATS this season. All of the above considered don't you find it curious that this line is only in the "pick'em" range on Ohio State? Exactly! Once again another contrarian play for me as I am going to grab the team that everyone remembers from their poor performance against Houston and I am going to fade the much higher ranked team that has been absolutely dominate so far this season. How can we do this with confidence? For one thing, the Sooners know they can't afford another loss. They have an "us against the world" mentality for this game and OU is hungry to prove they belong with the elite in college football after their disappointing week 1 performance. Keep in mind that the Buckeyes haven't truly been tested yet as they were favored by 4 TD's in each of their first two games. Keep in mind this is an OSU team that returned only 6 starters from last year's team while Oklahoma returned 13 starters from a team that was in the playoffs last year and OU, unlike OSU, certainly has already been tested this season by virtue of that big battle with
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #174 - 8* Oklahoma State Cowboys (-3.5) vs Pittsburgh Panthers @ 3:30 ET - After the gut-wrenching loss to Central Michigan last week, Oklahoma State is fired up for this one. The Cowboys also benefit from catching Pittsburgh off of an emotional win over in-state rival Penn State as the Panthers renewed their rivalry with the Nittany Lions last week. Pitt has their ACC opener on deck and, even though OSU has their Big 12 opener on the deck, the travel situation strongly favors the Cowboys here. Oklahoma State is playing their third straight home game while the Panthers are making an unusual road trip to Big Twelve country. It is the first time Pittsburgh has played on the road against a Big 12 team since they traveled to Nebraska in 2005. The Cowboys returned the majority of their starters from last season's team so they have a veteran group that is ready to respond appropriately at home in Stillwater, OK after last week's unreal finish that handed them a tough loss. Look for the Cowboys to improve to 10-5 as a home fave in a range of 3.5 to 10 points while dropping the Panthers to 3-9 ATS in their last 12 non-conference games. 8* OKLAHOMA STATE Saturday
TOP Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #168 - 10* Top Play Nebraska Cornhuskers (-3) vs Oregon Ducks @ 3:30 ET Saturday - Here you have an unranked Cornhuskers team taking on a ranked Ducks team and yet Nebraska is a 3 point favorite over Oregon. Of course this has many bettors flocking to Oregon but truly the odds makers knew what they were doing here. Nebraska is a team on the rise and the Ducks truly aren't the same team they were in recent seasons and yet Oregon remains very popular with bettors. Of course this helps drive value for us in spots like this as I expect Nebraska win this game by double digits. The Huskers have an edge here with head coach Mike Riley formerly coaching at Oregon State. As head man of the Beavers you have to know the Ducks program inside and out and that is an edge here. Cornhuskers QB Armstrong had a huge game last week through the air and Nebraska also delivered a huge game on the ground in the prior week. Certainly I respect the Oregon offense but their defense is very vulnerable and even got gashed by the ground game of Virginia and the Cavaliers certainly aren't known for that. The Huskers have the right personnel and systems to pound on the ground again like Nebraska teams of old but Armstrong also gives them the huge aerial threat that keeps defenses off balance. Note that Oregon had their worst season in a long time with a 9-4 showing last year and their defense allowed 485 yards per game and they now have a new defensive coordinator in Brady Hoke. This is a team that is regressing even though head coach Mark Helfrich is in his fourth year here. They just don't have the same talent level they had in the Chip Kelly years and they lost a ton of starters from last year's team. Conversely, Nebraska returned most of their starters from last year and, after a down year last year, they are poised to bounce back and have already covered each of their first two games while the Ducks are already 0-2 ATS. 10* NEBRASKA Saturday afternoon.
Blowout Game of the Month - Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #186 - 10* Top Play Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-7) vs Michigan State Spartans @ 7:30 ET Saturday - Michigan State is ranked HIGHER than Notre Dame and yet the Spartans opened up as MORE than a TD underdog in this game! What does that tell you? Exactly! If you're a contrarian player like I am you are all over the Fighting Irish in this game. There is a reason the line may "look funny" and that's because Michigan State has had many successful seasons in recent years. However, as I stated before the season, the Spartans will be one of the teams I'll be looking to fade this year. Michigan State lost QB Connor Cook and also a ton of other returning starters on both sides of the ball. Even though the D should still be solid for the Spartans (despite losing a lot of starters) their offense is truly being "rebuilt" and they won't have the firepower to keep up with Notre Dame here. The Fighting Irish have already been tested as they had that tough battle with Texas to open up the season. As for the Spartans, they opened up against an FCS team, Furman, and then had a bye week last week. This has done very little to prepare Michigan State for the "onslaught" that this high-powered Notre Dame offense is going to throw at them Saturday. The Irish offense has averaged 33.5 points per game under Brian Kelly the last two seasons and they are already putting up big points this season (and not against FCS schools). The Spartans only beat Furman by 15 points in week one and the Irish didn't allow a TD to Nevada last week until late 4th quarter. It was a much better performance for the defense compared to week one against Texas but, again, the key here is that the Irish are at home and can put up points in a hurry and the Spartans offense just doesn't have the ability to "keep up" in a game like this. Don't be fooled by the line here. The Spartans will be exposed early this season and this is the first such opportunity so it is the right time to jump in. Michigan State is 2-6 ATS in September games the past 2+ seasons. The Irish are on an 11-2 SU run and 9-4 ATS run in home games! 10* NOTRE DAME Saturday evening
Marquee Showdown - Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #192 - 8* Oklahoma Sooners (+1) vs Ohio State Buckeyes @ 7:30 ET Saturday - Ohio State is ranked #3 in the country and the Buckeyes have won their first two games this season by a combined score of 125 to 13. Oklahoma is ranked #14 in the nation but what the betting markets remember about them is their ugly season-opening loss against Houston. The Sooners are 0-2 ATS on the season and the Buckeyes are already 2-0 ATS this season. All of the above considered don't you find it curious that this line is only in the "pick'em" range on Ohio State? Exactly! Once again another contrarian play for me as I am going to grab the team that everyone remembers from their poor performance against Houston and I am going to fade the much higher ranked team that has been absolutely dominate so far this season. How can we do this with confidence? For one thing, the Sooners know they can't afford another loss. They have an "us against the world" mentality for this game and OU is hungry to prove they belong with the elite in college football after their disappointing week 1 performance. Keep in mind that the Buckeyes haven't truly been tested yet as they were favored by 4 TD's in each of their first two games. Keep in mind this is an OSU team that returned only 6 starters from last year's team while Oklahoma returned 13 starters from a team that was in the playoffs last year and OU, unlike OSU, certainly has already been tested this season by virtue of that big battle with
Asa (5,4,3) 6- ok st, 4- mia fl, 3- louis, penn st
gameday (4,3,2) 4- mich, 2- penn st, va, ok st, ok
harry bondi (5,4,3) 7- ok st, 4- fl st, 3- ole miss, ok
jack jones (25,20,15) 20- rut, oh u, miss st, 15- unlv, col, vandy, n tx, tx st, mizz
kelso (200,100) 50- w ky
lenny stevens (20-10) 20- neb, ok st, 10- lsu, bama
maddux (20 10) 20- ok, 10- louis, midd tn, mar, ga over, navy under, ariz over, memph under
neri (5,4,3,2) 4- tol, 3- louis
northcoast (5,4,3) 5- ok, 4- fl st, bama, penn st, tulane, 3- mich st, mizz
otto (20,15) 20- c fl 10 lsu
pick city (5,4,3,2) 4- n dame, 3- ok, ok st, 2- ga, louis, mich
pointwise (4,3,2) 4- mich st, penn st, 3- bama, tol, s miss, n mex, kan st
preferred (5,4,3) 4- ok, 3- tx a&m, usc
sky blue (reg) ok, cal, louis
texas sportswire (5,4,3) 5- ore, 3- louis, byu, 2- ok
wildcat (10,7,5) 3 10- san jose st, 7- va, 5- tx over
sharp 5- syr, 4- appy st, 3- louis, umass, vt, cal
underdog mizz
gameday (4,3,2) 4- mich, 2- penn st, va, ok st, ok
harry bondi (5,4,3) 7- ok st, 4- fl st, 3- ole miss, ok
jack jones (25,20,15) 20- rut, oh u, miss st, 15- unlv, col, vandy, n tx, tx st, mizz
kelso (200,100) 50- w ky
lenny stevens (20-10) 20- neb, ok st, 10- lsu, bama
maddux (20 10) 20- ok, 10- louis, midd tn, mar, ga over, navy under, ariz over, memph under
neri (5,4,3,2) 4- tol, 3- louis
northcoast (5,4,3) 5- ok, 4- fl st, bama, penn st, tulane, 3- mich st, mizz
otto (20,15) 20- c fl 10 lsu
pick city (5,4,3,2) 4- n dame, 3- ok, ok st, 2- ga, louis, mich
pointwise (4,3,2) 4- mich st, penn st, 3- bama, tol, s miss, n mex, kan st
preferred (5,4,3) 4- ok, 3- tx a&m, usc
sky blue (reg) ok, cal, louis
texas sportswire (5,4,3) 5- ore, 3- louis, byu, 2- ok
wildcat (10,7,5) 3 10- san jose st, 7- va, 5- tx over
sharp 5- syr, 4- appy st, 3- louis, umass, vt, cal
underdog mizz
CPAW, In regards to your posts #14 & #16: Should we assume that TEXAS A&M is what Lawrence is labeling his "5* Game
of the Month" ?
Or, do you or any of our other reliable posters, think that he's going to continue to tease, promote, market and sell a game
with that designation until one of the last kickoffs tonight ?
of the Month" ?
Or, do you or any of our other reliable posters, think that he's going to continue to tease, promote, market and sell a game
with that designation until one of the last kickoffs tonight ?
