STU FEINER
50 DIME FSU - NC STATE Winner (SF1)
FSU (48) at N.C. State (+11) - 7:45 p.m. EST
It’s desperation time tonight in Raleigh for the Wolfpack and N.C. State will stay inside this double-digit spread as this is a very live home dog folks. The Wolfpack are a solid 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings including four outright victories as NC State is a team that has given the Seminoles fits in recent years. And this is a FSU program that has not played its best football under the Thursday night prime time lights going 4-4 SU in its last eight such affairs with five of those games coming down to the last minute. Yes, the Noles will find a way to win this evening in a hostile environment, but no way they cover this double-digit number. Both teams are coming off a bye week, but the Pack, at 2-4 SU, have gotten healthier during the break and welcome back several key personnel back to the playing field. DT Alan-Michael Cash is back tonight and that’s big as he will command attention from FSU. Also, big-play LB Nate Irving is expected back for the Pack. Yes, FSU has been pretty impressive with its rushing attack in recent weeks, but look for the Pack to stack the box and make inconsistent QB Christian Ponder make plays with his arm. The sophomore first-year starter is just 30 of 71 for 330 yards, one TD and six interceptions versus I-A competition this year. The Noles have also played well on the defensive side of the football, but the Pack gets back some injured offensive linemen this evening and QB Russell Wilson has been making plays for the Pack both with his arm and legs. FSU has also struggled stopping Wolfpack runner Andre Brown in the past (179 yards as a frosh, 113 yards as a sophomore) while I expect FSU to give ups some big plays on special teams as they did less than two weeks ago with poor tackling against Miami. Last game, NCSU return man T.J. Graham returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score against Boston College as he ranks first in the ACC in kickoff returns. Last year when his team was 1-5 SU, Tom O’Brien got his troops ready during the off week as they emerged from the break with an upset win at ECU on their way to winning four straight. They’re confident in such a repeat tonight. O’Brien will have his team pumped and ready tonight against a FSU team that is 2-4 SU/ATS as a road chalk its last six such tries. Just too many points for FSU with a shaky QB on the road to cover as NCSU stays inside this price.
N.C. STATE (+11) 50 Dimes
30 DIME BYU - TCU Winner (SF2)
BYU (47) at TCU (+1) - 8 p.m. EST
The nation’s longest winning streak will come to a close Thursday night in Fort Worth Texas as TCU will pull the upset over BYU. The Cougars are playing their first game outside the state of Utah in more than a month and will encounter a very talented TCU team that is accustomed to facing nationally elite programs. They battled gamely last month at Oklahoma in their only loss in seven games this season. Last year they led Texas 10-0 at half before succumbing. Two years ago they whipped a pass-happy Texas Tech team and three years ago they toppled the Sooners. Thursday night they’ll bring in the nation’s No. 1 team in the country in total defense at 207 ypg and are tops in rushing defense in allowing just 20.7 ypg. Of course they’re facing a very explosive Cougar attack, but the Horned Frogs, who have covered five of their last six as a home dog, will not be intimidated. Surly they learned something from last week in watching New Mexico run the football and control clock in losing 21-3 at BYU. Look for the Horned Frogs to pound the football behind an OL that returned four starters from last year. Starting QB Andy Dalton is expected to be back from a knee injury, but his replacement, Marcus Jackson, is more than capable of the leading the team, too. BYU’s defense has been solid, but its numbers are skewed having faced a sub-par schedule of opponents to date. I am not sold on this Cougar stop unit, but I do love the aggressive, hot-pursuing Horned Frogs defense. Only Oklahoma has scored more than 14 points on TCU this year as defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas will mix it up with blitzes and such and send a bunch of looks for BYU passer Max Hall to deal with. TCU enters this game ranked ninth in the nation in scoring defense at 11.4 points allowed per contest. BYU may have won 16 straight games, but the truth is they haven’t had too many challenges or difficult situations to face in that stretch. That is not the case Thursday night as TCU is on home runs of 18-2 SU and 14-4 ATS since the 2005 season. Meanwhile, the Cougars, who have failed to cover in the two consecutive as a road chalk and were held to 382 yards last week by the Lobos, are facing their stiffest test since early last year. Look for a big-time prime time effort from TCU as the more tested Horned Frogs take this Thursday night win.
TCU (+1) 30 Dimes
ALCS Game 5 Winner (SF3)
Tampa Bay (Kazmir) at Boston (Matsuzaka) - 8:05 p.m. EST
This Game 5 total tonight from Fenway is just too high and it’s staying under. A lot has been said of how Scott Kazmir has struggled of late, but I expect the Tamp Bay starter to come big with an opportunity to help send his team to its first-ever World Series. Yes, the lefty and former staff ace has been slightly off of late, but he’s a gamer and he likes this park as in 11 career starts at Fenway he is sporting a 3.02 ERA. And of course, he’s facing a slumping Boston lineup that is batting a mere .241 during the playoffs. David Ortiz is batting just .161 in the postseason and as a team as a whole, the Sox just aren’t getting clutch hits. The Rays, though, have, but they’ll again struggle versus Boston starter Dice-K this evening. In his last two starts versus Tampa, Matsuzaka has allowed just one run and seven hits in12 frames. Ten of his 16 home starts this year have stayed under and he has a 3.34 ERA at home this year. The Rays are batting just .267 versus righty starters and they’ll again struggle versus Dice-K as this game will be tight and low scoring and it will stay under.
UNDER (9) (+100) 30 Dimes