At 8:00pm ET, my WNBA Playoff Payoff is on Minnesota. This series has gone back and forth After Connecticut took Game 1, Minnesota earned the split with a Game 2 win. In Game 3, the Lynx reclaimed homecourt advantage with a wire-to-wire victory. The Sun responded with their best effort in Game 4 and now here we are here. It's a fitting place to be for this season's top 2 defensive teams. The Lynx may have lost their first game of this series here but they earned the right to play this deciding Game 5 here by being the better team. They haven't lost 2 games in a row since back in July. They got knocked out by the Sky last season. Now they will have their vengeance and end Connecticut's season. Lay the small number.

At 7:00pm ET, my CUSA Game Of The Month is on Liberty. There is a serious difference in class between FIU and Liberty. Both brought back many players from last year. For Liberty, that's a good thing. The Flames were 13-0 in the regular season before losing to Oregon on New Year's Day. They're undefeated again this season. Returning a large number of starters hasn't been as helpful for FIU. The Panthers were 4-8 last season and they're 2-3 to start this year. A home loss to Monmouth says a lot about this team. They lost their only road game by 18 points and that was against rival FAU. This is a far more formidable opponent. The Flames were involved in a couple of closer games last season but by the time they got to FIU, they smashed the Panthers 38-6. Liberty had a 520 to 211 advantage in total yards, 324-135 at half. This will be another big-time blowout. Lay the points.

At 8:15pm ET, my MNF Game Of the Month is on Kansas City. The Chiefs have won some close ones and the Saints have won some blowouts. That has some people thinking the Saints are better than they really are and that the Chiefs aren't as good as they really are. Otherwise, this line could easily be -7 or higher. The Chiefs do have some injuries to a couple of key offensive weapons and that's getting a lot of attention. Mahomes still has weapons though and he and Kelce are finally on the same page again. Also, the Saints have their own injury issues that aren't getting talked about nearly so much. New Orleans tight end Taysom Hill, guard Cesar Ruiz, center Shane Lemieux, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. and defensive end Payton Turner were all ruled out and their list is much longer than that. The Saints 2 blowout wins came in the first 2 weeks. Since then, they've had a close win and a close loss. That close loss (to the division rival Falcons) in their last game was a costly one. It was a game they let get away and it will still be replaying in their minds. Off that painful loss and with another division showdown on deck, they are now taking on the world champs while playing their 2nd straight road game. The Chiefs get a bye next week. They beat Miami by 7 before their bye last season and they smashed SF 44-23 before their bye the previous year. The year before was a 10-point win over Dallas. They will be ready to do it again tonight. Lay the points.

At 5:00pm ET, my WNBA Playoff Payoff is on Connecticut. This series is going the distance. After Connecticut took Game 1, Minnesota earned the split with a Game 2 win. In Game 3, the Lynx reclaimed homecourt advantage with a wire-to-wire victory. Now, the Sun will respond with their biggest and best effort. This series was never going to be easy for either team. Both are tenacious on defense, the top 2 defensive teams in the league. They faced each other in the playoffs last year, the Sun winning. Connecticut will make adjustments and will be much better defensively. Three times in the regular season, the Sun lost 2 games in a row. They responded with a victory the next game every time. They will do so again today.

At 4:05pm ET, my NFC West Game Of the Year is on Arizona. The 49ers are a strong team but they will have their hands full with the Cardinals on Sunday. At 1-3, Arizona is coming in desperate. The Cardinals could have a better record and have played pretty well in 3 of 4 games. Their only road game was a 6-point loss at Buffalo and they very nearly won that game. The 49ers earned a big victory last week. That was against a New England team which isn't very good. This divisional opponent has a lot more teeth and comes in needing and expecting to win. The 49ers have a plethora of injuries. Key players Fred Warner and George Kittle both missed Wednesday practice. Whether or not they play remains to be seen but either way this team is not healthy. Before the win over New England, the 49ers were off consecutive losses. Things aren't all better yet and they will get surprised by their upset-minded guests. Grab the points.

At 10:30pm ET, my MLS Game Of The Month is on San Jose. Real Salt Lake has has already clinched a playoff spot. Bigger games are ahead. The same cannot be said for San Jose. The Earthquakes are destined to finish last in the West. This is their last home game and they are determined to go out with a victory. San Jose coach Ian Russell said this: "We want to finish the season strong; we know it's not been a great year. We're not hiding from that, and we want to give the fans something to be happy about in this last home game. I can tell you that they will work hard and try to get three points." The Earthquakes beat this team 2-0 back in August, at Salt Lake. They will work hard and score another upset on Saturday night.

At 8:00pm ET, my Mountain West Game Of The Year is on San Diego State. The Aztecs really need this one. They kicked off the season with a big win here against a lesser opponent. That was followed by a loss to Oregon State and then back-to-back road losses. Its taken some time to adjust to their new coach and new system but they've been showing signs of improvement though and did some good things in last week's 1-point road loss. A game against Hawaii comes at the right time. The Aztecs have won 4 in a row against the Warriors. Also, playing at Snapdragon Stadium will provide the Aztecs with an important advantage. The Warriors can be tough at home but they are winless on the road. (The Warriors only road game resulted in a 31-13 loss at Sam Houston State.) In the end, homefield will make a difference and the Aztecs will come away with the important win and cover.

At 9:00am ET, my Serie A Early Riser is on Lecce. Udinese got off to a quick start to the Serie A season but has come back down to earth. Part of the early success was a result of weaker opposition. Over the last 2 matches, Udinese has conceded 6 goals. Prior to a loss to powerful AC Milan, Lecce was undefeated in its previous 3 top flight matches, 2 draws and a victory. Lecce really needs points and manager Luca Gotti badly wants to beat his old team. (Udinese fired him as their manager near the end of 2021.) When playing at Udinese, in Serie A play, Lecce has 2 draws and a win in its last 3 visits. Motivated Lecce will give their hosts another battle and will earn at least another draw.

At 9:00pm my Hook and Ladder play is on Oregon. This game is going to get ugly right from the start. Oregon is a national title contender. The Ducks started the season slowly but they came to life in Corvallis, destroying their instate rival. The Beavers didn't put up much of a fight at all (Oregon won 49-14!) and they were at home against their arch enemy. The Spartans, who lost by 31 last week, are no better than the Beavers and they're on the road. Oregon followed up the win at OSU by winning by 21 at UCLA. With Ohio State up next, Oregon will want to build its confidence and swagger. The Ducks are will take advantage of the nationally televised game to show the entire world how good they are. They have covered 3 of their last 4 conference home openers and will win their first ever Big Ten home opener in blowout fashion.

At 12:30pm ET, my Serie A Game Of the Month is on Napoli. Napoli is back on top of the Serie A table and will keep rolling against Como Napoli when the teams meet on Friday. Napoli is 3-0 at home in Serie A action, with 7 goals scored and only 1 conceded. Overall, Napoli has 6 clean sheets in eight matches this season, including 4 straight. So, Como is going to have a very difficult time scoring. Como has actually been playing quite well and recently earned its first top flight victory in some 2 decades. A match at Stadio Maradona will be a different story altogether though. With dangerous attacking players like Romelu Lukaku and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Napoli will not be held back. They will deliver a beating and provide a reality check for their upstart guests.

At 3:00pm, my Europa League Game Of The Month is on Athletic Bilbao. There will be added excitement at San Mames as Athletic Bilbao host their first European match in over six years. Athletic earned a 1-1 draw at Stadio Olympico in its first European match. This is a less formidable opponent and now they play at home, where they are very difficult to defeat. Az Alkmaar was beaten 2-1 at home to Utrecht on the weekend and that loss will kill their momentum for this match. Az Alkmaar has lost five straight road games in Europe and has lost its last 3 in Spain. That result against Roma shows how series Bilbao is going to be in this tournament. They will make the most of this very winnable match and come away with full points.

At 9:30pm ET, my WNBA Playoff-Payoff is on the Minnesota Lynx. I supported the Sun in Game 1 of this series. These teams had met in last year's playoffs and I expected the visitors to be ready to go in Game 1. The Lynx are going down without a fight. Down a game and in danger of getting knocked out by the same team that ended last season, we will see them at their best on Tuesday. The Lynx had a bad 4th quarter in Game and it cost them. They were the best team in the West for a reason this season though and a big reason is that they bounce back from losses. They were 16-4 at home. The Lynx will increase their intensity level and even up the series.

At 3:00pm ET, my Champions League GOW is on Sporting Lisbon. Both these teams are dominating in their domestic leagues. Psv Eindhoven is on top in the Dutch League and Sporting Lisbon is #1 in Portugal. Sporting has an impressive +23 goal differential through 7 league matches. The next best in Portugal is +13. Its a similar story for Psv Eindhoven at home. The Dutch squad really struggled in losing its opening Champions League match, 3-1 to Juventus. The Italian giants completely outclassed Psv Eindhoven. Sporting won its opening Champions League match and is absolutely full of confidence. Psv Eindhoven will play better than it did against Juventus but Sporting, which feels unstoppable right now, will not be denied. In an exciting match, the visitors will finish on top.

At 2:45pm ET, my Serie A GOM is on Cagliari. Cagliari is currently last in the Serie A standings but this is a match they are very much capable of winning. Cagliari also got off to a slow start last season but came around. They have had success historically versus Parma. They have only lost 8 of the past 29 h2h meetings. The early results haven't been there but Cagliari is generating plenty of chances. As a matter of fact, entering the weekend, Cagliari had actually attempted the most shots (85) than any team in Serie A, after five matchdays. Also, Parma had conceded more attempts (93) than any other team. Off a 1-0 victory over Cremonese in Coppa Italia, Cagliari comes in with some momentum. They will fire plenty of shots on Parma in this one and will come away with a minimum of a draw.

At 8:30pm, my WNBA Semi-Finals GOY is on the Connecticut Sun. Minnesota had an excellent regular season and finished first in the West. The Lynx had no trouble with Phoenix in the Opening Rd. They gave up a lot of points but made up for it by scoring more than 100 each game. The Mercury were a sub-500 team though, one which gave up an average of 84.75 points per game in the regular season. That was the 4th worst mark in the entire league. Now they face Connecticut which has the best scoring defense in the league. The Sun allow just 73.6 points per game! With a 14-6 road record, the Sun know how to win away from home. The Sun have also won 4 of the past 5 meetings with the Lynx and the only Minnesota win came by only 2 points. As a matter of fact, the past 3 meetings were all very close and decided by only 8 combined points. The Sun knocked the Lynx out of the playoffs last season and will be ready to do give them everything they've got once again. The only Minnesota win this year saw 4 lead changes in the final 23 seconds. This game will also come down to the wire. Grab the points.

At 11:30am ET, my EPL GOM is on Manchester United. The Red Devils haven't lost in 4 matches (in all leagues) but they also haven't performed up to expectations. We're able to play them at a reasonable price, as a result. Their effort will be top drawer against a Tottenham squad which typically under-performs on the road. Tottenham has only won two of its last 12 Premier League road games. Manchester United isn't the feared team it once was but the level of quality is still very high. The Red Devils remain very difficult to score against and are going to be extremely determined. United lost its last home match but that was against Liverpool. It won its first match here. They've had a massive statistical advantage in each of their last two matches (1 w, 1 d) and their strong play gets rewarded Saturday. Play on Man U.

At 8:00pm ET, my Rivalry Game Of The Year is on New Mexico State. This line is very generous given that I believe that the Aggies can easily win outright. New Mexico is 0-4. New Mexico State is 1-3. Those records were expected as the Lobos have been big underdogs in all 4 of their games while the Aggies were underdogs in 3 of theirs but favored in the other. It's true that New Mexico was more competitive in losing against their one common opponent (Fresno State) than New Mexico State was. The Lobos got to host the Bulldogs though and the Aggies has to go to Fresno. The Aggies have played really well at home. They won the game that they were supposed, a 23-16 victory over S.E. Missouri State. They rallied in the 4th quarter for the victory and that will help their confidence should this one also be close in the 4th quarter. In the Aggies other home game, they only lost by 6 points in the final minute to Liberty. That's very impressive when factoring in that Liberty was 13-0 last season and is undefeated again this year. New Mexico lost both its road games by more than 20 points. The Aggies are 7-1 versus the spread the last 8 h2h meetings and the underdog is 11-2 ATS the last 13. Though the opposition was tough, with an 0-4 record New Mexico hasn't shown it can win yet. Now the Lobos are being asked to go on the road and win by more than a touchdown. The Aggies won by 10 last year and 12 the year before that. New Mexico's last 2 wins in the series both came by single-digits. This one will be close! Grab the points.

At 7:45pm ET, my Blowout GOW is on LSU. The Tigers haven't covered a spread yet. They've won 3 in row straight up though and they have been getting better each week. They narrowly missed covering in a win at South Carolina 2 weeks ago and then the same thing happened in last week's win over UCLA. Now they face a weaker opponent which is susceptible to giving up a lot of points. South Alabama gave up 550 yards and 52 points in a loss against North Texas. The Tigers are going to have a field day offensively. The Jaguars have been scoring a lot but they haven't seen a defense like this one. Things get harder for LSU after this game. The Tigers face Ole Miss and then go on the road for 2 games. Then comes Alabama. They need to take advantage of this lesser foe and build confidence by running them out of the building. That's what will happen. They will keep piling up the points and the Jaguars will be unable to match. Statement blowout for the Tigers!

At 8:00am ET, my La Liga GOM is on Getafe. At first glance, this might seem like a strange one. Getafe is well down the La Liga standings. Alaves is in the top half of the table. Getafe is a small favorite though as those standings don't tell the complete picture. Getafe will have home-field advantage. Getafe has also played much better than its record. There have already been instances where they outplayed their opponent but couldn't get the victory. Getafe has not lost at home (3 draws) this season while Alaves is just 1-3 on the road. Alaves can score but also has trouble keeping the ball out of the net. Alaves has never won at the Coliseum in Getafe (in La Liga) during this century. Getafe won here 1-0 during the 2023-24 campaign. Though a draw is a possibility, my strong belief is that Getafe will play its best match and break through with its first victory.

At 7:30pm ET, my Friday Hook and Ladder selection is on Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes have looked good. They comfortably took down Florida in their first game and have blown out their 3 opponents since. Those results are impressive but they've also driven the line way up. The Canes are now lying more points for this game versus Virginia Tech than they were for their game at South Florida. That's giving us great value with Hokies when considering that they have far more talent than USF. Recall that the Hokies brought back 21 starters from a team which won five of its final seven games last season. The Hokies do have 2 losses but both of those came by 7 points or less. These teams have met 4x since 2019. Those games were decided by 7, 1, 12 and 6 points. This one will also be close. Grab the big points.

At 12:45pm ET, my Europa League GOM is on Malmo. Like the Champions League, the Europa League has a new format. These teams faced each other in Champions League play a few years ago. Malmo won (both matches) then and will win again on Thursday. Malmo sits on top of the Swedish League with 53 points. Off a 4-0 victory, they have a dominating +38 goal differential. No other team in the league is even close to them. They will have an advantage over their Scottish guests who are still only 5 games into their season. Rangers were recently embarrassed 3-0 by rival Celtic. They are missing some key players including Rıdvan Yılmaz and Nicolas Raskin. It'll be a good match but in the end the Swedish hosts will not be denied.

At 7:30 ET, my Monday Night Football Game Of The Month is on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Always nice to get treated to 2 Monday night games! The first features the Bills hosting the Jaguars. Buffalo is 2-0 and Jacksonville is 0-2. Both teams are 1-1 versus the pointspread. The Jaguars won't panic but they know they need this game. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence said this: "We can't hit the panic button, but we've got to have some real conversations. We've got too good of a team to come out here and perform two weeks in a row like this. I mean, these games are precious and you don't get them back, and we're 0-2 to start the year and it's not going to get any easier. We'd better fix it quick." The Jaguars have a couple of ex-Bills on the roster and they are going to be extra motivated to take on their old team. Josh Allen didn't have to do much last week against Miami. The Dolphins' QB got knocked out. Buffalo benefitted from short fields and just had to run the ball. Things will be different on Monday. The Jaguars beat the Bills in 2021 and 2023, both very close games. That's 7 straight h2h meetings decided by 7 or less. This will be another close one and I'll take the points!

At 3:00pm ET, my Opening RD. GOY is on the Connecticut Sun. Indiana has taken a big step forward with Caitlin Clark leading the way. They still aren't ready to win a playoff road game against the Sun though. The "Clark factor" is keeping the line down. Connecticut plays excellent defense and will crank up the intensity. Even as fast as she gets them off, Clark will find it difficult to hit threes. In the regular season, the Sun held opponents to 31.3 percent on 3-point attempts, second lowest in the WNBA, and the 73.6 points they allowed per game was the best in the league. The Sun won the 2 regular season meetings at Mohegan Sun Arena by 21 and by 17. Their defense will be the difference in another big win.

At 3:30 ET, my Big Ten GOY is on Michigan. The Wolverines' loss to Texas really put a bad taste in a lot of bettors' mouths about Michigan. Many wrote them off as a bad team after that loss. That's not really fair though. The Longhorns are very powerful this season and the Wolverines have a lot of new players and a new coach. The Wolverines had beaten Fresno State by 20 the previous week, when laying 20.5. Last week, they shook off the Texas loss by defeating Arkansas State by 10. Now, they get to reset and start Big Ten play. USC has been playing well but the defense is still nowhere near the level of the Texas defense. The Wolverines are going to have a much easier time moving the ball against the Trojans than they had against the Longhorns. The new players and coach have had a chance to play together and last week's bounce-back victory will help bring them together. The run-defense was dominant. This is the first true road game for USC. LSU was a good team but the Trojans haven't faced a defense like this one. In a game which will likely be close, the Wolverines' superior defense will ultimately win the day. Play on Michigan

At 12 ET, my Early Riser is on Florida. It's been a bad start for the Gators. A talented team, they are just 1-2 to start the season. Losses were against Miami and Texas A&M. Fans aren't happy and coach Billy Napier is starting to feel the heat. Getting away will be good for them and Starkville is a great place for a first road game. The Bulldogs are a young team with a 1st year coach. They just got beaten 41-17 here by Toledo, their worst non-conference home loss in nearly years. Even with some injury issues, the Gators have far more talent, depth and experience. They will play their best game of the season and get their season back on track. Play on Florida

AT 8:15pm ET, my NFL GOW is on the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta stumbled 18-10 at home to Pittsburgh in Week 1. That wasn't what they wanted but I think the Falcons will bounce back and keep this one competitive with a really decent shot at the upset. Atlanta QB Kirk Cousins looked out of sorts with his new offense, but the veteran will settle down here in his second start. Bijan Robinson rushed for 68 yards on 18 carries. The silver-lining? Clearly it was Atlanta's defense. And now Atlanta faces this suspect Philly defense. Though I won with them, the Eagles looked anything but dominant in their 34-28 win over the Packers from Brazil in Week 1. Jalen Hurts had 278 yards passing, two TDs, but also two INTs. Now Hurts will be without his favorite receiver with A.J. Brown on the sidelines. Philly also committed seven penalties and was just 4-of-14 on third down. Coming back from Brazil is a new dynamic and may not be as easy as people expect. Give me the points with the Atlanta Falcons. 

At 1:00pm ET, my Sunday Super Blitz is on Carolina. The Chargers may look easy at first glance but I'm going to recommend caution. In fact, I feel that they're getting too much respect from the oddsmakers in their first road game of the season. Jim Harbaugh got his first win as head coach of the Chargers in last week's 22-10 home victory over the Raiders. He's not going to work miracles immediately though and now he hits the road for two straight, before a home game with the Chiefs. The Chargers are a different team than they were last year, but it's still significant to note that they were just 3-5 SU on the road last season. Carolina fell 47-10 at New Orleans as a 3.5-point dog, but I expect Bryce Young to be a lot sharper here in Week 2 at home. Last year, in Week 1, the Giants got blown out 40-0. Everyone was really down on them but they came back and won outright in Week 2. The Steelers were another team which was blown out in Week 1 and won outright in Week 2. As for the Panthers, they lost by 14 in Week 1 and were far more competitive in a 3-point Week 2 loss. The morale of the story is not to over-react to a Week 1 blowout loss. Carolina will be better and will get us at least the cover on Sunday afternoon.

At 6:00pm ET, my CUSA GOY is on Liberty. These teams are very much at opposite ends of the Conference-USA spectrum. Liberty may be the most talented team in the conference and is the clear favorite to finish on top. The Flames were 13-0 last season and this year's team returned 14 starters. Last year, they won by 14 at UTEP. This year, they host the Miners. Plus, this year's UTEP team isn't nearly as good as last year's. Not only do the Miners have a new coach but they only returned 9 starters. Its a rebuilding year and that's been evident through the first 2 games. Getting smashed 40-7 at Nebraska was expected but the Miners also just lost at home to Southern Utah. The Flames were tested at New Mexico State last week but came roaring back in the 4th quarter. Off that close call, they will make sure to keep their foot on the gas the whole way here. This will result in a one-sided destruction. Play on Liberty.

At 3:30 ET, my Rivalry Rout is on WVU. Not surprisingly, West Virginia stumbled in its 34-12 Week 1 home loss to Penn State. The Mountaineers bounced back nicely in last week's 49-14 home win over Albany. Now 1-1, I think WVU carries over that offensive momentum here in Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 2-0, beating Kent State 55-24 in Week 1, before last week's 28-27 win at Cincinnati as a 2-point dog. Give them credit for the comeback win but they were a little fortunate. The Backyard Brawl" and it's a highly anticipated rivalry which was renewed in 2022 after and 11-year break. This year's game will have a big impact on the rest of the season for both teams. WVU RB CJ Donaldson has 170 yards rushing and two TDs already this season and I think a relatively inexperienced Pittsburgh defense (only 4 starters from last year) will have difficulty slowing him down. He ran for 102 yards and a TD in last year's win. The Mountaineers held Pitt to 6 points and 211 total yards in that game. WVU coach Neal Brown will have his team ready to play once again. Let's go WVU!

At 12:00pm, my Early Riser is on Wisconsin. I think that the Badgers will comfortably cover the generous number. This is the first meeting between the schools since 2015. The Badgers will be excited for the chance to host mighty Alabama. These opportunities don't come often as this is the first time the Tide played here since 1928 and the first time they played a road game vs a Big Ten team since 2011. The Crimson Tide are 2-0, hammering WKU 63-0 in Week 1, before last week's 42-16 win over USF, unable to cover the 30.5-point spread. But the Tide may be thinking they are better than they really are and easily could already be looking ahead to Georgia, who they face here after their bye next week. Understand that Bama is 0-5 ATS its last 5 road openers. Wisconsin is 2-0 SU, and 0-2 ATS. Both games have come against inferior opponents, winning 28-14 here vs. WMU as a 24-point fav, before then pulling away for the 27-13 victory over South Dakota last week as an 18.5-point favorite. The Badgers have been overvalued in back-to-back games to open the year, but I don't think that's the case here in Week 3. Alabama will bring out their best. The Badgers also have next week off before a conference road game at USC. This is a difficult place for Alabama to play its first road game and I don't think it can cover more than two TD's this weekend. I'm grabbing the points and expecting a solid cover for underrated Wisconsin. 

At 8:00pm ET, my Big 12 GOY is on K-State. Both these teams are 2-0 SU but 0-2 ATS. Arizona wasn't able to cover the 28-point spread over New Mexico in its 61-39 victory in Week 1, or in its 22-10 victory over Northern Arizona as a 37-point favorite. I'm expecting the underwhelming (Arizona) Wildcats to once again struggle in their first road game of the season and also their first foray into Big 12 play. Arizona QB Noah Fifita has been "OK," going 37 of 57 so far with a 5:2 TD:INT, but the defense has yet to be truly tested. This could be a very real problem, as AZ features four new starters up front on the defensive line this season. Arizona also has a new coach. K-State enters looking to move to 3-0 after beating Tulane 34-27 last time out. As mentioned, K-State has also been unable to cover the spread yet this season, but that's only also helped in driving this line down a bit lower than it normally would or should be in my opinion. I had marked the (K-State) Wildcats down as -10 for this game going into the season. The Cats were trailing by double-digits against Tulane and rallied to come back. That will serve them well here. Loaded on defense, K-State is a legitimate contender to win the Big 12. They have an experienced coach who knows his team. They are 4-0 ATS their last 4 Big 12 home openers. More talented, healthier and playing at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, look for Kansas State to pull away and take over this game down the stretch.

At 8:15pm ET, my AFC East GOM is on Miami. Want to hear an amazing stat? We have to go back several years but Miami has won ten straight divisional home contests as a favorite. Of course, this number is low enough that a victory will very likely also result in a cover. The Fish have to be feeling confident here after their 20-17 home win over Jacksonville. Tua had over 300 yards passing with a TD and the defense looked great overall in holding the Jags to just the 17 points. The short week shoujld also benefit Miami. No travel and sleeping in their own beds. This is a revenge game as well for the home side after it fell 21-14 in Week 18 at home to the Bills, the victory clinching the AFC East title for Buffalo at the time. As a matter of fact, that was the Bills' 4th straight win (and 9th win the last 10) in the series. The time is right to snap that series skid as Buffalo's defense left a lot to be desired after its come-from-behind 34-28 win over the Cardinals. Lay the small number. 

At 8:20 ET my NFL GOW is on the SF 49ers. While some may think the underdog Jets have a chance on Monday night, I'm not among them. This is still just Aaron Rodgers second game ever for his new team after suffering a season-ending injury on his first snap from scrimmage last year. The books out on the veteran's performance and he clearly has a difficult assignment here in San Francisco. The very well-coached 49ers will be very wary of trying to avoid a "Super Bowl hangover." They are Super Bowl contenders and they want to come set the tone for the season. Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey are both healthy and ready to go on opening night and they'll present a difficult challenge for this admittedly talented Jets' defensive unit. Rodgers is a big question mark, as is his chemistry with Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. Purdy's receiving corps though is stacked, with tight-end George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. I think Rodgers will improve as the season goes on, but I'm not getting behind a 40-year old on the road, coming off such a serious injury. The pointspread is low and I will lay the points with San Francisco.

At 8:20 ET, my NFC GOW is on the LA Rams. Last year the Detroit Lions went on the road and upset the Chiefs 21-20 in Week 1. This year it's the LA Rams looking to pull off a similar upset and in my opinion, the visiting side does indeed have much more than just a "punchers chance" to win this one outright. This is a playoff rematch that saw Detroit hold on for the tight 24-23 home win in the Wild Card, unable to cover the three-point spread. I'm expecting a similar battle until the end here in the opener. That means the underdog is offering real value, particularly with the spread having climbed since it came out. This has some really interesting story lines, with Matthew Stafford once again returning to his old team, and the Rams squaring off against former QB Jared Goff. But note, the last regular season game between the team's was back in 2021 and Stafford had 334 passing and three TD's, while Goff had 268 yards, a TD and two picks. Expectations are sky-high for the Lions, as all I hear around the "water cooler" is that Detroit has the best shot coming out of the NFC. I'm not completely convinced though and believe there could be some regression this year. Either way, this Week 1 contest will come down to the wire. The Rams are 6-3-1 versus the spread their last 10 as underdogs. Grab the points.

Ohio State is 1-0 SU, but it was unable to cover the ridiculous 49-point spread in its 52-6 home win over Akron last week. Now with a much "smaller" spread this week, I believe the Buckeyes will once again blow out their opponent in front of the hometown crowd this week, while also going on to cover the more "manageable" spread at the same time. It's another case of "David vs. Goliath" this week, as Western Michigan comes to town after a 28-14 loss at Wisconsin. It covered with the 24-point spread, but I just can't see the visiting side keeping pace with the Buckeyes down the stretch. Western Michigan finally returns for its first home game of the season next week, a "cream puff" vs. Bethune Cookman. Lance Taylor struggled for the most part last week, and so did the defense for WMU (especially against the run allowing three rushing TD's.) Will Howard should be even better this week for OSU after debuting with 228 passing yards and three touchdowns in the blowout victory over Akron. The Buckeyes also return seven starters on defense and as stated, I foresee WMU really struggling to move the ball at all this weekend. The Broncos are 0-6 SU/ATS their last 6 against the Big Ten. Lay the points with confidence, the play is on the Buckeyes to win in a rout.

At 12:00pm ET, my Early Riser is on Syracuse. 'Cuse is 1-0 after a dominant 38-22 win over Ohio at home as a 17-point favorite. While narrowly missing out on covering the large spread, the Orange did have a lot of positives to take away. Georgia Tech managed the 24-21 upset win over FSU as a 10-point dog in Week 0, before then pulling away for a 35-12 win over Georgia State as a 20.5-point fav last week. Having covered in B2B weeks, I think the public is a little bit quick to back the visiting side here. That's giving value with the home underdog as the Orange could easily be favored. The win over Georgia State was expected and the win over FSU doesn't seem as impressive after Boston College just smoked the Seminoles. Grab the points but expect the outright win.

At 9:00pm ET, my Flea Flicker is on Northwestern. Two 1-0 teams collide here, and only one will leave with a perfect record. In my estimation, home-field advantage can't be overlooked as a very real deciding factor in this one. The Wildcats held on for the 13-6 win at home over Miami Ohio as a three-point favorite, while Duke posted the uninspiring 26-3 home victory over Elon as a -24.5-point favorite. The Blue Devils have a new coach here in Manny Diaz and while Duke came out on top at home, I believe they'll struggle in their first away game. Duke's Maalik Murphy is still adjusting to Jonathan Brewer's air-raid system and I think he'll struggle to match Mike Wright at home. Wright passed for 178 yards last week and added a game-high 65 rushing yards as well. Duke saw a ton of player turnover in its defense in the offseason and I say that becomes really apparent here on the road in Week 2 against a much tougher opponent. Look for Northwestern's balance down the stretch to prove to be the difference-maker in the outcome of this one.

At 7:40 ET, my Round-Tripper is on St. Louis on the run-line. Off a 9-3 loss at division leader Milwaukee yesterday and now 5.5 games back for the final NL Wildcard spot, I expect St. Louis to rally for a win Tuesday. Or, at the very least, keep this one competitive enough to escape with the run-line "cover." St. Louis had won four of five before yesterday's setback. Milwaukee has a nine-game lead in the division and has now won six of its last seven. The Brewers are playing like a team possessed right now, but the Cards' season is on life support basically at this point. Winning has a tendency to lead to complacency and losing has a way of leading to motivation. Steven Matz is scheduled to get the call for the visitors. Matz will make his first big league start since May, having just been re-activated from the 60-day IL. With a successful re-hab under his belt, while he's in there, I think the veteran will be able to match the Brewers' Aaron Civale, who seems destined for regression after going seven scoreless vs. the Giants on Thursday. With a rejuvenated Matz matching his counterpart inning for inning, I'm going to play the visitors on the runline.

At 7:30 ET, my CFB GOW is on USC. I enjoy playing College Football over the first week and here we have an opportunity to take advantage of a rare Sunday night matchup between LSU and USC in Las Vegas. Both teams have new defensive coordinators after each struggled on that side of the ball. Both will be better on that side of the ball but USC's improvement will likely be even greater. Both teams are also replacing their starting QB's, with Jayden Daniels leaving LSU and Caleb Williams departing USC. Brian Kelly has won ten games in back-to-back seasons, but to get to the next level his defense will need to take the next step to ever be considered a serious CFB Playoff contender. USC coach Lincoln Reily also enters his third season for the Trojans. This is USC's first game as a member of the tough/crowded Big Ten and after finishing 8-5 last year, Riley will have his hands full trying to duplicate that success, but I really like USC QB Miller Moss, who has plenty of weapons around him, including RB Woody Marks. LSU lost many other key players to the draft last year. The Tigers have dropped 4 straight season openers and I'm not convinced that they'll be ready to go. Grab the points with USC.

At 10:30 ET, my Golden Goal selection is on Portland. There's a fierce rivalry between these two Pacific Northwest clubs. The past few years, one has been good and the other hasn't. This year, both are respectable, though both trail Vancouver for the Cascadia Cup. Each will be fighting for home field advantage in the playoffs, and that will make for a great match. At home, the Timbers will have the edge. One important consideration which will hurt the Sounders is that they were involved in a very tight and tense US Open Cup semi-final match on Wednesday, which they lost in heartbreaking fashion against LA on a late penalty. That makes for a short turn-around and a difficult loss to quickly recover from. Play on Portland.

At 7:30 ET, my Smash And Grab selection is on UCLA. Now in the Big Ten, the Bruins are dealing with a difficult schedule. Their other road games include LSU and Penn State, as well as Rutgers, Nebraska and Washington. This is the easiest of the bunch and they need to take advantage. Though Foster in his 1st year, he knows the team. He's working with a lot. The Bruins will have edges all over the field against overmatched Hawaii. The Warriors didn't come close to covering against a terrible Delaware State team. They only had 19 first downs and 331 total yards. They lost the time of possession battle by more than 6 minutes. They're not ready for a much stronger Bruins team. Play on UCLA

At 10pm ET, my Slam Dunk Club play is on the Las Vegas Aces. The Dream covered for me in their last game. That was up in the Pacific Northwest. Now they're down in the desert and they're getting even more points. I'm going against them though as they're coming here at the wrong time. The Aces are not a happy team and they are going to express their anger in the form of a Friday night blowout of the Dream. Las Vegas won the last meeting by 14. That was at Atlanta. The last 2 games in Vegas were both 21-point wins for the Aces. The Aces' ATS skid ends tonight. Play on Las Vegas

At 7:00 pm ET, my Flea Flicker is on Oklahoma. This is a huge line yet it's not even big enough. Underdogs had their day in Week 0 but this will be a good old fashioned destruction. Oklahoma is one of the best teams in the entire country. Temple is one of the very worst teams in the country. The last time Temple played a top level offense was SMU last season. The score was 55-0. The Sooners averaged more than 40 points last season. They closed out last regular season by scoring 59 and 69 in 2 of their final 3 games. They are cracking the 50 mark again on Friday and an inexperienced and outmatched Temple offense may not score any. The Owls are 1-6 versus the spread their last 7 against ranked opponents. Lay the big number. Play on Oklahoma

At 8:00pm ET, my August GOM is on Jacksonville State. These teams played early in the season last year, at Coastal Carolina. It was really even (10-9) for a half before the Chanticleers went on a run in the 3rd quarter. The final statistics were quite equal. Now we get a stronger, deeper Jacksonville State team playing at home. The roles are reversed as they get Coastal Carolina, which has many new faces on the roster, playing it first road game. Rich Rodriguez will have the Gamecocks ready to kick off their season by getting revenge for last year. The line is low, all 9 of the Gamecocks wins came by at least 3 points last year. Play on Jacksonville State.

At 10:00pm ET, my WNBA GOM is on the Atlanta Dream. This is too many points for a game which is going to be close. The Storm are off a 2-point loss on Monday. Their previous game was a 6-point win and that was preceded by 2 losses and another 6-point win. So, that's no victories by more than 6 in their last 5 games. The Dream are off a 5-point loss and a 2-point loss before that. Those losses were preceded by 3 straight victories and a loss of 7 points. So, that's no losses by more than 7 in their last 6 games. The last time these teams played resulted in a 2-point game. Let's grab the big points. Play on Atlanta.

At 8:00pm ET, my Sunday Hook N Ladder selection is on the Washington Commanders. When I played on Las Vegas a couple of days ago, I said this:  "A large line move is presenting us with excellent value with Las Vegas. The move is a result of Shanahan and the 49ers stating that they will play some of their starters. Just because the starters will play some doesn't mean that they'll be in there the entire way. Last year in the final Week 3 preseason game, Shanahan gave Purdy and the starters some run. They forced a 3-and-out and then Purdy scored a touchdown on a 9-play drive. They got outscored 23-6 the rest of the way though, losing 23-12. I want the points." The 49ers did get off to an early lead but Vegas came back and the game finish tied. This game is a similar in that there's been a large line move. We're now getting value with the home underdog Commanders. Even if New England does get an early lead and that's far from a sure thing, Washington will fight the entire way. Just like the Patriots, they'd like something to build on for the start of the season. I want the points. Play on Washington 

At 10:00pm ET, my #1 NFLX GOW is on the Las Vegas Raiders. A large line move is presenting us with excellent value with Las Vegas. The move is a result of Shanahan and the 49ers stating that they will play some of their starters. Just because the starters will play some doesn't mean that they'll be in there the entire way. Last year in the final Week 3 preseason game, Shanahan gave Purdy and the starters some run. They forced a 3-and-out and then Purdy scored a touchdown on a 9-play drive. They got outscored 23-6 the rest of the way though, losing 23-12. I want the points. Play on Las Vegas

At 1:00pm ET, my Golden Boot selection is on Valencia. I'm happy to have an extra half a goal in a match that Valencia isn't likely to lose. Getting the draw is critically important. In 41 previous head-to-head matches, Valencia has won 18 and lost 11. Twelve have ended in draws. Valencia would have a 30-11 record at +0.5 goal. Both league matches last season finished in draws. Motivated by its last loss, Valencia will show its potential and earn at least another draw this afternoon. Play on Valencia

At 8:00pm ET, my AFC GOW is on the Indianapolis Colts. None of their starters played Saturday night in the team's preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, but the rest of the Colts rose to the occasion to beat the Cardinals 21-13. That performance by the backups will serve the Colts well on Thursday. The Bengals will be playing their backups. They lost to Washington in Week 3 of last preseason. The Colts were also in action on Thursday night in Week 3 last preseason. They went on the road and defeated the Eagles 27-13. They racked up 393 yards in what was a fairly dominant victory. They will go on the road and close out the 2024 preseason with another big win. Play on Indianapolis.

At 2:15 ET, my Home Run Club selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals Run-Line. The Cardinals have life! Down to their final out in bottom of the 9th inning, the Cardinals rallied to make it into extra innings. Then Nolan Arenado hit a grand slam in the 10th inning to give them the win. Their playoff hopes are still on life support but that will give them some life for today's game. These games have been tight. Yesterday's went to extra innings and the day before came down to the final out, Milwaukee winning 3-2. Their previous game was also decided by 1 run, a 4-3 game with Mikolas on the mound for the Cardinals. This will be another close one that I expect the Cardinals to win. Grab the +1.5 runs with St. Louis.

At 10:10 ET, My Home Run Club play is on Seattle on the run-line. I said this of Seattle yesterday: "The Mariners' losing streak came at the wrong time. They can ill afford for it to continue. Today, they will get back on track and George Kirby will lead the way." Kirby got the W and the Mariners won 10-3. Tonight, its Byran Woo on the mound. He's 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. The Mariners are only 4-3 in Woo's last 7 starts but all 3 losses were by 1 run. They are 13-5 in his last 18 starts since last September and 4 of those 5 losses were by 1 run. That's an 18-1 record at +1.5 runs. Stone is 1-3 with a 6.12 ERA his past 7. Play on Seattle +1.5

At 7:00pm ET, my CFL Western Division Game Of The Year is on the BC Lions. What's up with the West? Saskatchewan enters the week with the best record in the division and Edmonton enters the week as the hottest team. It wasn't supposed to be that way. These still may be the best 2 teams though. Despite a 3-6 record, Winnipeg is favored. The Bombers may be better than their record but they are still a money-burning 2-7 versus the spread this season. This will be the 3rd meeting of the season. The Bombers just won 25-0 at Winnipeg on August 1st. Earlier, the Lions won 26-24 when the teams played at Vancouver. Without a doubt, the Lions have struggled on the road. They are a perfect 3-0 here at home though. Their last game here was back on July 13, a 26-17 win over Saskatchewan. Entering the week, home underdogs are 11-5 versus the spread this CFL season. The Lions will add to that record on Sunday. Play on BC

At 7:00pm ET, my NFLX GOY is on Carolina. The Panthers need wins where they can get them. They lost their preseason opener 17-3 against New England. That was against a New England team which was anxious to get a victory. Carolina didn't take that game too seriously as most of the starters didn't play. Having taken some criticism for that decision, the Panthers should now be the more motivated squad. Remember, the preseason team which wants it more is usually the team which covers the spread. Giving most of the backups a chance to start and get lots of reps last week should serve them well. We won with the Jets in their victory over the Commanders. Off that victory, they've got nothing to prove or to gain with a preseason win over one of the worst teams in the opposite conference. Always happen to grab points in a game where I expect the underdog to win outright. Play on Carolina.

At 12:30pm ET, my EPL GOW is on WEST HAM. Opening day has not been kind to the Hammers over the years. This is a new era though and things will be different for Saturday's match against Aston Villa, at London Stadium. After four years under David Moyes, West Ham ushers in a new era under Julen Lopetegui, formerly of clubs including Real Madrid, Sevilla and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Lopetegui has enjoyed a very encouraging summer transfer window that has seen West Ham spend more than £120m on new players. Aston Villa lost a pair of key players in Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby. AV has won just one of its last 12 Premier League matches with the Hammers and has also failed to win any of its previous nine road league meetings. Look for the Hammers to kick off the new era by handing Villa a 4th straight loss in their opening Premier League match the past 4 years. Play on West Ham

At 8:00 pm ET, my WNBA GOW is on the Chicago Sky. I'm happy to be getting points with the Sky in a game they should win outright. The Sky are 8-2 straight up and 7-3 versus the spread the past 10 head-to-head meetings. The Mercury won the last game at Phoenix by 18 but the Sky won the last game here at Chicago by 19. Their previous meeting here was a 16-point Chicago win. The Mercury are much better on their home floor (8-4 compared to 5-8) and they will host the Sky on August 18th. The Mercury will win that one but Thursday's game will go to the home underdog Sky. Play on Chicago

At 3:00pm ET, my Golden Boot is on Luton Town. Burnley and Luton Town spent last year in the Premier League but now they are both back in the Championship. Each is hopeful of a return to the Top Flight next season. It will mark the first time since 2009 that two clubs which were both relegated start their season against each other. Burnley has had success against Luton Town in the past and will hope to continue that. That's not going to be easy. The Clarets have a new manager in Scott Parker. Though Parker is a proven winner at this level and will likely ultimately do well with Burnley, success is not going to be immediate. Luton Town started out strong ast season under highly regarded manager Rob Edwards. Though the Hatters are dealing with some injury concerns on defense, I look for Edwards to have his club ready to go and for them to kick off their Championship campaign with victory. Play on Luton Town.

At 1:00pm ET, my NFL Network Flea-Flicker is on the Indianapolis Colts. Yesterday we won with an AFC South team hosting an AFC West team. This afternoon, we will do so again. Both clubs will give their starters some time. Coach Shane Steichen said this about his quarterback Anthony Richardson: "He got some experience last year with the games he played in. We obviously had a good offseason and training camp's been good so far, so I'll be excited to see him out there." The Broncos have a QB battle (Stidham expected to start today) but I prefer the Colts rotation. After Richardson's short stint, the Colts have backup Joe Flacco and third-string Sam Ehlinger. The home team will take this one. Play on Indianapolis.

At 7:00pm ET, my Eastern Conference GOM is on the Hamilton Tiger Cats. These teams just squared off at Hamilton on August 2nd. The final score of 33-16 makes it seem like the Alouettes won easily. It was a 3-point game at halftime though and the stats were quite equal. Now the teams play at Montreal and the Tiger Cats are getting a lot of points. Montreal's last 3 home games had 2 wins of 4 points and a loss. Hamilton won big in its last road game. Entering Week 10, underdogs are hitting 55.6% for the season. With a chance for immediate revenge, the Tiger Cats will improve on those numbers. Play on Hamilton.

At 12 ET, my selection is on the NY Jets. Getting points with the better team is rarely a bad thing, even in preseason. Much of the attention will be placed on Washington QB Daniels, the 2nd overall pick. He'll start for the Commanders. Aaron Rodgers won't play but the Jets still have an edge inexperience at quarterback. Tyrod Taylor will get the start. Taylor has been in the league for 13 years. He's a quality backup and he's going to be ready to go. The Jets starters won't see much time but Washington's starters won't either. The Jets have more quality depth at many positions. I've got them winning this game outright. Play on New York.

At 8:30pm ET, my League's Cup GOY is on Houston Dynamo. This match will be played at Houston's Shell Energy Stadium and that will make a big diffrerence. After losing in the round-of-16 last time out, Houston is determined to enjoy a deeper run into the competition this time year. Toluca has managed just one win its is last five matches on the road. The Mexican squad can score but has real trouble keeping the ball out of its own net. Houston needed a win last match to stay alive and rose to the occasion by routing Real Salt Lake 3-0. A match against either the Colorado Rapids or Juarez in the next round is waiting. Play on Houston.

At 7:00pm ET, my NFC NFLX GOY is on the New York Giants. The Lions were a bad team for many years. They needed to take wins anywhere and any way that they could get them. Things have changed. The Lions are now a good team. They easily won the NFC North last year and they're favored to win the division again this year. Now that they've become a good team, winning a Week 1 preseason road game takes on less importance. The Giants are in a different position. They were 6-11 last year and they are projected to finish last in the NFC East this season. They are now a team which could use wins any way that they can get them. They don't need to give the home fans a reason to start piling on them already. The Giants will take this game more seriously and will win and cover the spread. Play on New York.

At 2:00pm ET, my Golden Boot is on Lugano. Partizan will host FC Lugano in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round contest this afternoon. Playing at Partizan Stadium won't be enough for Partizan to overcome its lack of talent. Partizan plays in a relatively weak Serbian SuperLiga. They have trouble competing against teams from superior leagues. The Swiss Super League qualifies. Lugano is off a 3-1 victory in its last match and is full of confidence. Lugano has won all three of its Swiss Super League matches so far this season and in strong form and has scored seven goals in the process. They will overwhelm Partizan in the first leg and head back to Lugano firmly in the driver's seat. Play on Lugano.

At 1:10 ET, in Game 1 of today's DH, my selection is on Cleveland Run-Line. Yesterday's postponement means that Ben Lively goes today instead. Lively is 10-6 with a 3.42 ERA this season. He's 2-0 his last 2 starts, beating top teams in Baltimore and Philadelphia. Pfaadt had a good run but he now has a 6.55 ERA his last 2 starts. Having an extra +1.5 runs is never a bad option when Lively is on the mound. Check this out. The Guardians lost 2-0 in Lively's first start this season. Since then, they are 12-6 when he pitches. A closer examination reveals that 5 of the 6 losses came by 1 run. (The other was a 2-0 score.) Let's put that another way. If you backed the Guardians at +1.5 runs in each of Lively's last 18 starts, you would be 17-1.

At 1:00pm ET, my Golden Goal selection is on Canada. Perhaps the biggest story of these Olympics has been Canada getting caught cheating at soccer. In case you didn't hear, Canada was using a drone to spy on the opponents' practice. Their coach was sent home and the team was penalized 6 points. That made qualifying for the KO round extremely difficult but not quite impossible. The only way through for Canada would be by winning all 3 matches. With all the scandal and controversy, it would have been easy for Canada.to go through the motions, especially after falling behind against France. This team is all heart though and has shown resolve and determination. They have already shown the world that they don't need to cheat and that it wasn't the players doing it. They beat New Zealand, France and Columbia to overcome -6 points to advance to the next round. Now the players have confidence and momentum and since they were already expected to get knocked out, they can play without much pressure. The Canadians believe they have destiny on their side. Getting a half goal to boot is a bonus. Play on Canada.

At 9:00pm ET, my Soccer GOW is on Real Salt Lake. Home field advantage will be key in this match. RSL will be looking to improve upon its 8-2-1 record on Utah soil this year. RSL will still be without Chicho Arango as this is the final match of his 4-game suspension. Atlas is a club they can beat without him though. RSL lost its last match and this is a team which is remarkable at bouncing back from defeat. Pablo Mastroeni has coached 126 matches across all competitions for RSL since August, 2021, posting a 52W-43L-31T mark. In that entire 126-game span, RSL has only dropped back-to-back games 9 times. Mastroeni's resilient squad bounces back once again. Play on Real Salt Lake.

At 3:00pm ET, my Golden Goal selection is on Canada. Perhaps the biggest story of these Olympics has been Canada getting caught cheating at soccer. In case you didn't hear, Canada was using a drone to spy on the opponents' practice. Their coach was sent home and the team was penalized 6 points. That made qualifying for the KO round extremely difficult but not quite impossible. The only way through for Canada would be by winning all 3 matches. With all the scandal and controversy, it would have been easy for Canada.to go through the motions, especially after falling behind against France. This team is all heart though and has shown resolve and determination. They want to show the world that they don't need to cheat and that it wasn't the players doing it. They will beat Columbia and overcome the -6 points to advance to the next round. Play on Canada

At 9:40 ET, my NL West Divisional GOM is on the San Diego Padres on the run-line. Earlier this season, I had a big play on the Dodgers against Waldron here at San Diego. The play won but it wasn't Waldron's fault. The Padre hurler allowed 2 runs and has a 2.61 ERA in 2 starts versus LA. Waldron has continued to pitch very well. He has a 3.39 ERA and 1.08 WHIP his last 15 starts. The Padres lost their last game but have been playing excellent baseball. Glasnow has a 5.73 ERA in July. His last start against San Diego was a 1-run win for the Dodgers. Play on San Diego RL.

AT 3:00pm ET, my Golden Boot selection is on Paraguay. There's a great deal at stake in this match as both teams are hungry to advance. Paraguay sits in the better position. The South Americans already defeated Israel by a 4-2 margin. That showed a lot of resilience as they were thrashed 5-0 byJapan in their opening match. Mali and Israel drew and Mali also lost to Japan. That puts Paraguay 2 points ahead of both Israel and Mali. That puts the pressure on Mali to need a victory. If close late in the match, they will be forced to gamble and it will leave them susceptible to the counter-attack. Mali has still only scored 1 goal here and Paraguay is coming in full of swagger off its 4-goal outburst. Play on Paraguay

At 1:00pm ET, my Olympic Women's Soccer GOM is on Spain. It's a wonderful time to be a Spanish football fan. Both the men and the women are on top of the world. Spain had a difficult 1st round matchup against Japan. They still prevailed. Nigeria isn't on the same level. The Nigerians fought hard in a 1-0 loss against Brazil. That was a good effort but still wasn't enough. The problem for Nigeria is that Spain is even better than Brazil. Quite a lot better, as a matter of fact. Spain ranks #1 in the world at the moment. Brazil is 9. Nigeria ranks only #36. The class difference will be clear as the #1 team asserts its dominance with a decisive victory. Play on Spain.

At 7:30 ET, my Flea-Flicker selection is on Montreal. The Alouettes have the advantage of playing at home. The Alouettes also have a strong scheduling advantage. Montreal was last in action on July 11. Saskatchewan just played on July 19th, less than a week ago. The Alouettes struggled the last time they played at Saskatchewan. but they have owned the Roughriders here in Montreal. The last meeting here was 41-12 for Montreal last summer. The previous game here was also a blowout victory for the Alouettes. they won 37-13. The Alouettes have the best defense in the league this season, allowing the fewest number of yards and the least number of points. Play on Montreal.

AT 3:00pm ET, my selection is on France (women). For the men, Columbia just fared better than France in their respective tournaments. Columbia went all the way to the Copa America Finals and nearly defeated Argentina. France was bounced by Spain in the semi-final of the Euros. The French women will restore some pride for their nation today. France has the advantage of playing this match on home soil. The French also have the vastly superior quality on the pitch. In my estimation, they will win this match by at least 2 goals. Play on France.

At 12:10 ET, my Early Riser selection is on Baltimore on the run-line. This game has everything in place to be a big-time blowout. Baltimore lost its 3rd straight game yesterday. The Orioles are going to be mad. Today, they have Corbin Burnes on the mound. He's one of the best pitchers in the big leagues and he's ultra reliable. Miami counters with Roddery Munoz. Who? Exactly. Burnes is 10-4 with a 2.38 ERA and Munoz is 1-5 with a 5.14 ERA. Burnes has a 1.95 in 6 appearances against the Marlins in his career. Play on Baltimore -1.5.

At 7:30 ET, my MLS Eastern Conf. GOM is on Cincinnati. The visiting Red Bulls won 2-1 when these teams played at Cincinnati. Going with the visiting team will be the way to go again on Saturday evening. Cincinnati has the best road record (9-1-1) in the entire MLS. New York is a modest 6-5 at home. Cincinnati should win, if anybody does. A draw is also a real possibility, as the Red Bulls are off 4 straight draws. As a matter of fact, 6 of their last 7 matches have been draws. The last 5 h2h meetings have been 2 wins for Cincinnati and 3 draws. Play on Cincinnati.

At 7:00pm ET, my CFL Non-Conf. GOM is on Edmonton. The Elks and the Redblacks just faced each other at Edmonton last week. Ottawa won outright as an underdog. With a chance at some insta-revenge and also at earning their first victory of the season, the Elks will return the favor. The reality was that Ottawa was a little fortunate to earn the victory last week. At the very least, the Elks had a real chance at winning,. That's 4 very close losses for the Elks now. The last time that these teams played each other in consecutive weeks was in 2022. The road team won both games, the underdog Elks winning 30-12 at Ottawa. Grab any points being offered but expect the Elks to break through with their first victory. Play on Edmonton.

At 10:30pm ET, my MLS GOW is on Seattle. The Sounders own St. Louis. As a matter of fact, Seattle is the only opponent which St. Louis has faced more than once that they've never earned at least a point against. The Sounders won 2-1 and 2-0 at St. Louis and they won 3-0 in the match at CenturyLink Field. Wednesday's game will bring another victory for the Sounders as St. Louis is bad right now. St. Louis has only 1 win its last 10 matches and has been outscored 8-2 in losing its last 2. Seattle has found its form. The Sounders have won 4 straight and have recorded consecutive clean sheets. They are undefeated in their last 6 matches. This match will be one-sided. Play on Seattle.

At 8:00pm ET, my Copa America GOY is on Columbia. Argentina has Messi. Argentina has a big name goal-keeper. Argentina are world champions. Of course, they are going to be favored. Yet, if you've watched the tournament with an unbiased eye, Columbia has every right to feel confident. Undefeated in the tournament, the Columbians outplayed Brazil to earn an important draw in that game. They defeated a strong Uruguay squad. They crushed Panama, Paraguay, Costa Rica and Bolivia by a combined score of 13-1. Argentina didn't play teams as difficult as Brazil or Uruguay. They had 2 matches against Canada and they also faced Peru, Chile and Ecuador. Chile gave them trouble and Ecuador took them to penalties. Even Canada had moments where it carried the play. I'll gladly take the half goal with the team which has faced stiffer competition and which is playing better football. Play on Columbia.

At 7:30 ET, my CFL Eastern Conference GOY is on Toronto. One of the many things I like about the CFL are the unique scheduling opportunities. In the NFL, teams play on Monday and Thursday. Playing off a Monday game isn't that big a deal though and the whole world knows about it. Playing on a Thursday is a short week but both teams are in the same boat. The CFL is different. Take this game, as an example. Toronto last played on July 4th. The Argonauts have had a full week in between games. Not so for Montreal. The Alouettes played on July 6th. They have had 2 less days in between games. The Argos are missing some players but the Alouettes' injury list is longer. The Argos are 3-0 their last 3 games played here. They will be determined to get revenge from a June loss. Play on Toronto.

At 2:10 ET, my Early Riser is on Milwaukee-run line. The legend of Paul Skenes continues to grow. The highly touted rookie has lived up to his very big expectations. He's still only barely 22 and he's got the All Star Game on the back of his mind. Impressive as Skenes may be, he's over-priced at the moment. The Brewers are the better team and Civale is going to really want a big performance. His first start as a Brewer was on the road against the Dodgers. A home game against Pittsburgh is a much better matchup. Civale has a 2.61 ERA his past 2 starts against the Pirates. As a matter of fact, when still pitching with Tampa, Civale already won 3-1 in a h2h matchup against Skenes last month. Play on Milwaukee.

At 3:00pm ET, my Euro Cup GOY is on England. I am 100% perfect with my selections involving these teams in the Euro Cup, including wins both for (versus France) and against (versus Austria) the Netherlands. So, I feel that I've got a good read on each team. England's talent will be too much for the young Dutch team. When I played against Netherlands in the Austria match I said this: "I've been a fan of Dutch football since the 1970s. During the 1970s, the Dutch were a team which embodied "Total Football" reached the World Cup Final in 1974 and 1978. They are considered one of the best teams to never win the WC. This year's team has everyone excited and remembering those glory days. Netherlands is good but its important not to get caught up in the hype. They beat a weak Poland team which played without its best player. Then they earned a draw against France which also played without its best player." The Netherlands are coming in over-valued and the opposite is true of the English. The pressure is off of England as they were already moments away from going home. They will play their best football and punch their ticket to the finals. Play on England

At 3:00pm ET, my WNBA GOW is on Las Vegas. The Aces are laying less points at Seattle than they would be if the game was in Las Vegas. That's offering us a lot of line value. With the Storm ahead of Las Vegas in the standings, it might be tempting for some to back the home underdog. Don't do it. Road teams are hitting 55.1% versus the spread in the WNBA this season. Road favorites are covering 55.8% of the time. The last time that the Aces played at Seattle, they were favored by 16.5 points. They won by 16. A much smaller point spread will be easier to beat. Off a 19-point win, the Aces have won 7 of their last 8 games. Every victory game by more than 10. They will cover this small number. Play on Las Vegas.

At 6:40 ET, my AL Central GOM is on the Detroit Tigers run-line. Keider Montero delivered quality in a victory at Minnesota last game. He conceded 2 runs in 6.1 innings. It was Montero's first win and he's going to have new found confidence against Cleveland from it. Gavin Williams missed the first part of the season with an elbow injury. In his first start back, he didn't show that he was ready. He struggled with command and gave up a lot of hits. He has an 11.25 ERA and 2.25 WHIP. He might be better but trusting him as a road favorite is a stretch. Asking him to win by more than a run is an even bigger one. Play on Detroit.

At 10:30 ET, my MLS Non-Conf GOY is on Seattle. The Sounders are playing their best right now. A visit from an inferior and extremely depleted New England squad will result in a big win. Off back to back wins and undefeated in their last 4 matches, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said of his team: "This team doesn't quit. We've got quality on this team." New England coach Caleb Porter admitted his squad is thin right now and that this is going to be a difficult match: "It does take pressure off winning against Atlanta on Wednesday; we look at it as bonus points. We took a few more injuries, so we're looking at all options to fill our bench. Seattle are in good form, and it's obviously a long trip across the country. It's not going to be easy, since they're usually very good at home ... we just don't have much depth right now." The Sounders are healthier, fresher and playing at home in front of their passionate fans. The injuries and travel will catch up to New England. Play on Seattle

At 9:00 ET, my Copa America Super Smash is on Argentina. Will Messi play? I'm sure that he could but I'm not going to rely on it. I'm not worried about it. Even without one of the game's greatest players of all-time, Argentina has numerous matchup advantages over Ecuador. Argentina made it here easily and didn't concede a single goal in 3 matches. Ecuador was fortunate to survive and get a draw against Mexico. Argentina is 3-0, winning by a combined margin of 9-1 in its last three appearances in the quarter-finals of this tournament. Argentina has never lost to Ecuador at this tournament either. They won the 2021 quarter-final meeting against them by a score of 3-0. Argentina hasn't trailed in a Copa America match since the 2019 semi-finals. They will win this match by multiple goals. Play on Argentina

At 4:10 ET, my AL GOY is on Seattle run-line. After losing 4 straight games and going 2-7 their last 9, the Mariners are in danger of being swept. Worse, their lead over the Astros has dwindled down to 2 games. It's time for them to make things right! Corbin Burnes goes for Baltimore. He's a really good pitcher. He's not unhittable though, as we saw with the 9 hits he allowed last game. He's also a big name and has become quite expensive every time that he pitches. He's been better at night than in the day and he's been much better at home than on the road. Today, he's on the road for a day game against an angry division leader. Bryce Miller loves pitching at home. He has a 1.99 ERA in 9 starts here this season, much better than Burnes' road ERA. That comes with a 0.86 WHIP and a .167 opponent's batting average. Really good numbers, indeed. The Mariners are 6-2 his last 8 starts here. Due to Burnes' price tag, we are able to take +1.5 runs with the Mariners, a nice and valuable luxury to have in a game which will be close. Play on Seattle.

At 8:30 ET, my MLS Western Conf GOY is on Vancouver. The WhiteCaps are off a comeback 4-3 victory against St. Louis on Saturday. This is another important match against a team which is 1 point ahead of them in the standings. The will carry the momentum from the St. Louis win into this big game at Allianz Field in Minnesota. The Loons are off a loss at Portland, a match which they led at halftime. They are really struggling and have dropped 4 straight. Only 1 of their last 8 matches has resulted in victory. Vancouver won 3-2 the last h2h match. Four of 13 all-time meetings, including the last at Minnesota, have resulted in draws. So, getting the extra 0.5 goal here could come into play. Playing better football right now, at the very least, the Caps come away with the draw! Play on Vancouver.

At 3:07 ET, my Home Run Club is on Toronto on the run-line. The Blue Jays home record (20-21) isn't anywhere close to where it should be. It's better than the Astros (18-22) road record though and the Jays can get to .500 here with a victory this afternoon. The Astros had to wait for a nearly 3-hour rain delay yesterday before winning in extra innings. (Seven pitchers were used) Off that lengthy emotional win, they had to come to Canada. The Jays are finally getting good at bats from some of their big guys. Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero is on a 7-game hitting streak which has seen him bat .484 (15-for-31) with five doubles, five home runs and 19 RBIs. Former Astro, George Springer 10-for-16 (.625) with 10 RBIs over his past five games. In front of the big Canada Day crowd, Guerrero, Springer and the Jays will be fired up. The Jays are 3-0 the past 3 meetings here, the past 2 were both 1-run games. Play on Toronto.

At 3:00pm ET, my Golden boot is on Slovenia. A lot of people might be anticipating a blowout along the lines of Spain versus Georgia. Slovenia isn't Georgia though. Portugal actually lost to Georgia last match and the Portuegese are going to have their hands full one again. Undefeated in the group stage, Slovenia earned draws against Denmark and England. Having beaten Portugal 2-0 in March, Slovenia is coming in full of confidence. As a matter of fact, Slovenia has lost just once in 15 games over the past year. That loss was by 1 goal. Play on Slovenia.

At 8:00pm ET, my Copa America GOM is on Mexico. Everyone is really down on Mexico. That's provided value with the #15 ranked team in the world. These teams are tied in their group but Ecuador has the tie-breaker edge, based on goal-differential. Mexico needs a win. Ecuador is #30 in the world. The game being played in Glendale Arizona, the stadium is going to be filled with Mexican supporters.

Mexico's Johan Vásquez said: "Sometimes you also have to know how to play with that pressure. A teammate, a couple of years ago, told me it's a privilege to have this type of pressure that not many have, and it made an impression on me.. For us ... in short, it's do-or-die and knowing how to play with that pressure."

Mexico coach Jaime "Jimmy" Lozano added: "The pressure, this is fortunate pressure. Fortunate because we are in the best place that a Mexican soccer player, that a Mexican coach, could be." Lazono's team will rise to the occasion and surprise a lot of people with a win. Play on Mexico.

At 7:00pm ET, my CFL Eastern GOM is on Hamilton. The Tiger Cats have played better than their 0-3 record. A game against the Redblacks, a team which they have completely owned, will get them off the schnide. Hamilton has beaten this Ottawa each of the past 10 meetings, going 8-2 versus the spread. For today's game, we don't even have to worry about covering any points. Ottawa is already dealing with injuries and the Ti-Cats will take advantage. Play on Hamilton.

At 10:30 ET, my MLS GOW is on Vancouver. Both 2023 meetings were won by the home team. The Whitecaps won 3-0 at Vancouver, after losing 3-1 at St. Louis. Homefield is again going to be a factor. The 'Caps are off back-to-back road losses but they won 2-1 their last home game. St. Louis has only scored 1 goal total its last 4 matches. City is winless (0-5-3) in 8 matches away from St. Louis. Play on Vancouver.

At 10:10 ET, my Saturday Super Smash is on Seattle on the Run-Line. Yesterday's game was decided in extra innings. The Mariners prevailed with a 2-1 victory. This one has the look of another close one. To be clear, I expect Seattle to win this game "outright," or I wouldn't be playing. But having an extra +1.5 runs on our side is never a bad thing for a Seattle team which tends to play a lot of close, low-scoring games. The Mariners rank in the top 3 in the American League for ERA. Today's starter Bryce Miller has a 1.82 ERA in 8 home starts, Seattle winning 6 of those. Two of his last 3 starts here were 1 run games. Seattle relievers are superb at home. Lopez has an ERA above 5. Play on Seattle.

At 6:20 ET, my NL East GOY is on Philadelphia run-line. The worst team in the division beat the best team yesterday. It's not going to happen again! Miami is now 29-52. Philadelphia is 53-29. Philadelphia starter Christopher Sanchez isn't a household name but he has a 2.67 ERA in his 15 starts. In 8 home starts, he is 4-1 with a 1.41 ERA and 0.98 WHIP! The Phillies are 6-2 in those games. The Phillies won 4-1 and 9-2 in his last 2 starts. Sanchez allowed 1 earned run in 14 innings! In his 15 starts, Sanchez has only allowed 1 home run. That was back in April. The Marlins are 4-24 versus left-handed starters. The Phillies are 33-13 against right-handed starters. It looks like Harper (and Schwarber) may not be available. That would hurt if it was a long-term thing but it won't stop the Phillies from winning this one with relative ease. Play on Philadelphia.

At 8:10 ET, my Cakewalk selection is on Kansas City run-line. The Royals won yesterday. The Guardians finally lost. Wacha is pitching much better than his record indicates. He has a 2.76 ERA and 0.86 WHIP his past 3 starts. He has allowed 2 runs or less in 6 straight, posting a 2.55 ERA in those games. Three of Lively's past 5 starts have been 1-run games. He gave up 10 hits when he faced the Royals last June. Wacha is 2-0 with a spectacular 1.02 ERA in 3 appearance versus Cleveland, his team winning all 3. Play on KC.

At 6:00pm ET, my Golden Boot selection is on Canada. This is the 2nd match for both teams. Canada lost to Argentina in its opener. Peru earned a draw against Chile. Though Peru picked up a point. if you watched the matches, Canada was more impressive. There were stretches where Canada carried the play against the world champions. Peru only had 35% possession and was fortunate to earn a draw. Canada kept Argentina scoreless for a half and the Canadians battled France to a 0-0 draw in their previous match. They are going to be difficult to score against and will take it to Peru in this match. Play on Canada

At 3:00 pm ET, my Cakewalk selection is on Denmark for the first half. The Allianz Arena in Munich is the venue for this critical Group C match, as Denmark and Serbia fight for the right to qualify for the last 16. With everything on the line, Denmark's superior quality will come to the forefront. Danish FA (DBU) director of football Peter Moeller said this this game will define the current team and management. "If we go out, it will be two major tournaments in a row where we don't progress from the group stage, but conversely we have the chance to progress without having lost a game, which we haven't done at the Euros for 20 years." Moeller said. He continued: "This is a very important game, both now and for the future. Therefore it's perhaps much better to focus on this championship to begin with, and to prepare ourselves for this game," he said. We are back, we are hard to play against and hard to beat. If we can maintain the attitude we had against England, then we are in a good place." Denmark's day of destiny gets off to a strong start with the Danes enjoying early success and a first half victory. Play on Denmark (1st Half)

At 12:00 ET, my Early Riser selection is on Austria. I've been a fan of Dutch football since the 1970s. During the 1970s, the Dutch were a team which embodied "Total Football" reached the World Cup Final in 1974 and 1978. They are considered one of the best teams to never win the WC. This year's team has everyone excited and remembering those glory days. Netherlands is good but its important not to get caught up in the hype. They beat a weak Poland team which played without its best player. Then they earned a draw against France which also played without its best player. They are already ensured of advancing to the next round and that could lead to some complacency. Austria is a sneaky good team and they need this one more than Holland. Another draw is in the cards. Play on Austria.

At 3:00pm ET, my Golden Boot selection is on Croatia. Croatia is disappointed with its performance here. In need of victory, we will see a better showing from the Croatians this afternoon. Croatia have already had more shots and more attempts on target at Euro 2024 than it did in 3 group stage games at the last Euro Cup. Italy attempted its fewest shots in a European Championship game to date in its loss against Spain. The Italians will progress with a draw. Italy hasn't beaten Croatia since 1942. Play on Croatia.

At 10:00 pm ET, my WNBA Non-Conf GOY is on Las Vegas. The Connecticut Sun have a 13-1 record, best in the WNBA. Yet, the Sun find themselves underdogs. That's because the world champion Las Vegas Aces are back! Las Vegas turned the corner with Wednesday's wire-to-wire win over the Seattle Storm. Five Las Vegas players scored in double-figures. Jackie Young led the Aces with 32 points. A'ja Wilson had 27. Wilson goes over 20 every game and averages 29 points per game. When she gets that of help from Young and the rest of her teammates, the Aces are nearly impossible to beat. The Sun have been beating bad teams but when they faced NY, they lost by 7. The Aces have won 3 of the past 4 h2h meetings and the last 2 games here were wins of 14 and 18 points. Play on Las Vegas.

At 3:00pm ET, my Golden Boot selection is on the Netherlands. France has the big names and is a very strong team. Netherlands doesn't have the same household names but is also very strong. We saw 2 of 3 games end in a draw yesterday and this could be another one. Both teams are in good position to advance from Group D. Victory is better but a draw wouldn't hurt either of them. Getting +0.5 is great value. Mbappé may not play after breaking his nose in the first match. Even with him playing, the French have had trouble scoring recently. They only got 1 against Austria and they drew 0-0 versus Canada before that. A late March match against Germany resulted in a 2-0 defeat. Netherlands scored 2 in its first match and had beaten Iceland 4-0 in its previous match and Canada 4-0 before that. Play on Netherlands.

The Celtics won the 2 games here at Boston by an average of 12.5 points. They have beaten Dallas 4x in a row here. All 4 victories came by 7 or more and they came by an average of more than 16. The Celtics responded to each previous playoff loss with a blowout victory in their next game. They are 16-4 the last 20 times that they were off a loss and the wins have come by an average of 12.7 points. This will be another big victory. Play on Boston.