Xam’s Daily Gems:
UCLA/Penn State Over 46.5 Points -110 BetMGM 3 Units
Penn State’s offense was out of sync last week against the Illini, and we know James Franklin will want to get it right against UCLA. Quarterback Drew Allar needs a get right game before Penn State travels across the country to face USC next week. UCLA has given up 34 or more points in each of their last 3 games, and UCLA has done A LOT of traveling recently. Going across the country to face one of the BEST offenses in the country will pose BIG PROBLEMS for the Bruins. UCLA’s QB, Ethan Garbers, may not play this week after hurting his ankle last week. Justyn Martin would start in his place. Penn State could hit this Total by themselves if they wanted to. What can UCLA produce offensively in this kind of environment? It’s hard to see them being overly competitive, but if UCLA can muster even 7-10 points, Penn State SHOULD care for the rest!
Guardians Money Line -146 FanDuel 3 Units
The Guardians host the Tigers in Game 1 of an ALDS showdown between AL Central rivals. Tyler Holton will again act as an opener for the Tigers today. For the Guardians, Tanner Bibee will make the start. Frankly, this is a HUGE game for both teams, as Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will go in Game 2 of this series. Tanner Bibee had himself a nice season for the Guardians, pitching to a 3.47 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. His last 2 starts in particular were EXCELLENT, throwing a combined 13.2 innings and giving up just 3 runs. The Guardians are the more battle tested of these teams and they were GREAT at home, going 50-30 at Progressive Field this season! If Bibee can put up zeroes early, Cleveland’s elite bullpen will be ready to lock this game down!
Auburn/Georgia Over 51.5 Points -110 FanDuel 3 Units
Georgia is coming off an instant classic game against Alabama last week that saw the game fly Over the Total. Georgia still has National Championship aspirations, and no one would be surprised to see them get there at the end of the year. Quarterback Carson Beck is looking to bounce back after a bad first half last week against Alabama. Coming off this kind of loss at home, Georgia will come out rocking and ready to roll at Sanford Stadium. Auburn is going to get a hyper focused Carson Beck, Dominic Lovett, and Trevor Etienne. That’s BAD NEWS for Auburn QB Payton Thorne. The Bulldogs are only giving up about 14 points per game this season. After getting SHREDDED for 41 last weekend, you know they’ll come in ready to go. If Auburn can produce ANYTHING offensively, Georgia’s elite offensive personnel should care for the rest at home!
Phillies First 5 Innings Money Line -200 FanDuel 3 Units
The Phillies begin their World Series run at Citizens Bank Park today with one of the BEST pitchers in baseball on the mound. It’s showdown of division rivals with a trip to the NLCS on the line. Zack Wheeler will garner Cy Young votes at the end of the season. Simply put, he’s been nothing short o FANTASTIC this season, compiling a 2.57 ERA and 0.73 WHIP this year! He was even better at home this season, pitching to a 2.31 ERA, .186 batting average against, and 0.94 WHIP! However, his last 7 starts were even BETTER, as he pitched to a SPARKLING 1.99 ERA! The Phillies have the best homefield advantage in baseball. Mets ace Kodai Senga will make his triumphant return to the mound, but this is a BRUTAL matchup to return to. He only made 1 start this year, as he dealt with a calf injury after returning to the Mets on July 26th. He won’t be able to pitch his normal workload and may only last a couple innings if they’re tough. Citizens Bank Park will be a MAD HOUSE today, and the Mets may be in line for a letdown after their dramatic Game 3 win in Milwaukee.
Yankees Money Line -200 BetMGM 3 Units
The Yankees proved themselves to be the best team in the American League this year, thanks in no small part to an incredible lineup and homefield advantage. Gerrit Cole, the best pitcher in baseball last year, will make the start today against the Royals. The Royals went into Camden Yards and promptly dispatched the Orioles in 2 games, holding them to just 1 run in the process! However, quite simply, the Yankees are an entirely different beast. The Yankees are rested, boast an incredible lineup, and will have their entire bullpen fresh and ready to go. The Royals are a good team, but there’s an element of “they’re just excited to be here”. They only scored 3 runs in their 2-game series against the Orioles, and that’s just not going to cut it. Gerrit Cole was solid in his last 7 starts and he’s been really good in the postseason as well, pitching to a 2.93 ERA and 0.95 WHIP when the lights are on in the postseason. Michael Wacha just isn’t that guy. Not only has been a bad pitcher in the playoffs, he didn’t pitch as well on the road as he did at home this year. This is a very young Royals team, and quite simply they just don’t have the players do.
Clemson/Florida State Over 46.5 Points -110 FanDuel 3 Units
Perhaps there’s been no bigger disappointment in college football this season than the Florida State Seminoles. Coming off the controversy from last year, they are now 1-4 with just terrible losses on the schedule. Clemson has won 3 straight games and won in large part thanks to scoring a ridiculous 165 points over those 3 games! Florida State is the key to this Play, and the key for FSU is quarterback Brock Glenn. FSU has scored 16 or less points in 3 straight games, and that’s just not going to cut it in this game. Starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is out with a broken finger, although he wasn’t playing well before this game. SMU dropped 42 points on FSU last week, and while FSU’s defense has been better at Doak Campbell Stadium, Clemson’s offense is just too high-powered right now. Cade Klubnik is putting together another great season for the Tigers, who have ACC title game aspirations. There’s no reason to think Florida State will put up a fight for all 4 quarters. If Brock Glenn and Lawrance Toafili can get the Seminoles going offensively AT ALL, we just might in be store for a slugfest at Doak Campbell Stadium!
Washington Money Line -120 BetMGM 3 Units
We have a juicy rematch of the National Championship game in this one, and Washington smells blood in the water. The Huskies have won 17 straight home games, and we ALL know the program will be ready to go tonight. Michigan has been going through a transition season that’s seen them focus heavily on the run game and pass defense. This is a GREAT matchup for Washington’s defense, who’s giving up just 12 points per game. It’s the first road game of the season for the Wolverines, and they’ve struggled mightily in the 2nd half of home games this year thanks to their complete inability to pass the ball. They will not be able to win this game without SOMETHING from quarterback Alex Orji. Will Rogers is the best quarterback in this game, and if he can protect the ball, it’ll be hard for Michigan to score a lot in this hostile environment. Expect to see A LOT of Jonah COleman in this one as Washington looks to try and out-physical Michigan today. This just feels like a prime letdown spot for the Wolverines.
Baylor +11.5 -110 BetMGM 3 Units
It’s been a disappointing start to the season for the Baylor Bears, who are 2-3 to begin the season. Now they have to travel to play a tough defense on the road in Ames. However, the upside for Baylor is that they are a few plays away from being 4-1. They got off to an atrocious start against BYU and lost in heartbreaking fashion to Colorado. However, they have PLENTY of talent. Sawyer Robertson, Josh Cameron, and Hal Presley lead an underrated offense, and they’re going to NEED those guys to step up today. Iowa State is 4-0 thanks in large part to a stifling defense. They’ve given up 7 points or less in 3 of their games this year, and their most impressive win came against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Baylor HAS TO keep the turnovers in check tonight. Iowa State doesn’t have a robust offense, led by running back Abu Sama III. Combine that with an excellent pass defense and a team that just doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and that’s a recipe to win that would make Rex Ryan proud. The good news for Baylor is that even 14 points or so can be enough to cover this big spread. If Baylor can avoid making those key mistakes (easier said than done at Jack Trice Stadium), this SHOULD be a low scoring, close game.
TreVeyon Henderson Over 45.5 Rushing Yards -114 FanDuel 3 Units
Ohio State’s star running back has easily cleared this number in all 4 games this year, rushing for no less than 65 yards in every game this season! In fact, he went over this line in all 9 regular season games last year as well! He’s a true bellcow running back that can pound the rock inside and also has the speed to pop off for a major run. Of course, Ohio State has another star running back in Quinshon Judkins, but Henderson should still see PLENTY of action in this game against Iowa. Henderson is averaging just shy of 9 yards per carry this year, and he’s only had 13 carries in the last 2 games combined, so he SHOULD be fresher and ready for a bigger workload today. He tallied 18 carries in the first 2 games of the year, so Henderson SHOULD be in store for a few more carries today in a game that should feature Ohio State’s ELITE ground game!