Sports Talk 24/7

By: Kyle Ferraro

(Image from Fox News)

I finally got a few early days of work in a row, and I am back giving gambling picks. I did not have the greatest performance in my last article, but that was week one. Now we have a few weeks of information about these teams, which helps a ton. The NFL is also back, so expect some NFL plays sprinkled in.

Likes:

Syracuse -9 vs. Stanford: We start with a Friday night game as Kyle McCord and Syracuse host Stanford. Stanford comes into the game with a 1-1 record with their loss coming against the only power five team they played. According to Teamrankings.com, Syracuse is the 12th-ranked offense in the country in terms of yards per game while Stanford has the 108th-ranked defense. The former Buckeye, McCord, has started the season much improved from last season, accounting for eight touchdowns to only one interception with his best performance coming against Georgia Tech in the Orange’s previous game. Syracuse has also had two weeks to prepare for this game after having an early season bye last week. I have no problem taking the home team with a red-hot quarterback. 

Indiana -28 vs Charlotte: Indiana should be ranked. The Hoosiers take on Charlotte coming off a great 42-13 win over Big 10 newcomer UCLA. Charlotte has the 107th-ranked defense in college football, giving up 451.5 yards per game. Indiana’s transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke has had a good start to the season, with eight total touchdowns and zero interceptions. Rourke takes care of the ball and the Hoosier running back duo of Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton take the pressure off of the sixth-year senior quarterback. Ellison is averaging eight yards per carry while the pair of running backs sport three touchdowns each. Indiana only gives up 210 yards per game, but that may be skewed due to a 77-3 victory over Western Illinois. Give me the Hoosiers and the points.  

Nebraska TT o26.5 vs. Illinois: The Cornhuskers have cleared this number in every game this season. The 24th-ranked Fighting Illini only give up 8.6 points per game, however, they have not played against a team as good as the Cornhuskers and Dylan Raiola. Nebraska attacks you from the air and the ground enroute to averaging 420 yards per game. Starting running back, Dante Dowdell is averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has scored three times through three games. Illinois does give up 318 yards per game, and I expect Matt Rhule and company to continue turning heads in the Big 10 with their first conference matchup Friday night. 

Tampa Bay -6.5 vs. Denver: The Baker Mayfield-led Buccaneers are fresh off a 20-16 upset victory last week over the Detroit Lions, while the Denver Broncos lost 13-6 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game where they did not score a touchdown. Mayfield has been hot to start the season, throwing for five scores and running in another. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has thrown four picks through the first two games, and this Tampa Bay secondary is in prime position to put their offense in a great position to win big. 

USC -4.5 @ Michigan: I made the mistake of betting against the Caleb Williamsless Trojans in week one and lost, but watching that game made me realize that Miller Moss is the real deal. The quarterback differential in the game will be glaring in my opinion. Michigan started the season with Davis Warren as their QB1, but the former walk-on was benched in the Wolverine’s most recent game in favor of Alex Orji. Orji lost the starting quarterback battle in the offseason to Warren, so that says he is not that good either. USC is coming off a bye and Michigan just snuck by Arkansas State… I see Michigan running the ball about 100 times in this game, so the clock will be running. Regardless of the starting quarterback on the other side, all we need is for USC to score early and rely on Bear Alexander in the middle of their defensive line to slow down the Wolverine ground game.

Jauan Jennings o3.5 receptions @ Rams: The 49ers will be without Deebo Samuel and potentially George Kittle in a game that sees the 49ers matched up with the 9th worst passing defense in the NFL. Brock Purdy will have to throw the ball somewhere and Jennings should be a prime candidate. 

Loves: 

Ravens -1 @ Dallas: The 0-2 Baltimore Ravens is not something you are used to hearing, I am sure. Lamar Jackson and company will not let their record get to 0-3, despite a formidable opponent across from them. They opened up the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions and then let one slip through their fingers last week against the Raiders. Zay Flowers has been dominating so far and Derrick Henry is still above average on the ground. The Cowboys overwhelmed the Browns offense in week one and then layed an egg last week against the Saints, so it’s pretty difficult to get a read on them. In a matchup like this, I will always lean toward the team with the better head coach, and that is so clear to be John Harbaugh. I also like the look of Zay Flowers’s o53.5 receiving yards, even against a ballhawk like Trevon Diggs. 

Miami (FL) -17 @ South Florida: The 2-1 South Florida Bulls play host to the 3-0 Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, and to me, 16.5 is far too low of a number. The Hurricane quarterback Cam Ward is a bona fide Heisman candidate, already piling up over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Canes have the second ranked offense in the country, averaging 640 yards per game behind the quarterback and receiver duo of Ward and Xavier Restrepo and star transfer running back, Damien Martinez, who hasn’t even sniffed the potential that he flashed at Oregon State. The Bulls have the 105th-ranked defense, so as long as Miami’s defense can play similarly to how they have to start the season, the 16.5 should be easy cash.

Boston College -6.5 vs Michigan State: Bill O’Brien is a damn good college football coach. BOB and the 2-1 Eagles will host the 3-0 Michigan State Spartans behind Junior quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Castellanos is coming off a three-touchdown game against 7th ranked Missouri. Boston College also opened the season with a big win over Florida State; Michigan State, on the other hand, has not played any teams to the caliber of Boston College. The Spartans beat Florida Atlantic 16-10 in week one and Maryland 27-24 last week. Oregon State transfer, Aidan Chiles, has been far below average to start the season, throwing for four touchdowns and four interceptions. I see Boston College covering in this game pretty easily. 

Jordan Whittington o3.5 Receptions @ San Francisco: The Rams are in a similar situation as the 49ers, with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua both being sidelined on Sunday, opening up the opportunity for the rookie. Whittington received praise throughout training camp and is slated to step into Kupp’s role in the offense. Matt Stafford still quarterbacks the 4th ranked offense in the NFL in terms of pass attempts per game and in games Stafford has played without Kupp the last two seasons, the quarterback has spread the ball out to seven different pass catchers per game. I also wouldn’t hate sprinkling on Whittington ATTD. 

Mortal Lock:

Tennessee -7 @ Oklahoma: I might be falling into the trap here, but Tennessee looking awesome so far this season. Nico Iamaleava has been unbelievable through three games, albeit against two nonpower five teams. The Volunteers running back, Dylan Sampson has also started the season on fire, racking up 357 yards and nine touchdowns. The Josh Heupel-led offense is enough to make me take this bet, but the Tennessee defense also has given up the least yard per game in all of college football. In their game with NC State, the Wolfpack was only able to muster up 143 total yards. In Oklahoma’s last two games, they have struggled to win comfortably. The Sooners snuck out a 16-12 victory over Houston two weeks ago and a 34-19 win last week against an inferior Tulane team. -7 for this game just doesn’t feel right to me, it feels more like it should be around -10 so I will slam -7.

Featured Image is from Rocky Top Talk