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NCAA Saturday Night Football: USC/UCLA Preview

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Dec 10, 2020

The Saturday night game on ABC features the Battle for Los Angeles between USC and UCLA, with much on the line for the Trojans. A victory for USC would clinch their spot in the Pac-12 conference championship game on December 18th. Even if Colorado is tied with the Trojans with an unbeaten record in conference play, USC advances from the second-tie breaker (after head-to-head since these two teams did not play this season) with their additional victory against Pac-12 South opponents. A win on Saturday would also raise the Trojans' record to 5-0, which would be the first time they started a season with at least five straight victories since the 2006 season. USC will be playing on a short week after they defeated Washington State on Sunday night by a 38-13 score. Kedon Slovis completed 25 of 32 passes for 287 yards with five touchdown passes and no interceptions in the win. The sophomore is completing 72.1% of his passes for 1257 yards with ten touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Slovis leads an offensive attack that is 17th in the nation by averaging 313.6 passing yards-per-game. The Trojans are scoring 33.3 points-per-game while averaging 424.5 yards-per-game. USC holds its opponents to 21.8 points-per-game along with 358.5 yards-per-game. Clay Helton’s team is second in the nation with a +1.5 net turnover margin per game. UCLA raised their record to 3-2 last Saturday with their 25-18 upset victory at Arizona State as a field goal underdog. The win gave the Bruins a better than .500 record for the first time since October 21st, 2017. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson returned to the field for the first time in three games after being out with COVID. The three-year starter completed 18 of 24 passes for 192 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He also rushed for another 49 yards with a touchdown. Thomson-Robinson is completing 57.8% of his passes for 691 yards in his three games with eight touchdown passes and just two interceptions. He has also rushed for 210 yards with a 5.8 yards-per-carry average with another three touchdowns.  UCLA is 16th in the nation by averaging 227.6 rushing yards-per-game. The Bruins are scoring 32.6 points-per-game while averaging 430.6 yards-per-game. They are holding their opponents to 24.7 points-per-game along with 373.0 yards-per-game. UCLA has held three of their last four opponents to 18 points or less. Their two losses were by six points at Colorado and three points at Oregon (without Thompson-Robinson).Thompson-Robinson passed for 367 yards with three touchdowns against USC last year while rushing for another 64 yards with a touchdown on the ground. Yet he was bested by Slovis, who passed for 515 yards with four touchdowns to lead the Trojans to a 52-35 victory on November 23rd. USC has won 16 of the last 21 meetings between these city rivals. BetAnySports lists USC as a 2.5-point road favorite with the total set at 62. The ABC broadcast begins at 7:30 PM ET.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball Preview

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Dec 10, 2020

The Thursday sports card features action in college basketball and college football along with the start of Week 14 in the NFL.Two games kick off Week 15 in college football. At 6:30 PM ET, Florida Atlantic plays on the road at Southern Mississippi. FAU had their four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday in a 20-3 upset loss at Georgia Southern as a 2.5-point favorite. The Owls still have hopes to play in the Conference USA championship game with their 4-1 conference record (5-2 overall). They are tied with Marshall in the East Division but need the Thundering Herd to lose on Friday to Charlotte since they lost their head-to-head meeting with them earlier this season. First-year head coach Willie Taggart has a decision to make at quarterback after he benched freshman Javion Posey making his third start of the season last week after he was responsible for three turnovers. Junior Nick Tronti came on in relief but had little success in moving the offense. Southern Miss takes the field after the last playing on November 21st in a 23-20 loss to UTSA as a 9.5-point underdog. The Golden Eagles have lost four of their last five games to see their record dip to a 2-7 mark. The program did make the decision this week to hire Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall as their next head coach. Scotty Walden has served as the interim head coach since Jay Hopson resigned as head coach in early September. Walden is down to his third quarterback after Jack Abraham entered the transfer portal, and then Tate Whatley endured a shoulder injury in the game against the Roadrunners. Sophomore Trey Lowe gets the start under center.FAU is an 8-point road favorite with the total set at 43.5 (all lines from BetOnline). The CBS Sports Network has the broadcast.Georgia Tech hosts Pittsburgh at 7 PM ET. The Yellow Jackets have lost four of their last five games after their 23-13 loss at North Carolina State last Saturday as a 7-point underdog. Pittsburgh last played on November 28th in a 52-17 score at Clemson. The Panthers are -6.5-point road favorites with the over/under at 54.5.A double-header on FS1 highlights the college basketball card. At 8 PM ET, UMKC visits Minnesota with the Golden Gophers a 19.5-point favorite with the total at 137. The nightcap features San Diego State visiting Arizona State in a battle of two ranked teams. The Aztecs are 24th in the Associated Press poll, one spot behind the 23rd ranked Sun Devils. Arizona State is a 4.5-point favorite with a total of 145.The NFL Thursday night game on Fox is a rematch of Super Bowl LIII where the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams by a 13-3 score back on February 3rd, 2019.The Rams have won three of their last four games with their 38-28 win at Arizona on Sunday as a 2.5-point favorite. That victory, along with Seattle’s 17-12 upset loss to the New York Giants, placed head coach Sean McVay’s team in a tie for first place with the Seahawks with an 8-4 record. New England has won four of their last five games since November with their 45-0 victory at Los Angeles against the Chargers. The Patriots are still two games behind Miami along with Tennessee and Indianapolis, who all have 8-4 records to set the bar for the final spots in the AFC playoff hunt. The Rams are a 5-point favorite with the total set at 45. Kickoff is at 8:20 PM ET.

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Ness Notes: Wednesday, Dec 9

by Larry Ness

Wednesday, Dec 09, 2020

This column will be available Monday through Friday (posted no later than 1:00 ET), EXCLUSIVELY at BigAl.com. I like to call it my daily 'random thoughts' on the sports betting world, although I'll pass along that my therapist refers to it as "thoughtful commentary."NFL Week 13: Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, back in action for the first time since Nov 22, threw for just 107 yards (two TDs) but also added 94 yards rushing (one TD) to lead the Ravens to a 34-17 win over the sad-sack Cowboys on Tuesday. The Ravens ended a THREE-game losing streak while rushing for 294 yards, as the Cowboys fell to 3-9 with their SIXTH loss in their last seven games  (Dallas is the NFL's worst pointspread team at 2-10). Carolina and Tampa Bay had byes in Week 13 (no more byes the rest of the way), so we had 15 games, although there was a rare neutral-site game (not in London or Mexico), as the Bills played the 49ers in Arizona due to COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara County. Home teams continued to struggle, going 5-9 SU and 4-10 ATS (home dogs were 1-3 SU and ATS). The Y-T-D numbers now reveal that home teams are 95-95-1 (.500) SU, while going 89-100-2 (47.1%) ATS. Home dogs are 10-47 (.213) SU but 36-29-2 (55.4%) ATS. Week 13 games averaged 48.8 points with six going over, eight under and one push. There have now been 93 overs, 94 unders and five pushes.College hoops: There had been just nine games between ranked opponents entering Tuesday (the higher ranked team was 6-3 SU and 4-5 ATS), which served up an impressive tripleheader of such contests. No. 3 Iowa was at No. 16 North Carolina and North Carolina's defense slowed Iowa center Luka Garza, folding him to 16 points (he entered averaging 34 PPG), ending his streak of 19 straight games scoring 20 points or more. However, he added 14 rebounds for his 24th career double-double and Garza saw THREE other players join him in double digits, led by Jordan Bohannon's 24 points. The Hawkeyes won (and covered) 93-80. No. 5 Kansas hosted No. 8 Creighton with Jalen Wilson scoring 23 points and adding 10 rebounds, hitting a go-ahead three-pointer for Kansas with 42 seconds remaining. Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski (the Big East's preseason P-O-Y) missed the last of three foul shots, allowing the Jayhawks to escape with a 73-72 win (no cover). Last but not least, No. 6 Illinois won 83-68 at No. 10 Duke. Illinois had lost 11 of 13 road matchups against top-10 opponents, with both wins coming in 1989 from the "Flyin' Illini" team that reached the Final Four. However, they had little trouble in this one, as the Blue Devils missed their first 12 three-pointers Duke had been 19-2 all time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including 9-0 at Cameron. So much for that! Higher ranked teams are now 8-4 SU but 5-7 ATS in games between ranked opponents. No. 4 Michigan St was supposed to play at No. 18 Virginia in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge tonight but the game was canceled.There were FOUR games between ranked and unranked opponents on Tuesday, with ranked teams going 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS. The SU loser was previously 4-0 and No. 15 Va Tech getting routed at home by Penn St. That leaves ranked teams 65-9 (.878) SU but a much more modest 40-32-2 (55.6%) ATS. There are SIX such games on Wednesday's schedule, most notably No. 2 Baylor hosting Stephen F Austin. The 3-0 Bears will play their home opener against the 3-0 Lumberjacks in Waco, Texas. Stephen F. Austin replaces Nicholls State, which saw its scheduled game versus Baylor called off due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Colonels' program. Baylor last played a week ago Wednesday, when the Bears posted an 82-69 victory over Illinois. Stephen F. Austin recorded its THIRD straight double-digit winning margin with a 97-79 victory over LSU Alexandria on Sunday. Baylor won't look past the Lumberjacks, who beat the Bears 59-58 the last time the teams met (Dec 18, 2018). If Baylor's memory does not go back that far, how about this? The Lumberjacks broke Duke's 150-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents with an 85-83 OT win last November when Duke was the nation's top-ranked team. The Lumberjacks became the first non-ACC school to beat Duke at Cameron since St. John's in February 2000. Baylor is favored by 23 1/2-points. CFB recap: Higher ranked teams entered last week 21-5 (.808) SU and 19-7 (73.1%) ATS in meetings between AP top-25 opponents in the college football season to-date. We saw just two such matchups last week, with No. 10 Indiana winning 14-6 at No. 18 Wisconsin and No. 8 BYU losing its first game of the season 22-17 at No. 14 Coastal Carolina. The Hoosiers won without starting QB Penix, relying on its defense, holding the Badgers to just two FGs. Indiana won at Camp Randall for the first time since 2001 and allowed the fewest points to a ranked opponent since 1993! No. 25 Liberty was supposed to play at No. 14 Coastal Carolina but after COVID-19 issues prevented the Flames from playing in the game, BYU jumped at the chance to add a game, hoping a win at a ranked opponent would give them some extra 'street cred!' So much for that. Coastal Carolina contained BYU's high-powered offense, holding the Cougars to just 17 points in the five-point win. The Chanticleers are now 10-0, the first team in SBC history to open a season 10-0. Higher ranked teams are now 22-6 (.786) SU and 20-8 (71.4%) ATS in matchups of ranked opponents.There were 17 games between ranked and unranked teams for the week, including the top-six schools in the AP and CFP rankings all in action. All six won and only Notre Dame failed to cover. Of the remaining 11 ranked teams, they went 7-4 SU and 6-5 ATS against their unranked opponents. The "Biggest Loser" was No. 15 Marshall, which lost 20-0 at home to a Rice team that entered having played just THREE games on the season. The not-so Thundering Herd were favored by 24 1/2-points and became the first team off to a 7-0 start (or better) to get shut out by a team with a losing record (Rice entered 1-2) since TCU did the same to Texas back in 1961! Also losing were No. 19 Oklahoma St 29-22 at TCU plus two overrated Pac-12 schools, No. 21 Oregon (21-17 at Cal) and No. 23 Washington (31-26 at home to Stanford). When the 'dust had settled,' ranked teams finished 13-4 SU and 11-6 ATS. Doing the math, ranked teams (when facing an unranked opponent) are now 126-30 (.808) SU, while 'climbing back' to .500 ATS at 77-77-2. I say 'climbing back' because through Oct 31 ranked teams were just 36-53-1 (.404) ATS against unranked opponents. The 'battle' resumes on Thursday, with just two weeks left in CFB's regular season.I'll push my discussion regarding the AP poll and latest CFP rankings to Thursday's Notes, when I preview the upcoming CFB weekend. NFL Week 14 preview set for Friday.Good luck...Larry

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAA Basketball and UEFA Champions League Preview

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Dec 09, 2020

The Wednesday sports card features the continuation of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the Big East/Big 12 Battle in college basketball, along with the second half of MatchDay 6 of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.The nationally-televised schedule of college basketball games begins at 5 PM ET, with Clemson hosting Maryland as a 2-point favorite with the total set at 135 on ESPN2. TCU plays at home against Providence on ESPNU as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 127.5. Michigan has Toledo visiting Ann Arbor for a 6 PM ET tip-off on FS1, which replaces their canceled game with North Carolina State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge given COVID issues. The Wolverines are -13-point favorites with the total at 146.5. At 7:15 PM ET, Indiana travels to Florida State on ESPN with the Seminoles 3-point favorites and the over/under set at 139.5. Nebraska hosts Georgia Tech on ESPN2 as a 1-point favorite with the total at 147.5.Oklahoma plays at Xavier at 8 PM ET on FS1, with the Musketeers a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 146.5. Pepperdine hosts California at 9 PM ET on the CBS Sports Network with the Waves a 5-point favorite with the total set at 140. Pittsburgh visits Northwestern at 9:15 PM ET on ESPN2 with the Wildcats a 3.5-point favorite with the over/under at 142.The final eight matches in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday 6 take place this afternoon. These matches are all reverse fixtures of the games played on October 27th in the round-robin group stage six-match schedule.Two matches start at 12:55 PM ET. Ajax hosts Atalanta as a -0.25 goal line favorite with the total set at 3.5. Ajax must win this match to advance to the Round of 16 knockout stage, with Atalanta needing a draw. Liverpool visits Midtjylland as a -0.50 road favorite with an over/under of 2.75. The Reds have clinched the top seed from Group D in the Round of 16.Another six matches begin at 3 PM ET. Bayern Munich hosts Lokomotiv Moskva as a -1.75 goal line favorite with the total at 3.75. The Bavarians have already clinched the top seed in the Round of 16 from Group A. Atletico Madrid visits Salzburg as a -0.25 goal line road favorite with an over/under of 3. Salzburg must win this match to advance to the Round of 16, with Atletico Madrid needing one point from a draw.Inter Milan plays at home against Shakhtar Donetsk as a -1.75 goal line favorite with the total at 3.25. Inter Milan not only needs three points from a win but also the Real Madrid/Borussia Monchengladbach match to not end in a draw. Real Madrid plays at home against Borussia Monchengladbach as a -0.75 goal line favorite with an over/under of 3. Los Blancos must win this match to advance to the Round of 16, with Borussia Monchengladbach satisfied with a draw.Olympiacos takes on Porto at home as a -0.5 goal line favorite with a total of 2.25. Porto has already advanced to the Round of 16 in Group C with Olympiacos eliminated but playing for third place, which puts them in the Europa League. Manchester City plays at home at Etihad Stadium against Marseille as a -1.5 goal line favorite with an over/under of 3. Man City has also advanced to the Round of 16 from Group C, with Marseille still jockeying for the possible Europa League consolation from third place in the group.All eight games are available on the CBS Sports All-Access package. Alternatively, the CBS Sports Network broadcasts a whip-around show during the six 3 PM ET games.

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NFL Thursday Night Football: Rams/Patriots Preview

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Dec 09, 2020

The NFL Thursday night game on Fox is a rematch of Super Bowl LIII where the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams by a 13-3 score back on February 3rd, 2019.The Rams have won three of their last four games with their 38-28 win at Arizona on Sunday as a 2.5-point favorite. That victory, along with Seattle’s 17-12 upset loss to the New York Giants, placed head coach Sean McVay’s team in a tie for first place with the Seahawks with an 8-4 record. The Rams outgained the Cardinals by +231 yards while having their offense on the field for 38:53 minutes, which afforded them to gain 463 yards. Los Angeles averages 395.3 yards-per-game which is third-best in the NFL. Jared Goff completed 37 of 47 passes for 351 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The quarterback is completing 68.4% of his passes this season for 3372 yards with 17 touchdown passes but also ten interceptions. Los Angeles held the Cardinals to only 232 yards. The Rams are allowing 20.3 points-per-game while ranking second in the NFL by giving up just 291.6 yards-per-game.New England has won four of their last five games since November with their 45-0 victory at Los Angeles against the Chargers. The Patriots are still two games behind Miami along with Tennessee and Indianapolis, who all have 8-4 records to set the bar for the final spots in the AFC playoff hunt. New England gained only 291 yards against the Chargers, but their special teams scored two touchdowns with a 70-yard punt return and a 44-yard blocked field goal. Cam Newton completed 12 of 19 passes for only 69 yards, yet he did have a touchdown pass without an interception. Newton added another 48 rushing yards with two more touchdowns on the ground. He has completed 66.7% of his passes in his first year in New England for 2053 yards but with only five touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Newton has rushed for 435 yards with 11 touchdowns. The Patriots are averaging 342.3 yards-per-game which is 22nd in the league. Their 150.9 rushing yards-per-game average is the third-best mark. They are holding their opponents to 344.6 yards-per-game, which is the 12th best in the NFL.Both of these teams are relatively healthy, with neither team having a player sidelined from practice on Tuesday. The Patriots did have 14 players take part in limited practice sessions on Tuesday with three players from the Rams under similar practice constraints. New England has 11 players either on Injured Reserve or who are out indefinitely to injury, including left tackle Isaiah Wynn, running back Rex Burkhead, wide receiver Julian Edelman, and defensive tackle Beau Allen. Los Angeles has ten players on IR or out indefinitely, most notably left tackle Andrew Whitworth, linebacker Micah Kiser, and safety Taylor Rapp.BookMaker lists the Rams as a 6-point favorite with the total set at 44.5. Kickoff is at 8:20 PM ET.

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Ness Notes: Tuesday, Dec 8

by Larry Ness

Tuesday, Dec 08, 2020

This column will be available Monday through Friday (posted no later than 1:00 ET), EXCLUSIVELY at BigAl.com. I like to call it my daily 'random thoughts' on the sports betting world, although I'll pass along that my therapist refers to it as "thoughtful commentary."MNF: The Steelers had a three-point win over Tennessee in Week 7, a four-point win over Baltimore in Week and then a five-point win over sad-sack Dallas in Week 9. Back-to-back blowouts over the Bengals (36-10) and the Jags (27-3) followed but then it was a five-point win over the COVID-riddled Ravens in Week 12. Last night in Week 13, "the clock struck 12" for Pittsburgh, which after opening a 14-0 lead over Washington, walked away with a  23-17 loss. The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain alone as the lone team in the NFL's 101-year history to complete a perfect season (14-0 regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs, for 17-0). It was the THIRD straight win for Washington, which moved into a first-place tie with the NY Giants in the NFC East at 5-7. In the regularly scheduled Monday night game, Buffalo's Josh Allen threw TD passes to FOUR different receivers (he was 32-40 for 375 yards, his third-highest total of the season), as the 9-3 Bills held onto sole possession of first place in the AFC East with a 34-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Glendale, Az (49ers were forced from their facility in Santa Clara County by heightened COVID-19 restrictions). The defending NFC champs fell to 5-7 and remain in last place in the NFC West with just four games remaining.NFL Week 13 finally wraps up with the 3-8 Cowboys in Baltimore to face the HUGELY disappointing 6-5 Ravens (went 14-2 in last year's regular season). The Ravens have lost THREE straight and FOUR of their past five. The NFL Network reported Sunday that the team will activate reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson and have him start on Tuesday but Ravens head coach John Harbaugh declined to discuss it. The 3-8 Cowboys are the worst team in the NFL's worst division and at 2-9 ATS, own the NFL's worst pointspread record. That's a lot of "worsts" for head coach Mike McCarthy, who was expected to be "just the right coach" to get the talented Cowboys to "live up to their potential." So much for that. Baltimore is favored by 7 1/2-points and the over/under is 45 1/2.New AP poll in CBB: The top-three schools remained the same in the second regular season AP poll. Gonzaga, Baylor and Iowa are 1-2-3 with each opening 3-0. Wisconsin lost 67-65 at Marquette and fell from No. 4 to No. 13. Taking over at No. 4 is Michigan St (up from No. 8) and Kansas is up to No. 5 (from No. 7). The rest of the top-10 is Illinois, Houston, Creighton, Villanova and Duke. Falling out to the poll was No. 20 Kentucky (see Monday's Notes for more details) and No. 21. Both San Diego St and Louisville have opened 4-0 and entered the poll for the first time this season at No. 24 and No. 25, respectively. Here's a couple of head-scratchers. Tennessee opened No. 12 in the preseason and remains at No. 12, without having played a game (that changes tonight / see below). Then there is Michigan, which opened No. 25 in the preseason poll but despite opening 4-0, the Wolverines have been the last team left out in each of the last two polls.Mon CBB: No. 19 Richmond was the only ranked team in action on Monday and hadn't played since it beat then-No. 10 Kentucky on Nov 29. The Spiders had to cancel two games last week after a positive COVID-19 test within the program and they announced the matchup with the Terriers on Saturday. Richmond scored the first 11 points of the game but Wofford shot 55% after halftime and took its first lead with 4:32 remaining. Richmond won 77-72 but never came close to covering. We've had just nine matchups between ranked teams so far with the higher ranked team going 6-3 SU and 4-5 ATS in the first nine games. However, Tuesday serves up an impressive tripleheader of such contests, No. 3 Iowa is at No. 16 North Carolina, No. 5 Kansas hosts No. 8 Creighton and No. 6 Illinois is at No. Duke. Here's a closer look.No. 3 Iowa (3-0) will welcome No. 16 North Carolina (3-1) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Luka Garza (34.0 & 9.7) has arguably been the best player in the nation so far but the Hawkeyes have yet to be challenged in romps over North Carolina Central, Southern University and Western Illinois. That leaves coach Fran McCaffery eager to see how his team fares against the Tar Heels. North Carolina won its first three games of the season before dropping a last-second 69-67 decision against No. 17 Texas in the Maui Invitational championship game on Wednesday (Longhorns won it with 0.1 seconds to play). Iowa's No. 3 ranking is the school's highest since it was also No. 3 in the 2015-16 season. The Hawkeyes are favored by 3 1/2-points. Creighton was ranked No. 11 in the AP's preseason poll (the highest in school history) and after a 3-0 start is up to No. 8 as the Bluejays visit No. 7 Kansas, which is 4-1. To say the least, this visit to Allen Fieldhouse will be a competitive upgrade for the Bluejays after being favored by between 21 and 32 1/2-points over North Dakota State, Omaha and Kennesaw State. In contrast, Kansas had played No. 1 Gonzaga and beaten then-No. 20 Kentucky. Kansas is favored by 4  1/2-points. In another ACC/Big Ten Challenge game, No. 5 Illinois will play at Cameron Indoor Stadium against No. 10 Duke. Both schools lost last week, as the Fighting Illinois fell 82-69 to No. 2 Baylor in Indianapolis, while Duke lost at home 75-69 to now-No. 4 Michigan State. Duke has been the dominant school in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, going 19-2. The Blue Devils have won EIGHT straight games as part of the series, while going 9-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke is favored by 3 1/2-points.With Richmond's win but non-cover, ranked teams are 62-8 (.886) SU and 38-30-2 (55.9%) ATS when facing an unranked opponent.  There are FOUR games between ranked teams and unranked opponents on Tuesday. No. 12 Tennessee (-5.5) hosts Colorado, No. 15 Va Tech (-5) is home vs Penn St, No. 21 Rutgers (-4) is home vs Syracuse and No. 22 Ohio St (-5) is at Notre Dame. Tennessee deserves a quick mention as the Vols opened No.12 in the AP's preseason poll and have remained at No. 12 through the first two polls of the regular season despite having yet to play a game. Colorado is the fourth team to be slated as the opener for the Volunteers, who have had five overall games canceled or postponed due to COVID-19 issues with them or their opponents. The Buffaloes have been dealing with the same issues since opening 2-0. Colorado had to postpone its Pac-12 opener against Arizona State, then resumed and was scheduled to host Washington State on Saturday. Coronavirus issues with the Cougars forced a postponement Friday night. As for Tennessee, it canceled its game against No. 1 Gonzaga in the Jimmy V Classic on Wednesday and Friday's game against Notre Dame. The Volunteers and the Buffaloes quickly adjusted and added this game. "Fingers crossed." Wednesday Notes will feature poll updates in CFB (AP and CFP), an NFL Week 13 recap, plus my daily look at college hoops.Good luck...Larry

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NFL Tuesday Night Football: Ravens/Cowboys Preview

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Dec 08, 2020

Originally scheduled for Thursday to begin Week 13 of the NFL season, Dallas and Baltimore play on Tuesday after the Ravens and Steelers moved to play their Week 12 game last Wednesday. Both of these teams are desperate for a victory to stay alive in the playoff race.Baltimore has lost three straight games as well as four of their last five games after they losing to Pittsburgh last week by a 19-14 score. That loss eliminated the Ravens from winning the AFC North. They bring a 6-5 record into this game needing a victory to stay one game behind Indianapolis and Miami with their 8-4 records holding down the final two AFC wildcard spots. Lamar Jackson got activated from the COVID list on Monday, which puts him in a position to be back under center for this game. Robert Griffin III and Trace McSorley combined to complete only 9 of 18 passes for 110 yards in his absence against the Steelers last week. Jackson is completing 63.4% of his passes for 1948 yards with a 7.1 yards-per-attempt average this season with 15 touchdown passes and six interceptions. He has added another 575 yards on the ground with a 5.6 yards-per-carry average with three touchdowns. Dallas has lost five of their last six games since quarterback Dak Prescott suffered his season-ending injury in Week 4. The Cowboys return to action after losing at home to Washington on Thanksgiving by a 41-26 score as a 2.5-point favorite. Andy Dalton completed 25 of 35 passes for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the losing effort. He is completing 65.1% of his passes for 870 yards but with just a 5.7 yards-per-attempt average. Dalton has five touchdown passes along with five interceptions. Despite their 3-8 record, the Cowboys can still pull within one game of first place in the NFC East with a victory behind the New York Giants and the Washington Football Team, who won this week to raise their records to 5-7 marks. Dallas will be without offensive linemen Zach Martin and Cam Erving, who are out with injuries after playing against Washington. The Cowboys were already without tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, who suffered season-ending injuries. Defensive end Aldon Smith is questionable with an illness, but he did take part in the team’s last full practice. Dallas may be thin at safety, with Donovan Wilson and Steven Parker questionable with injuries. Baltimore activated running back J.K. Dobbins and defensive end Calais Campbell from the COVID list, but Campbell remains questionable with the calf injury that had kept him on the sidelines. He took part in limited practice on Saturday. The Ravens have nine players questionable on their final injury list. Right guard D.J. Fluker did participate in full practice on Saturday. Defensive tackle Brandon Williams was a limited participant in that practice. Safety Chuck Clark and linebacker Jaylon Ferguson did not practice on Saturday. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley is out the year with an ankle injury. Baltimore still has six players on their COVID inactive list, including tight end Mark Andrews, linebacker Matthew Judon, and wide receiver Willie Snead. BookMaker lists the Ravens as a 7-point favorite with the total set at 45.5. Fox and the NFL Network will broadcast the game with the kickoff at 8:05 PM ET.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: UEFA Champions League, NCAA Basketball and NFL Preview

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Dec 08, 2020

The Tuesday sports card features an intriguing slate of college basketball action as well as the first half of MatchDay 6 of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, as well as the last game in Week 13 in the National Football League. The first day of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge highlights the Tuesday college basketball card. The nationally televised schedule begins at 5 PM ET, with Kansas hosting Creighton on ESPN as a 3.5-point favorite with the total set at 148 (all odds from BetOnline). Seton Hall plays at home as a 21.5-point favorite against Wager on FS1 with an over/under of 144. Purdue plays at Miami (FL) on ESPN2 with the Hurricanes a 1-point favorite with a total of 140.At 7 PM ET, St. John’s hosts Rider on the CBS Sports Network as a 20-point favorite with the over/under at 150.5. Georgetown plays at home against Coppin State as an 18-point favorite, with the total at 148.5. Boston College travels to Minnesota with the Golden Gophers' a 7-point favorite with an over/under of 148. Iowa hosts North Carolina at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN as a 4.5-point favorite with the total at 155.5. Ohio State visits Notre Dame on ESPN2 as a 5-point road favorite with an over/under of 140. Penn State plays at Virginia Tech at 9 PM ET with the Hokies a 5-point favorite with the total at 140. Marquette hosts Green Bay on FS1 as a 22.5-point favorite with an over/under of 153.At 9:30 PM ET, Rutgers hosts Syracuse as a 4-point favorite with a total of 140.5.The first eight matches in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday 6 take place this afternoon. These matches are all reverse fixtures of the games played on October 20th in the round-robin group stage six-match schedule.Two matches start at 12:55 PM ET. Lazio hosts Club Brugge as a -0.75 goal line favorite with the total set at 2.75. Borussia Dortmund visits Zenit as a -0.75 goal line road favorite with an over/under of 3.Six more matches take place at 3 PM ET. Sevilla visits Rennes as a -0.25 goal line road favorite with the total at 2.25. Chelsea plays at home against Krasnodar as a -1.75 goal line favorite with an over/under of 3.25. Dynamo Kyiv hosts Ferencvaros as a -0.5 goal line favorite with the total at 2.5. Barcelona plays at home against Juventus as a -0.25 goal line favorite with an over/under of 3.25. Paris Saint-Germain is a -2.5 goal line favorite at home against Istanbul Basaksehir, with the total at 4. Manchester United visits RB Leipzig in a pick ‘em matchup with an over/under of 3.All eight games are available on the CBS Sports All-Access package. Alternatively, the CBS Sports Network broadcasts a whip-around show during the six 3 PM ET games.Dallas and Baltimore play in the National Football League after the Ravens and Steelers moved to play their Week 12 game last Wednesday. Both of these teams are desperate for a victory to stay alive in the playoff race.Baltimore has lost three straight games as well as four of their last five games after they losing to Pittsburgh last week by a 19-14 score. That loss eliminated the Ravens from winning the AFC North. They bring a 6-5 record into this game needing a victory to stay one game behind Indianapolis and Miami with their 8-4 records holding down the final two AFC wildcard spots. Dallas has lost five of their last six games since quarterback Dak Prescott suffered his season-ending injury in Week 4. The Cowboys return to action after losing at home to Washington on Thanksgiving by a 41-26 score as a 2.5-point favorite. Andy Dalton completed 25 of 35 passes for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the losing effort. He is completing 65.1% of his passes for 870 yards but with just a 5.7 yards-per-attempt average. Dalton has five touchdown passes along with five interceptions. Despite their 3-8 record, the Cowboys can still pull within one game of first place in the NFC East with a victory behind the New York Giants and the Washington Football Team, who won this week to raise their records to 5-7 marks. The Ravens are an 8-point favorite with the total set at 45.5. Fox and the NFL Network will broadcast the game with the kickoff at 8:05 PM ET.

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Ness Notes: Monday, Dec 7

by Larry Ness

Monday, Dec 07, 2020

This column will be available Monday through Friday (posted no later than 1:00 ET), EXCLUSIVELY at BigAl.com. I like to call it my daily 'random thoughts' on the sports betting world, although I'll pass along that my therapist refers to it as "thoughtful commentary."CBB over the weekend: The biggest news was that Saturday's game between No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor was postponed. Gonzaga proceeded with its matchup against Auburn, a 90-67 win, on Nov 27 after one player was held out due to a positive test and another also sat due to contact tracing. After that game, Bulldogs coach Mark Few said a staffer also had tested positive. Then, about an hour before tipoff of Saturday's Baylor-Gonzaga matchup, the teams released a joint announcement about the postponement of the game, saying they had mutually agreed to reschedule the contest after consulting with local officials in Indianapolis following Gonzaga's two positive tests. A more recent update is that Gonzaga will not return to action until Dec 15, which means the Bulldogs will cancel upcoming games against Tarleton, Southern, Northern Arizona and Idaho. Gonzaga is set to face No. 3 Iowa on Dec 19 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD. As I continue to say, "fingers crossed."Heading into the Friday-Sunday schedule there had been just eight games between ranked teams, with the higher ranked team going 5-3 SU but 3-5 ATS. In contests between ranked and unranked opponents, ranked teams go off to an impressive 51-5 (.918) SU start, while going 34-20-2 (63.0%) ATS. There was only ONE contest from Fri-Sun between ranked opponents and No. 12 Villanova (-1.5) outlasted No. 17 Texas 68-64 on Sunday afternoon in a Big 12/Big East Battle contest in Austin, Texas. Moving to games between ranked and unranked teams, there were seven such games on Friday, just two on Saturday and four on Sunday. Ranked teams went 11-2 SU but were only 4-9 ATS. The SU losers were notable. No. 4 Wisconsin struggled to find an offensive rhythm throughout the game (shot 37.5%) and lost 67-65 on a one-handed put-back at the buzzer by Marquette at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Friday. A real shocker came on Sunday, as No. 20 Kentucky's 79-62 loss at Georgia Tech marked the Wildcats' THIRD straight defeat and the first time they have started 1-3 since the 2000-01 season. Kentucky suffered a 76-64 home loss to an unranked Richmond team on Nov 29, before falling by three to No. 7 Kansas in Indianapolis at the Champions Classic last Tuesday. Georgia Tech had opened its season with losses to Georgia State and Mercer before Sunday's victory. The last time Georgia Tech had won a game against a ranked non conference opponent was Nov 21, 2006! There are no games Monday between ranked opponents (the higher ranked team is 6-3 SU and 4-5 ATS in nine such meetings this season) and only two games between a ranked team and an unranked opponent. No. 19 Richmond hosts Wofford (Spiders are favored by 12 1.2-points) and No. 21 Oregon is favored by 13 1/2-points in a home game against Eastern Washington. Adding in the Friday-Sunday numbers, ranked teams are 62-7 (.899) SU and 38-29-2 (56.7%) ATS when facing an unranked opponent.NFL: There is PLENTY to recap from NFL Week 13 like the 0-12 Jets finding yet another way to lose, while the Jags are right behind them with 11 straight losses. The 10-2 Saints have won NINE in row and maintain a one-game lead over the 9-3 Packers for the NFC's No. 1 seed. The Chiefs are 11-1, meaning the 11-0 Steelers can't afford to 'blink.' The Giants have won FOUR in a row and are a first-place team plus the Browns may just be "for real" at 9-3! My Week 13 recap will be featured Wednesday, after the week concludes with Tuesday's Cowboys/Ravens game in Baltimore. However, up first, it's a MNF doubleheader.The 8-3 Buffalo Bills and 5-6 San Francisco 49ers meet in MNF (8:15 ET on ESPN/ABC) at the home of the Arizona Cardinals, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Az. The 49ers' home field is Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Ca and due to new COVID-related restrictions in Santa Clara County San Francisco's "home" games in Week 13 (Buffalo) and Week 14 (Washington) have been relocated to the Cardinals' home stadium. The Bills sit atop the AFC East but Miami's win on Sunday means that Buffalo needs to win here to stay one game up on the Dolphins. As for San Francisco, the defending NFC champs are currently in last place in the NFC West, although a win here would move them to 6-6 and into a tie with Arizona and Minnesota, just ONE game behind 7-5 Tampa Bay, which currently holds the NFC's final wild card spot. The 49ers are a one-point favorite and the over/under is 47 1/2.FOX will air 4-7 Washington at 11-0 Pittsburgh at 5:00 ET. This contest was originally scheduled for Sunday but was pushed back a day after Pittsburgh's game against Baltimore was postponed three times and finally played Wednesday because of COVID-19 issues. Washington has been off since a 41-16 win over Dallas on Thanksgiving, meaning it will have 11 days between games, compared with five days between games for Pittsburgh. Washington has won two straight games and its 3-2 'surge' has the team at 4-7. All Washington needs to do is beat the undefeated Steelers and it will tie the Giants atop the NFC East. Pittsburgh is favored by 6 1/2-points and the over/under is 43 1/2.Monday is typically my CFB recap but I'm pushing it back to Tuesday.Good luck...Larry

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NFL Monday Afternoon Football: Steelers/Football Team Preview

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Dec 07, 2020

The opening game of the Monday NFL doubleheader has the Washington Football Team visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 5 PM ET kickoff.Washington has raised their record to a 4-7 mark with two straight victories after they defeated Dallas on the road on Thanksgiving by a 41-16 score. The Football Team needs to win this game to keep pace with the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East after the Giants upset Seattle on the road by a 17-12 score yesterday.The Football Team has been playing underrated defense all season. They rank eighth in the league in stopping the pass and fifth in the league against the run. They registered four sacks against the Cowboys last week, which gives them 20 sacks in four games. Washington is second in the NFL with 36 sacks, and their 66 hits on the quarterback are also the second-most. What has made Ron Rivera’s team better as of late has been the stability at the quarterback position that Alex Smith has provided since he became the starter. Smith is completing 69%% of his passes, which is 5th best in the league. Washington is scoring 29.3 points-per-game while averaging 375.7 yards-per-game in their last three games with Smith under center. Yet the Football Team is averaging only 213.4 passing yards-per-game with Smith, and he has thrown only three touchdown passes with five interceptions. Smith is averaging only 4.9 air yards per pass attempt, which is the lowest in the league for qualifying quarterbacks. Smith is likely to win Comeback Player of the Year with his remarkable comeback from his leg injury last season. However, Smith is no longer as mobile as he plays behind an offensive line that has allowed 35 sacks, which is the second-most in the league.Pittsburgh remained undefeated this season with their 19-14 victory over Baltimore last Wednesday as a 10.5-point favorite. Ben Roethlisberger completed 36 of 51 passes for 266 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the win. Roethlisberger is completing 67.5% of his passes for 2800 yards with 25 touchdown passes and six interceptions. The veteran QB gets rid of the football in the pocket in just 2.28 seconds, which is the quickest release in the NFL. He has only ten sacks. Roethlisberger missed the last three practices this week as he deals with a sore knee, but he expects to still play in this game. Big Ben did not practice before their game with Cincinnati last month, but that did not stop him from completing 27 of 46 passes for 333 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions. Roethlisberger later tongue-in-cheek requested that he get to skip practices all the time after that effort. Head coach Mike Tomlin quickly dismissed that request. The Steelers lead the NFL by holding their opponents to just 17.7 points-per-game. They are also best in the league by allowing only 193.2 passing yards-per-game. However, Pittsburgh suffered a blow to their defense with the season-ending injury to linebacker Bud Dupree. The Steelers were playing without linebacker Devin Bush who endured a season-ending injury earlier in the year. Pittsburgh has eight of the team’s league-leading 41 sacks this season.BetOnline lists the Steelers as a 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 43.5. Fox broadcasts the game in 45% of the markets.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: EPL, NCAA Basketball and NFL Preview

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Dec 07, 2020

The Monday sports card features two games in the National Football League, along with an afternoon match in the English Premier League and a modest schedule of college basketball games in the afternoon and evening.The first game in the NFL kicks off at 5 PM ET with the Washington Football Team playing at Pittsburgh against the Steelers. Washington raised their record to a 4-7 mark last week with a 41-16 win at Dallas as a 2.5-point underdog on Thanksgiving. Rookie running back Antonio Gibson had a breakout game with 115 rushing yards with three touchdowns on 20 carries. Quarterback Alex Smith completed 19 of 26 passes of 149 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and the Football Team registered sacks against the Cowboys. The Washington defense has 20 sacks in their last four games. With the New York Giants’ upset victory in Seattle on Sunday, the Football Team needs the win to stay tied with them in first place. Pittsburgh remained the only unbeaten team in the NFL last Wednesday when they defeated Baltimore by a 19-14 score. The Steelers are one half-game ahead of Kansas City for the top seed (and a bye in the first round of the playoffs) in the AFC after the Chiefs defeated Denver Sunday night by a  22-16 score. Ben Roethlisberger completed 36 of 51 passes for 266 yards with a touchdown and an interception to lead Pittsburgh to the victory. Pittsburgh is a 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 43.5 (all odds from BetOnline). Fox has the broadcast. The Monday night game on ESPN between the Bills and 49ers features two teams in the thick of the playoff races. State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, is the site for this game as the temporary home for San Francisco. COVID restrictions in Santa Clara County prohibit the Niners from playing and practicing in their Levi's Stadium. Buffalo just played here on November 15th, where they lost to the Cardinals by a 32-30 score. This contest will be San Francisco’s first game in this stadium this year, with their annual date with their divisional rival in Arizona set for December 27th.Buffalo is up a half-game above Miami for first place in the AFC East standings after the Dolphins defeated Cincinnati on Sunday by a 19-7 score. The Bills have won four of their last five games to raise their record to an 8-3 mark after defeating the Los Angeles Charger at home last week by a 27-17 score. San Francisco snapped a three-game losing streak last week with their 23-20 upset victory at Los Angeles against the Rams as a 5-point underdog. The 49ers are just a half-game behind Arizona for the final wildcard spot in the NFC with a 5-6 record. The Cardinals lost to the Rams on Sunday by a 38-28 score. This game is a pick 'em with the total set at 47.5. ABC will broadcast the game along with ESPN. Kickoff is at 8:20 PM ET. Matchweek 14 in the English Premier League concludes with Southampton visiting Brighton and Hove Albion at 3 PM ET. The game is a pick ‘em with the total at 2.5. The NBC Sports Network broadcasts the match.Ten games are on the limited college basketball schedule that begins at 4 PM ET. None of the games are on national television. 

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NFL Monday Night Football: Bills/49ers Preview

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Dec 07, 2020

The Monday night game on ESPN between the Bills and 49ers features two teams in the thick of the playoff races. State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, is the site for this game as the temporary home for San Francisco. COVID restrictions in Santa Clara County prohibit the Niners from playing and practicing in their Levi's Stadium. Buffalo just played here on November 15th, where they lost to the Cardinals by a 32-30 score. This contest will be San Francisco’s first game in this stadium this year, with their annual date with their divisional rival in Arizona set for December 27th.Buffalo is up a half-game above Miami for first place in the AFC East standings after the Dolphins defeated Cincinnati on Sunday by a 19-7 score. The Bills have won four of their last five games to raise their record to an 8-3 mark after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers at home last week by a 27-17 score. Josh Allen completed 18 of 24 passes for 157 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the victory. He added another 32 yards on the ground with a touchdown. The quarterback is completing 68.8% of his passes for 3208 yards with 22 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. Allen has also rushed for 311 yards with another six touchdowns.San Francisco snapped a three-game losing streak last week with their 23-20 upset victory at Los Angeles against the Rams as a 5-point underdog. The 49ers are just a half-game behind Arizona for the final wildcard spot in the NFC with a 5-6 record. The Cardinals lost to the Rams on Sunday by a 38-28 score. Nick Mullens completed 24 of 35 passes for 252 yards with an interception in the victory against Los Angeles. The Niners’ quarterback is completing 67.1% of his passes in his six games this season for 1096 yards. He is averaging 7.8 yards-per-attempt with seven touchdown passes and five interceptions. The 49ers are getting healthier. Cornerback Richard Sherman is back on defense. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel caught 11 passes for 133 yards in his return to the field last week. Running back Raheem Mostert added 43 rushing yards with a touchdown against the Rams in his first game back from injury. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and running back Tevin Coleman are expected to be available to play on Monday. Cornerback K’wan Williams is out, and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is questionable with a hamstring injury. Cornerback Jamar Taylor is out the season with a knee injury. The Niners still have 14 players either on Injured Reserve or out the season, including tight end George Kittle and defensive linemen Dee Ford and Nick Bosa along with Garoppolo. Buffalo has a clean bill of health with zero players on their Injured List this week. Right tackle Cody Ford and wide receiver John Brown are on their IR.BookMaker lists San Francisco as a 1-point favorite with the total set at 47.5. ABC will broadcast the game along with ESPN. Kickoff is at 8:20 PM ET.

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