Will Rogers

The set-up: A couple of competent veteran hurlers go head-to-head in this one and in my opinion, runs are going to be at a premium. The visitors hand the ball to Mike Minor, while the home side counters with Mike Fiers. 

The pitchers: Minor (13-9, 3.33 ERA) has pitched four times in Oakland in his career and he’s gone 1-2 with a 3.95 ERA. 

Fiers (14-4, 4.09) is 8-1 in Oakland this year, and 12-3 at the Coliseum for his career. 

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Texas has seen the total go under the number in 21 of 31 this year when on the road and the total in the contest is set at either 9 or 9.5, while Oakland has seen the total dip below the posted number in interestingly, 17 of 21 games that it’s played on a “Friday” this year (does that matter tonight? Well..it doesn’t hurt!) This number is indeed a bit high in my opinion, play the under.

10* TOTAL COACHS CORNER on the UNDER Rangers/As. 

The set-up: For a number of different reasons I think that Jacob deGrom and the visitors are worth the price of admission vs. Luis Castillo and the Reds. 

The pitchers: deGrom (9-8, 2.61 ERA) enters on top form, most recently going seven scoreless in a 3-0 win over the Dodgers on Saturday. Over his past 21 starts he’s posted a minuscule 2.09 ERA. 

Castillo (15-6, 3.22) has “righted” the ship after a shaky patch, most recently earning a victory over the D-Backs. 

The pick: New York still has a slim shot at a wild card berth, but every game from here on out is essentially a “must win.” One game at a time though. Note that deGrom is 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA in five career starts vs. the Reds. Castillo has had success vs. New York in the past, but I believe he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time here (note that the Mets are a sharp 16-9 this year as a road favorite of -125 or higher, while the Reds are just 11-15 as a home underdog this season.) Lay the price.

10* BLOWOUT SUPER DESTRUCTION on the New York Mets.

The set-up: Both teams come in undefeated. Boise State is the better team and it has the advantage, but the Falcons won’t be going down without a fight today. I’m not calling for the outright upset, but I do believe that the stage is set for a much more competitive battle than what this spread would suggest. The only way to beat these Boise State Broncos is by keeping them off the field! And that’s exactly what Air Force is designed to do as it looks to control the tempo of a contest with its strong run game, behind Tavin Birdow and Kadin Remsberg (note that the Falcons are second in the country in rushing with 353.5 YPG on the ground.) 

The pick: Boise State will be relentless in its attack as well with QB Hank Bachmeier, but I believe the Falcons’ improved defensive play, combined with their aggressive “run first” offensive attack will indeed keep this contest competitive until the final moments. Additionally note that AF is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 as a dog, while Boise State is just 5-8 ATS in its last 13 as a home favorite. I’m grabbing the points.

8* on Air Force.

The set-up: USC is coming off a surprising Week 3 loss at BYU and I look for it to risk life and limb today as it tries to score the outright upset. Utah owns one of the best defenses in the country, but it does struggle against “air raid” offenses like Washington State and these very USC Trojans. USC held BYU to just 3.3 YPC, so containing mobile Utah QB Tyler Huntley is definitely possible. 

The pick: USC QB Kedon Slovis looked great in Week 2 with 377 yards and three TD’s, but last week he had three INT’s. Utah has struggled in this arena in the past and I believe the circumstances are working against it here as well. USC has the offensive firepower to easily hang with the Utes and I think that’ll be more than enough to get the job done here, with a possible outright in the cards as well. That said, grab the points.

10* on USC

The set-up: FIU was projected by many to contend for the Conference USA East Division title, but it’s dropped its first two games, which includes an upset setback to WKU at home to start C-USA play. The Golden Panthers earned their first win last week though vs. FCS New Hampshire last week (30-17), so they do come in with something to build off. Louisiana Tech has looked better than FIU, but not by much. It opened with a 45-14 loss at Texas, and then followed it up with a 20-14 win over FCS Grambling. It then beat Bowling Green 35-7 last week. FIU starting QB James Morgan is likely out for this one with an ankle injury, but back up Kaylan Wiggins looked impressive last week with 187 rushing yards on 14 carries, while also going 12 of 18 passing for 127 yards in the win. The Golden Panthers also have three quality backs in D’Vonte Prie, Napoleon Maxwell and Anthony Jones. 

The pick: The Bulldogs have a dynamic QB in J’Mar Smith, but FIU has a talented defense as well with LB Sage Lewis leading the way with 22 total tackles this year, while also posting an INT last week. Yes FIU has many question marks, but it has the talent to keep this one close down the stretch in my opinion. Grab the ample points.

8* play on FIU