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This is the day for Jim Harbaugh to finally exercise the demons. Michigan beat every opponent they lost to in 2017. It's time to write the final chapter and give the Woolverines the first win in The Big Game since 2011. In the ten-game win streak Michigan thoroughly dismantled the opposition while Buckeyes path to 10-1 was...very eventful to say the least. Wolverines rely on their excellent defense which in a cold game like today should prove critical.

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The winner goes bowling, the loser is out. These are the staked in the rivalry game for the Old Oaken Bucket. Purdue leads the series 73-41-6 and they should've been already bowl eligible but lost in triple overtime to Wisconsin last Saturday. They are the better team and 2 looks like a child game to cover.

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Houston are fourth in the nation in scoring with 47.8 PPG. But the star QB D'Eriq King is out for the season with a torn meniscus and Cougars will start freshman Clayton Tune. He finished 6 of 15 for 108 yards in the second half last Thursday but it was against Tulane. Memphis held SMU's high powered offense to 18 points last week and with the focus today being on running game it will eat a lot of clock and hopefully prevent Houston from having too many possessions.

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Missouri has been one of the most underrated teams in all of football in 2018. Led by QB Drew Lock Tigers established themselves as an absolute scoring machine. Facing one of the worst teams against the pass in FBS (98th in S&P+) will only help the over. On top of this Arkansas will be without its both starting cornerbacks who were suspended for flirting with Mississippi St. cheerleaders!!! As for Razorbacks in a lost year (2-9) it's one last chance to unleash the offense and finally score some points.

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I think the line is a clear example of overreaction after Panthers were demolished in Pittsburgh. Carolina is 6-3 and very much in the wild card race while at 3-6 Detroit is already preparing for 2019. Lions lost three straight and haven't been competitive in any of those games. Matthew Stafford has nobody to throw the ball to and with the perennial struggles to run the ball Detroit should focus on next month visits in Arizona and Buffalo is search of another win before the end of the season.

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USC started with playoff aspirations but now have to fight for bowl eligibility. This is the game to secure it for the Trojans as next week they face the 10-0 Notre Dame. A loss today and there may very well be a total purge in the coaching staff. And unlike the pros where players often turn their back and screw the coaches in college it doesn't work this way. A new staff often means a new vision and a turnover which may cost playing time and ultimately a draft spot. So USC (5-5) against a 2-8 UCLA that apart from a two-week outburst in the middle of October hasn't won anything? A no-brainer for me.

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At 4-6 Charlotte somehow is still in the mix for a bowl game. However FIU (7-3) has a much bigger fish to fry. A win today and next week against Marshall and they will clinch C-USA East title. Panthers haven't had a bad day against a lower opposition and beat everyone they were supposed to. FIU is ranked 86th in S&P+ while Charlotte is 123rd with a very inept offense sitting at #128. 49ers totaled 49 points in their last 4 games and today's match-up doesn't seem favorable.

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Pittsburgh clinches ACC Coastal with a win but we talk about points. Panthers are ranked 12th in the nation in rushing offense (256.9 PPG) and the advanced metrics put them even further ahead - 7th in S&P+ on the ground. And this is a big trouble for the Wake Forest defense. Demon Deacons are just 102nd in NCAA in rushing defense even after holding NC State to 47 yards last week. But don't worry - this is not the beginning of a trend as NC State simply refuses to run (there are only 10 teams with fewer gained yards on the ground in 2018).

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At 9-1 Bulls are having their best season in ages. Buffalo is averaging 36.2 PPG with ballanced attack (235.8 YPG passing, 191.5 YPG running). Buffalo is ranked 48th in DVOA offense S&P+ while Ohio defense sits at #106. A deeper look into the advanced metrics show that Bulls are 13th in explosive plays (gaining at least 20 yards) and 12th in offensive efficiency with more than 40% of their drives resulting in a TD.

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Most bookies have offer 31.5 or even higher lines. Unibet seem late to react so I'll try to use that.
Western Michigan lost the last two but it was against Toledo and Ohio - two of the better teams in MAC. Ball St. (3-7, 2-4 in MAC play) is not among them. Cardinals are using the final games as a tryout for the younger players, especially in the secondary. Which is not a good sign against a team that is 35th in the country in offensive efficiency with almost a third of the drives ending in a TD. At the same time Ball St. is just 99th on defense. Western Michigan is one of the fastest teams in the country and in the six-game winning streak Broncos were averaging 41 PPG. With more teams expected to be bowl eligible than available spots Western Michigan (6-4) needs a good impression tonight to secure a bid.

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Colts beat Bills and Raiders and suddenly everybody thinks they are world beaters? Nope. Their defense is still way too leaky and their offense is about to face the biggest challenge yet. Jags are angry and too talented to effectively end the season on Sunday. They may be on a 4-game losing streak but Indy is the best possible remedy.

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Houston had their worst day of 2018 last Saturday and managed to score 34 against SMU. Temple was leading UCF at the half last week and the Earth fell off. Cougars are ranked 13 in passing offense (315.9 YPG) while Owls failed the only serious test this season (against UCF).

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The conspiracy theory says that Northern Illinois clinches MAC West title with a win. And it won't be good for the ratings the next two weeks. Northern Illinois is 5-0 in conference play with a +22 point differential. Toledo is 3-2 despite outscoring opponents 191-122. Rockets are 19th on offense S&P+ while Northern Illinois is ninth from bottom. Huskies look good on defense but they last week were torched for 326 yards passing by Akron - a tea, ranked 126th on offense. If Zips can do it - Toledo can too.

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A new HC and a new OC to call plays. After the purge on Monday Browns start again from scratch. Chiefs are allowing 18.5 PPG at home but the whopping 32 in away games. Most bookies offer Cleveland at a such price @21.5. I'll take the lower total.

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KC has allowed 10 rushing TDs in 2018. Freeing Nick Chubb was one of the main reasons for the firing of HC Hue Jackson and OC Todd Hailey on Monday. Since Carlos Hyde was shipped to Jacksonville Chubb is getting the bulk of the carries and scored a TD @TB. He's yet to hit the pay dirt at home and facing the Chiefs looks like a good match up.

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13th worst defense against 6th beat offense in terms of scoring. For Wake Forest defense is optional. five of their last 6 opponents scored 41 or more and only hapless FSU didn't (they ended with 38). Syracuse is ranked, bowl eligible and regardless who is playing QB Orange this season always are a threat on offense.

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Notre Dame is 8-0 but I can hardly imagine the Fighting Irish going undefeated. In that case the USC game will be academic for the playoffs and I guarantee ESPN and the committee won't allow this to happen.
Tonight's game is in ESPN 's prime time slot. To steal viewers from LSU - Alabama on CBS ESPN needs a close game, not a blowout. Plus, Notre Dame had to travel across the country after playing in San Diego last Saturday so it's essentially a short week for them.

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It's been exactly 30 years since Dodgers last won World Series. Last year all bets were on them to win Game 7 against Astros so bookies had a nice profit. It's time to return the favor. Red Sox had a tremendous regular season but their 108-54 record came on the strength of killing all under .500 teams. Their bullpen is full of questions and while Dodgers are too far from settled there are too many sentimental factors in their favor.

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It's still unclear whether QB Alex Hornibrook plays for Wisconsin or not because of a concussion. But his level is so poor this season that it might not matter. Badgers are defensively driven team and all they have to do is to stop Northwestern passing game. Wildcats have no ground game and their four-game winning streak is more a product of a low level competition.

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There are only QBs in the history of the NFL that has beaten all 32 current teams. Drew Brees is lacking a win against Baltimore. America loves such stories. Brees provided enormous ratings two weeks ago in setting the all-time passing yards record so it's a wonderful chance for the NFL to cash again.