This is a play on the NEW YORK JETS for our NFL Thursday Primetime. The Jets came through with the win last weekend as they took out Cleveland for their second straight win sandwiched around their bye week. They really had no business winning against Cleveland as they managed only 169 total yards but returned two kicks for touchdowns which was the ultimate difference while another touchdown came on a 42-yard pass to Bryce Hall so there was basically no offense against one of the best defenses in the NFL. They do face another one on Thursday but this number is out of control for a divisional game as we are approaching two touchdowns. The Jets have obviously had a rough season but five of their seven losses have been by one possession and they are No. 32 in the Luck Rating meaning they are the most unfortunate team in the league. New England is coming off a big win in Tampa Bay which was its seventh straight win to improve to 8-2 and the Patriots have a one and a half game lead over the Bills in the AFC East with a game in hand over Buffalo. The Patriots have been on the other side of the luck factor as they are No. 7 in the Luck Ratings and this is with playing the easiest schedule in the NFL. Of the eight wins, five have been by one possession with three of those coming against some suspect competition in Miami, New Orleans and Atlanta. This is the time to sell high as they are going to be a huge public play in primetime. 10* (311) New York Jets

This is a play on the WICHITA ST. SHOCKERS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. A rivalry renewed as Loyola Chicago and Wichita St. meet for the first time since 2017 when they met twice a year while part of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Shockers are coming off a disappointing 19-15 season including 8-10 in the American Athletic Association and it has now been five straight non-20-win seasons after winning 20 or more games in 11 straight seasons prior to that. Wichita St. is off to a 2-0 start with east wins over UNC-Asheville and Prairie View and while this will be the toughest test, they have shown efficiency on both ends with a brand new roster which is one that is going to shoot better after finishing last in the AAC in three-point shooting. Loyola-Chicago is off to a disappointing 1-2 start as they have suffered a pair of home losses to Mercyhurst and North Texas, the former as a 21-point favorite, and this team is just not right and now hitting the road. Three starters are back but combined for just 23.1 ppg last season. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that had a winning percentage between .600 and .800 last season, in the first five games of the season, with three or more starters returning from last year than the opponent, in the first ten games of the season. This situation is 24-5 ATS (82.8 percent) since 1998. 10* (754) Wichita St. Shockers

This is a play on the TROY TROJANS for our SBC Game of the Year. Troy is very much alive in the Sun Belt Conference West Division and we did not expect to say that this late in the season after the Trojans came into the season with some questions whether or not they could stay with Texas St. Well, Texas St. is 0-5 while Troy is now 4-1 following a loss to Arkansas St., snapping a five-game winning streak. A win here means they will likely be playing for the SBC West against Southern Mississippi in the final week of the season as they have 0-5 Georgia St. at home next week. Four our concerns, we just need them to stay within margin and this number is a big one. Troy quarterback Goose Crowder has returned from his shoulder injury, and Trojans coach Gerad Parker said Monday both Crowder and Tucker Kilcrease will play on Thursday which gives them a solid wrinkle in this offense. Old Dominion dropped a pair of games in mid-October which knocked them out of the SBC East race as they are 2.5 games behind 6-0 James Madison, effectively 3.5 games since they lost to the Dukes so they have been eliminated. Here, we play on teams off a loss to a conference rival as a favorite of six or more going up against an opponent off a double digit road win. This situation is 31-6 (83.8 percent) since 2021. 10* (313) Troy Trojans

This is a play on the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE for our CBB Star Attraction. Purdue rolled over Evansville in its season opener but struggled in its second game against Oakland which is not a good sign heading into its first test of the season in one of the toughest environments in the country. The Boilermakers are one of the most experienced teams in the country as they bring back four starters but we are bucking that experience here and they will be the hunted as Purdue won this meeting nearly a year to the day by nine points at Mackey Arena. Alabama is not as experienced but the Crimson Tide reloaded with shooters and they will once again play fast and as head coach Nate Oats puts it, he wants them to take fast, good shots. They rolled over North Dakota in the opener and surprised their first test, a seven-point win over St. John’s at MSG where they struggled from behind the arc, going 11-35 but they shot 61 percent from two and overall they are No. 12 in Two-Point Percentage (Purdue is No. 143). Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that had a winning percentage between .600 and .800 last season, in the first five games of the season, with three or more starters returning from last year than the opponent, in the first ten games of the season. This situation is 24-5 ATS (82.8 percent) since 1998.10* (750) Alabama Crimson Tide

This is a play on the WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS for our CBB Rivalry Rout. The hoops edition of the Backyard Brawl tips off Thursday and after winning six straight meetings from 2012 to 2022, the Mountaineers have dropped the last two by 17 and 24 points so there is revenge in play back in Morgantown. West Virginia is off to a 3-0 start and has rolled through all three games and this is the biggest test in the early season but staying on the home floor is big. The Mountaineers are on their fourth coach in four years and this one hopes to be stable for a while as Ross Hodge comes in from a successful stint at North Texas. He was a perfect hire for this program as they will play stifling defense so go along with an efficient offense which has not been displayed yet. Pittsburgh is also 3-0 and all of those victories when on cruise control but this is the first game on the road. That puts the Panthers in a tough spot with only one starter back while losing six of their top eight starters so life in a hostile road environment will be difficult early on, especially the first one. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after two straight wins by 10 points or more going up against an opponent after leading their last three games by five or more points at the half. This situation is 67-33 ATS (67 percent) since 2017. 10* (746) West Virginia Mountaineers

This is a play on the OREGON DUCKS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. We played against Oregon in its season opener against Hawaii and it won by just a point as it was fortunate it even got away with a victory while not coming close to covering the 12-point spread. Fast forward to Game Two as the Ducks hosted Rice and only won by four points and actually was down for nearly half the second half. The good news is that point guard Jackson Shelstad returned from his broken hand sustained in the spring and after missing the opener. He went just 2-12 from the floor which was not totally shocking as there was some expected rust but it was his presence that opened up the offense and most importantly, he was key in unlocking Nate Bittle, who struggled to get the ball in the post against Hawaii and he finished with 25 points. The shooting as a team was not there but that will come around and that happens here in our opinion and this is the smash spot for the rout. South Dakota St. is 2-1 with unimpressive home wins over Merrimack and Dakota St. and while it did play well at Northern Iowa, that was just on Sunday so this is a tough travel spot. The Jackrabbits are going to contend in the Summit but are overmatched here. 10* (722) Oregon Ducks

This is a play on the DALLAS MAVERICKS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. We often play on teams the first game after firing their coach as it tends to lift a team up knowing things are getting done to try and improve their team and in this case we are backing the Mavericks after firing their GM Nico Harrison. He was the mastermind behind the Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers and he was expected to be fired last season but the miracle of getting the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery kept him around for a while but it was too much after a horrible 3-8 start. We waited on this one to get news on Anthony Davis but it likely will not come until late and he is a GTD. We will still pull the trigger on Dallas in this GM bump game. Phoenix has won three straight games and five of its last six while covering six of its last seven games. This comes after a 1-4 start so the new look roster may be coming together but only two games of the recent six have been on the road and those resulted in a split with the win coming in Los Angeles against the Clippers who are having their own problems as they are 3-7. Overall, the Suns are 5-1 at home and 1-4 on the road and they catch the Mavericks at the wrong time. Here, we play against road teams where the line is +3 to -3 allowing 114 or more ppg on the season, after a blowout win by 15 points or more. This situation is 41-15 ATS (73.2 percent). 10* (562) Dallas Mavericks

This is a play on the MISSOURI TIGERS for our CBB Star Attraction. Missouri has had two great seasons under head coach Dennis Gates, the only exception being an injury-filled 2023-24 season, and big things are expected again this year. The Tigers are off to a 3-0 start and while a five-point win over Southeast Missouri St. was not pretty, a 38-point win over VMI got them back on track. Missouri brings back a ton from its 22-win season which ended with a disappointing upset loss against Drake in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers return the second most minutes in the SEC with nearly 36 percent coming back and this is unheard of in the current world of college hoops. Minnesota is coming off a 15-win season which cost head coach Ben Johnson his job after four seasons and the Gophers brought in Niko Medved from Colorado St. as he was the sure hire as he grew up there and was a lifelong Gophers fan. It is a complete rebuild as only two players are back, a redshirt freshman and a sophomore, from the roster from last season totaling just 5.6 ppg. Minnesota is off to a 2-0 start as it rolled past Gardner Webb and Alcorn St. but now hits the road for the first time and will be severely undersized in this matchup. 10* (710) Missouri Tigers

This is a play on the UNC GREENSBORO SPARTANS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. This is a play on the NC State is off to a 2-0 start with blowout wins over North Carolina Central and UAB and while the latter victory looked good at the time, the Blazers just lost to Alabama St. on Tuesday so it hardly looks good anymore. The Wolfpack have a brand new roster and a new coach in Will Wade and he is considered a coach that does not let up but the starters have averaged no more than 26 minutes and the blowouts have come from simply good shooting as they are No. 3 in Effective Field Goal Percentage albeit a very small sample. Shooting 56 percent from the floor will not last. UNC Greensboro is also fielding a brand new roster where it brings back only 12.5 percent of their points from last season where the Spartans went 20-12, its third straight 20-win season under head coach Mike Jones. They are in a similar situation as last season where they had to replace a lot of production and they came away just fine. This line is simply too big as we have this one at 23 as NC State is laying close to the same number that it did against NC Central which is ranked No. 347 out of 365 Division I teams with the Spartans ranked 100 spots higher. 10* (699) UNC Greensboro Spartans

This is a play on the TEXAS ST. BOBCATS for our CBB Rivalry Rout. UTSA has had an awful run in the American Athletic Conference as it has won only 43 games over the last four seasons and not much is expected this season with another brand new roster for the most part as the Roadrunners lost all five starters from last season. They opened the season with a 97-30 win against College of Biblical Studies and that is a game that should not even count in the record or the stats because they followed that up with a 17-point loss at home against SIU Edwardsville. That 30-point defensive effort has their defensive numbers skewed but even though the Roadrunners may have put up 97 points, they are No. 360 out of 365 teams in Offensive Effective Field Goal Percentage. Yes, it is just two games but it shows how bad this offense is. UTSA now hits the road for the first time after winning only four road games all of last season. Texas St. is 1-2 with the lone win coming against Texas A&M-San Antonio but it is a loss we are impressed with as they took Tulane close to the end in an eight-point loss against the team picked to finish No. 2 in the American. The Bobcats are a sleeper contender in the SBC. 10* (696) Texas St. Bobcats