This is a play on the OREGON ST. BEAVERS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Oregon St. got rolled at home against Santa Clara in its West Coast Conference opener as it trailed by as many as 40 points and never led facing a Broncos team that could not miss as they shot 63 percent from the floor including 55 percent from long range. The Beavers did not do themselves any favors by shooting just 36 percent but even a great shooting night would not have gotten it done and now we get them in a buy low spot catching another number north of one possession. San Francisco flipped from favorite to underdog at close at Seattle but it did not matter as the Dons won by eight points and were never really threatened as Seattle shot 27 percent from the floor including going 4-23 from long range. San Francisco is now 1-2 on the road while laying points for the first time and the Dons are on a 5-0 ATS run which puts them in auto fade mode. 10* (652) Oregon St. Beavers

This is a play on the SEATTLE REDHAWKS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. We were on the opposite sides of these teams in their conference openers with the thought Washington St. would be looking ahead and it got away with a half-point cover while Seattle opened its West Coast Conference tenure with a loss at home against San Francisco. We are going the same way with each team this time around and they happen to be facing off as the Redhawks remain at home to take on the Cougars and look to avoid a 0-2 start in the conference before hitting the road for a brutal stretch with three games at Gonzaga, St. Mary’s and Oregon St. Washington St. opened with a win at Portland as it jumped ahead early and fought back from an eight-point deficit to grab a conference-opening five-point win. They remain on the road where they are 1-3 with the three losses against similar rated teams as Seattle which is No. 114 after facing No. 234 Portland. 10* (650) Seattle Redhawks

This is a play on the COLORADO ST. RAMS for our MWC Game of the Month. Colorado St. opened the season 4-0 before suffering an inexcusable loss at home against Denver as an 18.5-point favorite which was arguably a lookahead spot as the Rams were heading to Nassau for the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship. They lost the opening game against Virginia Tech by a bucket before winning the next two which started a five-game winning streak and then disaster hit as Colorado St. lost at Utah St. by 42 points to open Mountain West Conference action and adding to it, Kyle Jorgensen went down with a leg injury and will miss time. This is the bounce back spot at a great number. Nevada opened conference action with a 15-point win over Boise St. to make it 5-0 run and the Wolf Pack are back on the road where they are 1-1, the loss coming at Santa Clara by 15 points which is a comparable rated team as Colorado St. and heading here at a bad time. 10* (634) Colorado St. Rams

This is a play on the MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Marquette needed a break arguably more than any team in the country as it has lost four straight games, three by 20 points on the road and a home loss against Georgetown by nine points sandwiched in there so the 10-day hiatus was more than a welcome sight. The Golden Eagles are 0-2 in the Big East Conference and got rid of a locker room disease as guard Zaide Lowery was dismissed from the team. Marquette is on a 0-8-1 ATS run so now is the time to buy low. Seton Hall comes in at 11-2 which is four wins more than all of last season but it has benefitted from a favorable schedule. The Pirates are 1-1 in the conference following a win at Providence to open and then lost at home against Villanova last time out. The defense has led the way but it was the offense that held them back and are now favored on the road after being dogs in the first two road games. 10* (610) Marquette Golden Eagles

This is a play on the ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI for our Music City Bowl Dominator. The line has come down considerably with Tennessee likely not being fully vested even though it is taking place in Nashville. The Volunteers were solid on offense as they finished No. 22 in EPA but are without a big piece. The good news for Tennessee is that quarterback Joey Aguilar is not opting out and will be playing but he will be without his top wide receiver as Chris Brazzell II who led the team with 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns and this will allow Illinois to focus more on the run game and stopping Desean Bishop. Defensively is where the real concern is as the Volunteers were No. 122 in EPA after being one of the best defenses in the country last season. They are going to be without three of their top tacklers on top of it and Illinois will take advantage as quarterback Luke Altmyer will be playing and he should have his full complement as any players in the transfer portal will be allowed to play and only one is a starter anyway. Illinois has played the tougher schedule and looking at the Tennessee schedule, its best win was 5-7 Mississippi St. in overtime and that was its only win against a bowl team. Here, we play against teams on a neutral field after being beaten by the spread by more than 21 points in their previous game. This situation is 30-11 (73.2 percent) since 2016. 10* (246) Illinois Fighting Illini

This is a play on the LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS for our Independence Bowl Smash. Louisiana Tech opened as a touchdown favorite and it has moved up slightly and for good reason as Coastal Carolina is one of the worst teams in a bowl game this season. The Chanticleers finished 6-6 with only one win against a bowl team and that was a win over Appalachian St. which was 5-7 and got into a bowl game because of a lack of eligible teams. In their five losses against bowl teams, they lost by 41, 38, 40, 5 and 49 points so they were rarely competitive. Overall, Coastal Carolina outgained only two FBS opponents and was outgained by an average of 167.6 ypg and the offense is in trouble here as starting quarterback Samari Collier is questionable and both starting tackles are in the transfer portal and will not play. Louisiana Tech is 7-5 with all five losses against bowl teams but four of those were on the road and the lone home loss was by one point. This is obviously not a home game but it is in Shreveport so the Bulldogs will have the crowd edge and they come in with the much better defense. Here, we play against teams on a neutral field after being beaten by the spread by more than 21 points in their previous game. This situation is 30-11 (73.2 percent) since 2016. 10* (244) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES RAMS for our NFL Monday Primetime Winner. With the Rams coming off a loss last Thursday and playing on a long week against a non-playoff team, they are going to be very popular and we are already seeing that with 81 percent of the money and 82 percent of the handle on them but we also have a reverse line move with the line having come down. The public is right sometimes though and this is one of those spots. Despite the loss and the current playoff projections having the Seahawks as the No. 1 seed heading into Sunday, the Rams are still the Super Bowl favorites at +425. Los Angeles is the only team in the NFL in the top ten in both Offensive and Defensive EPA and as a matter of fact, it is No. 1 and No. 3 respectively. The Falcons have won two straight games, both of which have been on the road, one against the regressing Buccaneers and the other against the reeling Cardinals. The Falcons have gone 0-5 ATS in their last five games after two or more consecutive wins against the spread. Here, we play on teams with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 after going over the total by 28 or more points total in their last three games, playing a team with a winning percentage between .250 and .400. This situation is 31-8 ATS (79.5 percent) since 2016. 10* (431) Los Angeles Rams

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS PELICANS for our NBA Ultimate Underdog. The Pelicans have lost three straight games, losing at Cleveland before Christmas and then dropping back-to-back home games against Phoenix and they will be the unpopular play tonight. New Orleans has the worst record in the Western Conference at 8-25 but it has been within reach, especially at the number it is getting tonight as the last loss was the 14th by nine points or fewer this season. New York took out Cleveland by a bucket on Christmas and then won at Atlanta by three points on Saturday and the Knicks are now laying their biggest number in 11 games. it may be justified based on the opposition but they have a game at San Antonio on deck so this very well could be another go through the motion game. Here, we play against road teams dominant rebounding team outrebounding opponents by five or more rpg, in December games. This situation is 231-147 (61.1 percent) since 1997. 10* (568) New Orleans Pelicans

This is a play on the YALE BULLDOGS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Alabama returns from the break for its final nonconference game which has been a brutal schedule as the Tide have played the No. 1 ranked slate in the country which has them well prepared for the upcoming SEC schedule. That begins in their next game and happens to be at home against Kentucky so there is the lookahead possibility. If not for anything else, Alabama just wants to get out of here healthy and with a win and is not worried about winning by margin and this number is huge. While the Bulldogs are No. 19 in the NET, Yale is not far behind at No. 49 and the Bulldogs are No. 2 in the CI Mid-Major Rankings. Yale is ranked in the top ten in offensive shooting, three points shooting and free throw shooting with the latter coming in at No. 5. The Bulldogs are No. 17 in Effective Field Goal Percentage and should be able to keep pace and stay within the number. 10* (859) Yale Bulldogs

This is a play on the UT ARLINGTON MAVERICKS for our WAC Game of the Month. UT Arlington is back home following the break and after a four-game roadtrip where it ended up splitting and now the Mavericks are back home for the first time in exactly one month. They are 4-0 here and while it does include a pair of non-Division I wins, it also includes a win over a higher rated Stephen F. Austin and the value is on their side here based on the opponent that is in the auto fade role and we have seen the line come down already from opening. Tarleton St. has won four straight games and seven of its last eight but four of those have been non-Division I victories and another two coming against No. 365 Mississippi Valley St. and No. 343 Florida A&M. The best win on the season was against No. 224 Texas A&M-CC and the auto fade is the fact that the Texans are on a 7-0 ATS run in their last seven lined games and the number is skewed on that. 10* (858) UT Arlington Mavericks