by Bob Gaughan, Buffalo Sports Page
2020 record: 21-12-2
2019 Record: 62-41-2
2018 Record: 72-50-3
Mr. Over/Under: Seattle -3 over San Francisco
I wanted to go with the over in Cleveland this week with the Raiders and the Browns, but the weather forecast, as of this writing, scares me. The O/U is 51 and with the Raiders having gone over each game this year and the Browns going over 5 out of 7, it just seems like a natural pick. However First Energy stadium has natural grass and they’re calling for wind & rain, so if you like this game as much as I do, check the weather first. With this in mind, I also like Seattle giving 3 points to the 49ers. The least amount of points Seattle has scored in a game this year is 27. That could be just enough to beat San Fran as they’ve gone over 27 just once in their last 4 games, which was last week in New England. I think we all can agree that Seattle is much better than New England, and they’re at home. Go Seahawks
Man in Stripes: Buffalo -3.5 over New England
Pats are 35-5 over the Bills the last two decades. They have won 11 straight AFC East titles. The last division title the Bills won was over 25 years ago. That all changes Sunday. Plain and simple the Pats look tired. The Hoodie looks tired too. Edelman is banged up and won’t play. They have no weapons. At 2-4 and three straight losses, they are as wounded as I’ve ever seen them. The Bills are getting healthy with John Brown coming back. The Pats will try to pound the ball and shorten the game. The Bills should put 7 and 8 men in the box. Look for the Bills offense to have a much better day and take-out a decade of frustration and FINALLY get back to the top of the AFC East.
Mono: Coastal Carolina -2.5 over Georgia State
Coastal is having their best year in program history. They have already matched their win total from last year. They are now ranked number 20th in the nation. They’ve got revenge already against Georgia Southern, Arkansas State and Louisiana Lafayette. These are all teams they lost to last year. Now it’s Georgia State’s turn. Quarterback Grayson McCall is a difference maker. He has 14 TD’s and one interception so far this year. Georgia State is allowing 465 yards a game on defense, which includes 368 passing yards per game. I expect McCall to exploit a weak secondary.
Bonus Pick: Steelers +4 over Baltimore
AFC North showdown with the Steelers coming in undefeated. Big Ben threw three interceptions last week that allowed Tennessee to come back from a 24-7 deficit and make a close game. Stephen Gostkowski missed a field goal in the end that would have sent the game into OT. Baltimore is coming off a bye after a closer than expected game against Philly. I see value with Pitt getting over a field goal. Big Ben has to be better this week. Lamar Jackson hasn’t thrown for over 200 yards since Week 2. Pitt’s defense will be well prepared with Bud Dupree and TJ Watt on the edge. Mike Tomlin will force Jackson to win through the air. This game will be decided by a field goal.
Brutal: Tennessee and Cincy over 52.5
Both defenses are horrible in this one. Joe Burrow is on his way to break the rookie record for throwing 300 games. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd make a great combination. That doesn’t even include AJ Green. The Bengals can’t stop anyone. Ryan Tannehill is playing like a great quarterback the last year. It’s amazing how good he is since he got away from Adam Gase. The Bengals traded their best pass rusher this week to Seattle in Carlos Dunlap.
Bonus pick: Cincinnati Bearcats -6.5 over Memphis
Bob Gaughan: Rutgers +12 over Indiana
Both of these teams had big upsets last week. Rutgers went into Michigan State and got the victory thanks to seven Spartans turnovers. Most people like Indiana this week because they feel Rutgers won because of these turnovers. What’s not mentioned is Indiana was outgained 488-211 by Penn State. The Hoosiers won thanks to a replay that seemed to take an hour. I’ve seen that replay one hundred times and I still can’t tell you what the call should be. Rutgers plays a legit defense. These two teams are closer than people think. Getting double digits at home is too much.
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