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2022 Oklahoma Sooners Preview

by Matt Fargo

Thursday, Aug 04, 2022

Oklahoma Sooners2021-22 Season Record 11-2 (7-2 Big 12) - 6-6-1 ATS - 8-5-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 5Defense - 5OverviewIf there was a season for former head coach Lincoln Riley to jump ship, this is probably the one. It was a very good recruiting year but a lot of unknowns were probably factored into the decision such as returning production into 2022 was low with a ranking of No. 71, just 10 starters were returning and a future move to the SEC. Riley sustained what Bob Stoops put together at the turn of the century and that was a winning culture as he went 55-10 in five seasons, finished ranked in the top ten each year and extended the bowl run to 23 consecutive seasons. Brent Venables has finally gotten his chance after spending the last 10 years as the Clemson defensive coordinator including the last four as assistant head coach and he is walking into a very good, but not ideal situation as there is work to be done as the Sooners will be ranked outside the top ten for the first time since 2015. OffenseThe Sooners were pretty well balanced on offense last season but it has been a regression in each of the last four years and it bottomed out last season with 442.1 ypg which is still very good but that was No. 31 in the nation, well below previous seasons. Both Caleb Williams and Spencer Rattler transferred out leaving a big hole at quarterback that will be taken over by Dillon Gabriel who comes over from Central Florida. He will be learning a whole new system under a brand new staff but has Marvin Mims who had 705 yards last season and Theo Wease who had 530 yards in 2020 at his disposal. Leading rusher Kennedy Brooks ran for 1,253 yards and 13 touchdowns but he has departed and his backup Eric Gray will take over as lead back. The offensive success will have a lot to do with the offensive line that underachieved last season and is basically being retooled throughout. DefenseThe defense regressed slightly from 2020 and the Sooners finished No. 70 in total defense and No. 57 in scoring defense but that should change this season. How much change will depend on a slew of transfers that are coming in to work with just five returning starters. Venables certainly knows defense as does new defensive coordinator Ted Roof but this is his sixth different school in six years and was a defensive assistant under Venables last season. Jalen Redmond and Reggie Grimes bring experience up front as they combined for 5.5 sacks last season but the pass rush needs to make more plays. The linebacking corps took a big hit with leading tackler Brian Asamoah off to the Vikings and sack leader Nik Bonitto off to the Broncos and this unit will be a work in progress. The secondary will also feature plenty of new faces with safety Key Lawrence being the lone notable holdover. 2022 Season OutlookIt will be a different look for the Sooners this season but the offense will continue to push the ball under new offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby who led prolific offenses at UCF and Mississippi. The defense could be the deciding factor overall. The Big 12 is wide open this season with the Sooners a slight favorite, closely followed by Texas, Oklahoma St. and Baylor and the schedule is in their favor. Home games against UTEP and Kent St. open the season and then they have a tricky game at formal rival Nebraska before conference play kicks off. There are always hurdles in conference road games but there are no killers on the schedule, Iowa St. being the toughest, and the Sooners get Oklahoma St. and Baylor at home and Texas on a neutral field at the Cotton Bowl. The O/U win total is set at 9.5 which is high for so much turnover at all areas but a tame schedule makes up for that. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFLX, MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 08/04/2022

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Aug 04, 2022

The Thursday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and CFL action.The 2022 NFL preseason kicks off with the Hall of Fame Game at Canton, Ohio. The Las Vegas Raiders play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on NBC at 8 PM ET. The Raiders are a 2.5-point favorite with the total set at 30 (all odds from DraftKings). Major League Baseball has 13 games on its schedule. The Milwaukee Brewers visit Pittsburgh to play the Pirates at 12:35 PM ET. Brandon Woodruff takes the ball for the Brewers to pitch against the Pirates Zach Thompson. Milwaukee is a -245 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Chicago Cubs play at St. Louis against the Cardinals in the first game of their doubleheader after their Wednesday night game got postponed by rain. The Cubs tap Marcus Stroman as their starting pitcher to go against the Cardinals Miles Mikolas. The Los Angeles Dodgers travel to San Francisco to play the Giants at 3:45 PM ET. Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Dodgers to duel against Jakob Junis for the Giants. Los Angeles is a -200 money line road favorite with a total of 8. The Los Angeles Angels host the Oakland A’s at 4:07 PM ET. The Angels tap Janson Junk in their starting rotation to pitch against the A’s Paul Blackburn. Los Angeles is a -120 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The San Diego Padres are at home against the Colorado Rockies at 4:10 PM ET. Joe Musgrove takes the hill for the Padres to battle against Kyle Freeland for the Rockies. San Diego is a -295 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Philadelphia Phillies play at home against the Washington Nationals at 7:05 PM ET. The Phillies pitch the newly acquired Noah Syndergaard against the Nationals’ Paolo Espino. Philadelphia is a -240 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Three more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:10 PM ET. Houston plays at Cleveland with Justin Verlander pitching for the Astros against Zach Plesac for the Guardians. The Astros are a -195 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. New York hosts Atlanta with the Mets tapping Carlos Carrasco to face the Braves Kyle Wright. The Mets are a -120 money line favorite with a total of 8. Tampa Bay visits Detroit on FS1 with Jeffrey Springs pitching for the Rays against Drew Hutchison for the Tigers. The Rays are a -175 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Minnesota to play the Twins at 7:40 PM ET. The Blue Jays turn to Alek Manoah to pitch against the Twins’ Sonny Gray. Toronto is a -125 money line road favorite with a total of 8. The Cardinals pitch Jose Quintana against a starting pitcher yet to be determined for the Cubs in the second game of their doubleheader at 7:45 PM ET. St. Louis is a -155 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Chicago White Sox play at Texas against the Rangers at 8:05 PM ET. Johnny Cueto takes the mound for the White Sox to pitch against Cole Ragans for the Rangers. Chicago is a -130 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Boston is at Kansas City at 8:10 PM ET. The Red Sox send Nick Pivetta to the hill to pitch against the Royals’ Kris Bubic. Boston is a -125 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.Week 9 in the Canadian Football League begins with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers playing at Montreal against the Alouettes at 7:30 PM ET. The Blue Bombers continued their unbeaten start to the season by improving their record to 8-0, with their 35-28 upset victory at Calgary as a 2.5-point underdog on Saturday. The Alouettes lost for the third time in four games with a 24-17 loss at Hamilton as a 3-point underdog last Thursday. Winnipeg is a 5.5-point road favorite with a total of 47.5. 

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2022 Ohio St. Buckeyes Preview

by Matt Fargo

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2022

Ohio St. Buckeyes2021-22 Season Record 11-2 (8-1 Big Ten East) - 6-6-1 ATS - 8-5-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 6Defense - 8OverviewYou know your program is in damn good shape when your returning starters over the last four seasons are 11, 13, 9 and 11 and you still lose only five games. How good can Ohio St. be this season with 14 players coming back including their quarterback? Not counting the COVID season, the Buckeyes have had double-digit win seasons in 15 of the last 16 campaigns, sorry Luke Fickell, yet they have just the one National Championship in 2014 and they have been the bridesmaid two other times. The accolades can go on forever but that gets boring. Head coach Ryan Day has not missed a beat since Urban Meyer departed as he has compiled a 34-4 record in three and a quarter seasons and this is his best team yet. Finishing in the top six every year in his time here is impressive yet that has been commonplace for eight straight seasons but now it is time to take home the big one. OffenseThe Buckeyes could not be stopped last season as they were held to fewer than 500 total yards only four times and finished No. 1 in the country in both total offense and scoring offense and despite just six starters back, they will be just as good. Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 4,435 yards with 44 touchdowns and just six interceptions and still did not win the Heisman but anything close to that and he will likely get the "sympathy" vote this season. He has the best receiver in college football to throw to in Jaxon Smith-Njigba who hauled in 95 passes for 1,606 yards and had the greatest Rose Bowl ever. If that is not enough, running back Treveyon Henderson returns after rushing for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns at a 6.8 ypc clip. The offensive line has future NFL players all around so let us pencil in Ohio St. to have the top ranked offense in the nation once again. DefenseFinishing No. 52 in total defense would be a disaster for most teams striving for a National Championship but the Buckeyes were so good on offense, the defense got penalized for it. They were stout against the run and while the passing defense was ranked No. 98, it was for good reason as the opposition had no choice but to pass. To put it in a little better perspective, they were No. 50 in passing efficiency defense, being a bend but do not break unit. And they are loaded once again with eight starters back consisting of plenty of NFL talent. The big loss up front is defensive tackle Haskell Garrett who led the team in sacks but there is no drop off and this unit is deep. Both linebackers return as Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers combined for 111 tackles. The secondary is anchored by safety Ronnie Hickman who led the team with 98 tackles and both starting corners also return. 2022 Season OutlookIt is hard to fault a team that has been so consistently impressive but come on Ohio St., go play a nonconference game on the road which it has not done since 2015. Top to bottom on both sides, this is probably the most talented team in the country and there is just one goal and that is to bring home a National Championship. Well, there are actually two goals, the other being to rough up Michigan at home in the season finale. First things first, at least the Buckeyes scheduled a power team at home as they open with Notre Dame, the first of five straight home games that includes a tough one against Wisconsin. The two difficult road games are at Michigan St. and Penn St. with a home game against Iowa in-between so that is a tough stretch. The O/U win total is set at 10.5 but at 2-1 odds and it is over or nothing here and while a freak upset could happen, it just does not seen likely. 

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2022 Ohio Bobcats Preview

by Matt Fargo

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2022

Ohio Bobcats2021-22 Season Record 3-9 (3-5 MAC East) - 5-7-0 ATS - 4-8-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 6Defense - 9OverviewOhio football was never a thing. Two bowl games, none since 1968, and the program made a big move and hired Frank Solich in 2005 after being fired at Nebraska despite a 58-19 record. He remained a Bobcat until the end of a 2-1 COVID 2020 season and all he did was give Ohio what great coaches do and that is he put them on the map and they responded. He put together 13 winning seasons in his 15 full years there while taking the Bobcats to 11 bowl games. Current head coach Tim Albin was unable to keep the momentum rolling despite 16 starters back as the Bobcats went 3-9 but it all cannot be put on him as playing just three games the previous season does any team no good moving forward and it showed with an 0-4 start which was unrecoverable. They have one fewer starter back this season but have a ton of experience as they are ranked No. 48 in returning production. OffenseThe offense averaged 34.3 ppg in the three victories but only 18.7 ppg in their nine losses and overall, the Bobcats finished No. 88 in total offense and No. 105 in scoring offense. They did not turn the ball over much, just 15 times, but they were awful on third down, converting at a 36.1 percent clip which was No. 92 in the nation and that has to improve. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke cut his teeth last season after playing just the three games in 2020 and another full season should see him get much better by taking more shots downfield as his accuracy is his strength. His receiving corps is down two of the top three yardage guys from last season so Ty Walton will be his go to after 380 receiving yards last season. The running game was the strength but the two top backs are gone and O'Shaan Allison takes over but has to improve his 3.9 ypc. Three starters are back on the offensive line. DefenseThe defense could not make up for a lack of offense as Ohio was No. 105 in total defense and No. 95 in scoring defense and the unit should be much better with the return of nine starters. While the offense did not give it away, the defense could not take it away as the Bobcats were tied for No. 127 with only eight turnovers gained so clearly that has to increase to at the very least, get them off the field and let the offense do its thing. The biggest improvement has to come up front as they were ranked No. 107 in rushing defense and the pass rush was nonexistent with the exception of Will Evans who is gone. The middle is in great shape as linebackers Bryce Houston and Cannon Blauser both return after combining for 190 tackles. The secondary needs to make more plays on the ball as six interceptions is not going to get it done again but three starters do return in the backfield. 2022 Season OutlookEven though it is only his second season, it is a big one for Albin to see where his team stands. Last year can be chalked up as an aberration but anything close to a repeat will create some buzz and not in a good way. The pieces are in place but the Bobcats cannot withstand another 0-4 start which will not be the case but they are staring at a possible 1-3 record the first third of the season. It all starts with a big home game against Florida Atlantic and a victory there can go a long way. Ohio then has to travel to Penn St. and Iowa St. before closing nonconference action at home against Fordham. The MAC slate opens in their favor against Kent St., Akron and Western Michigan but two of those are on the road. Northern Illinois is at home and Miami Ohio is on the road and Toledo is avoided among the three big guns. The O/U win total is 5.5 and it looks to be a no play either way. 

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2022 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview

by Matt Fargo

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2022

Notre Dame Fighting Irish2021-22 Season Record 11-2 (N/A) - 9-4-0 ATS - 7-6-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 7Defense - 8OverviewNotre Dame has had some legendary coaches throughout the history of the program, the last being Lou Holtz who produced the most recent National Championship at South Bend back in 1988 and it took a while after he left for the Irish to back to elite status. Bob Davie, Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis were all given their shots and all came up empty with just one top ten ranking in the 13 years between them and then Notre Dame found their guy. It hired Brian Kelly who turned around Cincinnati and it did not take him long to resurrect the program yet was unable to win the big one and decided to bolt to LSU. Good luck in the SEC. Marcus Freeman was promoted from defensive coordinator to take over and the program could not be happier especially after bringing in the No. 7 ranked recruiting class, something Kelly could not do. His first year will not be easy but there will be no big drop off. OffenseThere was a slight regression on this side of the ball as Notre Dame was No. 51 in total offense last season and the version in 2022 will have a whole different look and hopefully one for the better. Quarterback Jack Coan had a great season with 3,150 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions but he has departed and it will be the Tyler Buchner show and he is a very capable passer and the upside is his ability to run, something that Coan could not do. This is his second year in the system led by offensive coordinator Tommy Rees who has had offers but has remained at least for one more year. The offensive line is the strength which is a great thing with new position players taking over. Running back Chris Tyree had just 222 yards last season and will be the new starter while Lorenzo Styles will be the top receiving threat behind All-American tight end Michael Mayer.  DefenseThe defense also had a slight regression but still finished No. 30 in total defense and was opportunistic at the right times as it finished No. 10 in scoring defense. The expectations are unlimited with Freeman and defensive coordinator Al Golden having an offseason to put a plan in place and with eight starters back, many being NFL caliber talent, there is reason for optimism as every level is loaded with experience. The defensive line will be anchored by Isaiah Foskey who led the team with 10 sacks and five forced fumbles and there will be disruption from the entire front. Leading tackler J.D. Bertrand returns to head a solid linebacking corps that will be all over the field once again. Notre Dame was ranked No. 23 in passing efficiency defense and has both starting corners returning while getting a massive upgrade with safety Brandon Joseph coming over from Northwestern. 2022 Season OutlookNotre Dame was not elite on either side last season but was No. 15 in turnover margin at +9 which played a big role in the 11-2 record and that is something that cannot be counted on going forward. Freeman did not show much in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma St. as the interim coach but who really cares at this point. The Irish have the potential to be great again and will likely be ranked in the top five coming into the season. They will be tested right away with the opener at Ohio St., one of only four true road games on the schedule with North Carolina and USC being a pair of tough assignments. The six-game home schedule features five easy games but is highlighted by Clemson coming to town in November. The O/U win total is 8.5 and with no upsets, there are nine wins on paper with the Ohio St., Clemson and USC games being swingers if there is an upset along the way. 

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2022 Northwestern Wildcats Preview

by Matt Fargo

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2022

Northwestern Wildcats2021-22 Season Record 3-9 (1-8 Big Ten West) - 3-9-0 ATS - 6-6-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 9Defense - 5OverviewThe 2020 COVID season affected teams differently in many ways and with 19 starters back, Northwestern went for it and played as many games as they could and ended up 7-2 that included a Citrus Bowl win over Auburn. The big reason to not use it as a rebuild was because they knew 2021 would be that rebuilding year with only eight starters back and it showed with a 3-9 record, matching the 2019 team that had only 11 starters return, which are the two worst in the 16 seasons under head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Prior to that, it was eight winning campaigns in the previous 11 seasons and the Wildcats hope to get back to that this season but it will not be simple as only 14 starters are back with a roster that is ranked No. 69 in returning production to go along with a brutal schedule. Fitzgerald has pulled out some magic before when no one expected it and will need to do so again.OffenseNeither side of the ball performed well last season, especially the offense as the Wildcats finished No. 115 in total offense and No. 125 in scoring offense and the last two-thirds of the season were a disaster as they scored 14 points or less in seven of their last eight games. The rushing offense was very below average while the passing offense was abysmal so the return of nine starters gives them a positive start if nothing else. Three quarterbacks got their shots and none performed and this season, two of those are gone and Ryan Hilinski will get a second chance after throwing for just 978 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. He is behind a very experienced offensive line that has four starters back and his top target will be Malik Washington who hauled in 44 passes for 578 yards. Leading rusher Evan Hull ran for 1,009 yards and seven touchdowns and will carry the load early.  DefenseThe defense was not as bad but it was not far behind as Northwestern finished No. 102 in total defense and No. 91 in scoring defense and while the passing defense was above average, opposing teams had no reason to throw the ball as the Wildcats could not stop the run. Only five starters are back with the top guy being linebacker Bryace Gallagher who was second on the team with 90 tackles and will have to be the leader with two new starters on the outside around him. The lone starter back on the defensive line is Adetomiwa Adebawore who led the team with 4.5 sacks from the middle and he will need help with most of the other sack producers having moved on. The secondary is a question mark as the best player is gone and while three starters are back, they have hardly been tested. Northwestern had just 16 takeaways and that will have to improve to alleviate pressure. 2022 Season OutlookWhile it is not exactly looking bleak, it is not looking very promising but as said before, Fitzgerald knows how to get out the best from his players, 2021 notwithstanding. His job is more than safe as he has had five teams finish ranked in the AP Poll over the last ten seasons and while this season is not expected to add to that, stranger things have occurred with this program and a quick start will be necessary. The Wildcats open in Ireland against a vastly improved Nebraska team and then they are back home for three straight against Duke, Southern Illinois and Miami Ohio. The next seven Big Ten games are against teams projected with at least six wins but at least they miss Michigan and Michigan St. from the East. The O/U win total is set at 4 and those look to be four home games, the three mentioned and Illinois being the other to close the season, so it will take some major upsets along the way. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 08/03/2022

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2022

The Wednesday sports card features MLB action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Toronto Blue Jays visit the Tampa Bay Rays at 12:10 PM ET. Yusei Kikuchi takes the mound for the Blue Jays to pitch against Jalen Beeks for the Rays. Toronto is a -115 money line road favorite with the total set at 8 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Atlanta Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies at 12:20 PM ET. The Braves tap Charlie Morton to pitch against the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler. Atlanta is a -135 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The New York Yankees play at home against the Seattle Mariners at 1:05 PM ET. Gerrit Cole takes the ball for the Yankees to pitch against the newly acquired Luis Castillo for the Mariners. New York is a -190 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. Two games throw out the first pitch at 1:10 PM ET. Cleveland is at home against Arizona with the Guardians pitching Shane Bieber against the Diamondbacks’ Tommy Henry. The Guardians are a -230 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Minnesota hosts Detroit with Joe Ryan taking the ball for the Twins against Tyler Alexander for the Tigers. The Twins are a -210 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Texas Rangers are at home against the Baltimore Orioles at 2:05 PM ET. The Rangers turn to Martin Perez to pitch against the Orioles’ Kurt Bradish. Texas is a -150 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 2:10 PM ET. Houston plays at home against Boston with the Astros turning to Jose Urquidy in their starting rotation against Brayan Bello for the Red Sox. The Astros are a -215 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Chicago is at home against Kansas City with Lance Lynn pitching for the White Sox against Brady Singer for the Royals. The White Sox are a -165 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The New York Mets visit Washington to play the Nationals at 4:05 PM ET. The Mets tap Chris Bassitt to pitch against Anibal Sanchez for the Nationals. New York is a -250 money line road favorite with a total of 9. The Miami Marlins host the Cincinnati Reds at 6:40 PM ET. Sandy Alcantara takes the mound for the Marlins against Mike Minor for the Reds. Miami is a -200 money line favorite at Bet MGM with an over/under of 7. The Milwaukee Brewers travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates at 7:05 PM ET. The Brewers activate Freddy Peralta to pitch against the Pirates’ Tyler Beeke. Milwaukee is a -190 money line road favorite with a total of 8. The St. Louis Cardinals are at home against the Chicago Cubs at 7:45 PM ET. Miles Mikolas takes the mound for the Cardinals to battle against Justin Steele for the Cubs. St. Louis is a -170 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Los Angeles Angels host the Oakland A’s at 9:38 PM ET. The Angels tap Shohei Ohtani to pitch against the A’s James Kaprielian. The San Diego Padres are at home against the Colorado Rockies at 9:40 PM ET. Chad Kuhl pitches for the Rockies against a starting pitcher yet to be determined for the Padres. The Los Angeles Dodgers travel to San Francisco to play the Giants at 9:45 PM ET. The Dodgers send out Julio Urias to pitch against the Giants’ Alex Cobb. Los Angeles is a -155 money line road favorite with a total of 8.

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How will Juan Soto's big bat help the Padres the rest of the way?

by Vegas Writer

Tuesday, Aug 02, 2022

It's about time!The Juan Soto sweepstakes landed in San Diego, as the Padres came away with the slugger, joining Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado.The interesting thing will be to see if the Padres blow another opportunity to make a deep run into the playoffs with yet another talented lineup. I mean, they still have a tough road ahead of them. They're locked into a wild-card slot and potentially won't see a home game in that wild-card series. The road goes through the likes of Atlanta, Queens, and Los Angeles.Nevertheless, the odds have dropped now that San Diego won the Soto Sweepstakes.At the Westgate in Las Vegas, the Padres were 18/1 for the World Series and 9/1 for the National League pennant before rumors began circulating about landing Soto, which dropped the odds to 14/1 and 7/1. After Tuesday's trade, the Padres have settled in at +475 to win the N.L. and 10/1 to win it all.A quick glance at what landing Soto means to the Padres, with consideration to the remaining 18 series they have, after finishing their current five-game series with the Colorado Rockies in San Diego.Of those series, 10 of them are against National League West foes, including four with the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, who landed Joey Gallo from the New York Yankees at the deadline.So what does Soto bring to the lineup, based on his history against those teams? With the Padres' current season record against each remaining opponent in parenthesis, here are some tidbits on Soto vs. those teams:N.L. WEST OPPONENTS Dodgers (2-5) - In 19 games against Los Angeles, he is hitting a mere .213 and has struck out 13 times. ... He's drawn 13 walks from L.A. pitchers, matching the number of hits he has against them. Giants (6-4) - The 16 strikeouts Soto has against Frisco are second highest among N.L. West teams. ... He strikes out once every 5.6 plate appearances against the Giants and is hitting .230 in 22 games against them. Diamondbacks (9-3) - Surprisingly, Soto has been snakebitten against Arizona. He's hitting just .187 and has struck out 11 times in 21 games against the Snakes. Rockies (4-8) - If there's one N.L. West foe he's had success against, it's Colorado. He has a career .241 batting average against the Rockies, including a .244 clip in Denver. ... Four of the six home runs he's hit against the Rockies have been in the Mile High City. OUTSIDE THE WEST Nationals (0-0) - Soto returns to D.C. for a three-game weekend set from Aug. 12-14. ... The Padres haven't faced the Nats yet, and obviously, Soto has never faced them. ... He is hitting .241 and slugging .500 at Nationals Park this season, and has slugged 11 of his 21 home runs there. ... He has a career .293 batting average in the only stadium he's called home until Tuesday's trade. Marlins (3-1) - A familiar foe from the N.L. East, he's had some success against the Fish, with a .310 batting average and .567 slugging percentage against them. He's also stroked 13 home runs against Miami pitchers. Cardinals (0-3) - Soto has had his struggles against St. Louis, too, hitting only .226 while striking out 16 times. He has only one home run against the Redbirds while striking out once every 5.1 plate appearances. INTERLEAGUE PLAY Guardians (1-1), Royals (0-0), Mariners (0-2), White Sox (0-0) - I'll wrap up the Interleague in one shot, with the Padres sporting a 4-6 mark against teams from the American League thus far. Soto has a career .293 mark against all A.L. teams while slugging .521 with 16 home runs. Of the four A.L. opponents he'll see with the Padres, he's had the most success against the Sox, with a .467 batting average and .533 slugging percentage.

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2022 Northern Illinois Huskies Preview

by Matt Fargo

Tuesday, Aug 02, 2022

Northern Illinois Huskies2021-22 Season Record 9-5 (6-2 MAC West) - 9-4-1 ATS - 8-6-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 9Defense - 9OverviewNorthern Illinois joined the MAC in 1997 and it was 13 years of some good, some bad and some in-between and then in 2010, the Huskies became the elite of the conference. They had five straight double-digit win seasons, going 57-13 over that stretch but they ended up ranked only once, in 2012 when they finished No. 22 and that has been the only time the program has finished in the AP Poll. Since then, it has been above average but last season they had their best one since those glory years, going 9-5 and winning the MAC Championship for the fourth time in 10 years as the Huskies welcomed back 19 starters and head coach Thomas Hammock could be building something really good again. They have 18 starters back this season while being ranked No. 8 in returning production yet are not the favorites (Toledo, Miami Ohio) so they will be playing with a chip on their shoulder. OffenseThe offense was not great but they did enough, leaning on a rushing attack that averaged 115 more ypg than in 2020 and finished No. 5 in the country with 234.7 ypg. Leading rusher Jevyon Ducker is gone but Harrison Waylee and Antario Brown are back and last season combined for 1,112 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging a robust 6.1 ypc so there will not be a big drop off. Another reason for that is the offensive line is one of the best in the conference with a pair of All-MAC players leading the way so it will be another lethal ground game. The passing game was limited with Rocky Lombardi having a decent yet unspectacular season but that was expected with the running game what it was. There should be more balance as he has a year under his belt and he has some great weapons at his disposal with Trayvon Rudolph and Cole Tucker who combined for 1,467 yards and 10 scores. DefenseThe defense put the team in some tough spots which was the big reason there were so many close wins and a better unit would have alleviated some of the sweat. Northern Illinois finished No. 112 in total defense and No. 107 in scoring defense which was pretty bad considering it was worse than the 0-6 defense from the previous season. With the bad comes the good and that is nine starters are back so the experience alone is worth a big improvement in 2022. 17 of the top 20 tacklers were freshmen or sophomore so being thrown into the fire makes them better off going forward. All three levels have playmakers led by the linebacking corps that welcomes back Kyle Pugh who missed last season to go along with a talented group. The defensive line is big with tackle James Ester earning All-MAC honors. The secondary has three legit future stars back highlighted by leading tackler C.J. Brown at safety. 2022 Season OutlookThe fact that this team is so young and the defense was so bad is a legitimate reason that the Huskies are not favored to win the conference but does not mean it cannot happen. With so many pieces in place at the right levels, it should happen. Hammock used 2020 to rebuild as there was no fear in losing a season that was lost by so many other teams as well and now Northern Illinois is better off for it and for the foreseeable future. The Huskies open with Eastern Illinois and then are at Tulsa, at home against Vanderbilt and at Kentucky so a 2-2 nonconference record is likely although 3-1 is doable. Now the best part is Toledo and Miami Ohio come to Dekalb as well as Central Michigan and the toughest road game is at Western Michigan. The O/U win total is 6.5 and even if they happened to go 1-2 in those three MAC home games, nine wins still looks like a legitimate number. 

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2022 North Texas Mean Green Preview

by Matt Fargo

Tuesday, Aug 02, 2022

North Texas Mean Green2021-22 Season Record 6-7 (5-3 C-USA West) - 9-4-0 ATS - 4-8-1 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 8Defense - 5OverviewIt has been a roller coaster ride for North Texas football after bottoming out in the first decade of the 2000s. Dan McCarney brought some life into the program including a bowl game in 2013 and then he too bottomed out and current head coach Seth Littrell inherited a 1-11 team and the turn around came quick with a 19-17 record in his first three seasons but it has been three straight losing campaigns since then but last year we might have seen something that could influence this team going forward - determination. The Mean Green opened with a win over FCS Northwestern St. and then it was six straight losses. Instead of quitting on Littrell, they rallied around him by winning their last five games to become bowl eligible for the fifth time in six years. Even though North Texas lost to Miami Ohio in the Frisco Bowl, the 2021 ending can carry some confidence for a team in need. OffensePlain and simple, the offense last season was a major disappointment. After finishing 2020 ranked No. 7 in total offense, North Texas brought back 10 of those starters including quarterback Austin Aune who was ready for a breakout but instead, the Mean Green regressed by 100 ypg on offense to finish No. 30 in total offense and No. 67 in scoring offense. Aune is back but will be tested for the starting role but competition is a good thing to have. Also good to have are three excellent receivers to throw to led by Roderic Burns who had 54 catches and 715 yards. The passing numbers were down because of inaccuracy at quarterback and because the running game flourished, finishing No. 3 in the country behind DeAndre Torrey who ran for over 1,200 yards but he is gone and second leading rusher Ikaika Ragsdale takes over. Four of five starters from the offensive line return. DefenseThe defense improved enormously as the Mean Green dropped over 125 ypg from 2020 to finish No. 67 overall after ranking No. 127 the previous year. It certainly was not a great unit, yet the improvement was one of the best in the country but what goes up looks like it will come down as six starters have to be replaced and some are irreplaceable. One starter that is back is linebacker K.D. Davis who led the team with 120 tackles and he will have to carry the defense until it can all come together. Losses up front will be impossible to overcome as Gabriel and Grayson Murphy combined for 15 of the 38 team sacks and that is hard to overcome. In addition to those two, both tackles also have to be replaced to the front four looks shaky at best. The secondary has three of four starters back and will have get after the ball better as the six interceptions were tied for No. 109 in the country. 2022 Season OutlookLast year was a success even though it was a losing one based on how it transpired. Littrell is still considered a coach with a ton of upside and the second half of last season showed that as he united his team to reach down and that they did. Even if the turn around did not come, he likely would have been safe still because of the upside he possesses. That being said, this will be one of his toughest coaching tests since coming to Denton with all of the attrition and the fact the upcoming schedule is a monster. Five of the six road games are against teams .500 or better from last year and are expected to be even better. The home portion is much easier with five of the six against some poor teams so the opposite of this home/road slate would have been ideal. The O/U win total is 6.5 and that looks to be right where it should be as it will take an upset or two on the road to get over this number. 

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2022 North Carolina Tar Heels Preview

by Matt Fargo

Tuesday, Aug 02, 2022

North Carolina Tar Heels2021-22 Season Record 6-7 (3-5 ACC Central) - 5-8-0 ATS - 7-6-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 5Defense - 8OverviewThree straight bowl games, including an Orange Bowl, would be the envy of many teams and that is what North Carolina has accomplished the last three seasons but it was way below what was expected. The Tar Heels were loaded with at least 16 starters back but something bad went wrong each year that was inexplicable and the underachieving settled in. It is not back to the drawing board for head coach Mack Brown as he has a very good team but nothing special although this is when teams can perform their best with less pressure. This is his fourth season in his second go-around with the program after closing out his first run going 54-18 from 1992-1997 and they hope those glory days can return after posting just one double-digit win season since 1998. 13 starters are back and the returning production ranking is No. 75 but a third straight top 15 recruiting class spikes optimism. OffenseOffense was not the issue among many bad things that led to a disappointing season as the Tar Heels were No. 9 in total offense and No. 17 in scoring offense but they could not do enough at the times when the defense fell off. Quarterback Sam Howell had a very good season but after two exceptional campaigns, it was not good enough as he ran more than he should have which limited his passing. Three players will be competing to take over as Jacolby Criswell, Drake Maye, and Conner Harrell all have something to bring but nothing to stand out to make each a true No. 1. The running game was great with Howell and leading rusher Ty Chandler but their 1,920 yards will be tough to replace. The offensive line has to replace four starters although there is good experience. Wide receiver Josh Downs caught 101 passes for 1,125 yards and he absolutely needs to get the ball again.  Defense10 starters were back from a defense that was average in 2020, ranked No. 56 overall but great things were expected and it bottomed out, allowing 34 or more points in 8 of their last 11 games and finishing No. 87 in total defense and No. 101 in scoring defense. The good news is that eight starters are back with great experience but last year has to be let go. The strength should in the secondary with all four players possessing talent, experience and room for growth and good depth behind them. The linebackers are led by Cedric Gray who was the top tackler last season with 96 and will again be the core with solid talent around him. The defensive line did not do enough to cause disruption and the likely absence of Tomari Fox is huge as he has been suspended for the season barring a late miracle. The exterior on the line now has to find someone at least half as good. 2022 Season OutlookBrown knows how to win but he has always been scrutinized for having great teams that have underperformed and looking at this program, that can be said for 2019, 2020 and 2021. He can coach these kids up and as long as the offense can maintain some sort of consistency and be able to put up points, the defense will eventually take over with the hire of Gene Chizik overlooking the unit. A good season is still expected but a great one is also possible if it can all come together. They open at home against Florida A&M and will be tested at Appalachian St. the following week before another easy game and then Notre Dame comes to town. Of the four ACC road games, Miami and Wake Forest will be tough while Pittsburgh and NC State are the tough home games. And yes, no Clemson. The O/U win total is set at 7.5 which is about right so this looks to be a pass either way. 

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2022 New Mexico St. Aggies Preview

by Matt Fargo

Tuesday, Aug 02, 2022

New Mexico St. Aggies2021-22 Season Record 2-10 (N/A) - 7-5-0 ATS - 7-5-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 3Defense - 9OverviewWhile some teams such as Massachusetts and Connecticut are in the running for the worst football programs in the country, New Mexico St. takes the cake if looking more long term. There was a winning season in 2017 in the Aggies final season in the Sun Belt Conference where it went 7-6 and since 2003, they have gone a staggering 54-157 and that 2017 Arizona Bowl has been their only one since 1960. They have not been able to find a home as they have been an Independent twice, including currently, to go along with a couple stints in the SBC and an eight-year run in the WAC. The good news is, great news actually, is that Jerry Kill is on the sidelines once again after numerous health problems took him from coaching for a few years after being at Minnesota but came back as an interim coach at TCU last year. The hope is a great pedigree will bring some sort of turnaround. OffenseThe offense has remained relatively ineffective over the last few years and last season, New Mexico St. finished No. 90 in total offense and No. 104 in scoring offense and those are boosted from a huge performance against Massachusetts in the season finale. The Aggies are pretty much starting over here and that is not a bad thing as they have only three starters back which is part of the No. 129 ranked returning production offense. Kill is in place to turn around a running game that averaged 100.4 ypg, which was No. 104 in the country, and having lost its leading rusher, the Aggies turn to a pair of transplants to get it going. The offensive line is the most experienced group where those three starters return so this is a good building block. Quarterback is up in the air with a few players vying for the starting job who will be throwing to basically a brand new receiving corps. DefenseIf you can call it a strength, the defense should be just that this season with nine starters back and a returning production ranking of No. 32. Last season was a disaster as the Aggies were No. 126 in total defense and No. 128 in scoring defense but the experience should pay off with some major improvements showing. The linebackers are in great shape as Trevor Brohard and Chris Ojoh, who combined for 144 tackles, eight sacks and four forced fumbles, are back in the middle to shore up a bad rushing defense and improve the pass rush around them that was No. 112 in the nation with 18 sacks. Donovan King was second in sacks with 2.5 and he will anchor a defensive line that is big and experienced. The passing defense was second to last in efficiency but should be much better with a pair of excellent returning corners and safety help coming through the transfer portal. 2022 Season OutlookOf all the new 2022 coaching hires, Kill has to be near the top of the list. He succeeded at Northern Illinois and had Minnesota going in a positive direction before seizure problems forced him to take time off but he came back as an assistant at Rutgers, Virginia Tech and TCU and now looks to give the Aggies a positive push. This team will be better across the board but how that turns into wins is still to be determined. The early portion of the schedule could not be much worse for a young team trying to find an identity as they open with five games against bowl teams from last season but there is a stretch of four straight home games in September/October and then dates with Lamar and Massachusetts late in the season. The O/U win total is set at 3 and the arrival of Kill is good for at least one upset but it is hard to back the over with a lot of unknowns still. 

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