Expert Sports Picks and Analysis from Al McMordie

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/25/2022

Monday, Jul 25, 2022

The Monday sports card features MLB action.Major League Baseball has 12 games on its schedule. The Cincinnati Reds host the Miami Marlins at 6:40 PM ET. Nick Lodolo takes the ball for the Reds to pitch against Trevor Rogers for the Marlins. Cincinnati is a -125 money line favorit,e with the total set at 9. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:05 PM ET (all odds from DraftKings). Atlanta visits Philadelphia with the Braves pitching Max Fried against the Phillies’ Ranger Suarez. The Braves are a -165 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Tampa Bay plays at Baltimore with Corey Kluber pitching for the Rays against Austin Voth for the Orioles. The Rays are a -130 money line road favorite with a total of 9.Two MLB games start at 7:10 PM ET. San Diego travels to Detroit with the Padres turning to Sean Manaea in their starting rotation to face the Tigers’ Drew Hutchison. The Padres are a -155 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Cleveland is at Boston with Zach Plesac taking the mound for the Guardians to battle against Nick Pivetta for the Red Sox. Both teams are priced at -110 with a total of 9.5. The Chicago Cubs play at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 8:05 PM ET. The Cubs tap Adrian Sampson to pitch against the Pirates’ J.T. Brubaker. Chicago is a -145 money line favorite. Two MLB games begin at 8:10 PM ET. Milwaukee hosts Colorado on ESPN+. The Brewers won for the third straight time with their 10-9 victory in the third game of this series on Sunday. The Brewers improved their record to 53-43 with the win. The Rockies are on a four-game losing streak which has lowered their record to 43-53. Aaron Ashby pitches for Milwaukee and goes against Kyle Freeland for the Rockies. Milwaukee is a -190 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Los Angeles visits Kansas City with the Angels turning to Noah Syndergaard to pitch against the Royals’ Zack Greinke. Both teams are priced at -110 with a total of 8. Two more MLB games start at 9:40 PM ET. San Francisco travels to Arizona with Jake Junis pitching for the Giants against Tyler Gilbert for the Diamondbacks. The Giants are a -130 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Houston plays at Oakland with the Astros pitching Jake Odorizzi against the A’s Adam Oller. The Astros are a -210 money line road favorite with a total of 8. Two games begin at 10:10 PM ET to conclude the MLB card. Seattle plays at home against Texas with Chris Flexen pitching for the Mariners against Glenn Otto for the Rangers. The Mariners are a -140 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Los Angeles hosts Washington, with the Dodgers tapping Tony Gonsolin to pitch against the Nationals’ Paolo Espino. The Dodgers are a -260 money line favorite with a total of 8.5.

2022 Marshall Thundering Herd Preview

by Matt Fargo

Sunday, Jul 24, 2022

Marshall Thundering Herd2021-22 Season Record 7-6 (5-3 C-USA East) - 6-7-0 ATS - 7-6-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 5Defense - 6OverviewConference USA is no power league but it is adequate and Marshall had great success there with nine winning records over the last 11 seasons that included nine bowl games and six wins. Instead of trying to move into a stronger conference, or even a lateral move, the Thundering Herd are headed to the Sun Belt Conference this season, arguably the worst or second worst conference in the country but if there was a year to do it, this is the one. Old Dominion and Southern Mississippi along with former FCS powerhouse James Madison also join the SBC so it will definitely be stronger this season but is it still a questionable shift. Head coach Charles Huff is in his second season with Marshall and his first one resulted in a winning record that could have been better as four of the six losses were by one possession and it outgained nine of 13 opponents but only 11 starters are back along with a No. 103 returning production ranking. OffenseThe offense was solid under Huff as they brought nine starters back including quarterback Grant Wells and while he aired it out often, he did throw 12 picks and overall, the Thundering Herd finished No. 10 in total offense and No. 26 in scoring offense. Wells is off to Virginia Tech and Marshall will likely turn to Henry Colombi who is a transfer from Texas Tech where was a decent option in limited action but threw 10 interceptions compared to 15 touchdowns and that needs to get better. He will have the leading receiver from last season at his disposal as Corey Gammage caught 78 passes for 869 yards but just two touchdowns. The offensive line was fantastic but have to replace some key pieces and some early season chemistry is a must. Despite finishing No. 71 in rushing offense, Rasheen Ali had an incredible season as he rushed for 1,401 yards with 23 touchdowns and his production can take pressure off Colombi at least early on. DefenseThe defense was not nearly as good as Marshall finished No. 73 in total defense but it kept teams out of the end zone as it allowed only 22.8 ppg which was No. 40 in the nation thanks to a killer pass efficiency unit. The Thundering Herd finished with 40 sacks which was tied for No. 15 in the country and they will have to replace a lot of those but the defensive line will be serviceable again with a pair of big transfers coming in. Koby Cumberlander was second on the team with 4.5 sacks and will once again be the top man in the middle. The linebacking corps is solidified with all three starters returning and they were sensational with 10 sacks between them and a total of 260 tackles so they know how to attack the ball. The secondary benefitted from that pass rush as they finished No. 26 in passing defense and No. 12 in passing efficiency defense and two key players have to be replaced at the safety position so it could be a small slip. 2022 Season OutlookWhile the early thought is that a move to SBC is questionable, the fact that three other teams also moved over shows that this conference is moving up and there have been some very solid programs in the past. Huff was successful in the final season in C-USA with a loaded team and as mentioned, if there was a season to move, this was probably the ideal one with a lesser roster and a schedule that is on their side. The Thundering Herd open at home against Norfolk St. and then head to Notre Dame for the first of three straight road games. A game against a much improved Bowling Green team and then their first Sun Belt game at Troy concludes the trek. Another FCS game at home against Gardner Webb concludes the nonconference slate. They play four of the top SBC teams coming up but all of those are at home, a huge bonus. The O/U win total is set at 6 and they can go over if they take care of business at home in the SBC.

2022 LSU Tigers Preview

by Matt Fargo

Sunday, Jul 24, 2022

LSU Tigers2021-22 Season Record 6-7 (3-5 SEC West) - 5-7-1 ATS - 6-7-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 6Defense - 5OverviewIt does not take long for the natives to become restless but that is life in the SEC. Ed Orgeron took over for Les Miles midway through the 2006 season and went 6-2 only to improve to 9-4 in 2017 to 10-3 in 2018 and then ultimately, going 15-0 with a National Championship in 2019. With hardly anyone returning in 2020, the Tigers fell to 5-5 and then not even with last season over, Orgeron was given the heave-ho and LSU had its first losing season since 1999 although he was not responsible for it as a bowl loss completed it which he was not even there for. LSU made a big hire in Brian Kelly who left a Notre Dame program that went 54-9 over his last five seasons in what was a great situation to one that is more murky. He inherits a team that has only half of its starters returning and one that still plays in the toughest conference in college football. He won big in his three previous stops but now comes his biggest challenge yet. OffenseThe LSU offense was below average as a whole last season as the Tigers were No. 87 overall and No. 77 in scoring. They had a very strong passing attack but possessed one of the worst rushing offenses in the country as they averaged a mere 109.8 ypg on 3.3 ypc, their second straight year of a dismal run game. Quarterback Max Johnson was great last season as he accounted for 27 touchdown passes and just six interceptions but he transferred to Texas A&M leaving a big hole at the position. There are solid options however with Garrett Nussmeier and Myles Brennan both having experience here and transfer Jayden Daniels who has big potential. Kayshon Boutte led the team in receiving with 509 yards despite playing less than half the season and is a legit NFL prospect. The running game needs more punch and John Emery, Jr. will be that guy to do so but will be working behind a revamped offensive line. DefenseThe bread and butter of the team for years took a massive tumble in 2020 but regrouped last season, improving by 114 ypg and eight ppg. Still, LSU was below average as it finished No. 64 in total defense and No. 59 in scoring defense but pieces are in place for another improvement. The strength of the defense last season was stopping the run as the Tigers allowed 139.2 ypg on 4.0 ypc along with a solid pass rush that finished with 38 sacks, tied for No. 23 in the nation and those will be the strengths again behind a stout defensive line. The front three is loaded as the starting trio has accumulated 18.5 sacks over the last two seasons and this group could be one of the best in the conference. The linebackers are far less experienced but defensive coordinator Matt House is a former NFL linebacker coach in the NFL so he will have them ready. Transfers will dominate the secondary with the lone holdover being safety Jay Ward. 2022 Season OutlookKelly won at Central Michigan, he won at Cincinnati and he won at Notre Dame but the question brought up the most was if he is the right hire for this program. He has no southern roots and while his first recruiting class was solid, it was the worst for LSU in four years. There will always be talent in Baton Rouge but he has never competed against strong teams like this on a consistent basis and only time will tell. LSU is ranked No. 82 in returning production so his inaugural season is a question mark, especially with this schedule. They open against Florida St. and then have three straight home games to ease into the difficult SEC slate. The four road games are all difficult against projected winning teams and the home side is no cakewalk also against four teams projected with 6.5 or more wins. The O/U total is set at 7 which is certainly attainable but it will take a lot of overachieving and some big road upsets to get to eight victories.

2022 Louisville Cardinals Preview

by Matt Fargo

Sunday, Jul 24, 2022

Louisville Cardinals2021-22 Season Record 6-7 (4-4 ACC Atlantic) - 6-7-0 ATS - 5-8-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 8Defense - 7OverviewLouisville has never been considered a football powerhouse but it has had its moments with five double-digit win seasons since the turn of the century but none since 2013 and only one in back-to-back years. 18 winning seasons compared to just six losing ones over the last 24 years is a very consistent run but there has been no continuity to stay at a high level for a prolonged period. The Cardinals have played in four different conferences and have made coaching changes five times over this stretch and that is difficult to get a flow going and after two straight losing seasons, head coach Scott Satterfield needs to turn it around. He has led them to two bowl games in his three years but in a not so elite ACC, this team should be more dominant. That season could be here and the decade long run of single win campaigns could be broken with 15 starters back and one of the most experienced teams in the conference and in the country. OffenseLouisville had the same scenario last season with eight starters back on offense and the Cardinals produced as they finished No. 21 in total offense and No. 39 in scoring offense and are loaded once again. Quarterback Malik Cunningham is in his third season as the full time starter and over the last two years, he has completed 63 percent of his passes for 5,351 yards with 38 touchdowns and 18 interceptions while rushing for over 1,600 yards. This could be his best one yet coming up if he can cut down those picks and gel with the new receiving core that includes a pair of incoming transfers along with Braden Smith who played only four games last season. Four starters on the offensive line are back that allowed only 20 sacks last season and helped produce the No. 20 rushing offense in the land. Cunningham was the leading rusher but Jalen Mitchell returns after rushing for 722 yards with quality depth behind him. DefenseThis is the area that Louisville needs to improve as it brings back seven starters for a second straight season after finishing No. 84 in total defense and No. 76 in scoring defense. One area that has vastly improved is the rushing defense that has gotten better in each of the last four seasons and has cut down the total yards by 120 ypg since 2018. Still, the 4.4 ypc allowed last season which was outside the top 50 needs to get better and should behind a strong front seven that includes two disruptive playmakers on each level and two players who missed a lot of time last season after great 2020 campaigns. Louisville finished with 33 sacks which was No. 45 in the country and is led by linebacker Yassir Abdullah who had 10 of those sacks to go along with 60 tackles. The passing defense was not good despite the solid pass rush but it should improve led by safety Kenderick Duncan who had 76 tackles and a slew of excellent corners. 2022 Season OutlookThis is not a make or break season for Satterfield but this is probably his best team since arriving at Louisville and playing in the loaded ACC Atlantic including Clemson, NC State and Wake Forest, all of which are projected for 8.5 or more wins, will be a challenge. Louisville is ranked No. 14 in the country in returning production so there is no reason for a breakout year and to be able to compete with the big boys. The schedule is an odd one with ACC and nonconference games spread around throughout as the Cardinals open the season with a conference game at Syracuse followed by a tough matchup at UCF. They then host Florida St. and USF before a pair of winnable road games at Boston College and Virginia. While Clemson is on the road, NC State and Wake Forest are at home. The O/U win total is 6.5 which seems low but the backend of the schedule is loaded with six teams that won at least nine games last season.

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 07/24/2022

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Jul 24, 2022

The Sunday sports card features MLB and CFL action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Philadelphia Phillies host the Chicago Cubs on Peacock at 12:05 PM ET. Bailey Falter takes the ball for the Phillies against Drew Smyly for the Cubs. Philadelphia is a -140 money line favorite, with the total set at 10. Four MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 PM ET. Atlanta plays at home against Los Angeles, with the Braves pitching Ian Anderson against the Angels’ Reid Detmers. The Braves are a -205 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Miami visits Pittsburgh with Sandy Alcantara for the Marlins pitching against Mitch Keller for the Pirates. The Marlins are a -180 money line road favorite with a total of 7.5. New York plays at Baltimore with the Yankees turning to Nestor Cortes to duel against the Orioles’ Dean Kremer. The Yankees are a -180 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Toronto is at Boston with Ross Stripling pitching for the Blue Jays against Brayan Bello for the Red Sox. Toronto is a -150 money line road favorite with a total of 11. Two MLB games start at 1:40 PM ET. Minnesota visits Detroit with the Twins turning to Sonny Gray to pitch against the Tigers’ Rony Garcia. The Twins are a -175 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. St. Louis plays at Cincinnati with Miles Mikolas taking the ball for the Cardinals to duel against the Reds’ Tyler Mahle. The Cardinals are a -145 money line road favorite with a total of 10. Three games throw out the first pitch at 2:10 PM ET. Tampa Bay travels to Kansas City with the Rays tapping Jeffrey Springs to pitch against the Royals’ Kris Bubic. The Rays are a -145 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Chicago hosts Cleveland with the White Sox playing at home against Guardians with Dylan Cease taking the ball for White Sox against the Guardians’ Dylan Cease. Cleveland is a -130 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Two MLB games start at 4:07 PM ET. Texas travels to Oakland to play the Rangers with Martin Perez taking the ball for the Rangers to pitch against the A’s Paul Blackburn. Three more games begin at 4:10 PM ET. Arizona is at home against Washington with Corbin Martin pitching for the Diamondbacks against Erick Fedde for the Nationals. The Diamondbacks are a -120 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. Houston visits Seattle with Framber Valdez on the hill against the Mariners’ Robbie Ray. The Astros are a -125 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7. Los Angeles is a -210 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Clayton Kershaw gets the start for the Dodgers against Alex Cobb for the Giants. The Dodgers are a -210 money line favorite with a total of 8. Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN has the New York Mets throwing out the first pitch against the San Diego Padres at 7:08 PM ET. The Mets tap Carlos Carrasco to pitch against the Padres’ Joe Musgrove. San Diego is a -115 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Week 7 in the Canadian Football League concludes with the Toronto Argonauts visiting the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 7 PM ET. The Argonauts ended a two-game losing streak with their 30-24 upset win at Saskatchewan as a 2.5-point underdog last Saturday. The Roughriders ended a two-game losing streak with their loss. Saskatchewan is a -1-point road favorite with a total of 45.

AFC West Breakdown

by ASA, Inc.

Saturday, Jul 23, 2022

For starters, oddsmakers have three AFC West teams inside the top 8 for the current 2023 Super Bowl odds. The Chiefs are 3rd at +1000, then in 6th the Chargers are at +1400, and the Broncos sit at +1600 with the 8th highest odds. The only division that even has two teams within the top 10 is the NFC West (Rams +1100, 49ers +1600). Whether by luck or design, the NFL just keeps winning, as all AFC West teams will have to play all NFC West teams resulting in multiple primetime showdowns vs Super Bowl contenders. The Rams, 49ers, and maybe Cardinals have a chance to compete for a playoff run, but the Seahawks will not. With Seattle struggling, it may give some free wins to the others in the division, but that is not a luxury the AFC West teams will have. Even though the Raiders are picked to finish last in the West, they have the highest odds to win their division out of any current last place team’s division odds (+650 to win AFC West). Las Vegas made some massive upgrades to their roster to try and compete, adding Davante Adams and Chandler Jones. We will see if Derek Carr can rekindle his Fresno State connection with Adams, but the combination of Crosby and Jones is the real key to containing the three superstar quarterbacks in the AFC West. We will have to wait and see, but this may turn out to be a historically great division. However, it will be difficult to accurately judge because of the crossover matchup of the NFC and AFC West. The Chiefs and Raiders both will play a gauntlet in 2022 and rank in the top three for most difficult strength of schedule. Additionally, the Chargers and Broncos both rank above average in SOS, yet Denver has seemingly the easiest schedule with games against HOU, NYJ, JAX, and CAR. Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson, and so many other great players make up an insane talent pool for the AFC West. This is the most talented division we have ever seen, and whoever walks away with a division title will truly have to earn it. Chargers vs Raiders week 1 picks up right where last season left off and is a deserving way to begin the NFL year. Chiefs +175Chargers +220Broncos +260Raiders +650

2022 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Preview

by Matt Fargo

Saturday, Jul 23, 2022

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns2021-22 Season Record 13-1 (8-0 Sun Belt West) - 7-7-0 ATS - 3-11-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 6Defense - 5OverviewLouisiana has chalked up three straight double-digit win seasons, the only three in the history of the program, but getting a fourth will be difficult. Last season was one for the ages as the Cajuns lost to Texas in their season opener and then ran off 13 consecutive wins and finished ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll. When your team goes 40-12 over a four-year span in a smaller conference, the head coach is bound to be gobbled up by a big boy program and that is what happened to Billy Napier as he took off for Florida to try and turn around a once proud program. Michael Desormeaux takes over as the new head coach after leading them as interim coach to a New Orleans Bowl victory over Marshall and this is his first full time head coaching job. Louisiana has a lot to replace as it loses 11 starters with the biggest losses coming on offense that was actually sporadic at times last season but did just enough. Another West Division title is likely though. OffenseFor a team that won 13 games, the offense was not great as the Cajuns finished No. 63 overall and No. 50 in scoring. They hung up big numbers on teams they were supposed to but also scored 24 or fewer points five times. Now the challenge will be to somehow come close to replicating those rankings. Quarterback Levi Lewis, who was outstanding as a full time three-year starter, will be sorely missed and now there will be a battle between Chandler Fields and Ben Wooldridge and seeing that both have different styles, both could see decent time on the field. The top three receivers are back so there is at least that to hang their hat on and give them some hope to help the quarterback along. Leading rusher Chris Smith, who ran for 855 yards is back so there should be good balance but whoever is blocking and pass protecting might take a while to figure out as Louisiana has to replace four starters along the offensive line. DefenseThis was the area that Louisiana dominated most of the season as it finished No. 36 in total defense and No. 11 in scoring defense. They allowed 468 ypg against Texas, Nicholls and Georgia Southern in three of the first four games but in the other 11 games, they yielded just 306.6 ypg. The Cajuns do have to replace six starters but the holdovers are loaded with playmaking ability. The defensive line will likely be the force as on the inside, Zi'Yon Hill had 58 tackles and 5.5 sacks while on the end, Andre Jones contributed 60 tackles and four sacks. At linebacker, Chauncey Manac is a massive loss after totaling 166 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks including 10.5 last season over his 46 career games as is leading tackler Lorenzo McCaskill so spots need to fill quickly. The secondary is in good shape as long as the pass rush continues to be disruptive because they have two starters back and some decent experience as well. 2022 Season OutlookWhile no one expects a repeat of last season with a team record 13 wins, it is not out of the realm of possibility. Players make the team but culture is a big part of it and this is a program that possesses that so hiring the coaches from the inside was a huge and smart move. The Cajuns will be the hunted all season long and they are better than every team on their schedule based on projected victories so another big season can take shape as long as they stay relatively healthy. They open with three nonconference cupcakes and then SBC season gets underway with five games against teams projected for 5.5 wins or less. Troy is up next, their toughest conference opponent but that game is at home. The final two are easy and those are sandwiched around Florida St. on the road. The O/U win total is 8.5 and the Cajuns will be favored in every game expect against the Seminoles so we are saying yes to double-digits and comfortably.

2022 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Preview

by Matt Fargo

Saturday, Jul 23, 2022

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs2021-22 Season Record 3-9 (2-6 C-USA West) - 4-7-1 ATS - 9-3-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 7Defense - 8OverviewWhen head coach Sonny Dykes left for the California job in 2013, Louisiana Tech hired Skip Holtz after stints at East Carolina and South Florida and he inherited a rebuilding project in the first season in C-USA and it in ended up 4-8 but then things turned around for the better. He put together seven straight winning seasons including six straight bowl wins but a 28-3 loss to Georgia Southern in the 2020 New Orleans Bowl followed by a 3-9 record last season did him in and the program now turns to Sonny Cumbie who took over for Matt Wells in the final five games at Texas Tech last season. Last year was a major disappointment as Louisiana Tech had 18 starters back but the offense was inconsistent and the defense was consistently bad. The Bulldogs return 15 starters but are still young and a lot of the veterans from last season have moved on as they come in with a ranking of No. 101 in returning production so there will be work to do. OffenseThe offense started great last season as it averaged 33.4 ppg through the first five games but then faltered down the stretch behind a defense that collapsed. The Bulldogs finished No. 78 in total offense and No. 70 in scoring offense and those rankings should be much better under Cumbie and his high octane, attacking offense but a quarterback has to emerge. The leading candidate heading into camp is Parker McNeil who played under Cumbie at Texas Tech so he knows the system which is a big plus. The two leading receivers are back as Smoke Harris and Tre Harris combined for 111 receptions and 1,318 yards with 10 touchdowns and eclipsing a total of 2,000 yards is in the cards. The running game lost its leading back and Greg Garner takes over after rushing for a mere 216 yards last season. The offensive line is what will make this system click and it should be just fine with three starters back and a lot of depth and experience. DefenseThere were three good games by the defense where it allowed 17, 19 and 23 points but the other nine games were a disaster, as they gave up 38.8 ppg and finished No. 113 in scoring defense and No. 107 in total defense. Eight starters are back and playing a new scheme will improve this unit that will be flying all over the field. The biggest issue was getting after the quarterback as not enough pressure was applied and that resulted in only 20 sacks which was No. 98 in the nation. The defensive line is big and strong with a pair of starters back in Keivie Rose and Mykol Clark who had only three sacks between them but will improve upon that. Leading tackler Tyler Grubbs was all over the place, making 97 stops at linebacker but two replacements need to be made around him. Safety BeeJay Williamson accounted for three of the nine interceptions and with a ton of experience in the secondary, more takeaways should be expected. 2022 Season OutlookThis is not a complete rebuild that most new coaches typically get following a firing and the Bulldogs have the capability to be a dangerous team and if nothing else, an interesting one to witness that will improve in time. Cumbie directed the Air Raid offenses at TCU and Texas Tech as offensive coordinator and if he can get the most out of the quarterback here, there should be plenty of points. From a scheduling standpoint, it is not very optimal as the Bulldogs will be on the road for seven of their 12 games including Missouri and Clemson in two of the first three games sandwiched around Stephen F. Austin where new defensive coordinator Scott Power came from. The conference schedule is not bad as they only face three teams projected for more than 5.5 wins. Their O/U win total is set at 4.5 and there is a stretch in the middle where five of six games are against teams with win totals of 5.5 or less so the over is doable.

2022 Liberty Flames Preview

by Matt Fargo

Saturday, Jul 23, 2022

Liberty Flames2021-22 Season Record 8-5 (N/A) - 7-6-0 ATS - 5-7-1 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 7Defense - 4OverviewLiberty has been in a tough spot since joining the FBS ranks in 2018. The Flames have no conference affiliation as they have played as an Independent since the start which makes scheduling more difficult and on the more broad scope, they are not playing for a conference championship, just a lower-tiered bowl game. Liberty has accomplished the latter each of the last three seasons after not being eligible in the first year and at some point, trying to make new goals becomes more difficult. For instance, in 2020 the Flames went 9-1 with the only loss coming against NC State by one point and their reward was a trip to the Cure Bowl and they ended up No. 17 in the final AP Poll. This changes next season when they become a member of C-USA so it is one more year for head coach Hugh Freeze to motivate the troops for another who cares bowl game and while some top talent has been lost, another winning season is very attainable. OffenseThe offense was chugging along last season and it was off to a 7-2 start but then over the final three games, the Flames scored 14, 14 and 16 points and lost all three games with a turnover margin of -11. They were led by quarterback Malik Willis and finished No. 47 in total offense and No. 42 in scoring offense but Willis has moved on and the job likely goes to veteran Charlie Brewer who has solid experience at Baylor and Utah. He has a solid offensive core to work with as the two top receivers are back in Demario Douglas and C.J. Daniels who combined for 1,330 yards and 13 touchdowns. The running game never got going last season and while it finished No. 51 in rushing offense, it should have been a lot better as it relied on Willis too much. T.J. Green rushed for 477 yards and is ready for a breakout and he will be behind an offensive line that is filling holes with incoming transfers from some major schools. DefensePraise goes to the defense that has allowed just 319 ypg over the last two seasons and finished No. 12 last season overall while allowing only 21.7 ppg. It faltered down the stretch as well but were pinned back often because of the turnovers on offense and now Liberty has to replace seven starters and some big ones at that. They lost two of their top three tacklers and they are from the middle so the linebacking corps will be the weakness and they will turn to Aakil Washington who was second on the team with 4.5 sacks while adding some transfer talent. The defensive line was strong and will be just as good this season behind ends TreShaun Clark and Durrell Johnson and are beefed up in the middle with Auburn transfer Dre Butler. The best returning player on defense is safety Jason Scruggs who was second on the team with 61 tackles and will head a secondary that has two solid corners and should be much better in takeaways. 2022 Season OutlookThe Flames have one more go as an Independent before taking a step up into the conference world which will bring in more top recruits as they have been No. 89 or lower in those rankings the last three years. Freeze has built something good here and while that has been his present goal, he is aiming to get back into the Power Five mix but 2022 is the main focus right now. Liberty opens on the road at Southern Mississippi before a tough home game against UAB and then a tougher test at Wake Forest. After that, it looks like four straight wins barring any glitches against Akron, Old Dominion, Massachusetts and Gardner Webb. Three tests remain against BYU, Arkansas and Virginia Tech but the first and third of those are at home. The O/U win total is set at 6.5 and the first game could set the tone as they are a slight favorite so a win there should push them over but a loss means an upset or two down the road will be needed.

2022 Haskell Stakes Preview

by Al McMordie

Saturday, Jul 23, 2022

With the three Triple Crown Races now in our rear-view mirror, the 3 year-old thoroughbred competition turns to the summer Derbys -- most notably the Travers, Haskell, and Pennsylvania Derby. The Haskell is the first one on the slate this Saturday and it will once again be the spotlight race of the summer for New Jersey's Monmouth Park. It's a bit disappointing that only eight runners are showing up for Saturday's nine furlong affair, but that could be due to the presence of a couple of big runners. With that being said, as in most cases, there is an opportunity to make some money in the Haskell and so we present our contenders and pretenders for this weekend's big race. Contenders: #7 - Jack Christopher. If all you do every thoroughbred season is follow the Triple Crown races, then you likely have not heard of this Chad Brown-trained son of Munnings. Jack Christopher was one of the hottest stars on the Triple Crown Trail at the end of last year, but had to skip the Breeders Cup in November and then wasn't ready for the Derby, Preakness or Belmont while recovering from his minor injury. But that's not to say he didn't run on the same day as two of the Triple Crown races. On Derby day, Jack Christopher made a successful return in the Pat Day Mile, winning easily despite a seven month layoff. Then on Belmont Day, he was even more impressive in the Woody Stephens, crushing his competition by 10 lengths (he could've won by more). This will be his first test around two turns and the nine furlongs of the Haskell represents the longest distance he's ever been asked to go, but there's nothing in his record to indicate that he can't do it. Simply put -- despite not running in the Triple Crown races, Jack Christopher is the consensus choice right now as best 3YO in the country. Due to the presence of the Baffert runner Taiba in here (see Pretenders section below), Jack Christopher is only the second choice in the field today at 3-2. If for some reason he goes off at even money or higher, he would offer great value. #1 - Cyberknife. With most people thinking this is a two-horse affair between Jack Christopher and Taiba, you might just get a very nice price on this Brad Cox-trained son of Gun Runner. There are few trainers as hot as Cox right now and if you throw out his brutal trip in the Ky Derby, Cyberknife has done little wrong in his campaign. He came back after the Derby defeat to take the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 12 and looks to be in the best form of his career. That doesn't mean he can keep up with Jack Christopher, but with regular rider Florent Giroux aboard, Cyberknife makes an intriguing choice in the bottom of the exacta with Jack Christopher, or as a Place bet. Pretenders: #2 - Taiba. There's no denying that Bob Baffert owns this race. The California trainer has won the Haskell a record nine times. People east of the Mississippi haven't seen much of Baffert lately as he's been effectively banned from running in New York and Kentucky due to suspicions of using banned substances but New Jersey is welcoming him this weekend. Having said that, you can bet that Baffert and his horses will be under the microscope so whatever questionable medications Baffert is using -- or was thinking of using on his horse today -- will be left behind in California. The other reason to toss Taiba today is the fact that he hasn't been out since his 12th place finish in the Ky Derby and the horse only has three lifetime starts so it's hard to imagine he'll be in top form to compete with the likes of Jack Christopher and Cyberknife. He will be overbet and offers no value today. #6 - White Abarrio. You have to admire Saffie Joseph's son of Race Day who seems like he could run a race on the moon if Joseph wanted to ship him there. He's been to Florida, Kentucky, and Ohio in his last three races but the problem is that his speed figures -- especially in his last race when he finished second to Tawny Port in the Ohio Derby -- appear to be on the decline. Unless he can dramatically improve that number today, he stands to be a distant fourth at best. People will probably bet the popular runner and at anything close to his morning line of 5-1, White Abarrio is a horse you want to take a strong stand against -- even in the exotic wagers (i.e., exacta and trifecta) Good luck, as always...Al McMordie

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/23/2022

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jul 23, 2022

The Saturday sports card features MLB action.Major League Baseball has 16 games on its schedule. The Chicago White Sox host the Cleveland Guardians in the first game of their doubleheader at 1:10 PM ET. Johnny Cueto takes the mound for the White Sox against Triston McKenzie for the Guardians. Chicago is a -110 money line favorite at Caesars with the total set at 9. Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:10 PM ET. Houston visits Seattle on FS1 with the Astros turning to Justin Verlander to pitch against the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert. The Astros are a -135 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7. Toronto plays at Boston with Alex Manoah pitching for the Blue Jays against Kutter Crawford for the Red Sox. The Blue Jays are a -145 money line road favorite with a total of 9.5. The Philadelphia Phillies host the Chicago Cubs at 6:05 PM ET. The Phillies tap Zack Wheeler to duel against the Cubs’ Marcus Stroman. Philadelphia is a -165 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Minnesota Twins travel to Detroit to play the Tigers at 6:10 PM ET. Joe Ryan takes the hill for the Twins to pitch against the Tigers’ Michael Pineda. Minnesota is a -170 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The St. Louis Cardinals play at Cincinnati against the Reds at 6:40 PM ET. The Cardinals’ Steven Matz gets the start against the Reds’ Mike Minor. St. Louis is a -155 money line road favorite with an over/under of 10.5. Two MLB games start at 7:05 PM ET. Miami visits Pittsburgh with Max Meyer taking the mound for the Marlins to face Jose Quintana of the Pirates. The Marlins are a -115 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. New York plays at Baltimore, with the Yankees turning to Gerrit Cole to battle against the Orioles’ Jordan Lyles. The Yankees are a -230 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three more MLB games begin at 7:10 PM ET. New York hosts San Diego with Chris Bassitt pitching for the Mets against Blake Snell for the Padres. The Mets are a -145 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. Tampa Bay plays at Kansas City with the Rays tapping Luis Patino to start against the Royals’ Brady Singer. Milwaukee is at home against Colorado, with Brandon Woodruff taking the hill to pitch for the Brewers against Jose Urena for the Rockies. The Brewers are a -265 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Two MLB games start at 7:15 PM ET in regional coverage on Fox. Los Angeles plays at home against San Francisco, with Julio Urias pitching for the Dodgers against Alex Wood for the Giants. The Dodgers are a -175 money line favorite with a total of 8. The White Sox pitch Lance Lynn against the Guardians’ Konnor Pilkington in the second game of their doubleheader. The Atlanta Braves host the Los Angeles Angels at 7:20 PM ET. Kyle Wright takes the mound for the Braves to pitch against Patrick Sandoval for the Angels. Atlanta is a -185 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks play at home against the Washington Nationals at 8:10 PM ET. The Diamondbacks turn to Madison Bumgarner to duel against the Nationals’ Anibal Sanchez. Arizona is a -145 money line favorite with a total of 9. The Texas Rangers visit Oakland to play the A’s on FS1 at 9:07 PM ET. Taylor Hearn takes the hill for the Rangers to pitch against James Kaprielian for the A’s. Texas is a -125 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5.

2022 Kentucky Wildcats Preview

by Matt Fargo

Friday, Jul 22, 2022

Kentucky Wildcats2021-22 Season Record 10-3 (5-3 SEC East) - 8-4-1 ATS - 8-5-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 6Defense - 5OverviewKentucky football is relevant once again. After the Joker Phillips experiment failed after three losing seasons, Mark Stoops took over as head coach in 2013 and while he too started off with three losing seasons, he came in with a plan as he had nothing to work with from the start and it has paid off with five winning campaigns in the last six years, the lone exception being a 5-6 COVID season, and the Wildcats are currently on a six-season bowl run. They look to extend that to seven this season and while Kentucky returns only 11 starters, you do not have to look back too far as that was the number that came back last season and the Wildcats went 10-3 with one of those losses coming by three points. A lot of teams would struggle with that lack of starting experience but it is different here as numerous players have made spot starts and received important playing time. The linesmakers know this with the projected 7.5 wins for 2022. OffenseThe offense had its share of ups and downs last season but it was mostly the latter and the Wildcats finished No. 43 in total offense and No. 30 in scoring offense. They had a midseason funk but poured it on late, averaging 46.0 ppg in their final four regular season games. The offense has six starters back and most importantly, one of those is quarterback Will Levis who completed over 66 percent of his passes for 2,593 yards with 23 touchdowns, while also running for nine scores, and 12 interceptions and those picks do need to come down. Along with him, the other mainstay is running back Christopher Rodriguez, Jr. who ran for 1,378 yards and 10 touchdowns and he should be a horse again. After that, things get a little dicey but help is on the way. Levis loses his top two receivers but there is depth and experience along with some key transfers coming in. The offensive line has to replace three starters but should come together. DefenseThere have been some very good defenses over the last few years and last season was extremely solid, finishing No. 26 in total defense and No. 32 in scoring defense. The Wildcats allowed 17 points or less six times and they were gashed really only once, allowing 45 points in a loss by three points to rival Tennessee. Five starters are back, the same as last season, and the big ones are in the middle which is key. Linebacker Jacquez Jones led the team in tackles with 82 and will be paired up with J.J. Weaver who led Kentucky with 6.5 sacks while De'Andre Square and his 81 tackles rounds out the corps. The defensive line is somewhat inexperienced but it is massive and should be fine against the run where Kentucky finished No. 16 in the country last season. The secondary has good experience and has a solid cornerback in Carrington Valentine who finished with 61 tackles but the team needs more turnovers as they had just five interceptions. 2022 Season OutlookAlways known as a hoops school, Kentucky football always played second fiddle and while it will probably never pass the basketball program in popularity or success, there is definitely an upward trend. Stoops has had offers to move to bigger football schools but he has stayed put to watch this program grow into its own. As with every SEC Team, the schedule is difficult but very doable. They have three nonconference home wins in September sandwiched around a big game at Florida. They also have Mississippi and Tennessee on the road and the toughest opponent will be Georgia which is at home. The Wildcats miss Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M out of the West Division and that is big. The O/U win total is 7.5 and looking at the schedule, a 6-3 start looks about right and the final three games are at home against Vanderbilt, Georgia and Louisville so it will take a couple upsets along the way to cash the over.

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