Expert Sports Picks and Analysis from Al McMordie

Countdown to NFL 2022-Part 3

Wednesday, Jul 06, 2022

The NFL played its first-ever 17-game season in 2021 (over 18 weeks) and that seems to be the 'new normal,' at least until the season is expanded to 18 games (wait for it!). Since it's 100 percent likely that anyone reading this article is betting on NFL games, I'll start with an ATS recap of the 2021 season, comparing it to the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Home teams went 132-123-1(.518) two seasons ago (2019), the worst record since the advent of the 16-game schedule. Then, in 2020, home teams had a losing record for the FIRST time in history, going 127-128-1. One could argue that empty and partially empty stadiums played a role in that. However, that situation no longer applied in 2021. That said, home teams struggled again in 2021, finishing just 138-131-1 (.517) SU and 128-140-2 ATS (47.8%). Home dogs used to be considered 'money in the bank' but home 'puppies' were only 34-69 (.330) SU, although they were a more respectable 49-54 (47.6%) ATS. For those O/U bettors, I hope you were an 'under' bettor, as there were 146 unders, 123 overs and three pushes (that's 54.3% favoring the under). The best ATS teams were Dallas (13-4) and Green Bay (12-5), followed by Detroit which was 11-6, despite going 3-13-1 SU. FIVE teams went 10-7. The worst ATS records belonged to 3-14 Jacksonville (5-12 ATS) and 5-12 Carolina (5-12 ATS). The 6-11 Bears, plus the 4-13 Giants and the 4-13 Jets all finished 6-11 ATS. The Vikings were the best 'Over' team (11-6) with the Chargers, Chiefs, Eagles and Jets going 10-7. The best 'Under' team was the Broncos (12 unders-to-5 overs), followed by the Giants (11-5-1) and the Steelers (11-6).Come mid-August, I will be offering my top selections for team over/under win totals for the 2022 regular season and in this article, I will review the NFL playoff structure, THEN and NOW! The leagues merged in 1970 and the 'new' NFL (with 26 teams) reorganized into two conferences of three divisions each (AFC and NFC). For you old-timers or youngsters with a passion and appreciation for history, I highly recommend "The NFL, Year One" (The 1970 Season and the Dawn of Modern Football) by Brad Schultz. From the 1970 season to the 1977 season, four teams from each conference (for a total of eight teams) qualified for the playoffs each year, the three division champions plus a "wild card" team. Expansion came to the regular season in 1978, going from 14 games to 16. The league added one more wild card team for each conference, as the two wild card teams played the week before the division winners (wild card winner would then play the No. 1 seed from each conference). The 1990 season saw a third wild card team for each conference added, expanding the playoffs to twelve teams. The lowest-seeded division winner was then "demoted" to the wild card week, leaving the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in each conference with an opening 'bye week!'The 1990 format continued until the 2002 expansion (to 32 teams) and reorganization into eight divisions. In this format, the four division winners and two wild cards are seeded 1–6, with the top two seeds receiving byes, and the highest seed in each round guaranteed to play the lowest seed. There were calls to expand the playoffs to 14 teams beginning in 2006 but there were no changes made. However, the "COVID" season of 2020 brought the implementation of a 14-team playoff format, placing a third wild-card team in each conference, and only giving the top seed a bye. The current 14-team playoff field seems like the "new normal" but then again, don't bet on it.As we look ahead to what to expect in NFL 2022, we now have a two-decade history to look back on. On average, how many teams repeat their playoff appearance from one season to the next, compared to how many teams are making a playoff appearance the season after missing the postseason. As noted above, the 2002 playoff field expanded from 10 to 12 games and lasted through the 2019 postseason. So how many teams repeated their playoff appearance from the previous season, compared to teams making a playoff appearance after missing the postseason the previous year.Here's what my research revealed. 98 of 204 playoff teams repeated their playoff appearance from 2003 through 2019, while 106 teams were playoff 'newbies!' Doing the math, that means that on average, 48.0 percent of the teams were back in the playoffs the following season, while 52.0 percent of the teams were in the playoffs after missing the postseason the previous season. With the field expanding to 14 teams in 2020 (from 12), there were seven playoff participants from 2019 and seven non-playoff teams from 2019 in the 2020 field. For the 2021 postseason, six teams were playoff repeaters from 2020, while eight teams were new to the field from 2020.That's pretty consistent, so we should expect pretty much a 50-50 split, meaning about half of the coming playoff field will be teams that did NOT compete in last year's postseason. Just a thought. That kind of uncertainty ("On Any Given Sunday") just may be why the NFL stands atop the sporting world as "America's Game." Here's another great read, "America's Game" (The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation) by Michael MacCambridge,I'll be back next Wednesday (July 13th) with my first "real look" at NFL 2022. See you then.Good luck...Larry

2022 Clemson Tigers Preview

by Matt Fargo

Wednesday, Jul 06, 2022

Clemson Tigers2021-22 Season Record 10-3 (6-2 ACC Atlantic) - 5-8-0 ATS - 4-8-1 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 9Defense - 6OverviewMost any team would take back-to-back 10-win seasons but those can be considered downers for Clemson after having won at least 12 games in the previous five campaigns. Still very damn good and the Tigers will look to extend their 11 consecutive double-digit win seasons in 2022 and they once again have the firepower to do so. Last year was the first one since 2014 that Clemson was not ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll at some point in the season as it got to No. 3 and finished No. 14, the third lowest in the 11 years. Head coach Dabo Swinney has built one of the best programs in the country and it is not going anywhere as it should roll through the ACC once again with a loaded roster that will improve in areas it fell short in 2021. The Tigers have the fourth lowest odds to win the National Championship at +1,000 so expectations remain sky high along with the other usual suspects. OffenseThe offense was easily the downfall for Clemson as it was No. 95 in total offense and No. 79 in scoring offense as it had its worst quarterback play in quite some time. D.J. Uiagalelei was bad as he completed only 54.7 percent of his passes while throwing nine touchdowns and nine interceptions and while he will come in as the starter unless fall camp is a disaster, he needs to pick it up with Cade Klubnik, a five-star recruit from Austin who bucked the Longhorns, ready and waiting. There are big time playmakers at receiver to get the ball to as the top target is gone but the next two in line in Joseph Ngata and Beaux Collins return. The running game was decent with Will Shipley and Kobe Pace sharing the carries and putting up 1,268 yards and should evolve more behind a veteran offensive line that did its job and will be better in opening holes and pass protection. DefenseClemson has had a slight drop off on defense the last two seasons but very slight and it finished No. 9 overall and No. 2 in scoring defense, allowing only 15.0 ppg. The Tigers bring back six starters and while the two top tacklers have moved on, they are loaded at every level. The strength is the defensive line with four potential NFL players manning a great run stopping unit and the ability to get to the quarterback. Clemson finished No. 8 in rushing defense and had 42 sacks which was tenth most in the nation so they will once again be all over the place in opponent backfields. Some key losses took place in the linebacking corps but there is experience and of course talent. Clemson was not great against the pass last year and have a bunch to replace as it lost both corners but just like every level, the newcomers are not green and should step in and be just fine. 2022 Season OutlookClemson has been so good and so dominant that it has been an underdog during the regular season only two times since 2015 and despite all of the chalk, they are still up in the money. The Tigers closed last season with six straight wins and they can carry that into this season although momentum is not an issue. They open with a conference game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta and then have a pair of nonconference home games against Furman and Louisiana Tech before going fully into the ACC. Three of the next four games are on the road with a couple small tests but nothing they should not get through. The final four conference games are at home with a game at Notre Dame mixed in and that could decide CFP or bust since it is in November. The O/U wins are at 10.5 and while that is big, they will be favored in every game with ND possibly an exception.

2022 Cincinnati Bearcats Preview

by Matt Fargo

Wednesday, Jul 06, 2022

Cincinnati Bearcats2021-22 Season Record 13-1 (8-0 AAC) - 9-5-0 ATS - 6-8-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 8Defense - 5Overview2021 was a season of firsts for Cincinnati as it won a program best 13 games and became the first non-power conference team to make the College Football Playoff. The Bearcats have gone 44-7 over the last four years including a 29-3 record in the AAC and while a drop-off is expected, it should not be much of one. They have been in the top 45 in recruiting over the last three seasons so while a lot of non-power teams have to rebuild, they are simply reloading. Head coach Luke Fickell has done an outstanding job at Cincinnati and while he has been the talk of landing a bigger job over the last couple years, he has stuck it out and with the Bearcats heading to the Big 12 starting next season, he is not going anywhere at this point. There is experience at all levels but Cincinnati enters the season with a returning production ranking of No. 92 so nothing will come easy. OffenseQuarterback Desmond Ridder is gone as is leading rusher Jerome Ford and leading receiver Alec Pierce so star power has to be replaced. Ridder was outstanding and his numbers will not be duplicated but Evan Prater is capable of leading an offense that still has plenty around him. Four of the other five top receivers are back and they combined for 1,485 yards with 17 touchdowns so there will be numerous options for Prater. The running game is a little murkier as Ford and Ridder were the two top rushers with a combined 1,603 yards and the Bearcats hope LSU transfer Corey Kiner can produce right away as he was the No. 9 ranked running back in the 2021 recruiting class. The strength is the offensive line as all five starters are back and the unit helped Cincinnati finish No. 42 in sacks allowed and No. 6 in tackles for loss allowed and will ease the transition along. DefenseThis is where it will be interesting. The Bearcats had one of the top defenses in the nation last year as they finished No. 8 in total defense and No. 5 in scoring defense but have to replace six starters. The strength of the defense a season ago was against the pass but three of the four starters are off to the NFL and there is expected to be a big drop-off in the secondary. If it was a stronger conference then things could be really dicey but the AAC is not a lethal passing league and the early schedule should help the changeover. Two of the top linebackers are also gone and this poses a problem stuffing the run which was the weakness last season if being ranked No. 44 is considered a weakness. The defensive line is in fine shape with three important pieces returning. The Bearcats were tied for third in the nation with 30 takeaways and coming even close to that will be a bonus. 2022 Season OutlookExpectations are high but not to the level of what transpired last year and the Bearcats will have a target on their back every game. Cincinnati ran through the conference once again and should produce a repeat of that. The Bearcats open the season at a vastly improved Arkansas team and if they can pull off the upset as a touchdown underdog, another undefeated season is more than attainable if it can catch some breaks like last season. The other three nonconference games are against Kennesaw St., Miami and Indiana and while the AAC is not a strong conference, they face five teams with wins totals of six or more, three of those on the road, so there are roadblocks along the way. The Cincinnati O/U win total is 9 and while only three of its games last year were decided by a possession, expect that to be higher so if it can handle the close ones, double-digit wins are likely.

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/06/2022

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Jul 06, 2022

The Wednesday sports card features MLB action.Major League Baseball has 14 games on its schedule. The Cleveland Guardians visit Detroit to play the Tigers at 1:10 PM ET. Shane Bieber pitches for the Guardians against Michael Pineda of the Tigers. Cleveland is a -170 money line road favorite with the total set at 7.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 2:10 PM ET. Milwaukee plays at home against Chicago, with the Brewers giving the ball to Corbin Burnes to pitch against the Cubs’ Adrian Sampson. The Brewers are a -245 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Minnesota plays at Chicago with Joe Ryan pitching for the Twins against Lance Lynn of the White Sox. Both teams are priced at -110 with a total of 8.5. The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Oakland to play the A’s at 3:37 PM ET. The Blue Jays turn to Jose Berrios in their starting rotation against the A’s James Kaprielian. Toronto is a -180 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two more MLB games start at 6:40 PM ET. Los Angeles visits Miami with Shohei Ohtani pitching for the Angels against Trevor Rogers of the Marlins. The Angels are a -170 money line road favorite with a total of 7. New York plays at Cincinnati with the Mets tapping David Peterson to face the Reds’ Graham Ashcraft. The Mets are a -170 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Three MLB games begin at 7:05 PM ET. Texas is at Baltimore with Glenn Otto facing the Orioles’ Spenser Watkins. The Rangers are a -115 money line road favorite with a total of 9.5. Philadelphia hosts Washington with Aaron Nola taking the mound for the Phillies against Josiah Gray on the hill for the Nationals. The Phillies are a -215 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. New York travels to Pittsburgh with the Yankees pitching Luis Severino against the Pirates’ Mitch Keller. The Yankees are a -245 money line road favorite at BetRivers with a total of 9. The Boston Red Sox are at home against the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:10 PM ET. Brayan Bello makes his Major League debut on the mound for the Red Sox against Corey Kluber of the Rays. Boston is a -135 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Atlanta Braves host the St. Louis Cardinals on ESPN at 7:20 PM ET. The Braves turn to Max Fried in their rotation to pitch against the Cardinals’ Miles Mikolas. Atlanta is a -180 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Houston Astros play at home against the Kansas City Royals at 8:10 PM ET. Cristian Javier takes the mound for the Astros to duel against Brad Keller of the Astros. Houston is a -260 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The San Francisco Giants visit the Arizona Diamondbacks at 9:40 PM ET. The Giants turn to Alex Cobb to pitch against the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly. San Francisco is a -130 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Colorado Rockies play in Los Angeles against the Dodgers at 10:10 PM ET. Jose Arena got called up from the minors to take the hill for the Rockies against Mitch White for the Dodgers.

2022 Charlotte 49ers Preview

by Matt Fargo

Tuesday, Jul 05, 2022

Charlotte 49ers2021-22 Season Record 5-7 (3-5 C-USA East) - 5-6-1 ATS - 6-6-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 8Defense - 6OverviewThis is the eighth season for Charlotte playing college football and while there has not been a ton of success, it has been relatively competitive. The 49ers went to their first bowl game in 2019 following a 7-5 regular season but it has had two straight losing seasons heading into a possible turnaround in 2022. Charlotte was on its way to its second ever bowl game last season, winning five of its first nine games but closed the season with three straight blowout losses to finish 5-7. Head coach Will Healey enters his fourth season and will likely need a winning campaign and a trip to a bowl game to save his job. The 49ers bring back one of the most experienced offenses in the country so the potential is there on that side and they will have to outscore opponents because of a questionable defense. The schedule is on their side to get it done with three winnable conference road games. OffenseEight starters return on an offense that finished No. 66 in the country, averaging 404.3 ypg, and the unit comes into the season ranked No. 8 in returning production. Quarterback Chris Reynolds enters his fourth season as the full time starter and he was excellent last year, throwing for 2,684 yards with 26 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. The passing game can be even better as he has his top three weapons back led by Grant Dubose and Victor Tucker who combined for close to 60 percent of the receiving yards. The offensive line was decent with protection as it allowed 25 sacks and should cut that down as four starters are back. The running game lacks a go to star but it is a two-headed attack of Calvin Camp and Shadrick Byrd that combined for 1,218 yards on 5.0 ypc last season so the spread offense is balanced enough to keep defenses on their toes. DefenseThis is where the 49ers season will likely be decided. The defense was awful last season as Charlotte allowed 465.3 ypg which was No. 120 in the nation and each unit was bad as it finished No. 112 in passing defense and No. 116 in rushing defense. After allowing 38 points or more in half of their games, the 49ers have to improve in a hurry. There is experience coming back as they do return six starters but the players gone were some of the best. Charlotte lost three of its top four tacklers as the linebacking corps is the biggest work in progress. It will hope to apply more pressure to the quarterback as the 49ers had only 16 sacks last season which was tied for No. 118 in the nation and while the defensive line is small, it is quick to get into the backfield. The secondary is experienced and deep led by safeties Solomon Rogers and Marcus Robitaille but more takeaways are needed. 2022 Season OutlookIt is a make or break season for Healey who has a career 15-17 record in Charlotte and while he has not had any disastrous seasons, his teams have put up some individual game clunkers with 16 of the 17 losses coming by double-digits and by an average of 21.3 ppg. Not ideal. He has to take advantage of the offense he has in place and hope the defense can at least do an average job. The 49ers start conference play right out of the gate as they travel to face Florida Atlantic and then plays four straight non-conference games, three of which are likely losses. Two of the three remaining C-USA road games are winnable at Rice and Middle Tennessee St. and they should take three of the four conference games at home. The O/U win total is 5.5 so win the games it should and Charlotte will finish at least 6-6 and can be better if it can pull an upset or two along the way.

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/05/2022

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Jul 05, 2022

The Tuesday sports card features MLB action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The San Diego Padres host the Seattle Mariners at 4:10 PM ET. Mike Clevinger takes the ball for the Padres against Logan Gilbert for the Mariners. San Diego is a -130 money line favorite, with the total set at 7. Two MLB games throw out the pitch at 6:40 PM ET. New York plays at Cincinnati with the Mets pitching Max Scherzer against the Reds Nick Lodolo. The Mets are a -195 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Miami is at home against Los Angeles, with Sandy Alcantara taking the ball for the Marlins against Noah Syndergaard for the Angels. The Marlins are a -140 money line favorite with a total of 7.Three MLB games start at 7:05 PM ET. Baltimore hosts Texas, with the Orioles turning to Austin Voth in their starting rotation against the Rangers’ Spencer Howard. Baltimore is a -115 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Philadelphia is at home against Washington, with Cristopher Sanchez getting called up from Triple-A to make the start for the Phillies against Paolo Espino of the Nationals. The Phillies are a -155 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. New York travels to Pittsburgh with the Yankees going with Jameson Taillon on the mound against Jose Quintana for the Pirates. The Yankees are a -215 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two MLB games begin at 7:10 PM ET. Cleveland visits Detroit with the Guardians pitching Cal Quantrill against the Tigers Drew Hutchison. The Guardians are a -150 money line road favorite with a total of 9. Boston is at home against Tampa Bay on TBS with Nick Pivetta pitching for the Red Sox against Jeffrey Springs for the Rays. The Red Sox are a -125 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Atlanta Braves host the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:20 PM ET. The Braves turn to Ian Anderson in their starting rotation against the Cardinals Andre Pallante. Three MLB games start at 8:10 PM ET. Chicago plays at home against Minnesota with Michael Kopech pitching for the White Sox against Chris Archer of the Twins. The White Sox are a -130 money line favorite with a total of 9. Houston is at home against Kansas City with Luis Garcia pitching for the Astros against Zack Greinke of the Royals. The Astros are a -225 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Milwaukee hosts Chicago with the Brewers tapping Jason Alexander to start against the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks. The Brewers are a -140 money line favorite with a total of 9. Two MLB games begin at 9:40 PM ET. San Francisco travels to Arizona with Alex Wood pitching for the Giants against Tyler Gilbert of the Diamondbacks. Toronto plays at Oakland with the Blue Jays turning to Yusei Kikuchi to pitching against the A’s Adrian Martinez. The Blue Jays are a -190 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against the Colorado Rockies at 10:10 PM ET. Mitch White pitches for the Dodgers against German Marquez of the Rockies. The Dodgers are a -230 money line favorite with a total of 8.5.

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 07/04/2022

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Jul 04, 2022

The Monday, July 4th sports card features MLB and CFL action.Major League Baseball has 14 games on its schedule. The Miami Marlins visit Washington to play the Nationals at 11:05 AM ET. Braxton Garrett takes the ball for the Marlins against Patrick Corbin of the Nationals. Miami is a -115 money line favorite with the total set at 9.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The Texas Rangers play at Baltimore against the Orioles at 1:05 PM ET. The Rangers send Dane Dunning to the mound to pitch against the Orioles’ Dean Kremer. Both teams are priced as a -110 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Cleveland Guardians travel to Detroit to play the Tigers at 1:10 PM ET in the opening game of their doubleheader. Zach Plesac takes the ball for the Guardians against Garrett Hill for the Tigers. Cleveland is a -130 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Tampa Bay Rays play in Boston against the Red Sox at 1:35 PM ET. The Rays turn to Jalen Beeks as their opener to go against the Red Sox’s Michael Wacha. The MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:10 PM ET. Milwaukee hosts Chicago with Eric Lauer taking the mound for the Brewers against Justin Steele for the Cubs. The Brewers are a -150 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Kansas City plays at Houston with the Royals pitching Jonathan Heasley against a starting pitcher yet to be named for the Astros. The San Francisco Giants visit Arizona to play the Diamondbacks at 6:10 PM ET. Carlos Rodon takes his turn in the Giants' starting rotation against Madison Bumgarner for the Diamondbacks. San Francisco is a -175 money line road favorite with a total of 8. Three MLB games start at 6:40 PM ET. New York plays at Cincinnati with the Mets pitching Taijuan Walker against Hunter Greene of the Reds. The Mets are a -155 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Cleveland is at Detroit with Alex Faedo pitching for the Tigers against a starting pitcher yet to be determined for the Guardians in the nightcap of their doubleheader. San Diego hosts Seattle, with the Padres turning to Sean Manaea to duel against Chris Flexen of the Mariners. San Diego is a -175 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:20 PM ET. Kyle Wright pitches for the Braves against Dakota Hudson for the Cardinals. Atlanta is a -165 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Chicago White Sox are at home against the Minnesota Twins at 8:10 PM ET. The White Sox turn to Johnny Cueto in their starting rotation to pitch against the Twins’ Dylan Bundy. Chicago is a -185 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Oakland to play the A’s at 9:07 PM ET. Alek Manoah pitches for the Blue Jays against Cole Irvin of the A’s. Toronto is a -230 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against the Colorado Rockies at 9:10 PM ET. The Dodgers send out Julio Urias to pitch against the Rockies’ Kyle Freeland. Los Angeles is a -275 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Week 4 in the Canadian Football League concludes with the Winnipeg Jets playing at Toronto against the Argonauts at 7:30 PM ET. The two-time reigning Grey Cup Champion Blue Bombers won their third straight game to start the season with a 26-12 victory against Hamilton as a 5.5-point favorite on June 24th. The Argonauts fell to 1-1 on the year after a 44-3 loss at British Columbia as a 4-point underdog on June 25th. Winnipeg is a 5-point road favorite with an over/under of 42.5.

2022 Central Michigan Chippewas Preview

by Matt Fargo

Sunday, Jul 03, 2022

Central Michigan Chippewas2021-22 Season Record 9-4 (6-2 MAC West) - 8-5-0 ATS - 5-8-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 7Defense - 4OverviewCentral Michigan had the most experienced team coming back in the MAC last season and it took advantage by going 9-4 including a Sun Bowl win over Washington St. The Chippewas have only 11 starters back but that includes the quarterback and there is experience present with a lot of underclassmen getting time last season. Head coach Jim McElwain took over a 1-11 program in 2019 and has put together a 20-13 record including a 15-7 mark in the MAC and he looks to have this team trending up as the roster is now his but not with a ton of talent. Winning in the MAC West is never easy with Toledo and Northern Illinois in the mix and it will not be easy this season but projections are high even with a schedule that is not in their favor. Central Michigan has not gone to back-to-back bowl games since 2016-2017 and that finally could change barring something unforeseen taking place. OffenseThe offense had its best season under McElwain as it averaged 452.2 ypg which was No. 28 in the country and 33.0 ppg, good for No. 33 overall. Seven starters are back with a mix of key playmakers returning but also some significant losses. Quarterback Daniel Richardson came into his own last season as he completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 2,424 yards while throwing 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions. His experience off a great season counters the losses as gone are two of the top three receivers that combined for 1,533 yards but Dallas Dixon and his 696 yards and 15.8 completion average is back. Richardson was sacked 27 times last season and now he has to work behind an offensive line that lost his two tackles to the NFL. Running back Lew Nichols III rushed for 1,710 yards and will be an integral part of the offense again and should see little if any drop off. DefenseWhile the offense is in fine shape, the defense looks to be in big trouble. The Chippewas front six or seven depending on the scheme was outstanding last season as they finished No. 38 against the run which led the conference, and was No. 1 in the country in tackles for loss, averaging 8.2 per game and No. 4 in sacks with 3.3 per game. Now it is a redo as they lost seven starters including their two best pass rushers, their leading tackler and their two top linebackers. For the latter, Central Michigan has two good replacements but they are just sophomores and there is no depth. The defensive line is experienced with six senior and juniors so the push could be there but it is not the same talent. The problem was they finished No. 112 in passing defense and No. 95 in passing efficiency defense but they do have experience at cornerback while needing to replace the safeties. 2022 Season OutlookMcElwain is a big name coach with success at Colorado St. and Florida before arriving in Mount Pleasant but the recruiting has been lacking which is the case for a lot of the MAC. Despite the significant losses, the Chippewas can build on their five-game winning streak to end last season but it will take more than that to get through a difficult schedule. They open at Oklahoma St., arguably the best team in the Big 12, but then get two games at home against South Alabama and Bucknell before it gets ramped up against with another road game Penn St. The MAC slate is difficult with all West teams having projected O/U win totals at 5.5 or higher and they have to face Toledo and Northern Illinois on the road. The Chippewas own total is set at eight with seems very high for a team ranked No. 100 in returning production and a schedule that has only three sure wins and a lot of swingers.

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/03/2022

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Jul 03, 2022

The Sunday sports card features MLB action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Detroit Tigers host the Kansas City Royals on Peacock at 12:05 PM ET. Tarik Skubal takes the ball for the Tigers against Brady Singer of the Royals. Detroit is a -130 money line favorite with the total set at 7.5 (all odds from DraftKings). Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 PM ET. Miami visits Washington with the Marlins pitching Pablo Lopez against the Nationals’ Erick Fedde. Miami is a -135 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Milwaukee plays at Pittsburgh with Brandon Woodruff making the start for the Brewers against Jose Quintana for the Pirates. The Brewers are a -165 money line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The Toronto Blue Jays are at home against the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:37 PM ET. The Blue Jays turn to Ross Stripling in their starting rotation against the Rays’ Shane Baz. Toronto is a -135 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three MLB games start at 1:40 PM ET. New York plays at home against Texas, with Carlos Carrasco pitching for the Mets against Jon Gray of the Rangers. The Mets are a -140 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. New York visits Cleveland with the Yankees pitching Jordan Montgomery against the Guardians Triston McKenzie. The Yankees are a -165 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Atlanta plays at Cincinnati with Charlie Morton taking the mound for the Braves against Luis Castillo of the Reds. The Braves are a -155 money line road favorite with a total of 9. Two MLB games begin at 2:10 PM ET. Houston is at home against Los Angeles, with the Astros pitching Framber Valdez against the Angels’ Jose Suarez. The Astros is a -230 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Minnesota hosts Baltimore with Delvin Smeltzer taking the ball for the Twins against Tyler Wells of the Orioles. The Twins are a -165 money line favorite with a total of 9. The Boston Red Sox play at Chicago against the Cubs at 2:20 PM ET. Connor Seabold pitches for the Red Sox against Keegan Thompson for the Cubs. The Arizona Diamondbacks travel to Colorado to play the Rockies at 3:05 PM ET. The Diamondbacks give the ball to Zac Gallen to face Chad Kuhl of the Rockies. Arizona is a -120 money line road favorite with an over/under of 11.5. The Chicago White Sox play at San Francisco against the Giants at 4:05 PM ET. Lucas Giolito pitches for the White Sox against John Brebbia for the Giants. Two MLB games start at 4:10 PM ET. Los Angeles is at home against San Diego, with the Dodgers turning to Clayton Kershaw in their starting rotation against Mackenzie Gore for the Padres. The Dodgers are a -190 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. Seattle hosts Oakland with Robbie Ray pitching for the Mariners against Frankie Montas of the A’s. The Mariners are a -145 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2 at 7:08 PM ET has the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the St. Louis Cardinals. The Phillies turn to Zack Wheeler to duel against the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright. Philadelphia is a -135 money line favorite with a total of 7.5.

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 07/02/2022

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jul 02, 2022

The Saturday sports card features MLB and CFL action.Major League Baseball has 17 games on its schedule. The Tampa Bay Rays visit Toronto to play the Blue Jays in the opening game of their doubleheader at 12:07 PM ET. Shane McClanahan takes the mound for the Rays against Kevin Gausman for the Blue Jays. The New York Yankees play at Cleveland against the Guardians in the first game of their doubleheader at 12:10 PM ET after their contest on Friday got postponed because of rain. The Yankees get Gerrit Cole on the mound for the early after he was scheduled yesterday. He faces the Guardians Kirk McCarty. The Minnesota Twins host the Baltimore Orioles at 2:10 PM ET. Sonny Gray pitches for the Twins against Jordan Lyles of the Orioles. Minnesota is a -225 money line favorite with the total set at 9 (all odds from DraftKings). Four MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:05 PM ET. Philadelphia plays at home against St. Louis, with the Phillies pitching Kyle Gibson against the Cardinals Mathew Liberatore. The Phillies are a -130 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. San Francisco is at home against Chicago with Logan Webb taking the hill for the Giants against Dylan Cease of the White Sox. The Giants are a -140 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. Milwaukee travels to Washington with the Brewers pitching Aaron Ashby against the Pirates Bryse Wilson. Miami visits Washington with Daniel Castano going for the Marlins against Jackson Tetreault for the Nationals. Miami is a -120 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Five MLB games start at 4:10 PM ET. Seattle plays at home against Oakland on FS1 with George Kirby taking the ball for the Mariners against Paul Blackburn for the A’s. Seattle is a -180 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. Atlanta is at Cincinnati with the Braves turning to Spencer Strider against the Reds Tyler Mahle. The Braves are a -170 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Texas travels to New York with Martin Perez pitching for the Rangers against Trevor Williams for the Mets. Kansas City plays at Detroit with the Royals tapping Kris Bubic to go against the Tigers Beau Brieske. Houston hosts Los Angeles with Jose Urquidy pitching for the Astros against Patrick Sandoval for the Angels. The Rays pitch Drew Rasmussen against the Blue Jays Thomas Hatch in the second game of their doubleheader at 6:07 PM ET. The Yankees send out Nestor Cortes to pitch against the Guardians Aaron Civale in the nightcap of their twin bill at 6:10 PM ET. New York is a -150 money line road favorite with a total of 8. The Fox broadcast has two regional games at 7:15 PM ET. Boston plays at Chicago with Josh Winckowski pitching for the Red Sox against Alec Mills for the Cubs. The Red Sox are a -140 money line road favorite. Los Angeles hosts San Diego with Tyler Anderson taking the mound for the Dodgers against Yu Darvish for the Padres. The Dodgers are a -150 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Colorado Rockies play at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 9:10 PM ET to close out the card. The Rockies give the ball to Austin Gomber to duel against the Diamondbacks' Dallas Kuechel. Colorado is a -140 money line favorite with a total of 12.Week 4 in the Canadian Football League continues with the Saskatchewan Roughriders playing at home against the Montreal Alouettes on ESPN2 at 7 PM ET. The Alouettes upset the Roughriders in Montreal on June 23rd, 37-13, as a 2.5-point underdog. Saskatchewan is a 4.5-point favorite with an over/under of 46.

2022 California Golden Bears Preview

by Matt Fargo

Friday, Jul 01, 2022

California Golden Bears2021-22 Season Record 5-7 (4-5 Pac 12 North) - 7-5-0 ATS - 5-7-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 4Defense - 5OverviewCalifornia has won eight games only three times since 2009 and that has been the max so not much has gone right. Following only four games in 2020 with the program getting hit hard with COVID, 2021 was already at a disadvantage with limited playing time coming in despite 18 returning starters. Head coach Justin Wilcox has gone 26-28 in five seasons which is not terrible and it is a tough school to get blue chip players and the Golden Bears had the No. 60 recruiting class coming in this season. The cupboard is not totally bare but it is damn close as only nine starters are back which is the fewest in the Pac 12 so making a move in the North will be difficult. But good things could happen as this is a good coaching staff that can get the most out of their players as we saw in 2019 when the Golden Bears went 8-5 despite bringing back only 11 starters. A bowl game is a coin flip. OffenseCalifornia had their best offensive season under Wilcox but that is not saying much as it averaged 386 ypg and 23.8 ppg, No. 75 and No. 97 respectively. With only four starters back, there does not seem like much hope to improve the unit but there are some newcomers that could make a difference right away. At the top of the list is quarterback Jack Plummer who transferred in from Purdue after losing his starting job last season which is a head scratcher after completing 68.5 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and no interceptions in four games but never got another chance. The top two receivers are gone but that might not be an issue with Plummer having not worked with anyone. Also gone is leading rusher Christopher Brooks but he had just 607 yards on the ground and the offensive line needs to be retooled so there will be a lot of moving parts early on. DefenseThe Golden Bears defense was better than the offense but not by much. They allowed 370.1 ypg which was No. 55 in the country although the scoring defense was better where they allowed 22.3 ppg, good for No. 35. They were very inconsistent though as they allowed 17 points or less five times and 32 points or more four times and a lot of those inconsistencies were due to poor third down defense where they were No. 120 and that needs to improve immensely. Like the offense, there are a lot of replacements but the returning players are proven playmakers that will have to step up even more. The pass rush will get better with a pair of solid defensive ends and a linebacking corps that is the strength of the unit. The secondary allowed too many big plays early in the season and settled down later albeit against some poor passing offenses. Expect improvements there. 2022 Season OutlookWilcox has not had a season worse than two games under .500 but has had only two winning seasons and the average runs from Jeff Tedford and Sonny Dykes eventually cost them their jobs so Wilcox has to figure out how to get more wins. It might take a bowl game to save his job even as respected as he is and for a young team, the schedule is ideal. The Golden Bears open with UC Davis of the FCS at home and then host UNLV before travelling to Notre Dame. California then opens Pac 12 play against Arizona at home and then has swing games against Washington St. and Colorado on the road, feasibly putting it at 5-1 if things go right. The second half is much tougher but they get Washington, Oregon and UCLA at home. The O/U win total is 5.5 and it has a solid shot at the over based on the schedule but any early slips and surpassing that total will be tough.

2022 BYU Cougars Preview

by Matt Fargo

Friday, Jul 01, 2022

BYU Cougars2021-22 Season Record 10-3 (N/A) - 5-8-0 ATS - 6-7-0 O/UReturning StartersOffense - 8Defense - 11OverviewThis will be the 12th and final season for BYU playing as an Independent before joining the Big 12 next season and it has flourished playing a wide variety of schedules. The problem with no conference affiliation is that it does not get invited to a top level bowl with 2020 being the perfect example after going 10-1, it was rewarded with a trip to the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cougars have had only one losing season over this stretch, a 4-9 campaign in 2017 where they played an absolutely brutal top heavy schedule losing their first seven games against FBS teams. Going 21-4 over the last two seasons has put BYU back on the map and it is loaded for another big year with 19 returning starters and a ranking of No. 2 in returning production. Head coach Kalani Sitake is in his seventh season while building a great foundation and he has an opportunity to make his new conference take notice. OffenseBYU took a step back last season from 2020 on offense as it averaged more than 70 fewer ypg and put up 11 fewer ppg but of course that was with Zach Wilson at quarterback yet still finished in the top 30 in total offense, scoring offense and passing offense in 2021. Jaren Hall took over last season and was solid in 10 games where he threw for 2,583 yards and 20 touchdowns with just five interceptions and he should be even better. The real strength is the offensive line as BYU did lose one starter but is loaded and this is considered one of the best lines in the country that allowed only 15 sacks last season. The Cougars lost leading rusher Tyler Allgeier who ran for over 1,400 yards but the transfer portal and returning depth will make them just fine. Hall has three of his top four receivers back as well as tight end Isaac Rex so both rushing and passing offenses will thrive. DefenseThe defense was not great last season as BYU finished No. 74 overall, No. 77 in passing and No. 66 in rushing but it was opportunistic with 25 takeaways that led to a good scoring defense. Now it is time to make a huge leap. It is rare for a team to get every starter back but that is the case in Provo and after last season, they will be out to prove something. The Cougars had only 20 sacks last season which was tied for No. 98 in the country so they need a better pass rush and will get it with another year to develop. BYU had trouble against the run as it allowed 156.8 ypg, No. 58 overall, on 4.4 ypc and like the pass rush, it will get better as the linebackers are strong, versatile and deep. The secondary was solid with 15 interceptions, tied for No. 14 in the nation and that can go way up if they can increase that pressure to the quarterback. This unit will be flying around everywhere. 2022 Season OutlookMoving to the Big 12 will be monstrous for the program as recruiting will pick up with a chance to take even another step forward. 2022 is the focus right now though and BYU has the ability to create some momentum going into next season. It will not be easy based on the schedule as nine of their 12 games are against teams with a winning record from last season. Six are against proven perennial winners in Oregon, Baylor, Notre Dame, Arkansas (maybe not perennial but very improved), Boise St. and Stanford and only two of those are at home. There are six nearly guaranteed wins on the slate so it will take some upsets to get to double-digits which is more than possible with this roster. The O/U win total is 8.5 which is relatively low but the linesmakers have taken the schedule into consideration yet the Cougars should be able to sneak over that total.

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