MI_Fan

Cole is an incredible pitcher but to have him favored in his first start off the injured list seems a bit much. Yankees bullpen will likely need to go at least four or five innings and I don't think they can handle the O's bats for that long. 

At what point do they have to worry about sponsor guarantees? If this thing ends in a sweep or even five games, Disney is going to have to return some cash to advertisers, I'd guess.

Zaslav looks like a genius for saying no to the insane TV deal on the table. There's no way NBC will make its money back with ratings near 1980's levels.

I know Vegas is sweating heavy money on Indiana and wanting the Celtics to win in short order, but the TV studios are more important and they will be howling if the ECF is finished with brooms or even a gentleman's sweep.

And with Vegas now predicting the WCF to likely be done in only five games...woof.

Maybe. Or this is what Boston is. They kind of bared their behind again last night. I would guess this version of the Celtics shows up again in the series. They are a better regular season team than playoff squad.

I would feel better obviously if they pulled today out but I think a close loss in Game One is a good confidence builder and a pretty solid motivator to turn this into a six or seven game series.

Oddly, even after the L I feel better about my bet.

@gotime

 How do you come up with a novel defensive scheme with under seven days of preparation when you rolled out the same ol' stuff against Texas on four weeks' rest?

What approach do you take when implementing a hedging strategy? I currently have a $1,000 ticket on Michigan to win the CFP at +170. 

Washington looks like a threat on paper and I want to make sure I reduce some of my exposure by betting the Huskies on the moneyline. How much would you throw on that?

With Stroud at qb. Harrison is only as dynamic as the man throwing him the ball. McCord is a significant step down and the rushing threat hasn't been there either. A lot less to think about when scheming against OSU this year. 

I don't think Ohio State has the offense to run away from Penn State. Even if they get traction between the 20's they will bog down in the red zone and settle for field goals. 

Penn State will pull a Michigan and take shots down field to open up the running game. They'll lead 10-6 at half and then grind down the clock to a 24-13 type win. Could be a greater margin if McCord turns it over. 

The Nittany Lions will be on the road with a freshman quarterback at the shoe but they counter with an elite defense. 

PSU and Franklin have to be desperate to beat the Buckeyes. This is their best chance in years. I like PSU's offense more than Ohio State's. Give me the Nittany Lions for the mild upset.

@gambleforfood

 Weren't they -14.5 against Cincinnati? I seem to remember them not covering that game. 

Agree with Maryland and UNC.

Ohio is really good but I make a habit of avoiding +26 lines in conference. Kent State is bad but four scores is asking a lot.

Utah's atmosphere and elevation have caused USC fits for years. Florida is not better than USC right now.

Revenge game, solid Utah defense, and high elevation is a tough assignment for a team playing its first game. Florida will be sucking wind in quarter four.

As a guy who lives in Minnesota now, I can say locally no one is worried about the things being mentioned on this thread. Minnesota's schedule with trips to Chapel Hill and Columbus are more concerning than a mostly meaningless media kerfuffle trying to turn Minnesota into Northwestern. It lasted all of five minutes. 

The Gophers have been very good defensively for most of Fleck's tenure. Shouldn't be different this year and a primetime home game is not ideal to be breaking in a new offensive scheme. 

This feels like Harbaugh's first game at Michigan. Nebraska isn't ready to win in Minneapolis yet. Ruhle did not get great results in year one either of his last two stops. Transfer portal should help but don't underestimate the difficulty of turning around a broken program. That's especially true on the defensive side of the ball. 

The game is already sold out. Locally, people think Fleck has something special in this group. I like Minny by ten, 24-14.

Tigers ML

Detroit has lost four of five, but Cleveland has a truly anemic AL offense. I trust the young cub Skubal to get the job done on the mound. 

Cleveland doesn't have Plesac to twirl a gem tonight either. Progressive Field has been a house of horrors for the Tigs. Due for a couple dubs there.

The Mets aren't known for giving deGrom a ton of support and Citi Field in April tends to play to close, low-scoring affairs. That alone makes the ML tempting. Throw in the screw job Thursday and a 1-6 Marlins team desperate for a win....I like taking the shot here.