Matt Rivers of OffshoreInsiders.com has a free pick winner for Saturday is on UCONN football +115 on the moneyline to South Florida.

With a Big East title and a BCS bowl berth on the line why not back Randy Edsall’s team up against a mediocre at best South Florida team who will probably be missing their quarterback.

The Bulls are alright, they do have some talent but all in all they are nothing special at all. South Florida just shocked Miami on the road in overtime but the Hurricanes are in a bit of disarray thanks to former coach Randy Shannon. The coach was a joke who somehow didn’t play Jacory Harris until the fourth quarter. The days of being highly ranked with Matt Grothe, Jason Pierre-Paul and George Selvie are gone and this current edition, and especially if without BJ Daniels, is just not very good.

I’m not at all saying that the Big East isn’t half a joke or that the Huskies are deserving of playing in a BCS Bowl but that is the situation right now. Plus UCONN is easily playing their best ball of the season and they boast a running back in Jordan Todman who is awesome and going to be playing somewhere on Sundays.

Edsall is a phenomenal coach who is highly coveted and in the near future more than likely will trade up and go to greener pastures. He has his guys in a position to win a fifth straight game and with everything on the line there’s no reason why they can’t win this game, even in semi hostile territory. Zach Frazier needs to just remain competent and manage the game and Todman needs to be Todman, which he seems to be game in and game out.

I will pass up a meaningless two points and take the plus money on the moneyline rolling with the red hot Huskies. If the number hits that field goal than go with your gut.

Top expert pick on this game: Connecticut outright from Matt Rivers.

For more information: It’s here, an ultra-rare highest rated 500,000* that will completely knock your socks off. One play and one play only (sort of). I’m passing up the rest of the college football slate including a team in Virginia Tech that I think is of solid value and I’m passing up the million hoop winners because I flat out have tomorrow’s newspaper with this game from Corvallis.

500,000* Lock of my Life in the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State along with a bonus present inside from this game as well. I had Stanford last week as a comp play in the burial of the Beavers. Am I fading Mike Riley’s boys again as Oregon is destined to win it all or is this an about face situation where the homefield means a ton? Rock, Solid, Lock. Click now to purchase

This week in NFL betting features a few teams on the playoff bubble plus some crucial divisional matchups.

Raiders (5-6) vs Chargers (6-5)

It’ll be interesting to see if the Raiders can stay within the betting spread, which has been stretched as far as 13 points at most books, now that quarterback Bruce Gradkowski is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Jason Campbell will get another shot this week. Two other high-impact players will be hobbled if they play this week for Oakland; tight end Zach Miller is battling a torn plantar fascia and Nnamdi Asomugha, the Raiders’ best defensive player, is battling a groin injury.

San Diego is plenty banged up, too. Vincent Jackson’s calf will keep him out again this week and Antonio Gates, dealing with the same injury as Zach Miller, doesn’t look like he’ll play. He’ll test his pain threshold on Sunday. Malcolm Floyd will try to play through a hamstring injury; Patrick Crayton is out long-term with a dislocated wrist. Is there anyone left for Phil Rivers to throw to? Maybe San Diego will keep running the ball. Ryan Mathews will return from his ankle injury this week and split carries with Mike Tolbert.

Falcons (9-2) vs Buccaneers (7-4)

It appears the Falcons will be relatively healthy for this crucial divisional showdown. Backup running back Jason Snelling hurt his hamstring last week and may not play, but most of Atlanta’s starters are good to go. William Moore, John Abraham and Curtis Lofton were limited in practice this week but shouldn’t miss any game time.

Tampa isn’t quite as lucky and sports betting sharps should take notice. Kellen Winslow (ribs) and Cadillac Williams (knee) are nicked up but should play; they’re not the problem. But the Bucs lost two starters to injury last week; guard Davin Joseph and safety Cody Grimm. Both are out for the season.

Cowboys (3-8) vs Colts (6-5)

The Cowboys are in tough against a desperate Colts team, but they finally got a blessing in disguise when totally the totally ineffective Marion Barber strained his calf. Third-string running back Tashard Choice, who may be better than both Barber and Felix Jones, should finally touch the ball this week. Keith Brooking didn’t practice all week but could still suit up for the Cowboys’ “D” on Sunday. Tony Romo’s broken collarbone will keep him out several more weeks.

The Colts’ injury woes aren’t improving much. Joseph Addai remains out with nerve damage in his shoulder, though Mike Hart (ankle) will return and spell Donald Brown. Austin Collie (concussion), Gary Brackett (toe), Kelvin Hayden (neck), and pretty much Indianapolis’ entire roster are game-time decisions.

Steelers (8-3) vs Ravens (8-3)

Is Ben Roethlisberger’s foot broken or not? The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says it is but the Steelers say it’s not, insisting that Big Ben just aggravated an old injury with scar tissue. Troy Polamalu is nursing an Achilles injury but he played through it the last two weeks.

While it won’t matter to fantasy football players, the Ravens will miss fullback Le’Ron McClain this week. His ankle injury will force him to miss the first game of his career.

Matt Rivers has a free pick Friday is on the Georgia Bulldogs -5 against UAB at SportsBook.

Mark Fox did an absolutely wonderful job in his first season in Athens and with the way Florida and some other teams are down in the SEC the Bulldogs have actually become at the very worst an average conference team and that is a great improvement from the garbage we have seen recently in the Dennis Felton era.

UGA is 4-2 so far on the season after just playing in that tournament down in Florida where they went 1-2 losing to a couple of quality teams in Notre Dame and Temple before beating Manhattan. That was not a great three game set for Trey Thompkins and the fellas as the win was even in very pedestrian fashion and by much less than the number. But I’m not all that concerned because this price at Stegman Coliseum is too cheap to pass up against a decent enough UAB squad but certainly not ne of the better Blazer teams we have seen in recent years.

I love the fact that the Dawgs looked shaky over the past week and now welcome in a team that is perceived as superior in this matchup. It can only give us some value and I’ll never pass that up that I can tell you. Thompkins is a potential NBA first rounder and Dustin Ware, Jeremy Price, Travis Leslie and the boys from Georgia are the nucleus of an up and coming and still a bit undervalued squad.

UAB is 6-1 with the lone decent enough win coming up against Arkansas. I’m not really all that sure what the Razorbacks are and truly am not that impressed as this UAB team has beaten some cupcakes in mediocre fashion.

Look for the Dawgs to grab the lead early and take care of business throughout.

The pick: Georgia -5

For more information: Matt Rivers says there’s nothing better than a little football action to go along with the hoops as we begin the three day weekend. A major 400,000* winner on the Eagles yesterday started things off and now I roll with a pair of plays today. The big one comes on the hardwoods in my 300,000* College Hoop Blowout of the Year as I absolutely expose a ridiculously weak line and proves it’s off by double digits. Bonus 200,000* in the MAC Championship final. Click now to purchase

Matt Rivers free pick Thursday is on the Cleveland Cavaliers +6 at home to Miami.

Why not?

To write a whole lot here would be overkill as we all know the situation like the back of our hand. Lebron comes home as the villain as the Cleveland fans are going to be out in full force going absolutely ballistic against him. The emotions are going to be high and more so on the Cavs side as that is where the venom is. You can see from soundbites and quotes over the last few days that King James sort of feels bad for the way he handled everything and to be honest with you will probably be a little psychologically down in the dumps. I really do not see him having a killer instinct and the way he and his mates have fared thus far in the early going has not been very good to begin with.

Miami did win easily yesterday over Detroit making this a back-to-back with travel situation and that alone is never easy. Throw in all of the drama and James was right when he said he is going to be drained in this thing. You know the fans are going to boo him every time he has the ball and Byron Scott’s players are going to go balls to the wall in order to win this game for the city of Cleveland and this thing truly is the franchise’ Super Bowl.

The Heat are clearly the far superior team but things have not been so great thus far and in the end I’ll take the fresher and more emotional squad plus a handful of points. Again I say, why not?

The pick: Cleveland Cavaliers at SportsBook

For more information: A tough Wednesday as Virginia Tech lost in overtime as the slight home dog and Butler blew a 10-point halftime lead laying 3 ½ in winning by 2. It’s gambling and it happens. The high quality handicapper that continues to believe in himself and go out producing more winners than losers is the one you need to listen to and I can tell you that is 100% without a doubt me and will be me once again tonight.

Both football winners are here led by a 400,000* on the NFL gridiron involving the Texans and Eagles along with a college 200,000* in this rivalry game between the schools from Arizona. My head is held high and I’m ready to go at it. Trust me and you’ll be very happy! Click now to purchase

Courtesy of OddsShark.com: Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The city of Cleveland gets set to greet their former star player, while the Texans take on the Eagles, and Arizona hosts rival Arizona State.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

The NFL’s Thursday night matchup this week has Houston at Philadelphia. The Texans (5-6 SU, 4-6-1 ATS) got back into the win column last time out, blanking the Titans in a 20-0 home victory. Matt Schaub threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns for Houston in that contest, and Arian Foster ran for 143 yards that day. The Eagles (7-4 SU, 5-6 ATS) fell 31-26 in Chicago over the weekend, as Michael Vick passed for 333 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 44 yards. Oddsmakers have the Eagles set as 8.5-point home favorites for Thursday, with the contest’s total at 51 points.

As well, there’s one college football game on tap for Thursday, with Arizona State at Arizona. The Sun Devils (5-6 SU, 6-2-1 ATS) beat UCLA 55-34 last week behind 380 passing yards and four touchdowns from Brock Osweiler. Cameron Marshall ran for 147 yards and a score for Arizona State in that victory. The Wildcats (7-4 SU, 3-7 ATS) have lost three straight games, falling 48-29 in Oregon to the top-ranked Ducks last week. Nick Foles still managed to throw for 448 yards with three touchdowns for Arizona that day. Arizona is listed as a 6-point home favorite for Thursday, with that total at 55 points.

It was yet another winning night for the Center of the Handicapping Universe to move to a 16-9 overall run.

What a great night of football betting. The Center of the Handicapping Universe has the Texans-Eagles side and total plus the Arizona State-Arizona side in college football. GodsTips is 5-2 the last seven in football including the Bears +162 on the moneyline. Get three Thursday night football winners. NBA has been added! Click now to purchase GodsTips Thursday card.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA has two games on tap for Thursday, with Phoenix at Golden State and Miami at Cleveland. The Heat/Cavaliers matchup will mark the return of LeBron James to Cleveland, where he’ll take on a Cavs team that sits at 7-10 SU and 8-8-1 ATS without him so far this season. The Cavaliers lost their tuneup for this game on Tuesday, falling 106-87 at home to the Celtics. Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson each scored 16 points for Cleveland in that defeat, while Varejao also picked up 12 rebounds in the losing cause. The Heat, who haven’t played up to expectations so far this year, will be coming off a home game against Detroit on Wednesday night. The Cavaliers and Heat met three times last year, and with LeBron in tow the Cavs won all three of those games.

There are also three games involving ranked teams on the college basketball schedule for Thursday, with Arizona State at No. 11 Baylor, No. 9 Missouri at Oregon, and UCLA at No. 4 Kansas. The fourth-ranked Jayhawks (6-0 SU, 3-1 ATS) bounced Arizona 87-79 last time out behind a 16-point performance from Marcus Morris. The Bruins (3-2 SU, 1-3 ATS) were beaten 89-85 by VCU in the third-place game at the Preseason NIT tournament in their most recent matchup, with Malcolm Lee tossing in 23 points that day.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are eight games on the NHL’s schedule for Thursday, with Tampa Bay at Boston, the Rangers at the Islanders, Atlanta at Pittsburgh, Montreal at New Jersey, Edmonton at Toronto, Washington at Dallas, Florida at Los Angeles, and San Jose at Ottawa. The 11-8-4 Sharks fell 5-3 at home to the Red Wings in their last game on Tuesday night, and they’ll be expecting a rude welcome in Ottawa on Thursday as forward Dany Heatley returns to face the team he forced a trade from last season. The 11-13-1 Senators were upended 4-1 at home by Edmonton in their last game on Monday. Nick Foligno had Ottawa’s lone goal that day, and Brian Elliott made 21 saves.

Matt Rivers has a winning sports pick Wednesday is on the Clippers +7 hosting San Antonio.

It’s not the easiest thing to make an argument for a 3-15 team up against a 15-2 team but in this spot I’ll take my chances on Blake and the home boys plus the points.

Sure Greg Popovich’ veteran club is completely rolling right now as the big three is still dangerous led these days by Manu Ginobili. Having the lefty shooter along with Duncan, Parker and others gives the Spurs a chance on any given night against anybody and obviously that includes the beat up and lowly Clippers. But with that said LA was able to man up against the one loss Hornets with Chris Paul last week as these guys are a lot more capable, injured or not, than the record indicates.

Baron Davis and Chris Kaman more than likely will miss again but Blake Griffin is a beast in the middle, Eric Gordon can really fill it up and a few others like Eric Bledsoe and Rasual Butler are capable enough.

The biggest issue tonight that is for us in my determination is the fatigue factor. It’s not like the Spurs are a young team anymore and tonight are playing in a back-to-back spot after the game in Golden State last night and are on the court for the third time in the last four days. The games were also not exactly what one would call easy on the legs as they ran with the high paced Warriors last night and in the previous two games had to try and contain Chris Paul and the quality Hornets after the loss against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks.

The Clippers haven’t played in a few days and have only been on the court once in the past five days. The talent advantage is certainly with the visiting Spurs but in the end I don’t think that will be the end all as the Clips will be fresh enough to grab that cash.

For more information: Matt Rivers says  it was an exciting game from Missouri that did not prove to be fruitful in the end. I’ll just shake it off and give the Hoyas some credit for gutting that thing out. A trio of winners today including a major 400,000* release in this game from Blacksburg between Purdue and Virginia Tech as the line is a solid 5 ½ points off, if not more. Bonus NBA 300,000* involving Indiana and Utah plus a 200,000* Butler-Loyola. Click now to purchase