Cougars will look to improve to 7-0 on Thursday night, while the Tampa Bay Rays will try to advance to the World Series. Here’s a look in your Daily Sports Roundup. Don’t forget to check everything you need to know on who to bet on tonight.

The Gridiron Spotlight

The 6-0 Cougars haven’t exactly had a murderer’s row of opponents so far this season, which is part of the reason why they’re only at No. 9 in the rankings despite the perfect mark. As well, BYU hasn’t even been lucrative for bettors – they’re just 2-3 against-the-spread on the season. Thursday should be their toughest test to date, as they’ll play on the road against 6-1 (4-2 ATS) TCU. The Cougars are sitting as only 1-point favorites.

The other college football game on the schedule for Thursday sees Florida State at North Carolina State (official betting preview). The Seminoles are 4-1 (2-1 ATS) on the season, and they beat Miami 41-39 last time out. The 2-4 (3-2 ATS) Wolfpack fell 38-31 to Boston College in their last game. The oddsmakers have the Seminoles pegged as 11-point favorites.

Other Notable Events

Tampa Bay can end Boston’s season on Thursday night with a win in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series (get sold out MLB playoff tickets) . The Rays were all over the Red Sox in Game 4 on Tuesday night, blasting three home runs for a 13-4 win and a 3-1 lead in the series.

The Red Sox will go with Daisuke Matsuzaka at home in Game 5 as they try to stave off elimination. Dice-K has already pitched his team to a win over the Rays in the ALCS, tossing seven shutout innings and giving up just four hits (while fanning nine) back in Game 1. Matsuzaka got a no-decision in his only start against the Angels in the ALDS.

The Rays were scheduled to go with James Shields on Thursday, but instead they’ll move up Scott Kazmir to make the start. Kazmir picked up a no-decision in Game 2 of this series, allowing five earned runs on six hits over just 4 1-3 innings of work (and striking out two). The lefthander had some success at Fenway Park back in September, surrendering just two earned runs on five hits over six innings of work in a no-decision.

The Rest of the Schedule

The latest guy wire tells us that Denis Savard is out, Joel Quennville in as the Chicago Blackhawks coach.

There are seven National Hockey League games on tap for Thursday night, including a matchup of winless teams when Philadelphia plays in Denver against the Avalanche. Also on the schedule: New Jersey at Atlanta, Vancouver at Detroit, Washington at Pittsburgh, the Islanders at Tampa Bay, Minnesota at Florida, and Dallas at St. Louis.

News from the Wire

The Cowboys picked up wide receiver Roy Williams from the Lions prior to the NFL’s trade deadline, but they have lost cornerback Adam Jones to a suspension . . . Browns tight end Kellen Winslow is expected to return from his illness this weekend . . . Bengals running back Cedric Benson could see an increase in playing time starting this week . . . embattled Senators goalie Martin Gerber will get the start against Phoenix on Friday.

A Peek at the Future

Friday’s lone college football game sees Hawaii playing on the road against No. 15 Boise State; the Broncos are pegged as big 24.5-point favorites in that contest . . . the injury to Tony Romo has dropped the Cowboys to just 6.5-point favorites against the Rams on Sunday afternoon . . . Jimmie Johnson opened as the 7/2 Vegas favorite to win the Sprint Cup’s Tums QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon.