Bobby Conn Sports Picks

50* Powerhouse Play on Mets -130

Before yesterday’s loss to the Dodgers (96-53) in the series opener, the Mets (76-71) had won four straight. As they host Los Angeles again tonight, New York will be aiming to cut into the three-game gap between themselves and the Cubs for the second Wild Card.

Although the Dodgers were first to earn a playoff berth, they entered the series with only a single win out of their last five contests against a team with a winning record. Before yesterday’s game, the Mets were a perfect 5-0 in their last five against NL West competition.

Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-5, 2.45 ERA), who starts for the Dodgers tonight, spent the vast majority of 2019 as one of the premier pitchers in the majors. Yet over his past four starts, the Los Angeles left-hander has posted a 9.95 ERA. As the Dodgers near postseason baseball, they hope skipping over Ryu once in the rotation will help him return to form.

Right-hander Jacob deGrom (9-8, 2.70 ERA) starts for the Mets. Despite his near-even record, deGrom is in the middle of a tight race for the NL Cy Young award. Over his past 20 starts, deGrom has posted a 2.20 ERA. As Ryu has fallen back to the pack, deGrom has continued his surge forward with seven innings of one-run ball in his last outing.

50* Powerhouse Play on Orioles +115

While the Orioles (48-99) are winners of two of their last three, the Tigers (43-103) have lost three straight. Tonight in Detroit, Baltimore will aim to avoid joining their opponents in the triple-digit-loss club.

On the mound for the visitors will be Gabriel Ynoa (1-8, 5.79 ERA). The Orioles right-hander had a good outing against the Rays in his last start, which came in early September. In that matchup, Ynoa allowed only two runs over 6 1/3 innings.

For the Tigers, left-hander Daniel Norris (3-12, 4.72 ERA) will start. As Norris nears his innings limit for the season, he’s been pitching three innings at a time. Over his last fifteen innings (five outings), Norris has let up five runs on 10 hits and five walks while striking out 14.

The Orioles offer different club leaders for each major batting category. Hanser Alberto leads the team with a batting average of .318, Trey Mancini leads the team with 31 homers, and Renato Nunez leads the team with 82 RBIs.

While Baltimore isn’t the most prolific offensive roster in the majors, Detroit has been even worse. The Tigers have scored just 537 runs and have an on-base percentage of just .295, both of which are the worst in the MLB.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Diamondbacks -113

Following a tough series against the Mets and a loss in the current series opener, it’s fair to say the Diamondbacks (75-73) are due for a win. Tonight, Arizona will play host to the Reds (69-79).

For Cincinnati, right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (9-8, 4.06 ERA) gets the start. Over his last five starts, DeSclafani has struck out 27 in 31 innings while posting a 2.32 ERA. In his last outing, Arizona managed to score three runs, including a two-run blast, over six innings.

For Arizona, right-hander Merrill Kelly (10-14, 4.68 ERA) will start. In his last outing, Merrill gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings against the Mets. If not for Pete Alonso, who hit two solo shots, Merrill would have enjoyed a great start.

Kelly isn’t as poor as his record might let on. With a 3.17 run support average, which is the fifth-lowest in the majors, Kelly has done well to earn a 5-5 record and 3.50 ERA at home.

Eduardo Escobar leads the D-Backs with 34 home runs and 113 RBIs. Ketel Marte, who has a home run off DeSclafani, is batting a club-leading .327 on the year.

50* Powerhouse Play on Hawaii +22 -110

Following a pair of impressive home victories, the Rainbow Warriors of Hawai’I (2-0) will go on the road to take on the #23 Washington Huskies (1-1).

Hawai’i is known for scoring points, and they’ve done just that through their first two games by averaging 37 per game. An opening game win over Arizona was followed by a 31-28 victory over the Oregon State Beavers. Despite a strong start, the Rainbow Warriors are getting 22 points in this upcoming contest.

Washington looked great in their 47-14 drubbing of Eastern Washington. However, a tough 20-19 loss at the hands of Cal brought the Huskies’ average points per game down to 32.

It’s fair to say that Hawai’i junior quarterback Cole McDonald is a gunslinger. So far, McDonald has racked up 799 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. With a strong Washington defense searching for turnovers, McDonald will need to take better care of the football.

The Rainbow Warriors have put up 542 yards per game thus far, which is good enough for 14thin the nation.

After a 349-yard performance in the first game of the season, Washington quarterback Jacob Eason threw for just 162 yards and a pick in last week’s loss to California. A decent game out of Eason alongside a Huskies defense that ranks 48thin the country in yards allowed should be good enough to win, but they’ll need to score at a high clip if they’ll make up the 22 points they’re laying in this one.

50* Powerhouse Play on USC -3½ -110

After a big win over #23 Stanford, the #24 USC Trojans (2-0) look to stay unbeaten as they go on the road to take on the unranked BYU Cougars (1-1).

After falling behind 20-10 against the Cardinal, USC scored the final 35 points of the game to get an impressive victory over Stanford. After two games, the Trojans are averaging 37 points per game while giving up 21.

The Cougars were expected to lose to #14 Utah in the season opener, and they did so by a score of 30-12. BYU faced Tennessee next, needing double overtime to win by three points. So far, BYU is averaging 20 points for and 27 points against.

The visitors come into this matchup as 3.5-point favorites, and the spread should be even bigger if USC will get a repeat performance out of freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis. In his first career start, Slovis was 28 of 33 for 377 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks.

Although quarterback Zach Wilson was able to lead the Cougars on a game-tying drive before an eventual 2OT win last week, he may have trouble finding time to pick out receivers with an offensive line allowing pressure. Wilson was 19 for 29 with 232 yards and a TD against Tennessee.

Following a win by 20 or more points, USC is 5-2 out of their last seven against the spread.

50* Powerhouse Play on Miami-OH +18½ -110

The Redhawks of Miami of Ohio (1-1) will travel into Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats (1-1) in a noon kickoff on Saturday.

While Miami is coming off a 48-17 trouncing of Tennessee Tech, Cincinnati will be looking for a comeback performance after a dreadful 42-0 defeat at the hands of #5 Ohio State.

With the Redhawks getting 18.5 points in this contest, it’s worth noting that Miami of Ohio lost to #20 Iowa by 24 points. On average, Miami has scored 30 points per game while allowing 27. After the shutout loss, Cincinnati has averaged just 11 points per game while giving up 27.

If Miami is going to keep this game close, they’ll likely need a bigger performance through the air from quarterback Brett Gabbert. In his first two games, the freshman QB threw for 186 and 152 yards. Gabbert provides a threat on the ground as well, but the Redhawks will need his arm against a good Cincinnati defense.

While it’s no surprise that Cincinnati lost to Ohio State, the 42-0 score line was a bit of a shocker for most. Sophomore quarterback Desmond Ridder threw for just 166 yards and a pick against the Buckeyes, and might need a few plays to shake off that rough outing.

Against the spread, Cincinnati is 0-5 coming off a game in which they allowed 40 or more points.

50* Powerhouse Play on Louisville -10 -109

A pair of unranked 1-1 teams will face off in a neutral location as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers go up against the Cardinals of Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee.

After a 35-28 defeat to Central Arkansas, Western Kentucky bounced back to beat Florida International by a score of 20-14. After both contests, the Hilltoppers are averaging 24 points and giving up an average of 24.

Louisville also lost on opening week, but they played tough against #9 Notre Dame. The Cardinals showed they’re not a pushover after putting up 17 against the Irish before dominating Eastern Kentucky 42-0. Per game, Louisville scores 29 points and allows 17.

Getting 10 points, the Hilltoppers will need to be more careful with the ball if they’re going to compete with Louisville. Against FIU, Western Kentucky forced zero turnovers and coughed the ball up twice, one of which was a pick-six.

Western Kentucky racked up 339 yards of total offense and held Florida International to just 217, but the level of competition will be much higher this Saturday.

It felt like Louisville was letting out some frustration after letting the Notre Dame game get away from them as the Cardinals ran up the score against Eastern Kentucky. Louisville earned 542 yards of total offense while allowing just 172 yards.

Louisville quarterback Jawon Pass is 24 of 46 for 330 yards and four touchdowns alongside one interception.

1* Free Play on Central Florida -8 -110

An interesting non-conference game in Orlando pits the Stanford Cardinal (1-1) against the #17 Knights of Central Florida.

After a strong outing against Northwestern in an opening game victory, Stanford struggled mightily against USC on the road in week two. After the 45-20 loss, Stanford is averaging 18 points per game while giving up 25.

UCF has picked up where it left off the last two seasons after earning a 62-0 win over Florida A&M before crushing Florida Atlantic by a score of 48-14. Facing its toughest task yet, UCF will test its 54 points-per-game average.

After jumping out to a 20-10 lead against USC, the Trojans scored the next 35 points to take care of Stanford. Such a result could have been expected with Stanford playing without its first-team AP All-American left tackle and starting quarterback. K.J. Costello, who went 16 of 20 for 152 yards and a touchdown in Stanford’s opener, is expected to return at QB.

Without left tackle Walker Little, Costello faces an uphill battle after the Cardinal were outgained by a tally of 492-335 against USC.

After a similar line last week, the often-underestimated Knights are giving up eight points to Stanford in this contest. Against FAU, UCF earned 574 yards of offense while giving up 314. As the eighth-ranked scoring offense in FBS with 55 points per game, UCF provides a balanced attack that’s averaging 325 rushing yards and 309 passing yards per game.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on New Mexico State +16 -110

It’s Aggies versus Aztecs on Saturday night as 0-2 New Mexico State plays host to 2-0 San Diego State.

San Diego State is coming off an upset 23-14 win over UCLA a week ago. So far, the Aztecs are scoring 14 points per game but allowing just six, due in large part to their shutout victory over Weber State to kick off the season.

New Mexico State may be winless through two games, but both were against quality opponents. After kicking things off against #23 Washington State, the Aggies went into Tuscaloosa to face #2 Alabama. Both games, which were on the road, ended in losses of at least 50 points.

San Diego State will need to be sharp if they’ll cover a 16-point spread on the road. That means the Aztecs will be counting on an efficient performance from running back Juwan Washington, who’s averaging 96 yards per game.

However, it’s the defense that leads the Aztecs. A solid UCLA team managed just 261 yards against the San Diego State D last week. Against the run, the Aztecs rank eighth in the nation.

Despite strong competition, New Mexico State quarterback Josh Adkins has looked pretty good. Although he’s thrown two picks versus one touchdown, Adkins is completing 65% of his passes and put up 366 total yards against two ranked opponents.

Against the spread, San Diego State is 2-8 out of their last 10 games overall.

50* Powerhouse Play on TCU -1½ -110

Thus far, the TCU Horned Frogs (1-0) have played just one game, a 39-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Saturday night, TCU will go into Ross-Ade Stadium to take on the Purdue Boilermakers (1-1).

Favored by 1.5 points in this contest, the Horned Frogs figure to be in the mix when it comes to the Big 12 title.

Although TCU went up against an FCS opponent in their first game of the year, they certainly took care of business. With 200 yards on the ground and 284 yards through the air, the Horned frogs carried an advantage of 484-215 yards of total offense over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The most intriguing part of Saturday’s matchup should be TCU’s pass defense against Purdue’s pass offense. The Horned frogs gave up just 114 yards through the air in their opener, and Purdue is third in the nation after putting up 466 yards per game thus far.

In last week’s win over Vanderbilt, Purdue quarterback Elijah Sindelar threw for 509 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. However, the Boilermakers managed just two yards per carry on the ground.

Purdue’s defense could be in trouble after allowing 420 yards to Vanderbilt through the air.

50* Powerhouse Play on Georgia -32½ -109

The 1-1 Arkansas State Red Wolves face a very tall task Saturday as they go into Athens to take on the #3 Bulldogs of Georgia (2-0).

Arkansas State has been able to put up points so far this season, scoring an average of 36 after scoring 43 in last week’s win over UNLV. With 93 total points through two weeks of play, Georgia has scored even more. With an average of 46 points scored and 11 points allowed per game, Georgia has gotten off to a fast start.

Although the Red Wolves were good against UNLV, they allowed almost 200 yards on the ground. That’s a scary statistic as they come up against a Bulldogs rushing attack that averaged 6.7 yards per attempt and racked up 269 yards last week against Murray State.

Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm hasn’t been lighting up the passing numbers, but he hasn’t needed to. In his first two games, Fromm has thrown for 156 and 166 yards, but only had one incompletion a week ago. If the running game has the success we expect, Fromm could become deadly on play-action passing plays.

Following a win by 20 or more points, Georgia is 14-5 in their last 19 games against the spread.