Frank Sawyer: Expert Sports Betting Picks for Sale

Take Under the Total in the game between the UNLV Rebels and the Fresno State Bulldogs. UNLV (2-4) comes off a 34-10 upset win at Vanderbilt last Saturday. The Rebels have played 4 straight games Under the Total after a win by at least 20 points. UNLV has also played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total on the road. Fresno State (2-3) looks to bounce-back from their 43-24 loss at Air Force last Saturday. The Bulldogs return home where they have played 6 straight games Under the Total against teams with a losing record on the road. Fresno State has also played 21 of their last 26 games Under the Total in conference play. Take the Under. Best of luck — Frank.

Frank Sawyer’s Hollywood Sports was a WINNING 4-1 in All-Sports on Thursday to further their SCORCHING 14 of 16 (88%) All-Sports run since Sunday night! Frank DELIVERED his 25* CFB Thursday ESPNU Total of the Year last night with the Louisiana-Arkansas State Under to improve their 34 of 53 (64%) CFB mark for the ’19-20 season which has also continued their RED HOT 47 of 68 (69%) CFB run going back to last season Bowl Bonanza! Now Frank furthers his 7 of 10 (70%) CFB Game of the Year mark for 2019 by UNLEASHING his 25* CFB Friday CBS Sports Network Game of the Year for tonight’s UNLV-Fresno State O/U winner at 10 PM ET! DO NOT MISS OUT!

At 7:00 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the Syracuse Orange (312) plus the points versus the Pittsburgh Panthers (311). THE SITUATION: Syracuse (3-3) saw their two-game winning streak snapped last Thursday with their 16-10 loss at NC State as a 4.5-point underdog. Pittsburgh (4-2) has won three straight games with their 33-30 upset win at Duke as a 3.5-point underdog back on October 5th.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ORANGE PLUS THE POINTS: This is a critical game for this Syracuse team that is finishing a run of four games at home in five contests — they will then be on the road for three of their next four contests. The Orange remain winless in ACC play with losses to Clemson and the Wolfpack last week. But this is a team that has still covered the point spread in 6 of their last 8 games after winning two of their last three games. The Orange did not commit a turnover in that game against NC State — and they have covered the point spread in 10 of their last 13 games after not committing more than one turnover in their last game. Syracuse entered this season with high expectations with thirteen starters back from last year’s 10-3 squad that defeated West Virginia by a 34-18 score in the Camping World Bowl. This was considered the best roster yet for head coach Dino Babers in his four years with the program. Over their last three games, the offense has picked up under quarterback Tommy Devito has they are scoring 34.3 PPG along with averaging 430.3 total YPG.  The Orange have also held their last three opponents to just 17.3 PPG along with only 353.0 total YPG. Syracuse has covered the point spread in 7 of their last 10 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. Pitt benefited from six Blue Devils turnovers in their victory almost two weeks ago. But the Panthers have failed to cover the point spread in 8 of their last 12 games after forcing at least five turnovers in their last game. Pitt survived that game despite committing four turnovers of their own. The Panthers have failed to cover the point spread in 29 of their last 41 road games after committing at least three turnovers in their last game — and they have failed to cover the point spread in 12 of their last 15 games on the road after turning the ball over at least four times in their last game. A 26-yard interception return for a touchdown made the winning difference against Duke — but Pitt only rushed for 69 yards which were their second-lowest rushing total of the season. The Panthers have then failed to cover the point spread in 27 of their last 37 road games after failing to rush for at least 100 yards in their last game — and they have failed to cover the point spread in 15 of their last 19 games after failing to rush for at least 75 yards in their last contest. Pitt is scoring only 21.5 PPG this season which is 107th in the nation. And while they have covered the point spread in four of their five boarded games this season, they have then failed to cover the point spread in 14 of their last 21 games after covering the point spread in four of their last five games.

FINAL TAKE: Syracuse will also be motivated to avenge a 44-37 upset loss in overtime last year where they were 3-point road favorites. Look for another close game with the Orange having a good chance to pull the upset (but take the points for some insurance). 10* CFB Pittsburgh-Syracuse ESPN Special with the Syracuse Orange (312) plus the points versus the Pittsburgh Panthers (311). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:08 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Houston Astros (921) with the money-line versus the New York Yankees (922) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and James Paxton. THE SITUATION: Houston (113-58) took a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series last night with their 8-3 victory. New York (107-62) has lost three straight games.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ASTROS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Houston should build off the momentum of their victory last night. The Astros have won 39 of their last 53 games after a win — and they have won 35 of their last 51 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. This Houston team has also won 10 of their last 13 games on the road. They give the ball to Verlander who was 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP in thirty-three starts. The right-hander was more effective on the road during the regular season where he had a 0.76 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .164 in seventeen starts as compared to his 0.84 WHIP and .180 opponent’s batting average at home. Verlander had one bad outing in this postseason when he was pitching on three days of rest — he still has a 3.11 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP with 19 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings in these playoffs. And in his career in the playoffs, Verlander has a 3.34 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP in 161 2/3 innings of work. He comes off a strong outing in Game Two of this series where he allowed only two runs in 6 2/3 innings — and the Astros have won 10 of their last 14 games with Verlander looking to follow up a Quality Start. Furthermore, Houston has won 30 of their last 39 games with Verlander pitching on the road — and they have won 11 of their last 14 road games with Verlander facing a team with a winning record. And in their last 4 games with Verlander facing the Yankees, the Astros have won all 4 games. I took New York yesterday because I thought it was a must-win situation with this Verlander-Paxton being not as favorable a matchup. It is telling that the Yankees are rare home underdogs tonight — and they have lost 3 of their last 4 home games as an underdog priced in the +125 to +175 range. Paxton was 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in twenty-nine regular seasons starts. But the lefty has not fared as well in his debut in the postseason as he has a 5.14 ERA with a 1.71 WHIP in seven innings over two appearances.

FINAL TAKE: The Yankees have lost 6 of their 8 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. Houston has won 40 of their last 52 road games against left-handed starting pitchers. 10* MLB Houston-NY Yankees FS1-TV Special with the money-line on the Houston Astros (921) with the money-line versus the New York Yankees (922) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and James Paxton. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:08 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Houston Astros (921) and the New York Yankees (922) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and James Paxton. THE SITUATION: Houston (113-58) took a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series last night with their 8-3 victory. New York (107-62) has lost three straight games.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Under is now 4-1-1 in the Astros’ last 6 games in the playoffs. Additionally, Houston has seen the Under go 11-5-1 in their last 17 games on the road. They give the ball to Verlander who was 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP in thirty-three starts. The right-hander was more effective on the road during the regular season where he had a 0.76 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .164 in seventeen starts as compared to his 0.84 WHIP and .180 opponent’s batting average at home. Verlander had one bad outing in this postseason when he was pitching on three days of rest — he still has a 3.11 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP with 19 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings in these playoffs. And in his career in the playoffs, Verlander has a 3.34 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP in 161 2/3 innings of work. He comes off a strong outing in Game Two of this series where he allowed only two runs in 6 2/3 innings — and the Astros have played 18 of their last 26 games Under the Total with Verlander looking to follow up a Quality Start. Houston has played 7 of their last 9 road games with Verlander facing a team with a winning record — and they have played 19 of their last 24 games Under the Total with Verlander pitching at night. The Astros have also played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total with Verlander facing the Yankees. New York has played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. Additionally, the Yankees have played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total in the playoffs — and they have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total against a team that scored at least five runs in their last game. They counter with Paxton who was 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in twenty-nine regular-season starts. The left-hander was much better at home in Yankee Stadium where he had a 3.35 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .211 in fifteen starts as compared to his 4.33 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and .274 opponent’s batting average on the road.

FINAL TAKE: Both of these teams are not swinging hot bats right now (a de-juiced baseball?). Houston is scoring only 3.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .196 batting average, .265 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .618 over that span. The Yankees are hitting only .241 over their last seven games with a .760 OPS. 25* MLB American League Playoff Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Houston Astros (921) and the New York Yankees (922) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and James Paxton. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:00 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the Fresno State Bulldogs (316) minus the points versus the UNLV Rebels (315). THE SITUATION: Fresno State (2-3) looks to bounce-back from their 43-24 loss at Air Force last Saturday as a 2.5-point underdog. UNLV (2-4) looks to build off their 34-10 win at Vanderbilt as a 16.5-point underdog.

REASONS TO TAKE THE BULLDOGS MINUS THE POINTS: The Rebels pulled off one of the biggest victories in the five-year tenure of head coach Tony Sanchez — but he is still on the hot seat with this being a “bowl or bust” season for him. UNLV is due for an emotional letdown after pulling off that upset against a team from the SEC. The Rebels have failed to cover the point spread in 12 of their last 17 games after an upset victory as a road underdog — and they have failed to cover the point spread in 7 of their last 10 games after an upset win as a double-digit underdog. UNLV has also failed to cover the point spread in 17 of their last 26 games after a win on the road. As it is, the Rebels have been consistently inconsistent under Sanchez as they have failed to cover the point spread in 5 of their last 6 games after a straight-up win — and they have failed to cover the point spread in 6 straight games after a point spread victory. Defense remains an issue for this team that has allowed at least 30 PPG and over 420 total YPG in every season since 2008. This year, UNLV is tied for 108th in the nation by allowing 32.8 PPG — and they are also giving up 431.8 total YPG which is 98th in the nation. In their two conference games this year, the Rebels are allowing 45.5 PPG along with 502.5 total YPG. This sketchy defensive play will put the pressure on redshirt freshman quarterback Kenyon Oblad who will once again be under center given the knee injury suffered by Armani Rogers in late September. Rogers is available to play tonight but Sanchez tapped Oblad as his starter yesterday. UNLV had failed to cover the point spread in 17 of their last 23 road games against teams who are not winning more than 50% of their games at home. The Rebels are just 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games in conference play. Fresno State went into halftime last week with a 24-22 lead before getting dominated by the Air Force ground game that kept the Bulldogs off the field. They had only 13 offensive plays in the second half while averaging just 1.3 Yards-Per-Play. The Bulldogs managed only 12 first downs in that game while being on offense for just 20:31 minutes — but this team has covered the point spread 8 of their last 12 games after failing to generate at least 13 first downs and being on offense for at least 26 minutes. Fresno State is also 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 games after a straight-up up loss. They should be able to run the ball behind Ronnie Rivers (253 rushing yards this season) to get the tempo of the game back in their favor — UNLV ranks 113th in the nation by allowing 209.7 rushing YPG. The Bulldogs managed only 268 yards last week — but they are 22-6-1 ATS in their last 29 games after failing to gain at least 275 yards in their last game. Fresno State is scoring 34.5 PPG at home while averaging 408.0 total YPG — and they are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games at home. They are also 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with a losing record.

FINAL TAKE: Third-year head coach Jeff Tedford has done a great job with this program — his teams won 22 games in his first two seasons. This year would be a challenge with only nine starters returning from last year’s Mountain West Conference champions. Fresno State crushed UNLV in Las Vegas last year by a 48-3 score — and they are 10-2-1 ATS in their last 13 games in the month of October. With two non-conference losses against quality teams in Minnesota and USC, the Bulldogs still can salvage their season in their second MWC game — but it starts with a big win tonight. 25* CFB Friday CBS Sports Network Game of the Year with the Fresno State Bulldogs (316) minus the points versus the UNLV Rebels (315). Best of luck for us — Frank.