Balfe Report

College Football

7:30 PM EST

Rotation #125/126

Louisiana Tech/Southern Miss Over 58.5

Southern Miss has already fired their coach and now will be led by their 30 year old co-offensive coordinator Scotty Walden. In most cases I would say this is bad, but this team had a lot of energy this week and get the perfect opponent on defense. The Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech have a new defensive coordinator and only return really 1 starter on that side of the ball that started every game this year. Southern Miss is going to go up tempo and put points on the board. Southern Miss also has turnover on defense. This defensive line is pretty young. Louisiana Tech has a ton of offensive weapons. The question is will their QB’s be able to find these weapons? The secondary for Southern Miss is very young so I do imagine these experienced receiving targets will get open. Both teams should put up a lot of points. Take the Over.

College Football
12:00 PM EST
Rotation # 138
Cincinnati -7 over Memphis
Cincinnati showed how great their defense was in their road win last week against SMU. This team plays like an NFL team and I just don’t think Memphis has the identity they once had in the past. This is a young head coach that was left some talent, but a few of the guys opted out this year and I don’t think the skilled players are good enough to beat this Bearcat Defense. Brady White is not the most mobile guy so I expect the front seven to do a good job at frustrating and sacking him. This game is all about defense. The Bearcats successful defense puts their offense in position to score. Take Cincinnati.

College Football
2:00 PM EST
Rotation # 178
Houston +3 over UCF
UCF is a track meet offense, but with that comes costly penalties and on the road that is always a cardinal sin. This Houston Defense has the talent in all three levels to compete with the Knights and on the offensive side Clayton Tune is looking like he may have a future at the next level. This is a tough team at home and they have plenty of skilled players of their own to match the talent UCF has. The Cougars have the edge on special teams as well. Take Houston.

College Football
6:00 PM EST
Rotation # 151
Boise State -14 over Air Force
Boise State/Air Force Over 49
Covid hit some teams harder than others. Because Air Force is a military school the players all went on to deployments or studies and simply can’t opt back in. The entire defense is literally gone. This team has not been exposed yet, but it’s coming today with a great QB in Hank Bachmeier. Boise has a ton offensive weapons and are balanced at both throwing and running. They should put up 50 tonight as this Falcons Defense does not have the bodies to match up. Take Boise and the Over.

College Football
10:30 PM EST
Rotation # 153
Nevada -13.5 over UNLV
Nevada/UNLV Over 60
Last year UNLV stunned Nevada on the road. The Wolfpack have payback in mind as they head to Las Vegas. This is a new coaching staff for UNLV and a few of their players had covid and are questionable once again this week. Nevada is an offensive minded team and in their Air Raid Offense should put up a ton of points against a very young defense. The Rebels only bring back one every game starter from last year and just have so many new faces on that side of the ball that I don’t think they will keep up. The UNLV offense will be good for a few scores as they have talent and proved they could score against this team last year, but the new system and their weak defense will eventually be too much to keep pace with the Wolfpack on and this game will get out of hand. Take Nevada and the Over.

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College Football
7:30 PM EST
Rotation #360
NC State -5.5 over Liberty
Hugh Freeze is the man. What a coach! The Flames are 8-0 this year, but their schedule has been easy. This team did beat Syracuse which has their own injury issues, but the win at VTech proves this is a really good team. I just don't think they can continue to keep it up against better athletes. This is a really light offensive line that I believe the Wolfpack front seven can handle. NC State has so many great offensive weapons and their offensive line should hold up against this defense and any pressure it brings. This is a game in which NC State is the bigger and more physical team and they should have no problem putting up 40 plus points. Liberty will be undefeated no more. Take NC State.

NFL Football
1:00 PM EST
Rotation # 253
Vikings +6 over Packers
Vikings/Packers Over 49.5
In the first meeting this year the Packers picked this Vikings team apart. Minnesota couldn’t get their offense going until it was too late, but today the weather favors the Vikings. Minnesota is fresh off the bye week and are healthy. The winds are going to be high in this game which plays to Minnesota’s strengths. Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison should have big days running the ball. Aaron Jones is out for Green Bay so the running game does take a hit. Aaron Rodgers isn’t as mobile as he once was so I do think Minnesota can win this game. The problem for the Vikings is Aaron Rodgers is always the best player on the field and Minnesota is missing their top three cornerbacks in this game with the other one being just a rookie. The wind might be blowing around, but it will be hard for these guys to stop the Green Bay receivers and hard to come up and make cold weather tackles as well. This should be a great game. I think the Vikings have a great shot at winning if they stick to the game plan. Take the Vikings and the Over.

NFL Football
1:00 PM EST
Rotation # 256
Bills - 4 over Patriots
The Bills are built for this type of weather. Josh Allen has a cannon of an arm, he can run and he has the big hands to hold onto the ball when the winter conditions start rolling in. Cam Newton is a diva. This Patriots offense has been brutal all year and without a couple key receivers I just don’t see them all of a sudden moving the ball today. This is simply not the Patriots year. The New England Defense is seriously undermanned and the Bills should win both sides of the ball. Take Buffalo.

NFL Football
1:00 PM EST
Rotation # 257
Titans -6.5 over Bengals
Cincinnati is going up against a great defense today and will be without their top running back Joe Mixon. That’s only half of the bad news. The Bengals Offensive Line will be without their center, their left tackle and right tackle. Good luck. Joe Burrow is just a rookie and we have yet to see him play in conditions with high winds and colder weather. The Titans are built for this type of game and we should see Derrick Henry have a get right game this afternoon and the Titans should move the ball at will against this defense. Take Tennessee.