My 10* BEWARE OF DOG is on the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks are 4-2 after their upset shootout win in St. Louis on Thursday night. Vancouver rides a four-game win streak into New Jersey to face a 1-6 Devils team which just posted its first win of the year in a 5-2 victory over the Rangers. Thatcher Demko has been exceptional for the Canucks in net, as he enters with a 2-0-0, 1.92 GAA record. The home side counters with the erratic Corey Scheider (0-3-0, 4.08), who most recently lost 6-4 to the Panthers. 

Key Trends:

- New Jersey is a terrible 7-22 in its last 29 after allowing two goals or less in its previous contest.

- Vancouer is 4-0 in its last four vs. the Eastern Conference.

The verdict: The Canucks' early numbers are among the best in the league on both ends of the ice. While I don't think that's going to be sustainable over the long-term, I still believe they offer great value to get the job done here; play on the Canucks!

My 10* TOTAL BIG TIGER is on the under Senators/Coyotes.

The Senators have only managed two goals over their last two games. Overall Ottawa is allowing 3.50 GPG anda averaging just 2.33. The Coyotes though have won two straight and they come in with a combined 1.83 GAA average. 

Key Trends:

- Sens netminder Craig Anderson looked good in his last start despite the loss, allowing one goal on 34 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Wild.

- Coyotes' goalie Darcy Kuemper is 3-2 with a 1.62 GAA, giving up five goals over his last three starts combined. 

The verdict: Expect a hard-fought, lower-scoring battle between these two competent starting goaltenders; play the under!

My 10* TOTAL CLASH OF THE TITANS is on the OVER Nevada/Utah State.

This is a big Mountain West Conference game. Nevada is 4-2 after a 41-38 shootout win over San Jose State, while Utah State is now 3-2 after a 42-6 loss to No. 2 LSU. Nevada was blown out by Hawaii two weeks ago, so it made a change at QB last weekend and the move paid immediate dividends with Malik Henry going for 352 yards and two TD's. Clearly Utah State will be looking to bounce back after last week's frustrating setback. Previous to that the Aggies had won three straight

Key Trends:

"We are coming off a bye week, so we've had a little more time to evaluate them,” said Utah State coach Gary Anderson. “They are a very tough-minded team, overall, that has dealt with some ups and downs, which this crazy game of football and this conference will give you. They have been resilient, they've been tough-minded and they've battled through everything that has come their way. They started a new quarterback last game and he did a nice job.”

The verdict: Utah State averages 32 PPG and it has a dynamic QB in Jordan Love. Nevada's new QB Henry isn't afraid to air it out either. I look for this one to sneak over the number sooner, rather than later!

My 10* BIG TIGER is on Michigan.

Clearly it's a big game. I got down early and have a favorable line, but regardless, I think this one is going to come down to the wire. MIchigan is 5-1, and Penn State is 6-0. Last year the Wolverines won this game 42-7. Michigan beat Illinois 42-25 last week. Michigan got by Iowa and Penn State and its hands full with the Hawkeyes last week. The Wolverines average 30 PPG, while conceding just 17. Michigan QB Shea Patterson had three passsing TD's and one rushing in last weeks' victory. Penn State averages 42 PPG, while allowing only eight. But I think the Nittany Lions numbers are skewed, due to a couple of lop-sided blowouts in the early season. 

Key Trends:

- Penn State is just 1-6 ATS in its last seven following an ATS victory.

- Michigan is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 vs. teams with winning records.

The verdict: I think this will be a tight, defensive affair. Grab the points!

My 9* BLOWOUT is on Akron.

Akron has a lot of issues at 0-6 clearly, but the Bulls have lost two in a row and four of their last five. Akron ranks among the worst in the country on both sides of the ball, while Buffalo sports respectable marks. However, the Bulls have conceded 55 points over their last two games and I like the Zips to take advantage here at home. 

Key Trends:

- This is a revenge game for Akron after it fell 24-6 in Buffalo last year in this game.

- The home team has covered seven straight in this series. 

The verdict: Buffalo started a new QB in Kyle Vantrease last time out and he had 197 yards and two TD's in his team's 21-20 OT loss to Ohio. Akron has talent at the most important position; QB. Kato Nelson has 1,267 passing yards and an 8:3 TD:INT. I think the stage is set for a more competitive battle than what Las Vegas is trying to lead us to believe; grab the points!

My 8* ACC SUPER-CRUSHER is on Duke.

This is a big game for both 4-2 ACC Coastal Division opponents. Clearly the oddsmakers also believe these teams are evenly matched. And in a contest which I do envision coming down to whichever of these hungry sides has its hands on the ball last, I'm going to recommend grabbing the points. Duke comes in off a win over Georgia Tech, while Virginia has taken a step back of late after a hot start, entering off back-to-back losses, including to Notre Dame and then most recently to Miami. The Blue Devils have a new QB this year in Quentin Harris and he's led an offense which has scored at least 30 points in every game so far (except vs. Alabama.) But Duke has been even better defensively, allowing just 3.67 YPC and only 6.7 yards per attempt in the air. 

Key Trends:

- The quadruple revenge factor comes into play here for the Blue Devils. 

The verdict: The Cavaliers' defense has been a strong point for UVA this year, but QB Byrce Perkins has taken a step back of late. And I think that trend continues vs. the "under the radar" Duke defense. The outright is clearly possible, but in the end I'm grabbing the points!

My 10* SUPER SHOCKER is on Georgia Tech. 

Massive upset? Beatdown of epic proportions? Or something firmly in between?! I think the 1-5 Yellow Jackets will keep this one more competitive than what this spread would suggest vs. the 3-3 Hurricanes. I think this sets up as a letdown spot for the Canes after their upset win over then No. 20 Virginia last weekend. The Yellow Jackets on the other hand will be in a foul mood after four straight losses, most recently a 41-23 setback at Duke. Georgia Tech runs the triple-option, but QB James Graham and the Yellow Jackets have struggled on the offensive end so far. But while Miami did look impressive on the defensive side last week vs. the Cavs, the week previous it lost 42-35 to Virginia Tech. 

The verdict: I think the home side gets caught looking ahead as well to back-to-back tough road games vs. Pittsburgh (leading the Coastal Division right now) and at FSU. The Yellow Jackets have nothing to lose here except another game; I'm grabbing the points!