Nevada
Nevada vs. San Jose State, Arkansas State vs. South Alabama picks: CFB odds, predictions
Now that paycheck games are largely behind the Group of Five teams, it’s time to identify a few schools flying under the national radar in college football.
This week I’m setting my sights on star passers who are primed to tear up the Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences.
Nevada at San Jose State (7:30 p.m. ET, truTV/Max)
Non-public teams have a better chance of ending a season as a gambling darling, compared to, say, an Alabama or Notre Dame.
You’re not paying a premium for the helmet, so to speak, when you back a team like San Jose State.
The Spartans are 4-0 ATS this season, easily covering by an average margin of 10.8 points per game.
So why are sportsbooks still hanging generous numbers when SJSU plays?
Well, there was reasonable skepticism surrounding the SJSU program just a month ago.
Brent Brennan was one of the last coaches to nab a major job during the offseason, leaving SJSU in the lurch late in the process.
AD Jeff Konya turned to Ken Niumatalolo, a proven winner at the Naval Academy (109 wins, 10 bowl bids).
But a big question remained: What kind of offense would the option-centric Niumatalolo implement in the Bay Area?
He quickly put that concern to rest by hiring Craig Stutzmann as his coordinator.
Stutzmann’s “Spread n’ Shred” offense has been a revelation.
Nick Nash, SJSU’s go-to receiver, leads the nation in receptions and receiving touchdowns.
And you’d never know that Niumatalolo coached up triple-option quarterbacks for two decades in Annapolis when you watch Emmett Brown spin it.
The undersized sophomore is thriving, averaging more than 320 passing yards per game with a stellar 13-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
This might be the last week to play the Spartans before the secret is out on this MWC contender.
Nevada will put up a good fight, but Brendon Lewis will likely wilt in a shootout when facing SJSU’s pressure defense.
The Spartans rank 30th in both pass-rushing grade and defensive havoc.
I expect a few costly turnovers from Lewis in a comfortable win for the Spartans.
Recommendation: San Jose State -6.5 (-115, FanDuel).
Arkansas State at South Alabama (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
This game features two up-tempo offenses with dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks who are facing defenses ranked in the bottom 20 of the FBS.
Casual observers might see two inconsistent offenses, but there are simple explanations for that.
In the case of Arkansas State, it has drawn two elite Power Four defenses in the past two weeks (Michigan, Iowa State).
South Alabama, likewise, played on the road in Death Valley last week and was manhandled by LSU.
Additionally, USA played a game earlier in the season with star quarterback Gio Lopez sidelined with turf toe.
Betting on College Football?
When Lopez and Arkansas State’s Jaylen Raynor are operating against lousy G5 defenses, they fill up the stat sheet.
In games against Central Arkansas and Tulsa, Raynor performed like an all-SBC quarterback, racking up 694 total yards and five total touchdowns.
With the exception of the LSU game, Lopez has accounted for three or more touchdowns in each of his starts this season, guiding South Alabama to a scoring average of 57.6 points per game across those three games.
He’s flanked in the backfield by Fluff Bothwell, one of the best-kept secrets in college football.
The breakout freshman is averaging more than 8 yards per carry and will be running into a lifeless ASU defense that ranks 130th in tackling, per Pro Football Focus.
Recommendation: Over 61 total points (-110, Caesars).
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Mike Calabrese is a handicapper for the New York Post, with a sharp focus on college sports. His betting advice often centers around situational spots, including travel, rest and altitude disparities.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom won’t admit it, but a move by President Donald Trump is especially helpful to drivers in California — and Nevada.
Gasoline prices are pressuring consumers around the country. On Friday, the average U.S. price was $4.55 a gallon. In California, that would be a bargain. The average there was $6.16 a gallon. Nevada’s average was $5.23 a gallon, the result of around 88 percent of the state’s gasoline coming from California.
It might be getting worse — regardless of what happens in Iran.
In recent months, two major California refineries have shut down. That represented a 17 percent reduction in California’s refining capacity. Their closures weren’t caused by the Iran war, but by Gov. Newsom and California’s relentless attacks on fossil fuels.
To make up for the fuel it won’t extract or refine in-state, California depends on imports from foreign countries.
“We are importing 30 percent of our crude oil from the Middle East,” Mike Ariza, a former control board supervisor at the Valero Benicia Refinery, said in an interview. He has been warning the public about California’s potential fuel shortage. “There are not very many ships left on the way that have fuel,” he said last month.
Last week, KCRA-TV in Sacramento reported that “about 2 million barrels of oil are in the process of being unloaded in Long Beach off of the last California-bound tanker that got through the Strait of Hormuz.”
At a California legislative hearing Tuesday, Siva Gunda, the vice chairman of the California Energy Commission, said the state has enough gasoline to accommodate demand for the next six weeks. That’s not a very long time, especially given that it takes weeks or months for oil to travel from the Middle East to California. And that process won’t begin until the Strait of Hormuz reopens.
There is a region, however, with abundant oil available for sale and safe passage — the southeastern United States. Unfortunately, the Jones Act, an antiquated 1920 law, mandates that only U.S.-flagged ships may move cargo between U.S. ports. But only 55 of the more than 7,000 oil tankers worldwide comply with this requirement.
This is where Mr. Trump rode to the rescue. Late last month, the White House announced Mr. Trump would suspend the Jones Act for another 90 days. In March, he originally waived it for 60 days. This will make it easier for California and Nevada to obtain domestic product.
If only Mr. Trump could also suspend the destructive energy policies imposed by Gov. Newsom and California Democrats.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — An adoptable pet is in the spotlight for “Furever Home Friday,” with Amy from the Nevada SPCA featured in a segment highlighting an animal available for adoption today.
The Nevada SPCA encouraged viewers looking to add a pet to their family to consider adopting.
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