[tinfw17]

ST. LOUIS -½ +1.07 over Minnesota Pinnacle

The Blue Notes have dropped four of five and are coming off an ugly 5-1 loss to the champs. That loss and its current funk sure isn’t going to sit well with anyone, as these Blues are too determined and to talented to go into an extended bad run. Now they’ll take a huge step down in class when facing perhaps the leagues most disappointing club thus far. The Wild have just two wins in eight games and zero wins in regulation time. On the road they’re a perfect 0-5 and they’ve been outscored 20-10. After the first line of Koivu, Havlat and Brunette, the Minnesota offense is non-existent. Shut down that line and you pretty much can’t lose. Pierre Marc Bouchard remains out of the line-up. Anyway, the Blues have to be feeling extremely hungry after coming out extremely flat against the Penguins and they couldn’t have handpicked a riper opponent. Play: St. Louis -½ +1.07 (Risking 2 units).

[tinfw17]

ARMY +10½ over Rutgers PINNACLE
Rutgers season hasn’t exactly gone as planned and as it turns out quarterback play has been its major undoing. Throughout this college football season we have repeatedly seen teams with good talent lose games because of inefficient quarterback play and Rutgers is no different. After getting blitzed at home in Week 1 against Cincinnati, Rutgers turned the QB job over to true freshman Tom Savage. Savage has predictably been shielded from making any big plays by the coaching staff and as a result of the conservative play calling Rutgers is dead last in the Big East in passing yards at 192 yards a game. The offense is way too inconsistent and unpredictable to lay points against a team that employs a run oriented offense in Army. Army is one of the last teams in D-I to employ a strict run-oriented offense and that works to their advantage when catching double-digit points. Army has thrown for a grand total of 463 yards this season, instead using the run to keep games close and control time of possession. While this run-first offense certainly can’t be used to win every game, the matchup against offensively challenged Rutgers this week certainly works in Army’s favor. Army has beaten SEC opponent Vanderbilt on the road and aside from a 31-10 defeat to Iowa State its defense hasn’t allowed more than 21 points in a game all year. Army will run their system, bleed the clock and keep Rutgers off the field. Rutgers has only played one road game this year against awful Maryland and really hasn’t shown any reason to lay double-digit points on the road. Army has beat a BCS team this season and don’t think they can’t do it again. Play: Army +10½ (Risking 2.16 units to win 2).