Vikings +1 
Minnesota’s lone home loss was a last minute one to the Bears. Though they lost, they covered and have covered all three home games this year. Should the Vikings offense not be able to duplicate their offensive output of last week at Seattle, their defense will keep this game within reach. New England has done what they do which is win, but are 3-2 ATS and two of those covers were by 1 and .5 points. Take the Vikings and the point and make it worth four-stars.
Why would a 4-2 team be an underdog at home? The Dean missed this one. On to the next.
Cowboys +4.5 
The Cowboys had a meltdown on national TV last week and were under the media microscope with the QB switch to Tony Romo. Now the Cowboys travel to Charlotte to play a solid Panthers team that’s coming off a loss. Yet despite all that, the line is only 4.5.
The Cowboys pass protection has been suspect, but Parcells will look to establish the run and that somewhat negates the Panthers’ pass-rush advantage. More importantly, the Cowboys defense is solid and The Dean is certain they are being asked to keep the game within reach while the offense adjusts. Shake off today’s tough losses and rebound with a three-star selection of Dallas plus the points.
As previewed
Bengals -3.5 
Both Cincinnati and Atlanta are coming off emotional wins against good teams. Atlanta had trouble slowing down a patchwork Steeler offense. That doesn’t bode well for the Falcons having to now face a potent Bengals offense. The Bengals are also at home for a second consecutive week.
The Dean is high on the Bengals and believes they are a team talented enough to go to the Super Bowl. Take the Bengals lay the 3.5 and watch Cincinatti get on track offensively today.
At least the Benglas didn’t win the game. Nothing angers The Dean more than a favorite winning but not bothering to cover.
Eagles -7.5
The Eagles come home after two weeks on the road and two losses. Last week was a bad loss for the Eagles. They dominated the game but committed a few crucial mistakes and a 62-yard FG go against them. The Jaguars meanwhile limp into Philadelphia and are coming off of a very bad loss to the Texans.
The Eagles will not lose three in a row, to top it off, their offense has been productive and this week it will actually show on the scoreboard. Take the Eagles, give the points and make it a 4-star play.
Same holds here as the above review. In addition, it is difficult to look at this Eagles team as being in the ‘good’ category any more.
Georgia Tech -4.5
Georgia Tech can take control of the ACC Coastal Division with a win today against Miami. The ‘Canes survived last week but still face the same issues they have all year. Forget the controversy around their behavior, the ‘Canes really aren’t that good. Coach Larry Coker has lost this team and when the year is over he will lose his job. Miami has become a collection of individuals doing individual things.
In addition, Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson will be able to make plays down the field. The biggest question to The Dean in regards to Tech is whether or not Reggie Ball is able to make the plays he needs to make. The Yellow Jackets will not let this one get away which is why they are a 5-star pick. Take Georgia Tech and give the points.
As previewed.
Wake Forest -8.5
Wake Forest was a whipping boy early this year for The Dean, and they proved this guy wrong each time. The Demon Deacons are on one helluva run this season and find themselves primed to do a lot of un-WF like things. For instance, WF is in position to capture their first Conference title in 53 years. More immediately, they can win the annual battle of the four North Carolina ACC teams.
Wake’s only loss was to a good Clemson team and Wake had complete control until a botched
FG turned the game around. The Dean feels Wake is just as good as they have shown to be, which is a 6-1 football team. Today this 6-1 football team is only being asked to give 8.5 points to a 1-6 football team. Lay the points, take the Deacons and make it 4-stars.
Wake continues to win.
Florida St -3.5
This match up intrigues The Dean due to how underwhelming both these teams are and the fact that FSU is giving points on the road. What does that tell you about Vegas’ feelings on the Terps? As much as FSU has dropped in recent years, they are not the worst team in their Division and The Dean is of the belief that Maryland is. The ship will right itself today, but the lack of confidence in FSU keeps this play conservative. Give the points, take the Seminoles and make it worth 3-stars.
Florida St. is the worst team in the ACC Atlantic
Virginia Tech +4.5
There is so much about this game that jumps out at The Dean. Let’s start with the fact that every home team has covered in the Thursday night Prime Time slot this year. Let’s next look at the fact that Clemson may be without the ACC’s leading rusher in James Davis. Davis is currently probable so even should he play he will not be 100%.
Next let us last look at the actual matchup. Virginia Tech struggles at the QB spot and has announced they will platoon the position this evening. This should not matter much as the Hokies would rather control the ball and keep it on the ground. The matchup that stands out the most to The Dean and the one I believe will play the biggest factor is special teams. Clemson’s lone loss to Boston College came about because of long kick off returns by the Eagles and a blocked PAT in OT. In another instance, Clemson missed out on an opportunity to blow FSU out of the water, and allowed the Seminoles to stick around with a blocked PAT and a blocked FG, both returned for scores. Despite Tech’s struggles this year their special teams have contributed in almost all their games. Speaking of Tech’s struggles, they should be kept in perspective. They lost to a good Georgia Tech at home and a good BC team on the road.
Lastly, Vegas has a Top-10 team giving modest points to an unranked team, that is the last piece of data The Dean needs to take the Hokies and the points and make them a 3-star selection.
As previewed.
Giants +3 
One of the factors that influenced The Dean’s decision to take the Buccaneers yesterday over the Eagles was that the Bucs were home for a second straight weekend and the Eagles were on the road for the second straight weekend. The Dean preaches consistency, and if you think the world exists on a single plane, then by all means this game should be easy for you . . . take the Cowboys.
The world does not exist on a single plane however, it is dynamic and has more moving parts then our minds can grasp. That is not to downplay the significance of being at home or being on the road for two consecutive weekends, that needs to be factored in to your decision somewhere. I’ll tell you were it factors into mine in a second.
As stated in previous writings, at the beginning of the season I wholly anticipated the Giants being the best team in the NFC East. Nothing has happened to this point to sway that thought. As a matter of fact, it has been reaffirmed. Here we have a classic “the team that should win is catching points”, so I know what to do with this one. Being on the road again makes this a 2-star instead of some higher ranking. Take the Giants and the points and enjoy the show.
As previewed.
Colts -8
The Redskins lost at home to Tennessee last Sunday, lost another DB during the week, and now are in Indianapolis to face the Colts. A recipe for disaster for the most over-rated team in the NFL. Why people keep giving this team recognition as anything other than a garbage team is beyond me. The Colts have not covered since opening day and have gone 0-3-1 ATS since. Today the Colts will remind you that they do have a potent offense and are a five-star selection giving the points at home.
As previewed.
Browns +4.5
In Cleveland today you have a 1-4 team in the Browns as a low underdog to a 4-1 team in the Broncos. When I gazed my eyes upon this line, my Sunday Morning burden of still carrying Saturday Night was lightened. A 2-0 Saturday sets a wonderful stage for the remainder of the weekend. Saturday night went the way it was supposed to and with games like this, Sunday is shaping up nicely as well. Take Cleveland at home getting the points and hang 4-stars on it.
The Broncos will never win it all with Plummer . . . NEVER!
Panthers +3
The Dean loves when a team he believes will win is catching points. Carolina was a lot of people’s pre-season picks to win the NFC. Their start wasn’t the best but they were playing hurt and since then have ran off four straight. The Bengals have shown some flaws the past couple weeks and their weakness is the Panther strength. The Panthers will control this game through their D-Line and will emerge with a W. Getting some points in the process makes Carolina a 4-star selection.
Jake certainly gives people reason to doubt him from time to time.
As previewed . . . only a much more exciting finish.
Eagles @ Buccaneers
Buccaneers +6
The Dean’s in the mood to spread it around a bit today, so here is a 3-star to round out the 4s and 5. The Buccaneers’ season has not gone the way they had envisioned or hoped. They got their first win last week and had been close the the previous two. Now they are at home a second consecutive week and have an Eagles team that is on the road for a second consecutive week. Not calling for an out-right Bucs win but I certainly believe this will be a hard-fought game. Take the Buccaneers, their Polish Rifle and the points and make it worth 3-stars.REVIEW: Buccaneers 23 – Eagles 21
Syracuse +17.5
Louisville is a good football team but one that has been forced to go through multiple adjustments this year. They lost their number one running back for the year and then lost QB Brian Brohm for a number of weeks. Brohm returned last week (another adjustment) and he looked decent against Cincinnati but this week faces a defense that ranks third in the country with 26 sacks. The Syracuse defense has shown they are unable to stop the run but lucky for them UL would rather move the ball in the air. Syracuse was only down 3 to WVU last week at the half and then had a horrendous 3rd quarter and quickly fell down by 24. Remember, The Orange did cover last week they are now 6-1 ATS this year.
Look for this game to be wide open and exciting and for The Orange to have chances late to pull an upset. Take Syracuse and the points and make it a four-star play.
Syracuse had more than their fair share of chances to win this game, mostly early but even late.
South Carolina -3
When The Dean studies lines, I am always looking for something to jump out at me, something that gives me some insight as to what Vegas is thinking. This time of the year it becomes even more important because, as The Dean has previously written, there is more data now then before and the boys in Nevada are able to really hone in on their spreads.
Vanderbilt is coming off a shocker in Athens last week. South Carolina was shut out by Georgia earlier this year, but that was before Syvelle Newton took over at QB. Now South Carolina is traveling to Nashville and they are favored! Enough said. These are games that Spurrier wins and The Dean sees no reason it won’t happen again. Take the Gamecocks coming off their open week and give the points.
As previewed.
North Carolina +6.5
Its always tough when two bad teams line up against each other. In reviewing the stats for these two teams (I have not seen Virginia at all this year and North Carolina only once) the rushing stats tell a story that I believe will tell the story tonight. Virginia has been unable to stop the run this year, except against Duke, and North Carolina has a decent running game. Ronnie McGill is a hard runner that can allow the Tarheels to control the ball. Both teams being not-so-good always makes a competitive game more likely. With that in mind, take the points and the Tarheels and make it worth 2-stars.
Home team covers again on Thursday night, should’ve seen it coming.
Bears -11.5
When was the last time the Cardinals played on Monday Night Football? They do so with a rookie QB, an All-Pro receiver on the sideline and possibly the best team in the NFL coming to town. Did I also mention how bad the Cardinals defense is? The Bears offense has looked great, their defense has looked better. There is no reason to take the Cardinals tonight unless you just don’t like double-digit lines. DDs don’t scare The Dean and neither do the Cardinals.
Lay the points, take the Bears and make it worth 4-stars tonight.
On Sunday The Dean made the Giants a pick because at the beginning of the season I had a perception of the Giants that hadn’t sufficiently been changed and therefore was a good pick getting points. Had I stuck with this same rationale, the Cardinals would have been the pick last night. This is not second guessing, or Tuesday Morning QB. What this is, is an example of consistency; or in actuality, a lack of consistency.
In Saturday’s review I wrote of the counterparts to gambling. The second part of the equation, along with probability, is consistency. If you use sound reasoning, and you use it consistently, you will increase the probability of success.
Let me tell one story to highlight this point. I mentioned the Giants and my pre-season thoughts on them. In that same light, I was having a conversation with a friend on who would prove to be the most overrated team in the NFL, and who would be the dark horse. I called for the Dolphins to be the most overrated and the Cardinals to be the most underrated. 5 weeks into the season, I gave up on my belief and it was proven to be pre-mature.
In that same regard I bought into all the hype about how good the Bears are after 5 weeks. At the beginning of the season I didn’t think highly of the Bears and again I was premature in having my perception of them changed. What I did believe at the beginning of the season is that Rex Grossman is not a good enough QB to lead a team to a dominating season. He proved that last night to be the case. Don’t forget everyone, he is still Rex Grossman.
I am not saying that I had any premonition that the Cardinals would dominate the game the way they did, all I am saying is, had I been consistent in my rationale, the same motive for taking the Giants would have had the Cardinals as last night’s pick.
My tip to you is, remember your thoughts from the past. The more simple you make each decision and the more consistent you are with each application, the more accurate you become. This starts with knowing your material and believing in yourself; once you have that use it . . . consistently.
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