Bengals -3 
A 6-5 team favored over a 9-2 team that is one of the hottest in the NFL. Vegas is telling you were to go with this game, and The Dean has no problem doing it. Its a big game for both teams but a bigger game for the Bengals. Since they last played, a 26-20 Raven win in Baltimore, the Bengals are 2-1 SU and ATS with the lone loss being the shootout against the Chargers. In their last three the Bengals are averaging 34 points per game. The Dean is playing this as a 4-star, giving the points and taking the Bengals.
As previewed, minus the 34 points per game.
Seahawks -10 
It is really difficult to have much confidence in either of these teams. Both are injured, and both have been inconsistent. Green Bay’s secondary is porous and may make Hasselback’s return pleasant for the Seahawks. The Dean also has visions of a lame Brett Favre trying too hard like only he can. That usually leads to interceptions and that is leading this guy to take the Seahawks and give the points for a 2-star play.
A bad first half doomed this game to a push.
Colts -9 
This line opened at 13 and has dropped to 9. What can be expected of the Eagles after losing McNabb and losing their minds last week as well? The Colts have been squeaking by people all year which is most likely why the line dropped back to the single digits. Jeff Garcia isn’t a bad QB but he also isn’t great. The Dean expects the Colts to come out and put some points on the board and expects the Eagles to struggle a bit on offense. The Eagles haven’t done anything all year that would be cause for confidence in them. The Dean has none, thats why this will be a 5-star play taking the Colts and giving the points.
As previewed.
Jaguars -3
Jacksonville’s offense came to life against the Giants on Monday and David Gerard is settling in at QB. Don’t be misled by the Bills beating Houston and Jacksonville losing twice to the Texans. The Jaguars can tough it out with anyone and will be able to handle whatever the Bills bring today. Make this a 5-star play on the Jaguars giving the points.
Done in by a Roscoe.
Patriots -4
The Bears have shown their true colors in the past few weeks. They have a flawed offense and a QB that will not win games for them. The best Rex Grossman can do is not lose games. That won’t be good enough against the New England Patriots. The Bears are oppportunisitic and teams that don’t give them opportunities fare well. The Jets were able to shut to Bears down, and so will the Patriots. The Dean is making this a 5-star play taking the Patriots and giving the points.
Fumbles galore.
Cincinnati -5 
The Dean’s annual Thanksgiving gluttony continues on this third consecutive day of food, booze and all things wonderful. The train keeps rolling and is exhibited by The Dean liking 5 games today. Its a Big East heavy slate and we will dive in with the Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati started the year 0-2 ATS (0-3 SU) but since then have gone 6-0-1 ATS and 5-2 SU with the two losses being to Louisville and West Virginia. The Bearcats do need to guard against a letdown after its win over Rutgers, but that is not causing The Dean too much concern. UConn has played uninspired football all year, they have issues on offense and their legacy so far is that they gave Syracuse its first conference win in over 2 years. I am playing this as a 3-star,
taking Cincinnati and giving the points.
If only the Bearcats had punched it in instead of settling for a FG.
West Virginia -21
South Florida is 2-3 on the road this season with the 2 wins being over a 2-9 UNC team and a 3-8 UCF team. In their three road losses the Bulls scoring has gone as follows: 7, 6, and 8. West Virginia meanwhile is averaging 44+ ppg at home. Granted the Mountaineer defense isn’t going to win any awards this year, but White, Slaton and the rest of the Mountaineers have their sites on a BCS bid. A win today and next week over Rutgers are necessary to accomplish that. The Dean believes WVU is a legit top 10 team and will take care of business. I am making WVU a 5-star pick, giving the points.
Pat White’s getting hurt didn’t help anything. WVU really showed themselves to be a one-dimensional team. I take back all the nice things I said about them.
Georgia -3
Georiga is playing it’s best football of the year right now and have a freshman QB that gets better every week. Reggie Ball does not get better every week; he is a playmaker that can also break your heart. Georgia Tech is having a great year, but as always you have to dive into the game and figure out why the line is what it is. The Dean knows why the Dawgs are 3 point favorites and will take them in Athens today and make it 5-stars.
Vegas was on the money.
Louisville -10
Pitt is going the wrong direction and have been since early on. The Panthers record is propped up by 4 consecutive wins early against Citadel, Toledo, Syracuse and UCF. Since then they have dropped 4 in a row and Tyler Palko has spent his game day’s running for his life and Pitt has given up 91 points in their last two games. Louisville controls their own destiny to win the Big East title and despite being 2-3 ATS on the road this year, will be able to cover 10 points. Take Louisville minus the points and make it a 4-star play.
As previewed.
Notre Dame +8.5
Look for this game to be a continuation of last year’s; emotional, exciting and filled with big plays. USC is battling some injuries on offense, namely to Dwayne Jarrett which may help ND’s less than stellar defense. ND can score with anyone in the country and they are going to need all they can get today in beautiful Southern California. This is only Notre Dame’s 4th road game of the year, they are 3-0 ATS in the others. Only two teams have dominated ND in the past two years; Ohio St and Michigan. Those two teams did it with defense, a style that USC doesn’t seem to posess. That makes 8.5 points seem an awful lost for USC to cover. The Dean is making this a 3-star play, taking the Fighting Irish and the points.
It was the ND offense that was disappointing.
LSU -2
“Focus on the process, not the results and the end result will be exactly as it should be.” Thats a quote from Yours Truly and it sums up so many aspects of life. Today it applies to the Arkansas Razorbacks and the BCS. Everyone is raising their voices over which teams deserve to be in a National Championship game and which don’t. Its the stupidest conversation in the world because it isn’t over yet. So everyone Shut Up! and let the season play out. Arkansas is not a bad football team but they are also not a true championship contender. You saw what happened to Wake Forest and Rutgers last weekend losing games that they just are not used to playing in, and showing their true place in the conversation. In addition, Arkansas is ranked 5th and yet they are getting points at home. I am playing this as a 5-star, taking the Tigers minus the points. The Dean is using this morning to recalibrate the body to be in position to keep the gluttony of yesterday rolling right through the weekend, there are many ways to do this, find yours and make it happen.
As previewed.
Boston College -3.5
This game could have so much more to it if only the Hurricanes weren’t horrible this year and packed in about 6 weeks ago. BC has zero success against Miami since Flutie’s miracle through in 1984. Miami is trying to convince people that they want to go to a bowl game. They don’t. This has been a horrific season for Miami in all possible ways and they want it over ASAP. Boston College on the other hand stays in the hunt for a conference championship with a win. One point of concern is both Eagle losses are on the road, one to NC State on a last second play and the other to Wake Forest. The Dean is not that concerened. I am making this a 5-star pick, taking the Eagles and laying the points
Damn U! Coker is still gone.
Lions +3
Joey Harrington back in Detroit on Thanksgiving . . . thats terrific! Joey has shown over the years that he and pressure don’t get along so good. Why should today be any different? The Dolphins have been winning games recently with their defense and if the Lions don’t give the ball away, I like their chances to win this game outright. There are too many things that don’t sit well on either side of the ball so The Dean will play this game today as a modest 2-star play. Take the Lions and the points.
So I guess it wasn’t all Joey’s fault for the Lions stinking.
Cowboys -11 
Big Line today in Big D. Everyone is all over the Cowboys right now thanks to their win over the Colts and Tony Romo’s solid play at QB. Let’s not forget where this team has been. They have emotional issues that cause The Dean concern. Are the Cowboys ripe for a letdown? Is 11 points just too many to cover? Dallas is 3-4 SU in their last seven Thanksgiving Day games and 4-3 ATS over that same span. When they have won the game outright, they have also covered the line. This is Tampa’s third game in eleven days, not exactly fair if you ask The Dean. Its that last piece that tips the scales toward the Cowboys, but I am playing this conservative as well and making it a 1-star play. Take the Cowboys and give the points and try to maintain consiousness as there is one more NFL game and an NCAA game on the way.
Is it time to have more faith in the Cowboys?
Chiefs -1.5
Kansas City hasn’t lost at home since opening day, since then they are 4-0. Denver is coming off a tough loss at home where they blew a 17 point lead to the Chargers. The line is only a point and a half, to The Dean that means the question is as simple as, “who do you think is going to win?” Denver hasn’t won in KC since 2002 and nothing stands out saying the Broncos should win. The Chiefs can pull even with the Broncos in the standings, which will make for a great last five weeks of the season. Look for that to happen. I am playing this as a 4-star game, taking the Chiefs and giving the points.
As previewed.
Giants +4
Tonight’s contest has The Dean befuddled. Much has been made of the Giants injuries and they are definitely a cause for concern. However, it is only fair to note that the Jaguars are not entering tonight with the roster it would like to put out there. The Jaguars had a bad loss at home last week to the Texans and the Giants had an embarrassing loss last week to the Bears. Neither team has done anything historically impressive on Monday Nights either. There really isn’t much to sink your teeth into. To support that, this game can be played anywhere between Jags -3.5 to -4.5. It is rare to have that much diversity in a MNF matchup.
The injuries are dominating this conversation so let’s take a closer look there. The Giants injuries on offense are focused on WR Amani Toomer and T Luke Pettigout. With all due respect to Toomer, the Giants can still play their brand of football and make plays without him in the lineup. Pettigout, in The Dean’s opinion, receives more credit than he deserves. He is good for a handful of false-start and holding penalties a game, so whatever you lose in his ability you gain in dumb penalties. The Giants defense has certainly taken the lead in injuries to an entire unit. Arrington, Strahan and Umenyiora will definitely be missed. The Jaguars however are averaging under 17 points a game in their last 4, and one of them was a 37 point outburst against the Titans. Remove that game and they are averaging 10 points.
Enough of the chatter. The Giants can still score as Barber, Manning, Shockey and Burress are still on the field. The Dean has visions of punt after punt after punt tonight. With that in mind, The Dean recommends taking the points and the Giants but playing it close to the vest and making it a 1-star play.
Didn’t think it would be Eli to stink the place up.
Patriots -5.5
In the Patriots six wins this year, they have covered the line 5 times with the lone non-cover being a double digit line the opening weekend. The Dean does not believe the Patriots drop 3 in a row. Take the Patriots, give the points and make it a five star play.
As previewed.
Cowboys +1
This is not a must win for Indy. It’s an interconference matchup that on paper looks like Indy would run away with this, but the line tells you all you need to know. The Cowboys are tough on defense and playing very well on offense. The Colts should’ve lost against the Bills last week, but that’s what makes them the Colts and what makes the Bills the Bills. It’s a perfect spot to take Dallas and the point at home to ruin the Colts run at an undefeated season.
As previewed.
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