SuperBook Sports previews the weekend ahead

CFB: No. 10 USC @ No. 21 Notre Dame

In the ever-changing landscape of college football, it’s nice to know that a few constants still exist. While certain conference rivalries have gone by the wayside with the endless movement of programs in search of greener pastures, thank goodness we can still count on USC-Notre Dame, a rivalry game that’s never required the boundaries of a conference. And this one shapes up to be a doozy.

Notre Dame is at the tail end of a gauntlet in which the Irish have played Ohio State, Duke, Louisville and now USC – every team ranked. Conversely, USC is on the front of what sure be their toughest run, as five of the Trojans next six opponents are currently in the top-20.

The story lines heading into South Bend are endless. Notre Dame is coming off a tough loss to Louisville. USC remains undefeated but has snuck out wins against unranked Colorado and Arizona in their last two; Caleb Williams has been phenomenal, throwing 28 touchdowns already this season, which is 11 more than an ago at this same point

And perhaps most interesting is the fact that Notre Dame is a 2.5-point favorite. Throw out the rankings and records, as it’s clear that the oddsmakers and bettors alike believe this one is up for grabs.

Bud Parmalee’s Pick: Notre Dame -2.5

This boils down to how much stock you put into each team’s last few games. Are the 5-2 Irish the team that should have beaten No. 3 Ohio State? Are the Trojans truly a top-10 team, or have they just benefited from a fairly easy schedule thus far?

For Notre Dame, USC represents a different kind of opponent. They’re fancy and they score like there’s no tomorrow – at a clip of 368.5 passing yards, 168.2 rushing yards and 51.8 points per game! Notre Dame looks a little more pedestrian, but only by comparison. In fact, the numbers put up by the Irish this season aren’t exactly shabby; their balanced attack of 279.3 passing yards, 171 rushing yards and 34.1 points per game would be the envy of most programs.

Analyst Joel Klatt says this game is “100 percent about Norte Dame’s ground game.” In other words, if they can run the ball, they can win. As the luck of the Irish has it, USC allows 5.5 yards per rushing attempt, (not so) good for 106^th in the country. It’s no longer summer in South Bend, so expect the Irish to employ a similar game plan against Ohio State, making Williams and Trojans a little “less pretty.” Notre Dame will hand USC its first loss of the season.

CFB: Wyoming @ Air Force

Notice that there’s no number in front of either school. In other words, neither undefeated Air Force, nor 5-1 Wyoming, are nationally ranked. Don’t be fooled, among the handful of games on this weekend’s docket worth watching, this one sits high atop the list.

Let’s be honest, the Mountain West – usually for good reason – doesn’t get a ton of national respect. But the reality of this season is that both Wyoming and Air Force are excellent football teams.

The Falcons schedule is never shiny – a few randoms plus a military rivalry, but rarely do they play a notable Power 5 opponent.  Why not? The fact of the matter is nobody wants to play Troy Calhoun’s Falcons and their throwback offense that looks nothing like modern college football.

Wyoming, on the flip side, sees this attack once per year. It not easy to stop, but the Cowboys aren’t unfamiliar with it. Besides, the only loss suffered by the ‘Pokes this season came at the hands of No. 9 Texas. Wyoming has been winning with a much-improved offense and a steady and physical defense. 

This Mountain West rivalry takes place in Colorado Springs on Saturday and has the Falcons as an 11-point favorite.

Bud Parmalee’s Pick: OVER 41.5

Despite the fact Wyoming has been excellent this season, the Cowboys will have their hands full at Falcons Stadium this weekend. Air Force is a different kind of animal, one that’s tough to contain much less stop. Still, Wyoming’s defense has been good this season and if anyone understands the Falcons attack, it’s an in-conference foe; that could keep the game closer than the oddsmakers except. If forced, take the Falcons and go ahead and lay the points. But the better play is to take the over. Air Force averages 37.6 points per game on their own, and the Cowboys aren’t too far behind with 26.1. Even if it takes these two teams a series or two to figure out one another, there’s still plenty of room to hit the over. Does anyone who’s ever watched these two teams expect to see a 22-20 final score? Didn’t think so. Go all in on the over.

NFL: Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams

At first glance, the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams seem pretty evenly matched. The Cardinals are 1-4, while the Rams are 2-3. However, a deeper dive tells us that the Rams are far and away the more superior team.

L.A.’s two wins have come against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. But it’s the Rams’ losses that stand out.

The Rams have lost to three teams – the San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles. What do those teams have in common? Well, all three of them were in either a conference championship or the Super Bowl just last season.

This season, the Rams have kept it within 10 with each of them. And against two of those teams, they did it without their best player in Cooper Kupp.

Kupp came back in Week 5 after dealing with a hamstring injury. He made an immediate impact, as he had eight catches for 118 yards. It’s also worth remembering that Kupp is an All-Pro who had 1,947 yards in 2021, the second-most ever by a receiver. Having him back makes their offense even more dynamic.

As for the Cardinals, their one and only win came against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. It was an impressive win, but it might’ve been a stroke of luck. The Cardinals have played tough opponents such as the 49ers and Bengals, but they have also faced some rather inferior teams that very well could have been beaten. They gave the Washington Commanders one of their two wins of the season and the New York Giants their only win.

Quarterback Josh Dobbs has turned some heads, playing better than expected thus far, but they haven’t been good enough in a number of games. They now head to Los Angeles to play a Rams team that is far better than people think.

Steve Quinne’s Pick: Los Angeles -7.0 (-110)

The line is currently at 7.0 in favor of Los Angeles. With Sean McVay calling plays and the Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp connection back in action, expect this one to be a blowout of 10 points or more.

NFL: New York Giants at Buffalo Bills

The largest point spread line of the week will come Sunday night as the New York Giants face the Buffalo Bills. It’s an ugly matchup for national TV.

The Giants have had about as bad of a start as they possibly could have imagined. They are 1-4 with their only win being against the Arizona Cardinals, a game in which they had to overcome a 21-point deficit. It was also the only game of the season in which they scored over 16 points.

Quarterback Daniel Jones is receiving much of the blame and rightfully so. Jones has been lackluster, throwing for two touchdowns and six interceptions through five games. His poor performance has Brian Daboll, the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year, throwing tablets in frustration.

Unfortunately for the G-Men, it doesn’t get much better this week. They will face the Bills, who are arguably the league’s best 3-2 team at the moment.

Last week, the Bills took their first loss since Week 1 when they fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-25 in London. This week, however, will be a great chance to get back in the win column, as they are currently the favorite by 14.5 points.

The Bills will be playing at their home stadium where they are 2-0 this season. In those two games, they have outscored their opponents 86-30 and quarterback Josh Allen has thrown for seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

Allen is having a good start to his 2023 campaign, as he has thrown for 11 touchdowns, ran for three scores and thrown for over 1,400 yards with just five interceptions. Much of that success has stemmed from having a guy like Stefon Diggs to rely on. Diggs has 39 catches, 520 yards and five touchdowns on the season thus far. Needless to say, the Bills are a good team with the potential to be a juggernaut. They have the firepower to beat an undefeated Miami Dolphins team by 28, but they also lack the discipline needed to go into London and defeat the Jaguars the very next week.

Steve Quinne’s Pick: Buffalo -14.5 (-110)

The Bills will surely get closer to their juggernaut potential this week with a seemingly easy victory against the Giants. The line is set at 14.5 but expect this one to be much more of a blowout. Take the Bills and give the points.