Kent State travels west on a short week for

Indiana is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games...

The expected roster purge in Indy is underway...

Seattle's famous "12th man" crowd advantage at home? Bring it on, says Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who is 9-3 SU as a road underdog. K.C.’s Kenneth Walker III, whom Seattle let get away in the offseason, is clearly the league’s premier RB so far and will be driven to show the Seahawks how they erred in not retaining him. The ‘Hawks ground game has suffered as a result, with injured RB Zach Charbonnet ruled out again, and QB Sam Darnold has fared poorly in trying to make stuff happen against defenses designed to thwart the pass. Three of KC’s five wins have come by wide margins, and they significantly outplayed a fourth victim while surviving in overtime.

Three times in the 60s. One in the 70s. A low of 55. Every Lions game has ended with ridiculously high points totals. The craziness must end eventually, and this matchup should put a halt to the scorefests. Green Bay ranks 10th in points and yards allowed. The Packers' defense has been one of few to contain Detroit RB Jahmyr Gibbs, who has averaged only 48 yards in a half-dozen games against them. The Lions are coming off a bye, during which they presumably worked 24/7 to fix their leaky D.

From a Mondy night night home date in the Bay Area to an early Sunday roadie in the Southeast U.S. is trying enough. Subtract cornerstones such as WRs Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, along with DE Nick Bosa and three other competitiors, and the 49ers might enter the game with fewer than the maximum/standard 48 guys. Home-field advantage has been nonexistant for the Falcons, 0-3 SU, but the Niners would trade places with a team enjoying their third consecutive game in friendly confines. Props to San Fran from going unbeaten, yet three of the last four Ws have come by a single score and the other by 10 points. They are not far from standing .500.

Baker Mayfield seems poised to return this week, his hand encased in a glove. Will it make a difference? Before he was injured in Game 3, the Bucs’ $165 million man sported a horrible season stat line: two TD passes, two picks, three fumbles lost, 13 sacks. Of course, he’s an upgrade from Jalon Daniels, but give us the 2026 version of Bryce Young. The Panthers QB paces the league with 309 aerial yards per game. Tampa Bay’s blitz-happy defense has not been rewarded with many pressures. Back to Baker: His fave target, WR Emeka Egbuka, is iffy with an unpleasant injury combo of concussion and ailing foot.

J.J. McCarthy, sliding in at QB, should bring more consistency to the Giants than the hot-and-cold Jameis Winston. He was gangbusters off the bench last Sunday, and the Texans' otherwise laudable defense allows chunk plays of 20-plus yards in bunches. New York's rush defense is the fifth stingiest, which sets it up nicely agains the Texans' so-so ground game. Teams spotting double-digits generally flex dynamic offenses. Houston's is solid; dynamic it is not.

The Dolphins are inching closer to their first win, but they remain a play-against particularly with a spread as small as this one. Miami has yet to lead in a single game. Upsets happen when favorites turn the ball over. However, Jets QB Geno Smith tossed his first interception of the year just last week. Even with improvement, the ‘Fins rank at the bottom for points scored and are 24th for points allowed. New York, unlike elite teams, cannot take anyone lightly. The spot is small enough that a Miami cover and SU defeat is improbable.

With James Madison's loss Thursday, Boise moves clearly to the front of the line for the Group of Six playoff berth. That should provide plenty of motivation coming off a bye and playing in a potentially sleepy atmosphere. Since a not-too-shabby loss at Oregon in Week 1, the Broncos have torn through five opponents, beating all but one by double digits. Wash State's offense did awaken last week but it still ranks ahead of only eight FBS members for yards per game. The Cougars picked on FCS team Duquesne for its sole victory.

We are not buying the letdown theory. Sure, Tennessee just ambushed Alabama, but the Volunteers have fared poorly of late in Columbia and should not take the Gamecocks lightly. While the hosts are fresh off a bye and have dynamic QB LaNorris Sellers, UT simply wields a superior roster. The Vols have yielded just 11 touchdowns in seven outings and pace the SEC in sacks. Unflashy on offense, they’ve survived using two young QBs in part because of DeSean Bishop, the nation’s lone RB with 800 run yards and 10 TDs. No flash is needed against a mid-level SEC rival.

Oklahoma's upset of then-No. 1 Texas seems like an aberration. After mowing down lowly UTEP in Week 1, the Sooners have scored 10, 14, 13 and 13 against teams not nicknamed Longhorns. The defense has more than carried its weight, but it likely must cope with Missy State's biggest threats back from injury. QB Kamario Taylor and RB Fluff Bothwell sat out last week's humbling goose-egg game against LSU, while Bothwell also was done against Alabama the week before following one carry. They would resuscitate the attack, leaving the Bulldogs' defense with less of a burden against the Sooners' unscary offense.

UCLA is faring well with a reserve QB. Michigan State will deploy one as well, but these are not created equal. Third-stringer Kayd Coffman, a freshman, has yet to throw a college pass. The Bruins' Ty Dieffenbach jumped in for his first start last week and game-managed a win over Wisconsin. The Bruins have covered in every game, mostly when they were overlooked by oddsmakers. That is no longer an issue, which accounts for the large spread. Given Michigan State's OK defense, the number might have been too steep -- until the Sparntas had to dig deep into their depth chart for a QB.

Should iffy QB Jacurri Brown (ankle) not play, Rice will miss more than a passer. Brown is Rice's leding rusher by a substantial margin. A bum ankle would compromise him in all aspects. Backup Gael Ochoa has an ugly stat set of 11 pass attempts and three sacks. FAU has bookend losses to Florida and Army, both of whom ran roughshod over the defense. The offense has been no concern, with a 37th rank in FBS. It need not go ballistic against Rice, which averages a paltry 17 ppg (130th in FBS) with an experienced QB that it might not have.

N.C. State flies across the country for a 10:30 p.m. (ET) start -- and without a number of injured starters. Stanford has its own health issues but they are not nearly as worrisome as with the Wolfpack. The visitors are 0-2 SU on the road, while Stanford's 3-1 SU at home, with its only loss to No. 1 Miami. The Cardinal come off a stress-free cakewalk against Elon. Their defeats have been massacres but all against stiff competition. The 'Pack represents a step down. The spread has drifted above a TD, making it especially appealing.