Raiders will have fans on their side in road game vs. Chargers
Every weekend when I fly out of Las Vegas for the Raiders game, I grab a window seat on the right side of the airplane so I can see the new stadium rising alongside Interstate 15. The completed work gives you an idea of what a wonderful addition this will be for the Las Vegas skyline. If I can plagiarize a line from my old drinking buddy Harry Caray, the Raiders are coming, tra-la, tra-la.
They also are trying for two consecutive victories Sunday when they play the Los Angeles Chargers. The schedule says it’s a road game, but there will be more Raiders fans at StubHub Center in Carson, California, than Charger fans. So here’s your chance to grab the Raiders as a “home” underdog. The Raiders opened at plus 6½, and it’s now 4½. If they win this game, they vault into the thick of the AFC West race.
The key game in the division will be Kansas City minus 3 at home to Jacksonville. Quarterback Pat Mahomes has been better than expected for the Chiefs, having thrown for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions. But the Jaguars present the toughest defense that Mahomes has seen, allowing 15, 20, 9 and 12 points in their first four games, winning three of them. This defense ranks at the top of the NFL. The Jaguars’ only question is at quarterback, where Blake Bortles continues to be inconsistent.
Switching to college football, the three teams with the best bodies of work are Notre Dame, Ohio State and Louisiana State. Granted, all three would be underdogs against Alabama, but the Tide’s victories are far less impressive than those for the three.
LSU -2½ at Florida
The trickiest test Saturday for our final four challengers is at The Swamp. The Gators always play the Tigers tough, and Dan Mullen is a coaching upgrade this season. LSU must win to remain a contender, because Georgia and Alabama are on the schedule. LSU’s defense, which features several future NFL players, rules this day and the Tigers cover. But it won’t be easy in Gainesville.
Notre Dame -6½ at Virginia Tech
If the Irish go undefeated, they are a lock for the four-team college playoff. Blacksburg is a tricky road spot for any team, but Notre Dame doesn’t figure to lose to a Hokies squad that fell to Old Dominion.
Indiana +25 at Ohio State
The Hoosiers have lost the past 23 games to the Buckeyes, but they’ve covered the point spreads in their last four visits to Columbus. Last week, the Buckeyes won a gut-check game in Happy Valley aided by Penn State’s shaky play calling. Be careful backing Ohio State here. The Buckeyes might win comfortably without covering the number. In other words, Indiana looks good with the points.
Alabama -34 at Arkansas
Nick Saban has failed to cover in the Tide’s last two games against Texas A&M and Louisiana-Lafayette. This will be different. It will be high Tide all game long in Fayetteville against a reeling Razorbacks team that is 0-4 straight-up against FBS teams and 1-5 against the spread.
Brent Musburger’s betting column appears Saturday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. His show on the Vegas Stats & Information Network can be heard on SiriusXM 204 and livestreamed at reviewjournal.com/vegas-stats-information-network.
