Atlanta at Pittsburgh -3 O/U 36

The Pittsburgh Steelers claim they will run some no-huddle offense the final two games of the preseason. Head coach Mike Tomlin added that the starters will play the entire first half against Atlanta on Saturday.

5Dimes appears to be the only offshore sportsbook currently offering a line on the Oregon/LSU matchup. The game was pulled off the board last Tuesday when word broke that Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas may be suspended after it was discovered he was in the vehicle when cornerback Cliff Harris (suspended) was busted for driving nearly 120 mph. Oregon head coach Chip Kelly later said Thomas wouldn't be suspended but before the books could react, the media caught wind of the LSU bar brawl. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson was suspended earlier today leaving Jarrett Lee as the starter – Lee's been around the block with 2,643 yards, 18 TDs and 18 INTs in three years. LSU will also lose the services of wide receiver Russell Shepard (33 catches, 254 yards) who was ironically tied to the Willie Lyles recruiting fiasco.

Oregon originally opened as a -2/-2.5 point favorite which was bet down to -1 prior to Thomas' potential suspension. According to Sports Option's line history, 5Dimes reopened the game Oregon -1 on Thursday which was bet up to -2.5 before settling in at its current number of -2. With Jefferson officially out, we assume the remainder of the offshore world will pop up their numbers shortly. Despite all of the brew-ha-ha, it appears come game day the line won't be too far off of what the Golden Nugget released back in mid-June (Oregon -3) and what the books were offering prior to the arrests/suspensions. Stay tuned.

Former Toledo running back Quinton Broussard pleaded guilty to sports bribery and admitted he accepted $2K from a Detroit gambler on Thursday. Broussard was also given $500 prior to the 2005 GMAC Bowl of which he said he intentionally fumbled a carry. The Rockets were a three-point favorite over UTEP and ended up winning 45-13. According to the play-by-play of the game, Broussard fumbled early in the second quarter with Toledo leading 7-3. Following the fumble Broussard didn't see action until the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. He finished with eight yards on five carries.

On today’s Sportsmemo Radio Show, handicapper Rob Veno discussed Five Things We Must Know About the Big East. Below are the list topics. You can listen to the Podcast segment right here.

1. South Florida will average 30 ppg this season.
2. Syracuse will not make a bowl game this season.
3. West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith will be a legitimate Heisman candidate and the Mountaineers’ defense will be better than many think.
4. Louisville will be the best “over” team where value is concerned in the conference.
5. UConn will use a three-headed QB system with separate packages for each which could make them very difficult to prepare for.

The Las Vegas Hilton may be on its way out after a steady decline in revenue over the past four years. Investing group Colony Capital LLC pulled the plug on the Atlantic City Hilton back in May and expects to do the same with Las Vegas' branch by January 2012. The Las Vegas Hilton lost $28.9 million in 2009, $34.1 million in 2010 and is poised for another decline this year despite other local casinos reporting small profits.

Grand Salami O/U 135.5
Recommendation: Over

I typically look to play the Grand Salami under when we have a perfect storm of quality pitchers and umps or a short card for getaway day. Today though, I can't help but look towards playing it over. A lot of shaky starting pitchers going to tonight and more than a few games taking place in hitter friendly parks. In the National League, outside a maybe Tim Hudson, there are no elite level pitchers with most of the card comprised of middle-of-the-rotation arms. Over in the American League is where we have the potential to really rack up runs with four games in hitter friendly Baltimore, Toronto, Boston and Texas. And of the two elite level AL pitchers we get them both in ballparks conducive for runs with Dan Haren starting in Texas and James Shields in Toronto. That helps our chances in avoiding 2-1, 3-2 type games. It also looks like our East Coast games won't be affected by Hurricane Irene. Play the Grand Salami OVER.

St. Louis at Kansas City +1.5 O/U 35
Recommendation: Kansas City

The Chiefs have played poorly in the first two preseason games while scoring just 0 and 13 points in a pair of one-sided losses. However, like the brutal Bengals last night, the Chiefs should bring a much better effort at home against the Rams. St. Louis is 2-0, but head coach Steve Spagnola did not like his teams tackling or run defense last week as they allowed 198 yards rushing and missed too many tackles on cutback plays by the Titans. The Rams generated just 200 yards offense after their opening 83-yard touchdown pass from Sam Bradford on the first play from scrimmage.  

The Chiefs running game was the best in the NFL last season averaging 164 ypg, and the offensive line seems to be in good shape this season. Despite the release of Pro-Bowl guard Brian Waters, the unit should come together soon and the running game can be top-tier again with the addition of fullback Le’Ron McClain blocking for Jamaal Charles Read more