Bills playoff picture: Post-Week 10 recap of AFC teams ‘in the hunt’

The Bills’ loss to the Cleveland Browns hurt. All loses tend to do that in the NFL, but this one hurt a little more. The feeling that Buffalo let this one get away, combined with other teams around the AFC playoff picture scoring some wins of their …

The Bills’ loss to the Cleveland Browns hurt.

All loses tend to do that in the NFL, but this one hurt a little more. The feeling that Buffalo let this one get away, combined with other teams around the AFC playoff picture scoring some wins of their own, things didn’t go well for Western New York in Week 10.

Here’s a recap of the latest happenings in the AFC playoff picture:

AFC seeding:

  1. New England Patriots (8-1)
  2. Baltimore Ravens (7-2)
  3. Houston Texans (6-3)
  4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
  5. Buffalo Bills (6-3)
  6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4)
  7. Oakland Raiders (5-4)
  8. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
  9. Tennessee Titans (5-5)
  10. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)

In the hunt teams recap:

10. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)

Week 10:

Bye

Next game:

at Indianapolis Colts (5-4)

9. Tennessee Titans (5-5)

Week 10:

Titans block late FG attempt, stun Chiefs 35-32.

Next game:

Week 11 bye

8. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)

Week 10:

Backup QB Brian Hoyer can’t overcome Dolphins in 16-12 loss.

Next game:

vs. Tennessee Titans (5-5)

7. Oakland Raiders (5-4)

Week 10:

Raiders win back-and-forth Thursday game vs. Chargers, 26-24, with Josh Jacobs’ 18-yard rushing TD with one minute remaining.

Next game:

vs. Cincinnati Bengals (0-8)

Playoff teams recap:

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4)

Week 10:

Steelers hold Rams (5-4) offense without TD in 17-12 win, their fourth-straight victory.

Next game:

at Cleveland Browns (3-6)

5. Buffalo Bills (6-3)

Week 10:

Bills miss game-tying kick late, fall 19-16 to Browns (3-6).

Next game:

at Miami Dolphins (2-7)

4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)

Week 10:

In Patrick Mahomes’ return from injury, Titans use late FG block for upset, 35-32.

Next game:

at Los Angeles Chargers (4-6)

3. Houston Texans (6-3)

Week 10:

Bye week.

Next game:

at Baltimore Ravens (7-2)

2. Baltimore Ravens (7-2)

Week 10:

Ravens routed winless Bengals (0-9), 49-13.

Next game:

vs. Houston Texans (6-3)

1. New England Patriots (8-1)

Week 10:

Bye week.

Next game:

at Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)

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Panthers-Bruins odds: Boston favored on home ice

Previewing Tuesday’s Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins sports betting odds and lines, with NHL matchup analysis and picks.

The Florida Panthers (8-4-5) meet up with the slumping Boston Bruins (11-3-3) Tuesday at TD Garden for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Panthers-Bruins odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.

Panthers at Bruins: Projected starting goalies

Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Tuukka Rask

Bobrovsky is 6-3-4 through 13 starts and 14 games played to start what’s expected to be a long tenure with the Panthers after signing a monster free-agent deal in the offseason. He has a .884 save percentage and 3.39 goals against average.

Rask is 7-2-1 through 10 starts with a .933 SV% and 1.99 GAA. The 32-year-old gave up a total of eight goals over his last two starts while facing 62 shots on goal.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Panthers at Bruins: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 9:20 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Bruins 3, Panthers 1

Moneyline (ML)

The Bruins come into Tuesday with a 0-2-1 record over their last three games, but still possess a 7-0-2 home record after Sunday’s shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Their plus-17 goal differential is tops in the Atlantic Division and second in the NHL. The Panthers beat the New York Rangers 6-5 in a shootout Sunday to snap a two-game skid. They’re 5-3-3 straight up on the road with a minus-1 goal differential.

Back the BRUINS (-176) to buck the rare losing streak. They didn’t lose four straight games at any point last season.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Bruins to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $5.69.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Get better value on the home side by backing the BRUINS to cover the puck line of -1.5 at +150 odds and win by two or more goals. Nine of their 11 wins on the season were by at least a two-goal margin.

Both teams have been very successful against the spread, with Boston going 7-2 on home ice and 10-7 overall. The Panthers are 10-7 overall and 7-4 on the road. Still, take the value with the same $10 wager returning a profit of $15 with a multi-goal Bruins win.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the UNDER 6.5 (-154). These are two of the better goaltenders in the league stuck in minor slumps. The smart play is expecting them to both get back on track, resulting in fewer than seven total goals Tuesday.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 51-53

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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College Football Playoff projection: Alabama’s chances still high after LSU loss

The Crimson Tide still have a ridiculously high chance to make the playoff.

If you thought Alabama’s Week 11 loss to LSU on Saturday would severely damage the Crimson Tide’s chance of making the College Football Playoff this year, we have some bad news.

Although it did take a sizable hit, Alabama still has a 40 percent chance to make the playoff but only a nine percent chance to win it all, according to ESPN’s Playoff Predictor. Those numbers plunged from last week, when the team had a 72 and 22 percent chance, respectively, but the Crimson Tide are still No. 4 on this list.

Unlike the weekly College Football Playoff rankings, ESPN’s Playoff Predictor is an algorithm that considers factors like strength of schedule, losses, eventual conference championships, the Football Power Index and the selection committee’s past behavior to determine the top teams’ playoff chances. That last one seems like it’s having a notably impact on these numbers because Alabama has been invited to the playoff previously without winning the SEC championship game, which it won’t play in this year thanks to LSU.

These numbers are assuming the Crimson Tide win out just like they’re expected to. The FPI gives them a 56.4 percent chance to win out as they close the regular season with games against Mississippi State, Western Carolina and Auburn. Alabama does not have a win against a currently ranked team, but with a 64.8 percent chance to beat Auburn at the end of the month, the Playoff Predictor anticipates a win there being enough for a strong playoff push.

With that key win over Alabama, LSU’s chances have obviously skyrocketed. The Tigers’ chance to make the playoff is up to 87 percent from 56 percent last week, while their title chance increased to 17 percent from 10 percent. Still seems a little low, right? That’s probably because the Playoff Predictor is hugely favoring Ohio State.

The Buckeyes still have the best chance to do everything. Their shot to make the playoff keeps getting closer and closer to 100 percent and is up to 89 percent from 85 last week. Their chance to win the national championship is also up four points to 40 percent this week. With Penn State’s loss to Minnesota this week, the Nittany Lions are clearly beatable, so Ohio State is favored to beat them in a couple weeks (and win the Big Ten) even more now.

And don’t forget about Clemson. The defending national champs are No. 3 with an 82 percent chance to make the playoff and a 23 percent chance to win it all again — a number second to only Ohio State. They had a 74 percent chance to make the playoff and a 19 percent chance to have back-to-back titles following Week 10. The Tigers have a significantly lower strength of schedule than the other teams in the top six, but they’re also massively favored to win out and finish another season undefeated.

As the regular season winds down, there’s almost no room for error for these top-4 teams (or room for another one for Alabama) because Oregon and Georgia are just waiting to make a move if they keep winning. Here’s a look at ESPN’s Playoff Predictor list going into Week 12.

1. Ohio State (9-0)

Playoff: 89 percent
Win championship: 40 percent

2. LSU (9-0)

Playoff: 87 percent
Win championship: 17 percent

3. Clemson (10-0)

Playoff: 82 percent
Win championship: 23 percent

4. Alabama (8-1)

Playoff: 40 percent
Win championship: 9 percent

5. Oregon (8-1)

Playoff: 32 percent
Win championship: 3 percent

6. Georgia (8-1)

Playoff: 25 percent
Win championship: 3 percent

7. Oklahoma (8-1)

Playoff: 11 percent
Win championship: 1 percent

8. Penn State (8-1)

Playoff: 11 percent
Win championship: 2 percent

9. Utah (8-1)

Playoff: 7 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

10. Auburn (7-2)

Playoff: 5 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

11. Baylor (9-0)

Playoff: 5 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

12. Minnesota (9-0)

Playoff: 4 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

13. Florida (7-2)

Playoff: 2 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

The remaining teams on the Playoff Predictor list, including Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Cincinnati and Michigan, all have a less than one percent chance to make the playoff. See the full list here.

[opinary poll=”does-the-college-football-playoff-need-t” customer=”forthewin”]

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3 keys for Oklahoma against Oregon State

Nothing quite like an OU-OSU matchup in November.

Oh, wait… it’s not the same OU-OSU I was thinking of.

Nothing quite like an OU-OSU matchup in November.

Oh, wait… it’s not the same OU-OSU I was thinking of.

Oklahoma (2-0) and Oregon State (2-0) are facing off for the fifth time ever as part of the Phil Knight Invitational. The Sooners lead the series with a perfect 4-0 record against the Beavers. The last matchup came in 2000 when the schools played in the Big Island Invitational in Hilo, HI.

Both teams are off to solid starts to the season with Oklahoma winning its games against UTSA (85-67) and Minnesota (71-62). Oregon State comes off victories over Cal State Northridge (87-67) and Iowa State (80-74).

Here are three things the Sooners need to do in order to remain undefeated against the Beavers.

STOP TRES TINKLE

Although it sounds simple, Oregon State senior forward Tres Tinkle, has been an unstoppable force through two games.

Leading the Beavers in points per game (26.0), rebounds per game (10.5) and assists per game (5.5), Oklahoma is going to have to key in on Tinkle, forcing the Beavers to have anyone else beat the Sooners.

KEEP IT LOW SCORING

Oregon State is 15-0 when scoring more than 80 points in a game over the past three seasons. Oklahoma may have to change their pace to slow the game down and keep the Beavers in front of them. The Sooners, under Lon Kruger have played both up tempo and slow during his tenure.

FORCE THE BEAVERS OFF THE THREE POINT LINE

Oregon State has been unconscious as a team from three point territory so far this season. The Beavers are shooting 46.3 percent from deep as a team and Tinkle is shooting 69.2 percent from three on his own.

The Sooners have two options: Run Oregon State off the three point line or make over half of their attempted threes. The prior being the much more reliable and realistic option for Oklahoma.

Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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Can you guess the most hated Thanksgiving food?

Through Instacart, The Harris Poll surveyed over 2,000 Americans
on which holiday food they
hate the most. Coming in at first with 29 percent was cranberry sauce, a typical Thanksgiving side dish. Nearly half of people surveyed
added that canned cranberry sauce was “disgusting.” Coming in at second in the poll was green bean casserole at 24 percent. Another casserole, sweet potato,
took third place with 22 percent. 21 percent in the poll said they didn’t like pumpkin pie, usually a popular Thanksgiving dessert. The same percentage adds that they hate pie, but still will stomach it. Even 19 percent also said they could do without Turkey, the centerpiece of traditional Thanksgiving meals.

Through Instacart, The Harris Poll surveyed over 2,000 Americans
on which holiday food they
hate the most. Coming in at first with 29 percent was cranberry sauce, a typical Thanksgiving side dish. Nearly half of people surveyed
added that canned cranberry sauce was “disgusting.” Coming in at second in the poll was green bean casserole at 24 percent. Another casserole, sweet potato,
took third place with 22 percent. 21 percent in the poll said they didn’t like pumpkin pie, usually a popular Thanksgiving dessert. The same percentage adds that they hate pie, but still will stomach it. Even 19 percent also said they could do without Turkey, the centerpiece of traditional Thanksgiving meals.

Can you guess the most hated Thanksgiving food?

Through Instacart, The Harris Poll surveyed over 2,000 Americans
on which holiday food they
hate the most. Coming in at first with 29 percent was cranberry sauce, a typical Thanksgiving side dish. Nearly half of people surveyed
added that canned cranberry sauce was “disgusting.” Coming in at second in the poll was green bean casserole at 24 percent. Another casserole, sweet potato,
took third place with 22 percent. 21 percent in the poll said they didn’t like pumpkin pie, usually a popular Thanksgiving dessert. The same percentage adds that they hate pie, but still will stomach it. Even 19 percent also said they could do without Turkey, the centerpiece of traditional Thanksgiving meals.

Through Instacart, The Harris Poll surveyed over 2,000 Americans
on which holiday food they
hate the most. Coming in at first with 29 percent was cranberry sauce, a typical Thanksgiving side dish. Nearly half of people surveyed
added that canned cranberry sauce was “disgusting.” Coming in at second in the poll was green bean casserole at 24 percent. Another casserole, sweet potato,
took third place with 22 percent. 21 percent in the poll said they didn’t like pumpkin pie, usually a popular Thanksgiving dessert. The same percentage adds that they hate pie, but still will stomach it. Even 19 percent also said they could do without Turkey, the centerpiece of traditional Thanksgiving meals.

UNLV at California: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Streaming, Odds, More

UNLV at California: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Streaming, Odds, More Runnin’ Rebels face first road test on Tuesday night Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire UNLV looks to bounce back after OT loss WHO: UNLV (1-1, 0-0 MWC) at …

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UNLV at California: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Streaming, Odds, More

Runnin’ Rebels face first road test on Tuesday night

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

UNLV looks to bounce back after OT loss

WHO: UNLV (1-1, 0-0 MWC) at California (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12)

WHEN: Tuesday, November 12th — 9:00 P.M. MT / 8:00 P.M. PT

WHERE: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA

TV: Pac-12 Network

STREAM: Pac-12 Network (cable subscription required); Get a free one-week trial of FuboTV.

RADIO: TuneIn

SERIES RECORD: UNLV leads the series, 5-2

ODDS: California -4, per KenPom

PREVIEW: There’s no two ways about it—UNLV’s overtime loss to Kansas State on Saturday was ugly. The game was marred by turnovers and bad shots, but one bright spot was junior guard Amauri Hardy.

Hardy paced the Rebels with 27 points on 11-of-23 shooting, while the rest of the team made just nine field goals in 35 attempts. Donnie Tillman, the promising transfer from Utah, ended up playing only 15 minutes and scored just a single point. Elijah Mitrou-Long, Jonah Antonio, and Bryce Hamilton combined to shoot just 2-for-15 from beyond the arc. Chiekh Mbacke Diong excelled on the boards and on defense, securing 11 rebounds to go along with three steals and a block. But his inability to score effectively was far too common a theme for TJ Otzelberger’s squad.

UNLV needs to fix its shooting problems immediately because they are coming up against a hot-handed club in California.

The Golden Bears were something of a laughingstock last year, finishing at the bottom of an especially poor Pac-12 Conference. But Cal came out swinging in Game 1, beating a promising Pepperdine team by 16 at home. It was an emphatic debut for new head coach Mark Fox, who came out west during the offseason after his nine-year stint as Georgia’s skipper.

With the Bears’ top two scorers from last year transferring out of the program, an extra share in the offense naturally fell to Matt Bradley, who averaged 10.8 PPG as a freshman in 2018-19. He wasted no time in getting his numbers up for this season, posting 25 points against the Waves, knocking down five three-pointers in the process.

Also in double figures for Cal were Andre Kelly, Kareem South, and Paris Austin. As a team, the Bears made ten three-pointers and shot 57.4% from the floor, while outrebounding Pepperdine, 38-30.

It could be the start of the rebuilding process in Berkeley, or it could just be one good game. Tuesday night’s tilt with UNLV will be a good test.

One of the keys for the Rebels will be getting Donnie Tillman more integrated with the team. He was a late addition, but there’s not much time for a long learning curve. UNLV has a few more tough tests in the non-conference season, so they need to be firing at full strength if they are going to be competitive.

Cal was extremely effective on opening night, but can they keep it up against the Rebels? Will somebody else besides Hardy step up for UNLV to shoulder some of the scoring load?

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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2019-20 Super 25 Preseason Boys Basketball Rankings released

The Super 25 Preseason High School Boys Basketball Rankings have been released. Check out which teams make up the top 25.

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USA TODAY High School Sports is revealing the 2019-20 Super 25 Preseason Boys Basketball Teams. The Super 25 has been a staple of USA TODAY for more than 30 years and highlights the best teams around the nation.

Each post contains analysis, key players and more from USA TODAY Sports’ Jason Jordan in consultation with the USA TODAY High School Sports staff.

ALL-USA: 19-20 ALL-USA Preseason Boys Basketball Team

LOOKBACK: 2018-19 Final Super 25 Boys Basketball rankings

Click through to see each team:

No. 25 ARCHBISHOP STEPINAC

Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, New York) stars AJ Griffin (21) and R.J. Davis (1) (Photo: Lonnie Webb Photography)

Location: White Plains, New York
Preseason Rank: 25
2018-19 record: 14-16
Final 2018-19 Super 25 ranking: Not Ranked

Last year, injuries early in the season prevented the team from living up to its potential record-wise. Archbishop Stepinac proved that in the playoffs, getting to the championship game.

A.J. Griffin and R.J. Davis combined for more than 45 points per game last season, but they’re more than just scorers. Griffin averaged a double-double with 10.9 rebounds and was an elite defender, putting up 3.5 blocks and 2.4 steals, and David had seven rebounds to go with 4.9 assists. All five starters are returning, and the team is getting back junior Jonah Phang, a 6-foot-8 center who missed last season due to a knee injury. With a healthy team, it will be exciting to see if the Crusaders can live up to expectations.

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Colts open as 3.5-point favorites vs. Jaguars

Colts open the week as favorites.

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The Indianapolis Colts (5-4) will be looking to bounce back from their crucial loss to host the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 11.

Despite the Colts coming off of their worst loss in recent memory, they are opening the week as 3.5-point favorites over the visiting Jaguars, per BetMGM. The total is set at a modest 44.5 points for the Week 11 divisional matchup.

The Colts are trying to shake off the loss against the Miami Dolphins—one that was both shocking and listless in Week 10. Indy was down several starting players, but they still allowed one of the worst teams in the NFL to beat them in their own stadium.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, are coming out of the bye week and are trying to put their own embarrassing loss behind them after what the Houston Texans did to them overseas in Week 9.

It isn’t clear if the Colts will see the return of quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The 26-year-old missed the Dolphins game due to an MCL sprain, and the Colts had to ride with Brian Hoyer, who turned in a ghastly outing.

On the other side, it has already been confirmed that Nick Foles will be the starting quarterback for the Jaguars as he makes his return from a broken collarbone he suffered all the way back in Week 1.

It should be a physical battle in the trenches in Week 11, but the Colts are being viewed as slight favorites to open the week.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Giants’ Kevin Zeitler, Riley Dixon make PFF’s NFL Week 10 Team of the Week

Two members of the New York Giants were named to the Pro Football Focus NFL Week 10 Team of the Week.

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The New York Giants fell to the New York Jets, 34-27, on Sunday in embarrassing fashion and precious few players could put a feather into their cap for a solid performance.

One of those players was right guard Kevin Zeitler, who played well despite some struggles around him, earning a spot on Pro Football Focus’ NFL Week 10 Team of the Week.

RG KEVIN ZEITLER, NEW YORK GIANTS

Zeitler earned his highest single-game grade of the season (75.6) against the Jets in Week 10. He allowed just two total pressures and earned a 72.3 run-blocking grade.

Considering how poorly the offensive line played as a hole and how little Saquon Barkley was able produce, it may seem somewhat shocking to see Zeitler’s name here, but PFF has their opinion.

In addition to Zeitler, punter Riley Dixon also earned a spot on the PFF Team of the Week, although they offered no additional context when it came to his inclusion.

Dixon averaged 53.5 yards on six punts with a long of 59 and one downed inside the 20. He also had a touchback and a failed two-point conversion attempt off a bad snap from Zak DeOssie.

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