The Gold Sheet Picks, Betting Predictions, and Capper Bio

A few weeks ago, the popular refrain from USC was that the “preseason” portion of the schedule would end as soon as Big Ten play commenced this week. That was before, however, we and everyone else got a good look at Saturday foe Rutgers, which is fortunate the Big Ten isn’t like the English Premier League and demotes the bottom three finishers to the MAC or Conference USA. The Scarlet Knights got boat-raced by 4-TD underdog UMass in the opener then lost at Boston College last Friday. Regional sources are now wondering that with a new athletic director and school prexy on board since his hire after the 2019 season, if perhaps head coach Greg Schiano’s only lifeline to the end of the season is a contract buyout (reportedly in the $17-18 million range) that a debt-ridden athletic department might not be able to swallow at the moment. It gets tougher for Schiano to fight back without a reliable QB, which he apparently doesn’t have after his first two options (transfer Dylan Lonergan, who missed the BC game due to injury, and third-year holdover AJ Surace) combined for a ghastly seven picks in the first two games. So, it seems like the “real season” for the Trojans now waits to begin next week vs. Oregon, while QB Jayden Maiava (81-percent completions, ten TD passes and just one interception in three games) has a chance to further fuel his fledgling Heisman campaign and impress some voters in the Eastern Time zone by detonating the Lincoln Riley offense, which is scoring at a brisk 43 points per game clip, in Piscataway. There is a significant caution at this inflated price, however, as the Trojan defense has leaked in the late going of the San Jose State and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun blowouts while new (but veteran) defensive coordinator Gary Patterson has subbed freely to blood many his touted bluechip acquisitions. Indeed, the backdoor has already swung wide open a couple of times with the Spartans and Cajuns each taking advantage, and while Schiano’s QBs have been error-prone, they are likely to keep firing away for 60 minutes. With the meat of the schedule dead ahead, is there any reason for Riley to stay on the accelerator the whole way? One last reminder...the Trojans have yet to cover a spread in eight tries on the Big Ten road outside of Los Angeles County (which omits a close win over a subpar UCLA in nearby Pasadena two years ago) since joining the loop in 2024.
Play the Over

Missouri State earned a 21-20 road win at Marshall last season as a 7.5-point road 'dog. Marshall's hopes of getting some revenge for that loss took a big hit last week against Middle Tennessee as starting QB Carlos Del Rio-Wilson suffered a shoulder injury. Early injury reports have him listed as questionable for this clash with the Bears, but his status is very important to monitor through out the week. After losing 50-0 at Texas A&M to open the year, Missouri State recovered with a 48-14 home win over FCS-level Lindenwood last week. There's not much to learn from those two results, so the Bears largely remain a mystery in the betting market. If Del Rio-Wilson is unable to go, we still have interest in the Herd. Tony Gibson strikes us as the kind of coach that can play up the revenge angle from last year. Fifth-year senior Zion Turner has experience, so while there is a drop-off from the talented Del Rio-Wilson, the learning curve of this offense won't be steep.
Play Marshall

If you would have printed out the box score and handed it to Panthers' fans before Sunday's game against the Bears, almost every Carolina fan would have signed up for it on the spot. You're tellin' me we're going to score 37 points and generate 478 yards with 24 first downs while going 4-for-4 in the red zone?! We would imagine that most folks inside Bank of America Stadium would have signed up for that. Unfortunately, those numbers were only good enough for a 22-point defeat against the white-hot Bears. Bryce Young has seemingly formed a nice bond with Jalen Coker, but an offense with only two viable receivers (along with Tetairoa McMillan) is likely going to struggle. Xavier Legette and Jimmy Horn Jr. both failed to catch a pass on Sunday and Horn Jr. fumbled a punt, which has seemingly sealed their fate at the bottom of the depth chart. With Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa both unavailable, the Falcons called upon Cooper Rush for a surprise start against the Steelers. Trailing by three with the ball near midfield in the fourth quarter, Rush had a screen pass intercepted by TJ Watt and returned for a touchdown. When asked about the potential return of either Penix Jr. or Tagovailoa, Falcons' head coach Kevin Stefanski simply replied, "No updates" in his Monday press conference. Carolina has had Atlanta's number over the past few years (4-1 straight-up and ATS last five meetings), and even though things got out of hand against the Bears, the Panthers still have some positives to take away from that result.
Play Carolina Panthers