Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#73) Colorado Avalanche | PUCK LINE | . 

Even though Colorado is probably due to lose a game or two as nobody really keeps winning at this level, I believe that this isn't the spot that it's going to happen in. The Avs are simply much better than the Predators in all facets of the game and even on the road, this game shouldn't really be close. 

Nashville brings in a 2-6-2 record over its past 10 games and just got shut out against the Penguins last weekend in the final game of the double header in Sweden. This is the Predators first game since returning and it's not a great matchup. I'll expect a 2+ goal win from Colorado on Saturday. 

Burns' Prediction: 6-2 Avalanche .

(#306592) UT Martin Skyhawks | ATS | . 

Prairie View A&M, currently ranked 328th in the KenPom efficiency rankings, comes in more than a 100 spots below UTM. The Panthers have lost three consecutive games and all of those come by 18+ points. They remain away from home this weekend for this mini tournament and I believe that the struggles are going to continue. 

Despite the loss in their last game, the Skyhawks have been brilliant so far this season. That loss came on the road against a very tough Florida State side. UT Martin now heads to the Pensacola Invitational feeling extremely confident and I believe that this is a complete mismatch. The Skyhawks should cruise to a double digit win on Saturday early evening. 

Burns' Prediction: 87-70 UT Martin.

(#70) San Jose Sharks | ML | . 

Ottawa got some great news that Brady Tkatchuk is travelling with the team and will be returning in the coming days/week. However, I do not expect him to be ready for this game on Saturday in San Jose. The Sens are missing a few of their main starters and I believe that they are over-performing at the moment. They have been horrible on the penalty kill this season and the goaltending has not been too strong. 

Don't get me wrong, the Sharks have been worse than the Senators this year. But, this is a team that's improving significantly and I believe that they are going to keep improving for many years. Macklin Celebrini has been a dominant force and he should get on the board once again on Saturday (assist or goal.) 

Playing at home against an east coast opponent should make this game very intriguing. San Jose is feeling great coming off consecutive wins against Utah/LAK past regulation. It's also been one of the hottest teams over the past 10 games. I love this value and will take San Jose as my #1 NHL 'DOG OF THE MONTH. 

Burns' Prediction: 5-3 Sharks

(#201810) Barcelona FC . | ML | . 

Although I have great respect for this Athletic Bilbao side that possesses great talent up front including Niko Williams, I don't believe it has the overall quality to compete in this sort of match. The road team has only four points in five road games this season with a 1-1-3 record. It's sitting slightly above middle of the table, but definitely not on the same level as Barca. 

Talking about Barcelona, the time has finally come to return to its home stadium. Camp Nou is ready and should be full of energy on Saturday on November 22nd. Yes, Barca has lots going on at the moment. But, Lewandowski is back and is looking like one of the best in the world once again. 

I expect Barcelona to have the ball for the entirety of the game pretty much and that should lead to plenty of chances. I don't see a way that it loses this game and even if Athletic Bilbao keeps it within a goal, it'll be a draw for me. I'll lay the goal and expect a multiple goal win on Saturday. 

(THIS IS A GOAL LINE BET IF YOU CAN GET -1.0. IF NOT PLAY THE 3-WAY ML.)

Burns' Prediction: 3-0 Barcelona.

(#200101) West Ham United @ (#200102) Bournemouth FC | OVER | . 

Considering West Ham is in 18th at the moment, which is a relegation position, you'd think that it's had struggles offensively. I mean, it's definitely not as good as some of the best teams of course. However, West Ham actually averages more than a goal per game right now through 11 games this season. 

Bournemouth has to get back into form playing at home against one of the worst teams in the Premier League. This game has all the means of a high scoring affair and I believe that both teams should be hunting for a victory given both's form at the moment. Bournemouth should edge victorious, but I expect an easy "over" in this one. 

Burns' Prediction: 4-1 Bournemouth .

(#200081) Chelsea FC. | GOAL SPREAD | . 

Barcelona is upcoming during the week for Chelsea. But, I don't expect the Blues to take this game very lightly considering that they are still very much in the title race. Chelsea's bench is still significantly stronger than Burney's fully fit squad and I believe that this one could get ugly considering how many goals Burney allows. 

The home side has managed to get out of a relegation position for the meantime. However, it's coming off consecutive defeats and is losing much more than gaining points at the moment. Burnley's allowed an average of two goals per game this season and I expect that average to go up even more after today. 

Burns' Prediction: 4-0 Chelsea.

(#140) James Madison Dukes | ATS | . 

I know that Washington State probably had its best game of the season last weekend against LA Tech winning 28-3. However, the Cougars have still had a pretty disappointing season all things considered. They have a really bad offense and are scoring less than 21 PPG this season which is definitely towards the bottom end of the entire country. 

James Madison, on the other hand, has been torching teams offensively this season and have won eight consecutive games. If the Dukes win out and win the SBC title game, there's a great chance that this team ends up in the College Football Playoff. They have much better defensive numbers than WAZZU as well as the offensive ones. 

In the end, I believe that this game could get ugly. Washington State is going to like its chances to get its crucial sixth win next weekend at home vs. Oregon State a whole lot more than this weekend. I'll lay the number with the scorching hot Dukes on Saturday. 

Burns' Prediction: 38-14 JMU.

(#189) Missouri State Bears | ML | . 

On absolute fire, Missouri State is a team to watch out for as we near the end of the season. Now, it's definitely unlikely that the Bears end up in the CFP, there's still tons to play for with a spot in the CUSA Championship Game on the line. The Bears have to win these final two games and beating Kennesaw would do wonders. 

Talking about the Owls, they are 5-1 as well in conference play meaning that they definitely could receive a shot too. But, the loss last weekend against Jacksonville State definitely kills the momentum that they had. Looking at the numbers, KENN might have the better offense. But, I'll give defense to the Bears. 

This is an evenly matched game and despite the home field advantage that the Owls may have, this is a game that I expect confidence to play a huge part in this late in the season. I trust the MOSU QB over the KENN QB. Give me the ML on this game and this is my CUSA 'DOG OF THE YEAR. 

Burns' Prediction: 34-27 MOSU.

(#187) Louisville Cardinals @ (#188) Southern Methodist Mustangs | UNDER | . 

Even though I believe that Louisville's offense can be one of the best in the conference at times, this is not a great matchup for it to do much damage. The Cardinals are on the road against a foe that has lost one game over the past two seasons on this field. The Cards are also not in great form having lost consecutive games and scoring just 45 total points over those two games (both at home.) Now, they go on the road. 

SMU is great at dictating the tempo of games and this one should be no different. The Mustangs have won both games in November so far and have allowed 33 points over the two. They've also played in five games this season with less than 50 points. 

While both teams can produce lots of points if needed, the defense stands out on both teams a lot more. SMU does allow a ton of yards but the red zone defense is phenomenal ranked just second in the country behind Ohio State. I believe that we're going to see a defensive war on Saturday at high noon. 

Burns' Prediction: 24-20 SMU.