Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#965) Toronto Blue Jays | ML | . 

Jose Soriano (12-7, 3.56 ERA) vs. Cal Quantrill (9-5, 2.90 ERA) . 

Losing on Friday wasn't good for Toronto. But, because of the White Sox defeat, it wasn't quite the end of the world just yet. The Blue Jays are practically in a playoff series right now with Texas though. Winning both today and tomorrow is crucial. Luckily, Jose Soriano takes the mound and he owns a career 2.84 ERA in eight games played against the Rangers. 

Talking about Texas, it's only a game back of the playoffs with yesterday's win. I do believe that the Rangers could win some games in October if they were to make it. Despite his success this season though, Cal Quantrill hasn't been un-hittable over his past two starts, allowing five runs. Although those were still solid outings, I think Soriano can out-duel him in this one. Give me the Jays to respond. 

Burns' Prediction: 5-1 Blue Jays.

(#201297) S.S. Lazio | 1H ATS | . 

I absolutely love Lazio in this game. Yes this is a road matchup. But, Lazio should still be able to dominate from the opening get-go. Through four games this season, The White and Sky Blues are 3-1-0 with six goals for and three goals allowed. No, there haven't been too many goals. But, defensively, this is one of the best in the Serie A. 

Going up against Venezia, it should be pretty easy to prevent goals. It's scored four goals this season, but it's also allowed 11 goals ranking dead last inside the Serie A the moment. Don't expect Venezia to score in the first half and expect Lazio to do so. Take the first half spread. 

Burns' 1H Prediction: 2-0 Lazio.

***this is a 1H bet. If you can't play 1H, play the spread full game like I am here. 

(#200961) Arsenal F.C. | 3-Way ML | . 

Brighton & Hove Albion have been absolutely flying to start the season. I'm not too worried about this weekend though. Arsenal comes in with a perfect record & it's still defending its title from last season. The Gunners have only allowed one goal through four games this season in the EPL, while shutting out Napoli in the UCL as well. 

Brighton has scored tons. But, it's also conceded quite a bit, allowing more than a goal per game. I do not see Brighton having the same attacking success against Arsenal, even at home. This definitely could come down to a one goal game. But, I believe that Arsenal gets the job done. The defending work and attacking ability this season have been second to none. Hammer the Gunners. 

Burns' Prediction: 2-0 Arsenal.

(#187) West Virginia Mountaineers | ATS | . 

Playing on underdogs in college football isn't always easy. However, I believe that this is the perfect opportunity to unleash on one. The Mountaineers are 6-2 SU & 7-1 ATS over their past eight games played against the ACC. As a matter of fact, they upset Pitt in a similar spot last season. While this appears to be a road game, it's actually being played in Charlotte at a neutral site this evening (WVU fans will travel.) Virginia has looked great once again so far this season. I believe that laying double digits isn't going to be an easy feat against an out of conference "rival." If this game was played later in the season, I'd lean more towards the Cavaliers. But, since this is an early season game, there hasn't been a team willing to test UVA quite yet. I think that this could be that game. Go with the dog and don't be shocked if an outright win occurs. 

Burns' Prediction: 30-24 WVU.

(#147) USC Trojans @ (#148) Rutgers Scarlet Knights | OVER | . 

Although USC was able to beat Fresno State 39-0, I'm still not completely sold on this defense. The Trojans followed that game up by allowing 30 points at home against Louisiana. Don't get me wrong, ULL has a decent team this season. But, that's not a team that you should be allowing 30 points to in a home game. 

Rutgers hasn't had a good season and it's likely to stay like that throughout the season. These Scarlet Knights aren't just going to give up though. Rutgers has scored 21 points in both of its opening two games, with plenty of points being left on the board. Its defense is not good whatsoever, allowing 37 against UMASS in week one and 402 total yards against BC last week. Even without Freshman WR Trent Mosley out, USC could drop 50 in this game and I wouldn't be shocked. Either way, hammer the "over." 

Burns' Prediction: 48-24 USC.

(#176) Jacksonville State Gamecocks | ATS | . 

Georgia Southern split its opening two games, losing to Clemson last week. The Eagles QB threw 47 times and didn't even reach 250 yards. Now, I do expect them to throw the ball quite a bit in this game as well. But, don't expect GASO to have much success either here on the road. JAX ST has allowed an average of 117.0 passing yards per game this season which ranks it inside the top 10 in the FBS. 

I know that the Gamecocks have dropped two out of three to begin the season. However, both of those games were played on the road and they definitely could've won last week's 4OT game @Ohio (out-gained the Bobcats 447-262.) Since the 2022 season, Jacksonville State holds a 20-5 SU record & 17-8 ATS record in home games. 

The Gamecocks are also out for revenge this season after losing 41-34 in a classic a year ago. I believe that they have the better QB coming into this game and with the home crowd back behind it, expect JAX ST to bounce back in Week 3 with a huge out-of-conference win. 

Burns' Prediction: 29-13 Jacksonville State.

(#24801) Alexandre Pantoja | ML | . 

A rematch of December of last year, this might be the biggest Flyweight fight of all-time. Don't get me wrong, I normally like the younger guy in fights like these, especially in the smaller weight classes. However, let's not forget how good Alexandre Pantoja is. The only reason for the loss was falling down incorrectly off a "slip," which hyperextended his elbow. Nothing that Van did won him the fight. 

Now, I do think that once someone becomes the champ, they become that much better. With a different mindset & confidence through the roof, it makes sense. However, the level of which Pantoja was at when this happened is far too much for me to ignore. The Cannibal was on an eight fight winning streak against the best of the best inside the division. 

I do respect Joshua Van quite a lot. Being the young champ that he is and taking on the spotlight. However, before the KO in the fifth round, Van was actually tied on the scorecards with Tatsuro Taira on two of the three judges scorecards going into that final round. I believe that Pantoja is better an in "all-out war" which definitely could happen in this fight. Don't be shocked when the Brazilian gets his hand raised on Saturday night. 

Burns' Prediction: Pantoja via. U-DEC.