Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#954) Cleveland Guardians | ML | . 

Sean Burke (11-7, 3.34 ERA) vs. Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.76 ERA) . 

It comes down to just one game on Saturday evening, for all of the marbles. A trip to the ALCS is on the line and the winner will play Tampa Bay for a shot at playing for a World Series. If you said that one of these teams would be in the ALCS prior to the season, I would be a bit skeptical. But, anything can happen in October & I'm expecting the home team to finally rise to the occasion. 

Cleveland did drop the first two games of this series. But, the Guardians have come alive over the past two games. Gavin Williams has been at his best here at home all season long & I'm expecting him to live up to the challenge. Burke has thrived in away situations. But, this is playoff baseball. Give me the more experienced playoff team at home. 

Burns' Prediction: 5-2 Guardians. 

(#371) Miami Ohio Redhawks | ATS | . 

While I regret not playing this one earlier in the week, I still very much love Miami Ohio in this spot. The Redhawks entered the season as the clear better team out of these sides & although it's got the lesser record, this is an opportunity to show the rest of the MAC what Miami Ohio is really capable of. 

UMASS finally showed weakness last weekend against Eastern Michigan, losing quite comfortably by 24 points. I know that the game was on the road. But, considering how the Minutemen had been playing, that was a huge drop off. They hadn't won an FBS game in a very long time coming into the year. I expect Miami OH to dominate this one from start to finish. 

Burns' Prediction: 30-10 Miami OH.

(#77) Carolina Hurricanes | ATS | . 

I won with Carolina a couple of days ago when it played the Canucks. That was another of one those scenarios where the Canes had to win by multiple goals. This time around, I'm expecting another comfortable win from the defending champs. I've already found success against Chicago on a free selection this season & I'm going against it again on Saturday. 

Don't get me wrong, I think that this is a very talented and young team. But, like I mentioned in the NYI writeup on Thursday, "without Connor Bedard, it's going to be difficult for this team to grab many points. There's just so many talented teams in the NHL at the moment." I expect a big time win here for Carolina. 

Burns' Prediction: 5-1 Hurricanes.

(#415) Air Force Falcons | ATS | . 

Even as a favorite of a touchdown on Saturday, I'm very confident with Air Force this weekend. The Falcons are ready to break out and become a contender in the MWC conference & it begins this weekend. They are 10-6 over their most recent 16 games played as a road favorite since 2021. Plus, AF has already beaten Nevada in a road scenario this season. 

Looking at the opponent, Northern Illinois has been one of the worst teams in the FBS so far this season. With a winless 0-4 record, I find it hard to see the Huskies doing much of anything on Saturday. They are 4-13-1 ATS over their past 18 games played as a home underdog. That includes a loss to FCS Illinois St as a 3-pt underdog earlier this season. I'm going big on Air Force here. 

Burns' Prediction: 35-14 Air Force.

(#348) Marshall Thundering Herd | ATS | . 

Coastal Carolina hasn't had the best of seasons quite yet. But, the Chanticleers have won three of the past four meetings between these sides since '22. That being said, they have the experience and know how to win this matchup. While, I'm definitely not going to call for the upset win, I do expect the Chants to be able to put up some points in this game, averaging 24.8 PPG so far this season. 

On the other hand, Marshall looks primed to explode in the point column. The Herd are coming off a disappointing 17-45 loss against JMU last weekend, but had scored 28+ in three straight contests prior to that. Back at home, I'm expecting Marshall to have a field day offensively to try and respond from that defeat. I'm all over the "over" in this SBC matchup on Saturday evening. 

Burns' Prediction: 38-27 Marshall.

(#327) Indiana Hoosiers | ATS | . 

Coming off a great performance against Rutgers last weekend, I'm quite big on Indiana over the rest of the season. While I don't know how the Hoosiers will fare against Ohio State & Michigan in the weeks after this one, I do believe that another big performance should be on the cards here against Nebraska. 

The Cornhuskers bring in a 2-7 ATS run vs. ranked opponents & this is not going to be easy at all. Curt Cignetti is a mastermind at HC for Indiana, who owns a fantastic 11-4 ATS record as a road favorite. I'm expecting a double digit Hoosier win on Saturday. 

Burns' Prediction: 38-20 Indiana.