Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson and Niners kicker Phi

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - There are not many matchups in which the betting line is affected by a single game, but that is what has taken place in the Outback Bowl between Wisconsin and Auburn. Wisconsin met Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 6 and the Badgers were favored by four points due to Cardale Jones starting at quarterback for the Buckeyes in place of the injured J.T. Barrett. The Badgers came into the contest on a seven-game winning streak, but the Buckeyes dominated from start to finish in a 59-0 rout. Now, instead of getting around a field goal from Auburn, the Badgers are underdogs by a touchdown. Another reason the line is higher than it should be comes from what has taken place on the sidelines as Wisconsin is without head coach Gary Andersen, who moved on to Oregon State. Barry Alvarez will be the interim coach for the second time in three years. However, Auburn has coaching issues as well due to the firing of defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. Charlie Harbison takes over on an interim basis for Will Muschamp, who cant be added to the coaching staff for this contest. Wisconsin is somewhat used to playing teams from the SEC as the Badgers have done so twice in the last 365 days. In the first game of this season, they held a 24-7 lead over LSU early in the third quarter only to lose 28-24 with Tanner McEvoy throwing an interception leading to the winning score. The previous game was in last years bowl game against South Carolina. Wisconsin, trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, had plenty of chances to cut the deficit to three, but three turnovers, including two inside the red zone, thwarted all attempts. Outside of that contest, the Badgers have lost by more than a touchdown against non-conference opponents just one time in over 10 years. Auburn is 0-3 ATS in its last three FBS games and just 2-7 ATS in its last nine contests. The Tigers are 0-3 ATS when favored between six and eight points against a non-conference Power 5 squad. Furthermore, they have not won an FBS game by more than seven since Oct. 4. Gus Malzahns crew should put up points against Wisconsins defense, but not having Dhaquille Williams in the lineup will hurt as the junior led the Tigers in receptions. Williams caught seven passes for 121 yards in Auburns last game against Alabama. Wisconsin also will score against a suspect Auburn defense, one which allowed just as many points in its last game as the Badgers did. In fact, the Tigers have given up 30 points or more in six consecutive FBS games. Expect a close contest in the Outback Bowl as Auburn should be favored by less than a field goal. Take Wisconsin plus seven points in this weeks lone five-star play. ANOTHER BIG TEN TEAM TO COVER ON NEW YEARS DAY Missouri takes on Minnesota in another SEC-Big Ten battle. The Tigers are similar to Wisconsin in that they came into their conference title game on a huge winning streak but were obliterated by their opponent. Still, even though Missouri had won six straight before losing to Alabama, most of the victories were not that impressive. The Tigers began the streak with what looked on paper as a huge win over Florida. The final score was 42-13, but they gained only 119 total yards in the win and Maty Mauk threw for just 20 yards on 6-for-18 passing with one interception. That was followed by five wins over five of the six teams with losing conference records. They recorded 10-point home wins over 0-8 Vanderbilt and 2-6 Kentucky. The next three games were seven-, eight- and seven-point victories over Texas A&M, Tennessee and Arkansas, respectively. Meanwhile, Minnesota played just one poor game since beating San Jose State, 24-7, on Sept. 20, and that was a four-point loss at Illinois a month later. Not only did the Golden Gophers give Ohio State and Wisconsin tough battles, but they knocked off Nebraska on the road and crushed Iowa by 37 points at home. The Golden Gophers already have matched up against quality defenses, so taking on Missouris unit will not be a major deterrent. Furthermore, their run-based offense should neutralize the Tigers fearsome defense, which accumulated 42 sacks. Minnesota has been an excellent team to wager on as an underdog. In fact, Jerry Kills squad is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games when getting points. The Golden Gophers are getting 4.5 points on New Years Day, so grab them even though an outright victory is not out of the question. Take Minnesota plus 4.5 points in the first of three three-star plays. Oregon and Florida State clash in the first-ever College Football Playoff game. The Ducks have scored 193 points over their last four games and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota has been on fire with 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions since Nov. 8. Oregons defense also has put it together, allowing just 17 points per game over its last five contests after giving up 28 points per game in its first seven FBS matchups. The Ducks need their defense to stay on course against an explosive Florida State offense, including the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, Jameis Winston. The sophomore has had an off season, but hes still thrown for 3,559 yards - ninth-best in the FBS. The key to this matchup is not at quarterback or even at running back, where both teams possess tremendous freshmen (Royce Freeman at Oregon and Dalvin Cook at Florida State). The game will be won by the team with the better defense. It is difficult to judge which team that is, especially because Oregon plays in a more offensive-minded conference which skews the numbers in Florida States favor. To wit, the Seminoles have allowed fewer yards, fewer yards per play and fewer yards per carry. However, Oregon has given up fewer yards per pass attempt and, surprisingly, the Ducks have allowed fewer points even with seven of their 13 games against top-50 offenses. Florida State played just three contests against top-50 offenses. Unfortunately for Oregon, its star cornerback, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, is out with a knee injury, which is a crucial blow to the secondary. This should be a very close game, so it is best to go with the underdog. Take Florida State plus nine points. Finally, Washington and Oklahoma State get together in the Cactus Bowl on Jan. 2. The Huskies usually are a tremendous home team with a shaky record on the road. They went 16-3 at home and 5-11 on the road between 2011 and 2013. However, they proved they can win away from home this season, going 4-2 with the only two losses coming against Oregon and Arizona. Running back Dwayne Washington came alive in Washingtons last three games rushing for 383 yards (on just 49 carries) and five touchdowns. Given the fact Oklahoma State allows over four yards per carry, look for Washington to have a field day. The Cowboys also rank 110th nationally versus the pass, which means the Huskies could easily score well into the 40s. It is doubtful the Cowboys will even reach 30 points given they have done so just once in their last seven games. This one should be a double-digit deficit for Oklahoma State, and since the Huskies are giving less than a touchdown, they are the choice in the Cactus Bowl. Take Washington minus six points. TWO-STAR SELECTIONS Take Michigan State +3 (Baylor) and Kansas State +1.5 (UCLA) in the Alamo Bowl. ONE-STAR PLAY Take Boise State +3 (Arizona) in the Fiesta Bowl. Baltimore Orioles Store . Tortorella told The Vancouver Province hell be cheering for Team Sweden to win gold when they take on the defending Olympic champions on Sunday morning. "I hope Sweden wins, cause I dont think Hammer (Dan Hamhuis) is going to play, judging by whats happened. Orioles Jerseys China . Fielder ended 4-for-5 with a solo homer, while Avila was 4-for-4 with two runs scored for the Tigers, who put the brakes on a three-game skid and rebounded from a loss in Mondays opener. Victor Martinez and Austin Jackson both contributed two hits, an RBI and a run scored as Detroit maintained its healthy lead atop the AL Central. https://www.cheaporioles.com/ . The Grizzlies erased most of a 25-point deficit before Durant, the leagues scoring champion, got hot. Wholesale Orioles Jerseys .6 seconds left to give the Toronto Raptors a 92-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in an exhibition game Wednesday night. Baltimore Orioles Gear . - Justin Turner is at his best with runners in scoring position, and he delivered again in a big spot for the Los Angeles Dodgers.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Two of the three players deemed the NFCs best during Week 5 of the NFL season -- Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson and Niners kicker Phil Dawson, represent the NFC West. Joining Wilson and Dawson on the list is Green Bay Packers linebacker Julius Peppers as the top trio recognized for last weekends performances. Wilson fueled his clubs 27-17 win over the Washington Redskins on Monday night by completing 18-of-24 attempts for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding 122 yards rushing. The Wisconsin product became the first player to amass at least 200 yards passing and 100 on the ground in the history of Monday Night Football.dddddddddddd Dawson accounted for 16 total points (five field goals, one extra point) in San Franciscos 22-17 victory over Kansas City last Sunday. He became the first 49ers kicker to finish a game at least 5-for-5 on field-goal tries since Jeff Wilkins on Sept. 29, 1996 against Atlanta. Peppers, who is the only player in league history to accumulate at least 100 sacks with at least 10 interceptions, racked up three tackles, a half-sack and returned a pick 49 yards for a touchdown in the Packers 42-10 demolition of Minnesota this past Thursday. ' ' '