The Minnesota Twins will be looking to punch their ticket to the postseason on Tuesday night by beating the Chicago White Sox. Here’s a look in your Daily Sports Roundup.

The Gridiron Spotlight

You won’t want to shine the spotlight too brightly on Tuesday’s college football matchup, as it’s an underwhelming affair between 1-3 Florida Atlantic and 1-3 Middle Tennessee. The Owls managed to beat UAB a few weeks ago, but they couldn’t get much going against any of Texas, Michigan State, or Minnesota. The Blue Raiders’ lone win came against Maryland, and they’ve been beaten by Troy, Kentucky, and Arkansas State.

When these Sun Belt teams met last season Florida Atlantic came away with a 27-14 home win as 2.5-point favorites. Middle Tennessee had won the previous two meetings between these teams by identical scores of 35-14 (one at home, one on the road), covering the spread twice. The Blue Raiders opened as 1.5-point favorites for Tuesday.

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Other Notable Events

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The White Sox managed to beat the Tigers in their makeup game on Monday, so now they’ll battle the Twins in a one-game playoff for first place in the AL Central and MLB’s final postseason berth on Tuesday. The winner of this game will move on to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, with that series getting underway Thursday afternoon.

The Twins will send Nick Blackburn (11-10, 4.15 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday, and the White Sox will counter with John Danks (11-9, 3.47 ERA). Righthander Blackburn beat the White Sox in his last outing, surrendering just two earned runs on eight hits over five innings. Lefthander Danks wasn’t as sharp in his last start, as he was knocked around for seven earned runs on seven hits over four innings of work by the Indians.

Survivor Gabon on CBS

One of the best sportsbooks for exotic odds Sportsbook.com has posted Ace Gordon as the Survivor Gabon favorite at +300. Crystal Cox and Matty Whitmore are next at +500. Dan Kay and Marcus Lehman are just a notch behind at +550.

The same bookmaker has the betting odds posted for the Amazing Race on CBS. Nick/Starr is the prohibitive favorite at +200. Andrew and Dan as well as Ken/Tina and Terenace/Sarah are +440. Personally we like Heidi Strobel.

In the past, the oddsmakers have foreseen the success of Mike Boschetti from “Last Comic Standing” and the winners of American Idol.

The Rest of the Schedule

It’s another slow day for sports on Tuesday, so your only other options are preseason hockey or whatever football games you have saved on your TiVo from the weekend.

News from the Wire

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett has a strained oblique, and his next start won’t come any earlier than Game 3 of the ALDS against the Angels . . . Angels pitcher Joe Saunders seemed to be recovered from his kidney stone on Sunday – he tossed six scoreless innings in a win versus the Rangers . . . the Ducks have finally brought veteran winger Teemu Selanne back into the fold, signing him to a two-year contract over the weekend…Alonzo Mourning has written a book “Resilience” that is sure to make waves….perhaps not as much as LA Times blogger the photogenic Lisa Guerrero, who calls New England Patriots fans fair weather. Philadelphia writer Phil Sheridan angers Phillies fans for a bizarre column today claiming the same thing about his hometown baseball squad.

Political Ticker

Barack Obama maintains his lead according to the political betting odds. Bruce Elliott, an opportunist apparently is big into painting nude portraits, the latest of VPILP Sarah Palin. It can be obscene and not heard at Chicago dive bar the Old Town Ale House. He apparently is also a collector of nude photos of Janet Jackson and Britney Spears. Do we really want to see Britney Spears nude?    

A Peek at the Future

The opening game of three baseball divisional playoff series are on the schedule for Wednesday, with Milwaukee at Philadelphia, the Dodgers at the Cubs, and Boston at the Angels. The league championship series are slated to get underway on October 9 and 10, while the first game of the World Series will be October 22 . . . the WNBA Finals get underway on Wednesday night in San Antonio and continue through the weekend.

Football handicappers are going over the updated NFL power rankings for Week 5 and the sharpest are checking out the college football power rankings as well.

Here is the official betting preview of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. The sportsbooks have Pittsburgh as the five-point favorite with a total of 34-34.5. Based on yards allowed per game, these are statistically the league’s top two defenses.

Because of Hurricane Ike, the Ravens had an unscheduled bye week and have played just two games, winning and covering both. This is their first road game and their toughest foe.

The Steelers are 2-1 straight up and 1-2 versus the number. This is their only home game in a five game stretch in which four-of-five are on the highway. The won and covered their only home game so far crushing Houston 38-17. Their last two games have produced a total of 16 and 21 points combined.

The Steelers defense has carried them. According to Bob Warner of Lines-Maker.com, they are allowing just 2.8 yards per rush against teams normally allowing 3.8, 4.9 yards per pass to 5.8 and 4.1 yards per play to 5.0.

There are several key injuries for tonight’s game. The Steelers will be without their leading rusher Willie Parker, meaning rookie first-rounder Rashard Mendenhall gets his first career start. In the past four series meetings, no Pittsburgh running back has exceeded 42 yards rushing.

Two key players will start but could be less than 100 percent: Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and Ravens RB Willis McGahee.

Out for Baltimore is key defender Samari Rolle. They will start Corey Ivy or Frank Walker, two players who looked horrible in the preseason according to Brian Gould of ScoresOddsPicks.com.

The Steelers rush defense has also been great in the series, allowing just 81.8 yards rushing per game and 3.4 yards per carry in the last five meetings at Heinz Field. The Steelers are a stunningly spectacular 13-0 straight up on MNF since 1992. Baltimore meanwhile is trying to snap a six-game primetime losing streak.

If you are betting on this game, the biggest side and total are detailed on the home page of OffshoreInsiders.com

The Ravens will be looking to run their record to 3-0 on the season on Monday night when they go to Pittsburgh to play the rival Steelers. Here’s your Daily Sports Roundup.

The Gridiron Spotlight

Baltimore is 2-0 on the year, thanks to games against struggling division rivals Cincinnati and Cleveland and an unexpected, hurricane-imposed bye in Week 2. The Ravens began the year by beating the Bengals 17-10 at home, and followed up that result by topping the Browns 28-10 at home last week. Baltimore managed to pick up an ATS win in both of those contests, while the OVER/UNDER is at 1-1 for them this year.

Pittsburgh was tagged with their first loss of the year last weekend, falling 15-6 in Philadelphia as 3.5-point underdogs. The Steelers began the campaign by thumping the Texans 38-17, and they then squeaked past the Browns 10-6 in Week 2. That puts Pittsburgh at 2-1 straight-up and 1-2 against-the-spread on the season, and only their easy victory over Houston in Week 1 has provided an OVER result for their supporters.

The Ravens and Steelers split their season series 1-1 last year, with each team winning and covering at home (in a pair of OVER results). For Monday night the oddsmakers have Pittsburgh listed as a 5-point home favorite, with the total pegged at just 34 points. Steelers RB Willie Parker will miss Monday’s game with a knee injury, leaving Rashard Mendenhall as their starter. Ravens DB Samari Rolle (shoulder/neck) is OUT as well.

Other Notable Events

There’s a single baseball game on the schedule for Monday, with Gavin Floyd (16-8, 3.91 ERA) and the White Sox hosting Freddy Garcia (1-1, 4.50 ERA) and the Tigers in a makeup contest. If Chicago manages to beat Detroit in the Monday matinee they’ll then play a one-game playoff against the Twins on Tuesday to decide the AL Central title.

As well, the New York Liberty and the Detroit Shock will play the third and deciding game of the WNBA’s Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night (at Eastern Michigan University). The Shock rallied to avoid elimination on Sunday afternoon, with Deanna Nolan pouring in a team-high 22 points in their 64-55 win over the Liberty in Game 2.

Divisional Championship Odds

The live game odds at press time have not been posted for the respective Game 1 matchups, nor have the series odds, though both will be up very shortly and likely by the time you read this. Of course the Tigers-White Sox contest will help determine the matchups. Check the link shortly for the Vegas odds on the Brewers-Phillies, Dodgers-Cubs and Red Sox-Angels.

Best Betting Event

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The Rest of the Schedule

There’s nothing else on the schedule on a light Monday around the world of sports, unless you’re into preseason hockey (the NHL regular season gets started Saturday).

News from the Wire

Each of Rolle, DT Kelly Gregg (knee), S Dawan Landry (neck), and QB Troy Smith (illness) are OUT for Baltimore. WR Yamon Figurs (hamstring), LB Nick Greisen (thigh), and T Adam Terry (ankle) are QUESTIONABLE, while LB Tavares Gooden (hip), LB Ray Lewis (foot), RB Le’Ron McClain (migraine/ankle), RB Willis McGahee (eye), CB Fabian Washington (neck), and TE Daniel Wilcox (shoulder/ankle) are PROBABLE . . . Parker, DT Casey Hampton (groin), and DE Brett Keisel (calf) are OUT for Pittsburgh, while LB Donovan Woods (hamstring) is DOUBTFUL, and CB William Gay (ankle), S Troy Polamalu (quadricep), and CB Deshea Townsend (heel) are all PROBABLE.

All reports are that Jim Haslett is in and Scott Linehan out with the Rams.

A Peek at the Future

The MLB playoffs and the WNBA Finals both get rolling this week, while the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will head to Talladega for Sunday’s Amp Energy 500 . . . those first NHL regular season games will take place in Europe over the weekend, with the Rangers and Lightning in Prague, and the Penguins and Senators in Stockholm . . . college football gets started again Tuesday, with Florida Atlantic at Middle Tennessee.

Dancing With the Stars Vegas Betting Line

Perhaps somebody in the household would rather watch Warren Sapp on Dancing With the Stars than Monday Night Football. Eat that Roshashana meal and win betting both events.

The betting odds say there is not clear-cut favorite. Lance Bass, Toni Braxton, Brooke Burke, Maurice Green, Cody Linley, Susan Lucci, Misty May-Treanor and Warren Sapp all have odds of between +400-500

The Chicago Bears host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. The bookmaker has Philadelphia has a three-point favorite with a total of 39 or 39.5.

The injury situation is very key for bettors and while the official NFL report comes out Friday, the fantasy football player and pointspread player knows that OffshoreInsiders.com has the truly “official” injury report if winning is your top concern.  

Of course it’s also where NCAA football bettors get their injury report. Here is the latest: Eagles QB Donovan McNabb will play, but star running back Brian Westbrook is considered questionable to doubtful.

The Bears DT Tommie Harris will be a game time decision. He is less likely to play than return man Devin Hester and WR Brandon Lloyd, both also considered game time decisions.

The Eagles are 2-1 straight up and 3-0 to the number. Chicago is 1-2 straight up and 1-1-1 versus the Vegas NFL line. Each team has gone under the total two of their three games.

Chicago defense is allowing just 69 yards rushing per game on 21 carries and they are holding foes a full yard below their normal yards per carry average.

Even with Brian Westbrook, the Eagles are getting just 3.2 yards per rush against teams normally allowing 4.2, but 7.6 yards per pass against teams normally allowing 6.7. Defensively, they allow a mere 2.4 yards per carry to teams normally getting 4.1. 

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Philadelphia is 5-1 their last six straight up, going back to last season, just when Donovan McNabb seemed to show he was fully recovered from injury. They are 5-2 straight up their last seven on the road, and have won four straight on the road in the series including the NFL playoffs.

Chicago has two losses of three-points, one in overtime, after upsetting the Indianapolis Colts in week 1.

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We will tell you it’s not Freeplays Joe Phillips or Razor Sharp Tom Hatfield.

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The Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears will both be trying to pick up a win on Sunday when they battle at Soldier Field.
Oddsmakers currently have the Eagles listed as 3-point favorites versus the Bears, while the game's total is sitting at 40.
The Eagles defeated Pittsburgh 15-6 as a 3.5-point favorite in Week 3. The combined score fell UNDER the posted over/under total (45).
Donovan McNabb passed for 196 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Philadelphia, while Correll Buckhalter rushed for 43 yards on 10 carries and caught six passes for 44 yards with a touchdown.
The Bears lost to Tampa Bay 27-24 in overtime as a 3-point favorite in Week 3. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (35).
Kyle Orton had 268 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Chicago, while Brandon Lloyd had six receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Current streak:
Chicago has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
Philadelphia: 2-1 SU, 3-0 ATS
Chicago: 1-2 SU, 1-1-1 ATS
Philadelphia most recently:
When playing in September are 5-5
When playing on grass are 6-4
After outgaining opponent are 4-6
When playing outside the division are 7-3

Chicago most recently:
When playing in September are 5-5
When playing on grass are 5-5
After being outgained are 5-5
When playing outside the division are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
Philadelphia is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 8 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Chicago is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Philadelphia
Next up:
Philadelphia home to Washington, Sunday, October 5
Chicago at Detroit, Sunday, October 5