The American League’s four postseason teams and the ranked BYU Cougars will play the most notable contests on the Friday schedule. Here’s your Daily Sports Roundup.

The Gridiron Spotlight

How good are the Mountain West’s BYU Cougars? Good enough to be undefeated and ranked No. 8 in the country. Brigham Young’s defense has been rock solid over their last two games, which they won by a combined score of 103-0 over UCLA and Wyoming. That doesn’t bode well for Utah State, who are 1-3 overall and pegged as 28-point home underdogs in this Friday night matchup. The total is sitting at 59.5 points.

The other game on the college gridiron on Friday is a Big East/Conference USA battle between Cincinnati and Marshall. The Bearcats are 3-1 on the year, beating Eastern Kentucky, Miami (OH), and Akron, and getting thumped 52-26 by Oklahoma. Marshall sits at 3-2, but they were also pounded by a ranked opponent (51-14, by Wisconsin). Cincinnati is listed as a 3.5-point road favorite in this game, with the total at 51.5 points.

It’s going to be a great football betting weekend for clients of the groundbreaking science of forensic sports handicapping.

Stevie Vincent was well known inside the industry as Executive Editor of the famed scorephone Tailgate Party. Now he is well known among professional bettors. He is in the midst of a three-year run in which has never seen before in the history of sports betting. The Great One has been about unprecedented winning since going public. Not only does he have the Cincinnati/Marshall side, but the entire Saturday card is up for those who have a package that includes Saturday.

Saturday he has his PERFECT PLAY Game Side and O/U of the YEAR. In fact he has four PERFECT PLAYS, which means an angle that is a 100 percent angle, with a minimum of 10 games. For Saturday, he has 10 burials. Click now to purchase Stevie’s three-day pick pack for $99.

Other Notable Events

The two National League playoff series are taking Friday off, so the baseball spotlight will be centered on the second games of the ChiSox/Rays and BoSox/Angels series.

In Tampa Bay it will be Scott Kazmir (12-8, 3.49 ERA) pitching at home against Mark Buehrle (15-12, 3.79 ERA). Kazmir is coming off a loss against the Tigers in which he gave up four earned runs over five innings of work. However, the Rays are 7-3 in the lefthander’s last 10 trips to the mound. Buehrle picked up a clutch win vs. the Indians last time out, holding them to one earned run on nine hits over seven innings. The lefthander has surrendered three or fewer earned runs in each of his last six outings.

Out on the west coast it will be Los Angeles‘ Ervin Santana (16-7, 3.49 ERA) taking on Boston‘s Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90 ERA). Santana will be looking to forget his last trip to the mound, in which he was knocked around for eight earned runs over just 5 2-3 innings of work. Still, the Angels have won five of the righthander’s last seven outings. Dice-K has allowed more than three earned runs only once in his past 10 starts, which allowed him to drop his ERA under 3.00. Boston is 8-2 in his last 10 trips to the mound.

The Rest of the Schedule

The second game of the WNBA Finals goes on Friday night, with San Antonio once again hosting Detroit. The Shock cruised to a 77-69 win as a 5-point road underdog in Game 1 on Wednesday night, with Katie Smith picking up 25 points and nine rebounds. Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 24 points in the win, while Sophia Young poured in a team-high 21 points for the Silver Stars. Game 3 will be in Detroit on Sunday afternoon.

Also, it’s B.C. (-10) at Toronto and Calgary (-3.5) at Saskatchewan in Friday CFL action.

News from the Wire

J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell both returned to the lineup for the Red Sox on Wednesday night . . . Titans QB Vince Young (knee) has returned to limited practice this week, but Kerry Collins still has a grip on the team’s starting gig . . . Ravens RB Willis McGahee (ribs) has also been limited in practice this week, meaning LeRon McClain is likely to get a lot of work on Sunday . . . the Canucks designated G Roberto Luongo as captain.

A Peek at the Future

Oklahoma gets an outing as the top-ranked team in college football on Saturday afternoon when they play on the road against Baylor as 27-point favorites. Other Top 10 teams in action on Saturday include Kentucky at No. 2 Alabama (-16.5), No. 4 Missouri (-10.5) at Nebraska, No. 5 Texas (-13.5) at Colorado, No. 6 Penn State (-13) at Purdue, No. 7 Texas Tech (-7.5) at Kansas State, and also No. 23 Oregon at No. 9 USC (-16.5).

Who Won the Palin-Biden Debate?

It lacked the fireworks of Bill O’Reilly and Barney Frank, and had fewer mentions of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but the television ratings say America was watching.

Our sports betting expert and the nation’s top political handicapper Joe Duffy tells us, “Biden won insofar as showing who is more ready today to be President if called upon.” However, the Grandmaster sports handicapper said that Sarah Palin won as far as helping the ticket.

“The talking heads get so caught up in themselves and forget that Joe six-pack, especially those currently undecided, vote on other factors. From Jack Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, they had a lot of ethereal factors in their favor: charismatic, likeable among others. Palin’s likeability was her biggest asset, but was canceled out by concerns about her competence because of stumbles in recent interviews.

Last night she won back the confidence of the American voters, putting her intangible benefits back into play.”

The ultimate measuring stick, the political betting odds show little movement either way insofar as who won the VP debate. The Intrade odds moved in Obama’s favor during the debate, but leveled off afterwards.

The Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels will both be gunning for a victory on Friday when they meet at Angel Stadium. Daisuke Matsuzaka will be the starting pitcher for the Red Sox on this day. Righthander Matsuzaka is 18-3 this season with a 2.90 ERA. Matsuzaka’s opponent in this one will be Ervin Santana. The Angels righthander has a 3.49 ERA to go along with a 16-7 record this season. Oddsmakers currently have the Angels listed as 128-moneyline favorites versus the Red Sox, while the game’s total is sitting at 8. The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in this series with a 4-1 win over the Angels on Wednesday, as +125 underdogs. The five runs went UNDER the posted over/under (8). Jason Bay went 2-for-4 at the plate with a two-run homer for the Red Sox. Jon Lester tossed seven innings for the win, allowing one run off six hits. Torii Hunter drove in the lone run for the Angels, who had been favored at -140 in that game. John Lackey gave up two runs on four hits over 6 2-3 innings in the loss. Team records: Boston: 95-67 SU Los Angeles: 100-62 SU Boston most recently: When playing on Friday are 8-2 Before playing LA Angels are 5-5 After playing LA Angels are 3-7 After a win are 5-5 Los Angeles most recently: When playing on Friday are 5-5 Before playing Boston are 7-3 After playing Boston are 8-2 After a loss are 7-3 A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston’s last 6 games Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Boston’s last 14 games when playing on the road against LA Angels The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games on the road LA Angels are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games when playing Boston The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels’s last 7 games at home The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Angels’s last 7 games The total has gone UNDER in 10 of LA Angels’s last 14 games when playing at home against Boston Next up: LA Angels at Boston, Sunday, October 5

The Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays will both be gunning for a victory on Friday when they meet at Tropicana Field. Ace lefthander Mark Buehrle will take the mound for the White Sox to start this game. Buehrle is 15-12 this season with a 3.79 ERA. Meanwhile, it’ll be ace Scott Kazmir who starts for the Rays. Lefthander Kazmir is 12-8 with a 3.49 ERA so far this season. Odds aren’t yet posted for this game, so check back later for the opening line and total. Evan Longoria belted two home runs in leading the Rays to a 6-4 win over the White Sox in Thursday’s series opener. The Rays won that game as -180 favorites, while the 10 runs made it OVER the posted over/under (8.5). Longoria finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs for the Rays, and Akinori Iwamura had two hits with one run batted in. James Shields tossed 6 1-3 innings for the win, and Dan Wheeler closed out the ninth for the save. Dewayne Wise cracked a three-run homer in a losing effort for the White Sox, who were +165 underdogs. Javier Vazquez was rocked for six runs off eight hits over 4 1-3 innings of work. Team records: Chicago: 88-74 SU Tampa Bay: 97-65 SU Chicago most recently: When playing on Friday are 5-5 Before playing Tampa Bay are 5-5 After playing Tampa Bay are 4-6 After a loss are 5-5 Tampa Bay most recently: When playing on Friday are 5-5 Before playing Chi White Sox are 7-3 After playing Chi White Sox are 6-4 After a win are 6-4 A few trends to consider: Chi White Sox are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games Chi White Sox are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay Chi White Sox are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games on the road Chi White Sox are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi White Sox Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home Tampa Bay is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games Next up: Tampa Bay at Chi White Sox, Sunday, October 5

The BYU Cougars and the Utah State Aggies will both be gunning for a victory on Friday when they meet at Romney Stadium. Oddsmakers currently have the Cougars listed as 30-point favorites versus the Aggies, while the game’s total has not yet been posted. QB Max Hall continued his torrid pace by throwing three touchdowns as BYU blanked Wyoming 44-0 in Week 4. The Cougars covered the large 29-point spread, while the final score played UNDER the day’s posted total of 52. Utah State put up 35 points in the second half in Week 4 en route to an easy 42-17 win over Idaho. The Aggies had no trouble covering the 5-point spread in that contest, while the combined score went just OVER the day’s posted total (58.5). Current streak: BYU has won 4 straight games. Team records: BYU: 4-0 SU, 2-1 ATS Utah State: 1-3 SU, 2-2 ATS BYU most recently: When playing in October are 8-2 When playing on turf are 8-2 After outgaining opponent are 10-0 When playing outside the conference are 8-2 Utah State most recently: When playing in October are 2-8 When playing on turf are 2-8 After outgaining opponent are 2-8 When playing outside the conference are 0-10 A few trends to consider: BYU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road BYU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games BYU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Utah State The total has gone OVER in 4 of BYU’s last 6 games on the road Utah State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games Utah State is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games at home Utah State is 3-19 SU in its last 22 games Utah State is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games at home Next up: BYU home to New Mexico, Saturday, October 11 Utah State at San Jose State, Saturday, October 11

The fans at Joan C. Edwards Stadium will be treated to a game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Marshall Thundering Herd when they take their seats on Friday. Oddsmakers currently have the Bearcats listed as 3½-point favorites versus the Thundering Herd, while the game’s total has not yet been posted. Tony Pike threw for two touchdowns to lead Cincinnati to a close 17-15 win over Akron in Week 5. Cincinnati failed to cover the 11-point spread, while the final score played UNDER the day’s posted total of 58.5. QB Mark Cann had a tough day only completing 15-of-36 passes for 119 yards and one interception as Marshall lost 27-3 to West Virginia in Week 5. The Herd did not cover the 14.5-point spread, while the combined final score played UNDER the day’s posted total of 53.5. Current streak: Cincinnati has won 2 straight games. Team records: Cincinnati: 3-1 SU, 1-2 ATS Marshall: 3-2 SU, 1-3 ATS Cincinnati most recently: When playing in October are 6-4 When playing on turf are 8-2 After outgaining opponent are 7-3 When playing outside the conference are 9-1 Marshall most recently: When playing in October are 4-6 When playing on turf are 6-4 After being outgained are 5-5 When playing outside the conference are 2-8 A few trends to consider: Cincinnati is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games Cincinnati is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road Marshall is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home Marshall is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games Marshall is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games Next up: Cincinnati home to Rutgers, Saturday, October 11 Marshall at UAB, Saturday, October 18

What a day to sit on the couch and use a remote control. It’s the Vice Presidential debate time right after you cash in on the Brewers-Phillies winner.  Let the losers play Palin bingo, we will use the multiple televisions. In college football it’s Pittsburgh-South Florida, Memphis-UAB, Oregon State-Utah.

Let’s start out with the power of 620 sports services behind every selection as to who to bet.

Authenticated Plays (explanation) are 10-2 in football. Memphis/UAB side is an Authenticated Play.

Leo Getz is the premier Big East handicapper in football and basketball as well as the top A-10 hoop analyst. Prime Time College Football Game of the Month Pittsburgh/South Florida

Mark the Shark, the top handicapper west of the Mississippi hits 60-65 % of his Game/Total of the Month or higher plays.  He is without question the top Pac 10 and Mountain West tipster in America. He’s been offered nearly seven figures per year to join a famed Las Vegas sports handicapping marketing giant, but has spurned offers because they demanded marketing concessions that would negatively affect his modules. Last night he nails Boise State as his 19 Game of the Week winner the last 24. Now his Nonconference Game of the Month on Oregon State/Utah

Bo Eason is the No. 2 ranked handicapper all sports combined since 1990.  His 10*s have turned a profit in every sport (college and pro counted separately) literally ever year since 1990. His first 10* of the postseason, fresh off his fifth Top 25 baseball regular season since 1996.  Brewers/Phillies side

Jared Lindsey a handicapper out of Sarasota, FL is among the Top 5 handicappers all sports combined since 1995-present. Stats are out of 620 services monitored, rankings based on total net units won based on ONE unit per play. We release his 5* plays. He’s the No. 1 MLB capper since August 1. Dodgers/Cubs 5* side and all the above winners, more than $350 worth of sports service plays are yours for just $16 on MasterLockLine.com  

Onward to the revolutionary science of forensic sports handicapping. There has never been a three-year run like this in any sport. Stevie has turned more average Joe’s into professional bettors over the last three years than there were pro gamblers in the world combined before his world championship plays went public.

Get his Big East GAME of the DECADE now and one of The Great One‘s angles are 100 percent with the angle within the play. Click now to purchase Stevie Vincent’s card for $40. We are just told it’s his biggest college football card in two years going Saturday so check out his three and four-day pick packs.

Last and certainly not least is the all-time winning handicapper in terms of units won. We have the top college football side plus the Brewers-Phillies total. Click now to purchase

Free pick courtesy of the MasterLockLine is from Bill Tanner who says bet South Florida over

At press time, it looks like Evan Longoria has led Tampa Bay Rays baseball to their first ever playoff win as the Oddsmakers said they would. Now it’s time you finally win and stop betting on your own.

Thursday begins the betting weekend for many. Don’t forget that sharp bettors get the Bet It Trinity bundle package. Get the entire weekend, the five-day pass for $209. Click now to purchase

Here is everything gamblers need to know for the Thursday card. Let’s start out with college football picks information.

Pittsburgh-South Florida

The Bulls defense ranks fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game, allowing just 58.8. Their All-American DE George Selvie is questionable after missing last week’s game. “Without any question this is the best running team USF has faced all year,” says Brian Gould of ScoresOddsPicks.com. Pitt is led by the 1-2 punch of LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling, who have a combined seven rushing TDs.

There is no doubt which team is likely to cover as this game is Stevie Vincent’s Big East Game of the Decade. Vincent is the founder of the revolutionary forensic sports handicapping, which has turned the betting world on its heels.

Memphis-UAB

Last year the Tigers snapped UAB’s seven-game series winning streak. The Blazers have played a tough schedule including road games at Tennessee and South Carolina. However, they are 1-4 straight up and their only win was to Alabama State. All four losses were by 13 or more.

At least statistically, the Blazers improved on defense. They allowed 568 yards per game and 43 points per game in their first three. Over their last two, they’ve allowed 314 yards per game. 

Who to bet on in this game? Authenticated Plays (explanation) are 10-2 in football. Memphis/UAB side is an Authenticated Play on the MasterLockLine at OffshoreInsiders.com      

Oregon State-Utah

Bob Warner of Lines-Maker.com says the big question is will the Beavers suffer a letdown after beating top ranked USC last week. OSU whipped Utah 24-7 last year in a game in which the Utes lost QB Brian Johnson last in the first half and RB Matt Asiata in the first quarter.  Darrel Mack, who was planning to redshirt, did not play. However, he would up rushing for 1,204 yards. All three will play for the Utes tonight.

Utah is off the short week, while Oregon State had two additional days rest. The Utes though rested most of their starters in a 37-21 win over Subdivision Weber State. America‘s all-time greatest football service GodsTips, led by Mike Godsey and Grandmaster sports handicapper Joe Duffy says this game is the biggest play of the day in football or baseball.

Now let’s look at the MLB playoffs. We are waiting for one of the bookmakers to post odds on how many stupid pictures of Dennis Eckersley we will have to put up with today on TBS.

White Sox-Rays

Javier Vazquez starts for Chicago having lost three straight starts and posting a 13.50 ERA. Tampa is a shocking 34-3 this season as a sportsbook favorite of 150 or more. The Palehose have won six consecutive road postseason contests.

Brewers-Phillies

CC Sabathia tries to tie the series, but he is pitching on three days rest. His ERA is 0.83 in his last three starts. Brett Myers has an ERA of 7.79 in his last three starts, but is 4-1 career wise to the Brew Crew with a 1.77 ERA.

Milwaukee has lost 15 of their last 18 to squads with a +.5 or better runs per game ratio. The Phillies have won seven straight to the NL Central.

Dodgers-Cubs

The Cubs Carlos Zambrano has a 7.80 ERA in his last three starts. His last three to LA have not been any better, sporting an 0-2 mark with a 7.58 ERA.  The Cubs are 17-3 this year +14.5 units following a loss of four or more runs.

Now other betting events take center stage.

Palin-Biden

It’s debate time for Palin and Biden. This is the World Series of Vice Presidential debates. The political betting odds say that Barack Obama has exploded to a -240 favorite. It is safe to say, all eyes will be on how much the line will move following the debate.

Dancing With the Stars

Brooke Burke is now the favorite at +200 to win, with Warren Sapp a close second at +250. Rumor is that models Joy Sartin and Cassia Riley will lead next year’s cast.

The Amazing Race

Andrew/Dan and Terence/Sarah are +400, but Nick/Starr are the clear cut favorites to win this CBS reality show at +200.

World Series of Poker

Dennis Phillips and Ivan Demidov are the co-favorites according to the Vegas WSOP betting line, but the odds have Peter Eastgate and Scott Montgomery next at +450.

Survivor Gabon

Unlike the other reality shows, the favorites are more clear-cut. Bog Crowley is +200 and Ace Gordon +300, but no other contender is given better than 5-1 betting odds. For all the latest odds and winning picks, check out OffshoreInsiders.com