By Marc Lawrence — Following three consecutive losses, Michigan State (16-8) is the first preseason No. 1 to drop out of the rankings since Kentucky did it twice in 2013-14. As a result the Spartans travel to Illinois tonight knowing head coach Tom Izzo is 12-4 SU and 10-6 ATS in his career at MSU when coming off three consecutive losses, including 7-1 SUATS versus .666 or greater opponents. Expect the Wizard of Iz to respond tonight. Fast Pace ESPN reports the XFL’s vision calls for fast-paced games, with more scoring and fewer dead plays than the NFL. In fact, five of the league’s eight games scored fewer than 20 points, and the average game lasted about 2 hours and 56 minutes, or 11 minutes shorter than the XFL’s goal of 2:45, but less than the NFL … On the other hand the league’s revamped kickoff alignment minimized touchbacks. Of the 35 kickoffs, 32 were returned. Last year 60.9% of NFL kickoffs went for touchbacks and just 36% were returned … XFL teams averaged 5.0 yards per offensive play in Week 1; NFL teams averaged 5.5 during the 2019 regular season … It’s easy to see why this new league holds plenty of promise. Read more here. |
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From the NBA Day-To-Day Trends in this week’s PLAYBOOK Basketball Newsletter: Chicago: 7-0 SUATS vs. Wizards … Philadelphia: 4-0 OVER before 6-plus days of rest … Portland: 0-7 UNDER Tuesdays vs. non-div foes … San Antonio: 10-2 OVER in no-rest vs. one day-rest matchups. |