William Burns Sports Picks

(#570) Denver Nuggets | ATS | . 

New Orleans played in a very tough game last night in Utah. Considering this is the second game of a B2B, I wouldn't be shocked if a couple guys are rested on Saturday or don't play as many minutes. The Pelicans did a fair bit of that, especially with Zion last season. New Orleans was also 42.9% ATS when playing as a road underdog a year ago. I expect similar results this season. 

Looking at Denver, it really struggled offensively in its first game. That being said, it should be much easier to score against New Orleans than it was against Oklahoma City. There's levels to this association. Plus, this is the Nuggets home opener. Give me Denver in a blowout on Saturday evening. 

Burns' Prediction: 126-102 Nuggets.

(#202445) 1. FC Union Berlin @ (#202446) FC Augsburg | OVER | . 

This is a game where I expect both teams to get on the scoreboard. Union Berlin is the underdog, being on the road. But, FC Augsburg has allowed 13 goals over its past five games in all competitions, meaning that there's a great chance that the road team strikes, and possibly for multiple goals on Saturday. 

Talking about FC Augsburg though, it's scored 16 goals in six league games this season, which is tied for second in the entire Bundesliga. I'd also like to mention that Union Berlin has allowed 17 goals through the first six games this year. That doesn't bode well for it on the road here. Expect lots of goals in this one. 

Burns' Prediction: 4-1 Augsburg.

(#45) Carolina Hurricanes | ML | . 

Coming off a loss against Edmonton in a shootout, I'm expecting Carolina to respond on Saturday evening. I'm 4-0 this season when playing on the Hurricanes (5-0 incl. free picks,) & I'm riding with the hot wave in this one. Carolina has Seth Jarvis returned in the last game as well and he scored a goal. St. Louis is improved from last year's struggles. However, the Blues still aren't on the level as the Stanley Cup contenders. Let's not forget that Carolina is the defending cup champs. Expect a response from CAR. 

Burns' Prediction: 4-1 Hurricanes.

(#361) Georgia State Panthers | ATS | . 

I'm expecting another big win here for Georgia State. The Panthers might be on the road this evening. However, they are much better than they showed last weekend against James Madison and should look much better here against Arkansas State. GAST put up 30 points in a very competitive game @UCF earlier this season as well. 

Arkansas State, on the other hand, hasn't won consecutive games all season. Since their week zero bye, the Red Wolves have played eight straight games with no weeks off. That has to be tiring for them. Offensively, I expect the Panthers to be too much for the Red Wolves to handle on Saturday night. 

Burns' Prediction: 33-21 GAST.

(#401) Old Dominion Monarchs @ (#402) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | UNDER | . 

I firmly believe that this is going to be a defensive war on Saturday afternoon. Old Dominion enters the weekend with five losses over its past six games. The Monarchs haven't played terrible defense though. They've allowed 26 points over the past couple of weeks. The Monarchs are also 17-10 ATS on the road over the past five seasons, making me believe that they can keep this one close despite their abysmal offense. 

Louisiana Tech is fresh off a 24-0 win against Louisiana Monroe last week. The Bulldogs are elite defensively & return home this weekend with all of the momentum in the world. I haven't been too impressed with their offense either though as they've scored 24 or less in half of their games this season. Give me the "under." 

Burns' Prediction: 20-10 LA Tech.

(#332) Florida Atlantic Owls | ATS | . 

Off six consecutive losses, Rice is in a very bad spot right now. The road Owls had been playing alright & staying in ball games. But, it just hasn't been a good season for them whatsoever. I don't expect them to just magically get better overnight either. 

Florida Atlantic, who's won three of the past four meetings versus Rice, comes into this game well prepared. The home Owls played Army last week & also faced off against Navy earlier this season, giving me the anticipating of them being ready for the option. Don't get me wrong, last weeks meeting is definitely not what I want to see from FAU last week. Being back at home should definitely help. Give me FAU by DD on Saturday. 

Burns' Prediction: 37-20 FAU.

(#373) Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns | ATS | . 

Last weekend, I also had Louisiana Lafayette & I'm backing the Cajuns again this weekend. Yes, this is a road game for ULL. But, that shouldn't matter as they are starting to play much better now w/ four wins over their past five games (the loss was by a single point.) This weekend, they get a very good matchup against a dreadful 1-5 Southern Miss team. 

Talking about the Golden Eagles, they really struggle defensively, especially against the run. That's exactly what's going to hurt them this weekend against a ULL team that averages more than 200 rush yards per game this season. Give me the Ragin' Cajuns once again in week eight of the College Football season. 

Burns' Prediction: 37-17 ULL.

(#367) Virginia Tech Hokies | ATS | . 

On the road in Happy Valley, this is going to be a tough game. But, Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin is used to play in hectic environments, having coached for Penn State in the past & I believe that he's going to have his guys ready for this game. A lot of his former students/players came from that Nittany Lions squad and they have looked very solid this season, starting the season with a great 5-2 record. That being said, a loss here would definitely knock the Hokies out of playoff contention, especially being in the weaker ACC. Clemson only has a pair of losses as well. However, the Tigers just haven't impressed me against the strong teams. Their win last week against an FCS school was dominant. But, Clemson barely escaped UNC here at Memorial Stadium & got smacked 41-13 against Miami here earlier this month. I'm taking the points with VT on Saturday evening. 

Burns' Prediction: 35-23 VT.

(#363) USC Trojans | ATS | . 

This might be a road game for USC. But, I believe that the Trojans are good enough to beat any single team in the country in my eyes, home or away. Southern California was my Big Ten GOY selection a year ago when it knocked off Michigan in a 31-13 domination. Coming off a bye week and consecutive wins prior to that, USC should be ready to go for this encounter with Wisconsin. 

Talking about the Badgers, they got humiliated against UCLA this past weekend. The Bruins played with a backup QB and the Badgers couldn't capitalize, scoring only seven points. Don't get me wrong, it was a road game on the Western coast of the country. But, they have to travel back this week and that could be a bit of an issue as well. 

In the last matchup between these teams in 2024, Wisconsin lost by 17 points. The Badgers were a worse team a couple of seasons ago. But, they still aren't anything special. With a healthy Trojans offense led by Jayden Maiava, I simply don't see the Trojans losing a game like this. Give me USC. 

Burns' Prediction: 34-17 USC.