Colliding on the gridiron

The National Football League begins its regular-season schedule on Thursday night at the Superdome in New Orleans with the Saints playing host to the Vikings.

Minnesota and New Orleans met at the Superdome in the NFC Championship Game last season with the Saints pulling out a 31-28 overtime victory. Saints quarterback Drew Brees went just 17-of-31 for 197 yards passing in that contest, but threw three TD strikes.

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, on the other hand, went 28-of-46 for 310 yards with a touchdown pass, but also threw a pair of costly interceptions.

The oddsmakers like the Saints at home in the first game of the year; they’re pegged as 5.5-point favorites. The total for the matchup is listed at 48 points.

There are a pair of college football games on Thursday night as well, with Central Michigan at Temple (-7.5), and No. 22 Auburn (-2.5) at Mississippi State.

The ranked Tigers picked up an easy 52-26 win over Arkansas State in their season opener last time out, with quarterback Cam Newton passing for 186 yards and three scores and also running for 171 yards and two scores.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, thumped Memphis 49-7 last week, as QB Tyler Russell threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns.

Meeting up on the diamond

There are just six games on a light baseball schedule for Thursday, with the American League offering up the White Sox at Detroit and Texas at Toronto, and the National League featuring Cincinnati at Colorado, the Dodgers at Houston, San Francisco at San Diego, and St. Louis at Atlanta.

The Cardinals will send Adam Wainwright (17-10, 2.34 ERA) to the mound in the last contest, while the Braves counter with Jair Jurrjens (7-4, 4.10 ERA).

Right-hander Wainwright will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak on Thursday; he gave up five runs (two earned) over five innings of work against the Reds last time out.

Right-hander Jurrjens has picked up the win in each of his past two trips to the mound, blanking the Marlins on three hits in his seven innings of work last time out.

Rounding out the Roundup

Finally, the PGA Tour begins its third FedExCup playoff tournament on Thursday with the BMW Championship at Cog Hill G&CC in Lemont, Illinois.

Tiger Woods is the defending champion at this event, and the oddsmakers have him pegged at 11/2 odds to pull off the repeat; Woods sits 51st in the FedExCup standings and needs to climb into the Top 30 to make the field for THE TOUR Championship in two weeks.

Steve Stricker is next at 12/1 odds, followed by Phil Mickelson at 14/1, and Jim Furyk at 18/1. Matt Kuchar, the current FedExCup points leader, is next at 22/1 odds, with Charley Hoffman, who won the Deutsche Bank Championship with a sizzling final round last week, set at 50/1.

Meeting up on the diamond

The American League schedule for Tuesday has the White Sox at Detroit, Texas at Toronto, Tampa Bay at Boston, Kansas City at Minnesota, Seattle at Oakland, Cleveland at the Angels, and Baltimore at the Yankees.

The Orioles’ Jake Arrieta (4-6, 5.11 ERA) is slated to take on New York’s CC Sabathia (19-5, 3.02 ERA) in the last matchup.

Right-hander Arrieta took a no-decision against the Red Sox last time out, giving up three runs on six hits over five innings of work.

Left-hander Sabathia will be looking to pick up his seventh consecutive victory on Tuesday; Sabathia dominated the Athletics in his last trip to the mound, tossing eight shutout innings and giving up one hit.

Over in the National League on Tuesday it’s then Atlanta at Pittsburgh, Florida at Philadelphia, the Mets at Washington, Houston at the Cubs, St. Louis at Milwaukee, Cincinnati at Colorado, the Dodgers at San Diego, and San Francisco at Arizona.

Tim Lincecum (12-9, 3.68 ERA) will take on Barry Enright (6-2, 2.45 ERA) in the Giants/Diamondbacks contest.

Right-hander Lincecum finally got back into the win column last time out, holding the Rockies to one run on five hits over eight innings of work.

Right-hander Enright has won three straight starts, beating the Padres in his last trip to the mound (two runs over seven innings). Arizona is 5-1 in Enright’s last six starts.

Meeting up on the hardwood

New York will tip off with Atlanta in Game 2 of the WNBA’s best-of-three Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night.

Atlanta came out on top in Game 1 of the series on Sunday night, winning 81-75 on the road in New York as a 4.5-point underdog. Angel McCoughtry led the way with 21 points for the Dream in that win, while Sancho Lyttle picked up 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Cappie Pondexter led the Liberty with 24 points.

Colliding on the gridiron

College football wraps up its first week with two games on Monday: Navy vs. Maryland (at M&T Bank Stadium), and No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech (at FedExField).

Oddsmakers have Navy set as the 6.5-point favorite in that first matchup, with the total at 48.5. Boise State is then a slim 1.5-point favorite, with the total for that contest at 50.5.

As well, the Canadian Football League offers up its regular Labour Day battles on Monday, with Toronto at Hamilton and Edmonton at Calgary.

The Argonauts (5-3 SU, 5-3 ATS) and Tiger-Cats (4-4 SU, 4-4 ATS) will be playing for the second straight game; Hamilton won 16-12 on the road in Week 8, and they’re a 4-point home favorite for Monday (with the total at 50).

The Eskimos (2-6 SU, 3-5 ATS) are big 12.5-point underdogs against the rival Stampeders (7-1 SU, 6-2 ATS), with that game’s total at 54.

Meeting up on the diamond

On the American League schedule for Monday it’s Baltimore at the Yankees, the White Sox at Detroit, Texas at Toronto, Kansas City at Minnesota, Seattle at Oakland, Cleveland at the Angels, and Tampa Bay at Boston.

The Rays will go with Jeff Niemann (10-5, 3.97 ERA) in the last matchup, while the Red Sox counter with Jon Lester (15-8, 3.27 ERA).

Right-hander Niemann has been knocked around in each of his last two starts, giving up a combined 17 runs on 15 hits over 8 1-3 innings of work against the Blue Jays and Angels.

Left-hander Lester is coming off a win over the Orioles (five runs in six innings), and he beat the Rays on August 27 (one unearned run in seven innings).

Over in the National League on Monday there’s a doubleheader between the Marlins and Phillies in Philadelphia, along with the Mets at Washington, Atlanta at Pittsburgh, St. Louis at Milwaukee, Houston at the Cubs, San Francisco at Arizona, the Dodgers at San Diego, and Cincinnati at Colorado.

Aaron Harang (6-7, 4.92 ERA) is slated to take on Ubaldo Jimenez (17-6, 2.69 ERA) in the Reds/Rockies matchup.

Right-hander Harang took a no-decision against the Brewers last time out, giving up three runs (one earned) on eight hits over just four innings.

Right-hander Jimenez is coming off a hard-luck loss to the Giants in which he gave up two runs over eight innings while fanning 10.

Colliding on the gridiron

There are two games on the college football schedule for Friday, with Villanova at Temple, and Arizona at Toledo. The contest between ‘Nova and Temple didn’t receive a line from the oddsmakers, and Arizona is a 15.5-point road favorite against the Rockets.

There is also one Canadian Football League game on tap for Friday, with B.C. at Montreal. The Lions (1-7 SU, 2-6 ATS) have now lost seven games in a row, while the Alouettes (6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS) will be playing without injured starting quarterback Anthony Calvillo. Montreal is pegged as the 11-point favorite for Friday, with the total set at 49.5.

Meeting up on the diamond

The American League schedule for Friday offers up Toronto at the Yankees, Tampa Bay at Baltimore, Texas at Minnesota, Detroit at Kansas City, the Angels at Oakland, Cleveland at Seattle, and the White Sox at Boston.

John Danks (12-9, 3.65 ERA) is set to take on Clay Buchholz (15-5, 2.21 ERA) in the last matchup. Left-hander Danks was knocked around by the Yankees in his last trip to the mound, giving up eight runs on six hits over his 4 1-3 innings of work. Right-hander Buchholz had to settle for a no-decision against the Rays last time out, giving up two runs (one earned) over his 7 1-3 innings.

Meanwhile, the National League schedule for Friday has Washington at Pittsburgh, the Mets at the Cubs, Milwaukee at Philadelphia, Atlanta at Florida, Cincinnati at St. Louis, Houston at Arizona, Colorado at San Diego, and San Francisco at the Dodgers.

The Giants will go with Barry Zito (8-10, 4.07 ERA) on Friday, while Los Angeles counters with Chad Billingsley (10-8, 3.73 ERA). Left-hander Zito will be looking to bounce back from an ugly loss to the Diamondbacks in which he gave up nine runs (seven earned) over his 3 2-3 innings pitched. Right-hander Billingsley is also coming off a losing outing, surrendering three runs on five hits in six innings of work against the Rockies last game.

Meeting on the links

The PGA Tour continues its FedExCup playoffs starting Friday with the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston. Tiger Woods played well enough at The Barclays last week to qualify for the second round of the playoffs, and the oddsmakers have him as the 7/1 favorite to pick up the win at TPC Boston.

Steve Stricker, the defending tournament champion, is next at 11/1 odds, followed by each of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy at 16/1.

Mickelson won this event back in 2007, and Woods was the winner in 2006. Two-time champion Vijay Singh (2008 and 2004) is back at 100/1 odds to win this weekend; Singh is back in 86th place in the FedExCup standings. Matt Kuchar, who leads the standings right now, sits at 22/1 odds to pick up the victory.

Colliding on the gridiron

There is a full slate of 16 NFL preseason games on tap for Thursday, including two involving unbeaten teams: Baltimore at St. Louis, and San Diego at San Francisco.

The 3-0 Ravens have dispatched the Panthers, Redskins, and Giants in consecutive outings, but they’re 3-point underdogs for Thursday’s contest against the 2-1 Rams (with the total at 38).

The 3-0 Niners have beaten the Colts, Vikings, and Raiders so far in the preseason, and they’re 3.5-point favorites against the 1-2 Chargers on Thursday night (with the total at 36).

The Ravens game starts at 8 p.m. ET; the Niners start at 10 p.m.

Elsewhere around the NFL on Thursday it’s Buffalo at Detroit (-4.5), New England at the Giants (-3), the Jets at Philadelphia (-1.5), Atlanta at Jacksonville (-3), Carolina at Pittsburgh (-5.5), Denver at Minnesota (-4.5), Chicago (-3) at Cleveland, Tampa Bay at Houston (-2.5), Miami at Dallas (-3.5), New Orleans at Tennessee (-7.5), Green Bay at Kansas City (-5.5), Seattle at Oakland (-3.5), Washington at Arizona (-5.5), and Cincinnati (-6.5) at Indianapolis.

The Colts sit with the Chiefs and Bears as the only winless teams so far in the preseason; Indy has fallen to the Niners, Bills, and Packers.

There are also 18 college football games on the schedule for Thursday, including seven with lines from the oddsmakers: Southern Miss vs. South Carolina (-13.5), Marshall vs. Ohio State (-28.5), Northern Illinois vs. Iowa State (-4.5), Pittsburgh vs. Utah (-3), Minnesota (-3) vs. Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic vs. UAB (-15), and Southern Cal (-21.5) vs. Hawaii.

The Trojans come into the year at No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll, but they are ineligible for the postseason because of sanctions handed down by the NCAA.

Meeting up on the diamond

There are four games on the American League schedule for Thursday, with Oakland at the Yankees, Boston at Baltimore, Cleveland at Seattle, and Detroit at Minnesota. Justin Verlander (14-8, 3.58 ERA) is expected to get the ball for the Tigers in the last matchup, while Scott Baker (12-9, 4.55 ERA) counters for the Twins.

Right-hander Verlander got stuck with a no-decision against the Blue Jays in his last trip to the mound despite giving up just two runs on five hits over his eight innings of work. Right-hander Baker is coming off a win over Seattle in which he gave up two runs in his 6 2-3 innings.

As well, the National League has just two games on tap for Thursday, with Philadelphia at Colorado and the Mets at Atlanta. Johan Santana (10-9, 3.02 ERA) is slated to take on Tim Hudson (15-5, 2.24 ERA) in that Mets/Braves matchup.

Left-hander Santana has lost three straight starts, and he also fell to the Braves back on August 2 (four runs over seven innings of work). Right-hander Hudson dazzled the Marlins last time out, holding them to just one run over seven innings while fanning 13 batters. The Braves are 8-2 in Hudson’s last 10 outings, and he was the winning pitcher on August 2 against the Mets.

Meeting on the hardwood

Finally, the WNBA’s Western Conference Finals tip off on Thursday night with Phoenix at Seattle. The Mercury and Storm both swept their first-round playoff series last week; Phoenix knocked off San Antonio 92-73 in Game 2 of their set, while Seattle is coming off an 81-66 Game 2 win over Los Angeles.

The oddsmakers have the Storm pegged as 6-point home favorites for Thursday’s matchup, with the total for the contest at 178.5.

Meeting up on the diamond

On the American League schedule for Wednesday it’ll be the White Sox at Cleveland, Boston at Baltimore, Toronto at Tampa Bay, Detroit at Minnesota, Texas at Kansas City, the Angels at Seattle, and Oakland at the Yankees.

Brett Anderson (3-5, 3.32 ERA) will take the hill for the A’s on Wednesday, while the Yankees counter with A.J. Burnett (9-12, 5.17 ERA).

Left-hander Anderson will be looking to bounce back from an ugly outing against the Rangers in which he picked up the loss after giving up four runs on six hits in just two innings of work.

Right-hander Burnett, though, was even worse last time out, surrendering nine runs (eight earned) in just 3 1-3 innings against the ChiSox.

Over in the National League on Wednesday it’s then St. Louis at Houston, Pittsburgh at the Cubs, Philadelphia at the Dodgers, San Diego at Arizona, the Mets at Atlanta, Milwaukee at Cincinnati, Washington at Florida, and Colorado at San Francisco.

Ubaldo Jimenez (17-5, 2.71 ERA) will take on Tim Lincecum (11-9, 3.80 ERA) in the last matchup.

Right-hander Jimenez has lost two straight outings against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks despite giving up just six runs on 12 hits over those 13 innings of work. Jimenez beat the Giants on August 4 (one run over seven innings).

Right-hander Lincecum has lost five straight starts, going the entire month of August without a victory.

Meeting on the hardwood

Finally, there’s one game on the WNBA playoff schedule for Wednesday, with Indiana at New York in the third and deciding game of their first-round playoff series.

The Fever forced Game 3 with a 75-67 home win over New York in Game 2, with Tamika Catchings scoring a team-high 17 points for Indiana in that contest. Tammy Sutton-Brown added 14 points for the Fever, and Cappie Pondexter poured in 24 for New York.

Meeting up on the diamond

The American League schedule for Tuesday has Boston at Baltimore, the White Sox at Cleveland, Oakland at the Yankees, Toronto at Tampa Bay, Detroit at Minnesota, the Angels at Seattle, and Texas at Kansas City.

Cliff Lee (10-8, 3.26 ERA) is slated to get the ball for the Rangers, while Sean O’Sullivan (2-4, 4.96 ERA) pitches for the Royals.

Left-hander Lee picked up his third straight loss last time out, giving up five runs on seven hits over five innings against the Twins. Lee has allowed 19 runs over his last 18 1-3 innings of work.

Right-hander O’Sullivan had to settle for a no-decision against the Tigers in his last trip to the hill, allowing three runs in seven innings.

Over in the National League on Tuesday it’s then Washington at Florida, Milwaukee at Cincinnati, the Mets at Atlanta, Pittsburgh at the Cubs, San Diego at Arizona, Philadelphia at the Dodgers, Colorado at San Francisco, and St. Louis at Houston.

The Cardinals will hand the ball to Chris Carpenter (14-4, 2.93 ERA) in that last contest, while the Astros counter with Wandy Rodriguez (10-12, 3.87 ERA).

Right-hander Carpenter picked up a no-decision against the Nationals last time out, surrendering six runs (three earned) on 10 hits over his six innings of work; Carpenter beat the Astros on August 4 (two runs over 7 1-3 innings).

Left-hander Rodriguez faced the Cardinals back on July 11, giving up three runs on four hits over his six innings of work in that defeat.

Meeting up on the diamond

The American League schedule for Monday offers up the White Sox at Cleveland, Oakland at the Yankees, Texas at Kansas City, the Angels at Seattle, and Toronto at Tampa Bay.

Brett Cecil (11-6, 3.80 ERA) will take on Wade Davis (10-9, 4.41 ERA) in the Jays/Rays matchup.

Left-hander Cecil beat Tampa Bay back on August 6, giving up just one run on four hits over his seven innings of work and fanning nine.

Right-hander Davis is coming off a win over the Angels in which he surrendered two runs on six hits in his 5 1-3 innings of work and struck out five. Tampa is 6-1 in Davis’ last seven starts.

Over in the National League on Monday it’s then Washington at Florida, Milwaukee at Cincinnati, the Mets at Atlanta, Pittsburgh at the Cubs, St. Louis at Houston, San Diego at Arizona, Colorado at San Francisco, and Philadelphia at the Dodgers.

Roy Halladay (16-9, 2.22 ERA) is slated to get the ball for the Phillies in that last contest, while Los Angeles counters with Hiroki Kuroda (9-11, 3.56 ERA).

Right-hander Halladay was tagged with a loss by the Astros last time out, giving up three runs on six hits over seven innings to stop his six-game winning streak.

Right-hander Kuroda is coming off a win over the Brewers in which he allowed four runs on seven hits over his seven innings.

Meeting on the hardcourt

The U.S. Open tennis tournament gets underway on Monday, with Roger Federer (11/5) and Rafael Nadal (5/2) the oddsmakers’ top choices on the men’s side of the draw.

Andy Murray is just back of those two on the list at 7/2 odds, with Novak Djokovic at 14/1, Robin Soderling at 18/1, and Tomas Berdych at 20/1. Andy Roddick is pegged at 22/1 odds to win.

On the women’s side it’s Kim Clijsters listed as the 3/1 favorite, followed by Maria Sharapova at 9/2, and Carolina Wozniacki at 7/1. Victoria Azarenka (8/1) and Venus Williams (10/1) round out the Top 5 on the women’s odds list.

Colliding on the gridiron

The NFL has four games on tap for Friday, with Atlanta at Miami (pick’em), Washington at the Jets (-4.5), San Diego at New Orleans (-3), and Philadelphia at Kansas City (pick’em).

The Chiefs have lost both of their games so far during the preseason, falling 20-10 in Atlanta in Week 1 and 20-15 in Tampa Bay in Week 2. Matt Cassel went 14-of-19 for 125 yards passing against the Bucs, with one TD strike.

The Eagles beat Jacksonville 28-27 in their first exhibition game, but fell 22-9 in Cincinnati last time out. Philly QB Kevin Kolb completed 11 of 17 pass attempts for 126 yards in that matchup.

There’s also one Canadian Football League game on the schedule for Friday, with Calgary at British Columbia.

The Stampeders (6-1 SU, 5-2 ATS) head into this matchup riding a four-game winning streak, while the Lions (1-6 SU, 2-5 ATS) have been tagged with a loss in each of their past six contests.

Oddsmakers have Calgary listed as a 6-point road favorite for Friday night’s matchup, with the total for the game set at 52 points.

Meeting up on the diamond

The American League schedule for Friday has Kansas City at Cleveland, Boston at Tampa Bay, Detroit at Toronto, the Yankees at the White Sox, Baltimore at the Angels, Minnesota at Seattle, and Oakland at Texas.

Brett Anderson (3-4 SU, 2.86 ERA) will take on Tommy Hunter (10-2, 3.68 ERA) in the last contest.

Left-hander Anderson had to settle for a no-decision against the Rays last time out, surrendering just two runs on eight hits over his seven innings of work.

Right-hander Hunter got back into the win column against the Orioles in his last outing, allowing three runs over his eight innings.

Over in the National League on Friday it’ll be St. Louis at Washington, Houston at the Mets, the Cubs at Cincinnati, Florida at Atlanta, the Dodgers at Colorado, Arizona at San Francisco, and Philadelphia at San Diego.

The Phillies will give the ball to Roy Oswalt (9-13, 3.22 ERA) on Friday, while the Padres counter with Mat Latos (13-5, 2.33 ERA).

Right-hander Oswalt picked up his third straight win last time out, holding the Nationals scoreless on five hits over his seven innings of work.

Right-hander Latos beat the Cubs in his most recent trip to the hill, surrendering two runs over his seven innings.

Meeting on the hardwood

Finally, there’s one game on the WNBA’s playoff schedule for Friday, with Washington at Atlanta. The Dream won Game 1 of the series 95-90 on the road on Wednesday night as a 5-point underdog.

Angel McCoughtry led the way with 28 points for Atlanta in that win, while Coco Miller was good for 21 points. Marissa Coleman scored a team-high 18 points off the bench for Washington, and Crystal Langhorne tossed in 16 points.

Colliding on the gridiron

The National Football League offers up a pair of Week 3 preseason games on Thursday night, with St. Louis at New England, and Indianapolis at Green Bay.

Oddsmakers have the Patriots listed as 7.5-point home favorites in that first matchup as they look to improve on their 2-0 exhibition record. The Rams are 1-1 so far in the preseason, beating Cleveland 19-17 last week.

The Colts are winless through the first two weeks of the preseason, while the Packers beat Seattle 27-24 last week for their first win of the exhibition schedule. Green Bay has been pegged as the 3.5-point favorite for Thursday.

Meeting up on the diamond

There are four games on the American League schedule for Thursday, with Oakland at Cleveland, Detroit at Toronto, Baltimore at the White Sox, and Minnesota at Texas.

Francisco Liriano (11-7, 3.45 ERA) is set to take on Cliff Lee (10-7, 3.09 ERA) in that Twins/Rangers matchup.

Lefthander Liriano last pitched against the White Sox back on August 18, picking up a no-decision after giving up five runs on six hits over his five innings of work.

Lefthander Lee was pounded by the Orioles in his last trip to the mound, surrendering eight runs (and four home runs) on 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings of work.

Over in the National League on Thursday it’s then Houston at Philadelphia, the Dodgers at Milwaukee, Arizona at San Diego, Florida at the Mets, and St. Louis at Washington.

Chris Carpenter (14-4, 2.88 ERA) will get the ball for the Cardinals in that last matchup, while Jordan Zimmermann (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will come up from the minors to pitch for the Nationals.

Righthander Carpenter beat the Giants in his last trip to the mound, allowing just one run on five hits over 7 1-3 innings of work.

Righthander Zimmermann spent most of the year on the disabled list with an elbow injury; he’s been pitching in Syracuse.

Meeting on the links

The PGA Tour kicks off its FedExCup playoffs on Thursday morning with The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been listed as the 12/1 co-favorites to win The Barclays this week, with Rory McIlroy sitting third on that odds list at 14/1.

Ernie Els, the FedExCup points leader, is back at 30/1, while Steve Stricker, who sits second on that leaderboard, is pegged at 18/1 odds.

Jim Furyk had been listed at 25/1 to win The Barclays; he was disqualified on Wednesday for missing the pro-am. Defending champ Heath Slocum is set at 100/1.

Meeting on the hardwood

Finally, the first round of the WNBA playoffs continue on Thursday, with Indiana at New York and San Antonio at Phoenix.

The Fever (21-13 SU, 18-16 ATS) stumbled into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak, while the Liberty (22-12 SU, 18-15-1 ATS) slipped past Connecticut 88-87 last time out. Oddsmakers have New York pegged as a 3.5-point home favorite for Thursday, with the total at 146.5.

The Silver Stars (14-20 SU, 14-18-2 ATS) are riding a two-game winning streak, while the Mercury (15-19 SU, 16-18 ATS) have been tagged with a loss in each of their last two games. The oddsmakers have Phoenix listed as the 8.5-point home favorite for Thursday, with that total at 186.5.