Sean Murphy Handicapper Review & Free Sports Picks

Interleague Total of the Week. My selection is on the 'under' between Cincinnati and Minnesota at 8:10 pm et on Friday.

With the forecast calling for reasonably cool temperatures with the wind blowing in from right-center we can get behind a relatively low-scoring affair in Minnesota on Friday.

Neither the Reds or Twins are hitting particularly well right now. In fact, Cincinnati checks in ranked 30th in the majors in weighted on base average over the last seven days. Minnesota hasn't been much better, ranking 21st in that category over the same stretch.

Rookie Julian Aguiar will get another turn in the rotation for the Reds. His overall numbers aren't good but that's largely due to one start where he got blown up by the A's. Last time out he tossed 4 2/3 shutout innings in an eventual 3-1 road win over the Mets. Again, it's not as if he's facing a red hot hitting lineup in this matchup. In three road outings this season, Aguiar has logged a 2.45 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.

Bailey Ober will counter for the Twins. He's quietly having a terrific season having posted a 3.78 FIP and 0.98 WHIP. He did go through a bit of a rough stretch recently but has bounced back since, allowing just two hits and one earned run in 13 innings of work over his last two outings. Current Reds hitters are just 2-for-13 (.154) with a .574 OPS against Ober.

Both bullpens are in good shape entering this game. The Reds got 67 pitches from Carson Spiers in 'relief' yesterday and used only one other reliever for seven pitches. Meanwhile, the Twins were idle. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'over' between UNLV and Kansas at 7 pm et on Friday.

Kansas ran into a revenge-minded Illinois squad on the road last Saturday and paid the price in a much lower-scoring game than expected, 23-17 in favor of the Illini. The Jayhawks will return home to face another opponent seeking revenge on Friday. Remember, the Rebels and Jayhawks met in last December's Guaranteed Rate Bowl. That game went 49-36 in favor of Kansas. While I don't expect the Jayhawks to get tripped up again here, I do think the Rebels will be able to hang some points on them.

UNLV's aerial attack has fizzled a bit with Matthew Sluka taking over at quarterback for last year's standout Jordan Maiava (he transferred to USC). With that being said, you don't put up 72 points by fluke. The Rebels did just that last week, albeit against an FCS opponent in Utah Tech. Note that in Week 1 UNLV scored 27 points in an upset win over Houston. Sluka has certainly made the most of his overall poor numbers, throwing five touchdown passes through two games (on only 14 completions). Forget about Sluka's short-comings for a moment, the Rebels still have one of the most underrated wide receivers in college football in Ricky White and a dare-I-say dominant ground attack that features a ton of options.

As I mentioned, Kansas struggled to put points on the board in Saturday's loss to Illinois. This is still a loaded offense and I'm willing to bet against dual-threat QB Jalon Daniels turning in another stinker (he did manage to throw two touchdown passes against the Illini). There's experience all over the field for the Jayhawks on offense. While they're not likely to approach the 49 points they scored in the Bowl win over UNLV, getting into the 30's is probable. Look for the Rebels to take care of the rest. Take the over (8*).

Non-Division Total of the Month. My selection is on the 'under' between Toronto and B.C. at 10 pm et on Friday.

The first meeting between these two teams this season produced 62 total points. Both teams had different starting quarterbacks than we'll see in the rematch on Friday. That prevoius matchup also saw a whopping 30 points scored in a wild second quarter - the likes of which we aren't likely to see again on Friday.

With quarterbacks Chad Kelly of the Argos and Nathan Rourke of the Lions settling in and slinging it all over the field over the last couple of games, most bettors will likely be taking a long, hard look at the 'over' in this one. I'm not so easily convinced. I think we'll see a scenario play out where both teams march up and down the field but fail to cash in more often than not.

Toronto has fallen to 6-6 on the season thanks to consecutive losses. In those two games it allowed a whopping 72 points. Needless to say the focus will be on cleaning things up defensively on Friday. Meanwhile, B.C. has climbed above the .500 mark thanks to back-to-back wins over the RedBlacks and Alouettes. The Lions defense fuelled those two victories, giving up a grand total of 35 points and three touchdowns. B.C. has allowed more than 20 points just once in five home games this season and that came in a 24-21 win over Edmonton back in June that stayed 'under' the total. Take the under (10*).