THE LATEST GOLD KEY FOOTBALL PICKS

Friday January 10

Gold Key Pick, Ohio State -6 over Texas   (Cotton Bowl, 7:30 et)   (Ret. Roof)   (WINNER)

The Top Ten ranked Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference enter the College Football Playoff Semifinals at 12-2 Straight Up, and 8-6 Against The Spread for their sixth-year Head Coach Ryan Day. They are coming off two strong wins and look best here. The Buckeyes are 5-2 ATS lately.

The Top Five ranked Longhorns of the SEC stand at 13-2 Straight Up, and 8-7 Against The Spread for their four-year Head Coach Steve Sarkisian. They played well enough in spurts as Prohibitive Favorites to advance here, and will need to step it up to run with this rival. Negative trends for the Longhorns this evening include 1-5 ATS vs the Big Ten, 3-6 ATS lately, and 1-4 ATS in January.

The line stands at Buckeyes -6. We’ll go with the Buckeyes to cover for us here tonight in a Gold Key Pick.

Thursday January 9

Gold Key Pick, Notre Dame -1.5 over Penn State   (Orange Bowl, 7:30 et)   (Weather)   (WINNER)

The Top Five ranked Fighting Irish enter the College Football Playoff Semifinals at 13-1 Straight Up, and 10-2-2 Against The Spread for their third-year Head Coach Marcus Freeman. They are on 12-0 SU, and 8-0 ATS winning runs, and can prevail here. The Irish are also 8-0 ATS as Favorites lately.

The Top Five ranked Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference stand at 13-2 SU, and 8-7 Against The Spread for their long-tenured Head Coach James Franklin. Their only two SU losses were versus top-ranked teams, and they must be respected. Negative trends for the Lions here include 1-6 SU in January, and 1-7 ATS as Dogs.

The line stands at Irish -1.5. We’ll go with the Irish to cover for us here tonight in a Gold Key Pick.

Sunday January 5

Gold Key Pick, Over 42.5 Total Points, San Francisco at ARIZONA   (NFL Football, 4:25 et)   (Ret. Roof)   (WINNER)

The 49’ers of the NFC West Division stand at 6-10 Straight Up, and 5-11 Against The Spread for their long-tenured Head Coach Kyle Shanahan. Beset with injuries from the start, they failed to return to the Playoffs for the first time in four years. Trends favoring the Over in Niners games include 4-2 Over lately, and 5-1 Over vs this opponent.

The Cardinals enter this Division match up for their second-year Head Coach Jonathan Gannon with a record of 7-9 SU, and 10-6 ATS on the year. They will miss the post season for the eighth time in their last nine seasons. Cardinals events are 11-5 Over at Home lately.

The Totals line stands at 42.5. We’ll go with the Over here today in a Gold Key Pick.

Gold Key Pick, DETROIT -3 over Minnesota   (NFL Football, 8:25 et)   (Roof)   (WINNER)

The Lions are tied for first place in the NFC North Division with a record of 14-2 SU, and 11-5 ATS for their fourth-year Head Coach Dan Campbell. They can wrap up their Division and a first round Bye with a win here this evening. Positive trends for the Lions include 8-0 ATS vs this foe, 9-0 SU in Conference Play, and 7-0 SU in Division Play.

The Vikings enter this Division match up for their third-year Head Coach Kevin O’Connell at 14-2 SU, and 11-4-1 ATS on the season. They have won nine games in a row SU and can also win their Division and a first round Bye with a win here this evening. The Vikings are 2-6 ATS in January lately, and 0-4 ATS at this rival.

The line stands at Lions -3. We’ll go with the Home Lions to cover for us here tonight in a Gold Key Pick.

–Rich Green