Miscellaneous Articles

College Football Weekly Predictions: Week 13
by Alan Matthews - 11/26/2009

I really should know better than to ever recommend Notre Dame. The Irish were giving six points in their home finale to UConn last week, and of course they lost straight up. That means the Irish have now dropped their home finale to a Big East team two years running (last year to awful Syracuse) and are a combined 1-6 vs. the Big East and Navy the past three seasons.

NFL Sunday Predictions - Week 12
by Josh Nagel - 11/24/2009

This game appears to provide a good spot in which to take team that has plenty to play for against another that’s season has been lost and might be looking to simply play out the string. Meet the Miami Dolphins, who are clinging to longshot playoff hopes after turning their season around following an 0-3 start and the Buffalo Bills, who have watched another season go from hopeful to hopeless in a matter of weeks.

NHL Power Rankings
by T.O. Whenham - 11/24/2009

It's been two weeks since the last rankings, and we have seen a lot of movement. The biggest upward moves belong to the red-hot Blackhawks and their division-mates from Detroit. Colorado is the biggest faller, and I'm not at all convinced that they are done moving down yet. In several cases this week I have moved teams around based not just on their current play but also how that play compares to their potential.

NASCAR: Ford 400 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 11/21/2009

Jimmie Johnson won for the fourth time in five races at Phoenix last week, leading 238 of 312 laps as he all but wrapped up his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship. He leads Mark Martin by 108 points going into the final race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Homestead-Miami Speedway this Sunday at 3 p.m.

Sports Betting Locks - Buyer Beware
by Max Powers - 11/20/2009

With the invention of the Internet, numerous sports handicapping Web sites have popped up overnight and they all claim that they are the service that can make you money. This still is the one and only goal of a selection service and if you can achieve this more often then not you should have a long career in this business.

NFL Sunday Predictions - Week 11
by Josh Nagel - 11/19/2009

Long before he was blamed for running one of the dullest offensive teams in league history, Redskins coach Jim Zorn had the critics on his side. Temporarily, that is. In the midst of a 6-2 start last year in his first season as head coach, Zorn was applauded for making the most of a team with limited talent on offense, playing mistake-free football and winning games with a solid defense.

College Football Weekly Predictions: Week 12
by Alan Matthews - 11/19/2009

In many respects, this is the final full weekend of the college football regular season because the Big Ten shuts it down after Week 12, although a few of the teams do have a non-conference game left. But the season is rapidly approaching an end, so we need a strong finish to end up at least +500 on the regular season. But you can look for some bowl prediction stories as well.

Free Sports Picks: NBA on TNT Free Pick (Suns at Hornets)
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 11/19/2009

The Suns have been the surprise story in the NBA. The Hornets have been the disappointment of the NBA season thus far and that has cost their former coach, Byron Scott, his job. Since firing Scott the Hornets are 1-2 SU and 1-2 ATS.

College Football Power Rankings - The Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 11/18/2009

The Ferringo 15 is my Profit-Power Rankings, a ladder or hierarchy based on which teams are the most profitable on the field. I'm not trying to give you some other nonsensical, random, speculative power rankings based on my own biases and conjecture. So instead of Ohio State moving up or down the polls on the basis of how badly they blew out Northwestern the previous Saturday, I'm going to rank each team based on past, present, and projected future achievement against the spread.

College Football Weekly Predictions: Week 11
by Alan Matthews - 11/13/2009

Just as I will crow occasionally about nailing a pick, so must I when I completely misread one. Unfortunately, I misread two last week: Penn State -4 vs. Ohio State and Oklahoma -5 at Nebraska. I wasn’t totally sold on Penn State, in all honesty, but did think the Nittany Lions would win by a touchdown.

NASCAR: Checker Auto Parts 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 11/13/2009

Jimmie Johnson remains the Sprint Cup points' leader despite a 33rd-place finish last week at Talladega. He conceded 111 points to Mark Martin with two races remaining in the Chase for the Sprint Cup as NASCAR heads to the flat-track of Phoenix International Speedway for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Free Sports Picks: Marquee Games College Football Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 11/13/2009

The Fighting Irish always seem to be the public’s team but after a week of hearing how Charlie Weis’ time may be running out in South Bend and to mull over the embarrassing loss to Navy at home, most of the public is jumping ship.

NFL Sunday Predictions - Week 10
by Josh Nagel - 11/12/2009

The Jaguars appeared headed toward some success, as the Jack Del Rio-coached club always is a trendy pick heading into each season. It seemed to make sense, as the Jaguars have a talented nucleus and one of the league's top young running backs in Maurice Jones-Drew.

NBA Power Rankings
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 11/11/2009

We are more than two weeks into the season and about seven games in the books for most teams, the 2009-10 NBA season is underway and we have some expected front runners and some unexpected front runners. There have been some early-season surprises (Cavaliers losing twice at home and the Suns 5-1 on the road) and some things everyone expected (the Knicks and Nets combined to start 1-14).

NHL Power Rankings
by T.O. Whenham - 11/10/2009

It's still reasonably early in the NHL season, so it makes sense that these rankings are still changing significantly every time I do them. Only three teams - the Rangers, Predators, and Wild - stayed in their same position in the NHL Power Rankings. Philadelphia was the big mover, climbing all the way to the third spot from No. 14 last time. Ottawa is the biggest dropper, falling eight spots to No. 18. (Previous ranking in brackets)

NASCAR: Dickies 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 11/6/2009

Jimmie Johnson somehow avoided the big one last week at Talladega and finished an improbable sixth to extend his Sprint Cup lead to an insurmountable 184 points (the largest lead ever in the Chase format since 2004) with three races remaining in the Chase as NASCAR heads down to Fort Worth and Texas Motor Speedway for the Dickies 500 this Sunday afternoon at 3:30.

NFL Sunday Predictions - Week 9
by Josh Nagel - 11/5/2009

Although it looks as though Tom Brady and the Patriots are about to re-open space for their growing bandwagon, you might want to wait until the end of Sunday's game against the Dolphins to get your ticket.

College Football Weekly Predictions: Week 10
by Alan Matthews - 11/5/2009

OK, I’ve now learned two things betting-wise so far this year: Never take a Big 12 North team against a team from the conference’s South division and never take Idaho against anyone. I’m bitter because Kansas laid another egg last week, as the Jayhawks were pummeled 42-21 by Texas Tech.

NASCAR: 2009 Amp Energy 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 10/30/2009

While Jimmie Johnson did not win last week at Martinsville his second-place finish was good enough to keep Johnson 118 points in front of Mark Martin and he could wrap up his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship with a solid finish this Sunday at Talladega Super-Speedway in the Amp Energy 500.

NFL Sunday Predictions – Week 8
by Josh Nagel - 10/29/2009

Before the first “Brett Favre Bowl” this season in Minnesota, former All-Pro turned NFL broadcaster Steve Young commented that Rodgers fails to be counted among the league's elite quarterbacks because he lacks a signature win on his resume. Young was right and, the problem is, Rodgers still lacks such a victory.