Miscellaneous Articles

College Football Weekly Predictions: Week 9
by Alan Matthews - 10/29/2009

At least I wasn’t 0-3! That’s about the only positive I take from last week’s 1-2 record, our first losing week in the past four. Frankly, I think I picked with my heart over my head in the Miami-Clemson game, and I can almost guarantee you I never pick Idaho again. The Vandals scored 45 points and still didn’t cover? That’s a WAC game for you. I am now 13-11 on the season.

NHL Power Rankings
by T.O. Whenham - 10/29/2009

It's been an exciting and, in many ways, very surprising start to the NHL season. Some good teams are better than we thought, while others have been lousy. Some teams that looked lousy on paper can't seem to lose. All the differences mean that the NHL power rankings will be quite different now than they were when we started the season. Let's have a look (previous rankings in brackets):

College Football Power Rankings - The Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 10/28/2009

Ferringo 15 continues to put up Salvation Army numbers. (That means that they're non-profit). Another losing week here, with the Ferringo 15, going 6-7. However, we are trimming the fat a bit and starting to weed out some of the teams whose value is soaked and who don't deserve to be on the list. For the season that is now just a 47-51-1 mark so there is still work to do. However, I still feel like it's a long season and that the value will increase as the season trudges on.

College Football Weekly Predictions: Week 8
by Alan Matthews - 10/22/2009

For the second week in a row, a Big Ten team cost me a 3-0 week – this time it was Illinois not only not covering the two points against Indiana but laying down in a 27-14 loss. Why does Ron Zook still have a job, seriously? On the bright side, I told you to take Mississippi State -4.5 against Middle Tennessee State and Notre Dame +10 against Southern Cal – hitting on both of those. It’s my third 2-1 week in a row, and I am now 12-9 on the season, a tidy +300.

College Football Power Rankings - The Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 10/22/2009

Man, one of my personal best college football betting seasons, but the worst season so far in the three-year history of the Ferringo 15. Curious. For the season that is now just a 41-44-1 mark though so there is still work to do. However, I still feel like it's a long season and that the value will increase as the season tracks on.

NFL Sunday Predictions – Week 7
by Josh Nagel - 10/21/2009

Although the 49ers are a much-improved team with what often looks like a playoff-caliber defense, their lack of consistent offense was bound to catch up with them. Opportunistic turnovers and just enough plays from quarterback Shaun Hill enabled the 49ers to get by thus far, but their weaknesses are going to be exposed as the season wears on.

Sports Tragedy: How Teams React to Sudden Deaths
by T.O. Whenham - 10/20/2009

The real world has sadly invaded the bubble of sports yet again. The University of Connecticut is dealing with tragedy after cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed and killed early on Sunday morning - just hours after he had recorded a career-high 11 tackles against Louisville. Howard was a rapidly developing player who was a key piece of the UConn backfield and had a reasonable shot at an NFL career.

NFL Sunday Predictions - Week 6
by Josh Nagel - 10/16/2009

This game features two teams that, to some degree, are headed in opposite directions. The Bengals are one miracle play away from being 5-0, and it appears coach Marvin Lewis has turned things around just in time to save his job and give Bengals fans some long-elusive hope.

NFL Power Rankings Week 6
by Robert Ferringo - 10/15/2009

Brett Favre is 5-0 for the first time in his career. The main reason is that the Vikings have generated 12 turnovers so far this year. This team has only outgained its opponents, which haven't been that strong, by an average of 12 yards per game. But those turnovers are making the difference. The Vikings are just 5-11 ATS after a win and are just 1-4 ATS against above .500 teams.

College Football Weekly Predictions: Week 7
by Alan Matthews - 10/15/2009

Stupid Wisconsin! I'm not sure I've seen a team dominate a game so thoroughly on offense and defense but lose by 18 points. The Badgers, who were +16.5, outgained Ohio State last Saturday by nearly 200 yards, and had 22 first downs to the Buckeyes' eight. But OSU had two interception returns for touchdowns as well as a kick-return TD.

NHL Power Rankings
by T.O. Whenham - 10/15/2009

It's time for the first of many NHL Power Rankings for this season. We'll revisit these rankings every two weeks through the season, and you can be sure that there will be lots of movement each time in the fluid and fast-changing league. I especially like looking at Power Rankings early in the season because they bear so little similarity to what was expected coming into the season, and to how things are likely to look by April.

College Football Power Rankings - The Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 10/14/2009

Now, that's more like it. After three straight down weeks the Ferringo 15 finally came back strong and produced a profitable week, going a modest 7-5 against the spread. For the season that is now just a 35-36-1 mark though so there is still work to do. However, I still feel like it's a long season and that the value will increase as the season tracks on.

NASCAR: 2009 Banking 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 10/14/2009

Three-time Sprint Cup winner Jimmie Johnson, who is now 12 points ahead of teammate Mark Martin for the NSCS points lead with six races left in the Chase by virtue of his dominating win at Fontana last week, is set as the 3/1 favorite to wave win this Saturday night at 7:30 for the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway.

NASCAR: 2009 Pepsi 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 10/9/2009

Mark Martin extended his lead by eight points over Jimmie Johnson despite finishing seventh at Kansas last week and this week Martin and Johnson are favorites, but not the most desperate, to win as NASCAR travels to the Golden State and the ill-attended California Speedway for the Pepsi 500, the fourth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

College Football Weekly Predictions: Week 6
by Alan Matthews - 10/8/2009

After sitting at 6-6 through five weeks, I took a different tack last weekend and went with three favorites. And it worked pretty well, as I had a 2-1 week, making it 8-7 on the year and up $100 again. We whiffed badly on Florida State -3.5 at Boston College. I honestly can’t figure out the Seminoles, who have a ton of talent but obviously aren’t being coached very well. We hit on Michigan State giving three points at home to Michigan – that game wasn’t close until the final minutes, with Tate Forcier rallying the Wolverines and sending the game in OT.

NFL Sunday Predictions – Week 5
by Josh Nagel - 10/8/2009

According to oddsmakers, the Raiders are the most popular “bet-against” team in the NFL. In other words, no matter the opponent or the point spread, gamblers are lining up to bet their money against the Raiders.

College Football Power Rankings - The Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 10/8/2009

Last weekend was another rare, rare down week for the F-15. It’s been pretty stunning actually; as for the first time in Ferringo 15 history the teams in this space have failed to produce for three straight weeks! For the season that is now just a 28-31-1 mark. However, I still feel like it’s a long season and that the value will increase as the season tracks on.

College Football Weekly Predictions - Week 5
by Alan Matthews - 10/2/2009

I liked three road dogs last week for our best of the best, and two of them came back to bite me to even our record this season at 6-6. We nailed TCU somehow getting points at Clemson, and the Horned Frogs won straight up, as I expected they would. But both Arkansas (at Alabama) and Illinois (at Ohio State) put up lousy offensive efforts, and neither came close to covering. Maybe it’s time to look at some favorites.

NASCAR: 2009 Price Chopper 400 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 10/2/2009

Jimmie Johnson cut Mark Martin’s lead to ten points in the Chase for the Sprint Cup last week at Dover, but Martin finished second giving Hendrick Motorsports a one-two finish and increased the lead between second and Juan Pablo Montoya to -55 points as NASCAR heads to Kansas Speedway for the Price Chopper 400 on Sunday at 1 p.m.

NFL Sunday Predictions - Week 4
by Josh Nagel - 10/2/2009

The Cowboys rank third in total yards (429 per game) and are fifth in scoring at 28.7. Denver will have to make its share of plays to keep pace, and it says here the Broncos will struggle to do so. This is a big matchup for both teams and my free pick on this game is a solid one.