Miscellaneous Articles

2012 Belk Bowl Picks: Cincinnati vs. Duke Betting Odds and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 12/12/2012

Duke is a heck of a basketball school — one of the very best. At football, though, they just don’t excel. The fact that they are in this game at all is remarkable — this is their first bowl appearance since 1995 and only their third since 1961. In other words, they qualify for a bowl about once every 17 years. They have lost their last two games as well, so they are 51 years away from their last bowl win — a 7-6 thriller over Arkansas in the 1961 Cotton Bowl.

2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Picks: Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan
by Trevor Whenham - 12/12/2012

There have been some good matchups in past editions of this bowl. In 2008 Rusty Smith and Dan LeFevour put on a nice QB duel. Three years earlier DeAngelo Williams capped off a stellar college career by carrying the ball 238 yards and scoring three times as Memphis beat Akron in a thriller. There have been other compelling, intriguing games. On paper at least, this is not one of those matchups. The game falls the day after Christmas, but it’s not likely to be a big present for college football fans. One team just isn’t very good, and the other, while better, is going through a high-profile and very distracting coaching change.

2013 Cotton Bowl Picks: Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M Betting Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 12/12/2012

A traditional Big 12 rivalry will be renewed in this season’s AT&T Cotton Bowl when the Oklahoma Sooners clash with the Texas A&M Aggies at Cowboys Stadium on Friday, Jan.4. This potential ‘instant classic’ between two of the most prolific offenses in the nation is slated to kick off at 8 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

2012 Alamo Bowl Picks: Oregon State vs. Texas Betting Odds
by Aaron Smith - 12/12/2012

The Alamo Bowl is always one of the best early bowl games of the season. A little-known fact is that the Alamo Bowl has recorded the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 most watched non-BCS bowl games in ESPN history. Last year’s Alamo Bowl is in the record books as the single highest scoring regulation bowl game in college football history. Robert Griffin III and the Baylor Bears bested the Washington Huskies 67-56 in that game. It was a game to remember, and it will be talked about for many years.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 15 Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 12/12/2012

The oddsmakers ability to even out the total line this NFL season has been downright uncanny. Last week, eight games went “over” the total and eight stayed “under”. That means that over the past eight weeks just two more games have stayed under the total as opposed to going over for a combined record of 56-58-3. For the second-straight week I posted a 2-1 record on my top three plays to improve to 21-17-1 on the year. With just three weeks left in the regular season I went back to work digging into all the facts and figures for this Sunday’s matchups to try and once again unearth the value in the total line.

2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl Picks: Purdue vs. Oklahoma State Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 12/12/2012

The Big Ten’s Purdue Boilermakers head deep into the heart of Texas on New Year’s Day to tangle with the Big 12’s Oklahoma State Cowboys in a high-noon showdown at the Cotton Bowl. This game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.

2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl Picks: Minnesota vs. Texas Tech Betting Odds
by Aaron Smith - 12/12/2012

Reliant Stadium will host the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Friday, Dec. 28. Minnesota and Texas Tech both come into this game with absolutely no positive momentum. The Golden Gophers started 4-0, but they have won only two of their last eight games. Texas Tech also started the season at 4-0, but they have lost four of their last five games. Texas Tech’s only win in their last five games was a 41-34 overtime victory over the lowly Kansas Jayhawks.

2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl Picks: Clemson vs. LSU Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/11/2012

In my opinion, the most intriguing overall bowl matchup of the year outside of the Alabama-Notre Dame national title game and perhaps the Oregon-Kansas State Fiesta Bowl is the No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 8 LSU showdown in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year’s Eve night at the Georgia Dome. You could have told me before the season this would have been the national title matchup and I would have been more than sold.

2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Picks: Michigan State vs. TCU Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/11/2012

Two defensive-oriented teams that had much bigger expectations meet on Dec. 29 in Tempe, Ariz., as Michigan State and TCU square off in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. The Spartans (6-6) had won a school-record 11 games the previous two seasons and were in the Top 15 of the preseason polls, with many expecting them to win the Big Ten. But it was clear their offense badly missed three-year starting QB Kirk Cousins – now RG3’s backup -- as it struggled all season under new starter Andrew Maxwell.

2012 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Picks: Fresno State vs. SMU Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 12/11/2012

This Christmas Eve, the Fresno State Bulldogs will try and claim an early present when they face the SMU Mustangs in this season’s Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. This MWC/C-USA clash is set to kick-off at 8 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

2012 Holiday Bowl Picks: Baylor vs. UCLA Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/11/2012

For my money, the Holiday Bowl has often been the most entertaining bowl game that’s played before New Year’s Day, and this year’s should be no exception if you like offense when Baylor and UCLA face off Dec. 27 in San Diego – the total of 78.5 is easily the highest of any bowl game this year. This is the first meeting between these schools and their first trip to the Holiday Bowl.

Free College Bowl Game Picks for Some of Early Game Matchups
by Dave Schwab - 12/11/2012

The college bowl season kicks off this Saturday. And while the betting public will primarily be fixated on the upcoming BCS Bowl Series and national title game, I am going to focus my attention on the bowls featuring the mid-majors. These early bowl games tend to stay well under the radar but can add a tremendous amount of value to your overall betting strategy if you know where and how to look.

2012 Las Vegas Bowl Picks: Washington vs. Boise State Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/10/2012

It’s a preview of next year’s season opener (in Seattle) for Washington and Boise State when they clash in the Dec. 22 Las Vegas Bowl. With all due respect to the bowl, certainly both teams had higher aspirations. The No. 19 Broncos (10-2) opened the post-Kellen Moore era by losing at Michigan State, a loss that seemed perfectly understandable back then but not quite as good now with the Spartans’ 2012 issues.

College Football Picks: Army-Navy Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 12/4/2012

As painful as it is for me to say, the 2012 college football regular season officially ends on Saturday in Philadelphia with the 113th annual Army-Navy game. Yeah, it’s never usually the best football as neither team even makes much of an attempt to throw the ball, but you can’t beat the pageantry or history of the game.

Week 14 NFL Teasers Advice: Best Three for Basic Strategy Teases
by George J Monroy - 12/4/2012

The NFL is winding down with only a few weeks left to play in the season. Many teams are still fighting for their playoff lives, but the vast majority of them have already had their post season fates settled. So, over the next four weeks, we should be able to find some excellent gambling opportunities betting teams that have the playoffs on the line versus teams that are essentially just playing to finish off the season. If we are lucky, we should be able to find some excellent basic strategy teaser opportunities to end the season. Here are Week 14’s three best basic strategy teasers.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 14 Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 12/4/2012

Looking at last week’s results in the NFL, the “under” once again had the advantage with nine of the 16 games staying under the total, but the line has remained razor sharp over the past seven weeks with 48 games going “over”, 50 games staying under and three games ending as a “push”. I finally got back to my winning ways last week with my top three picks at 2-1 to improve to 16-12-1 over the past 10 weeks. It was back to work early this week to dig deep into all of Sunday’s matchups to try and unearth the value in the total line.

Weekly Philadelphia Eagles Betting Picks: Week 14 vs. Tampa Bay
by Dave Schwab - 12/4/2012

The Philadelphia Eagles will try and play the role of spoiler this upcoming Sunday when they face the 6-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. This NFC conference clash is set to kick off at 1 p.m. (ET) and the game will be available locally on FOX

BCS National Championship Predictions: Alabama vs. Notre Dame Odds and Picks
by Trevor Wenham - 12/2/2012

The dust has barely settled on an epic SEC Championship, but it’s already time to look a month ahead to the BCS Championship Game. It’s a surprise to few that Alabama is there. If you had suggested at the beginning of the season that Notre Dame would be there, though, you probably would have been checked into the loony bin. Yet here they are, playing for all the marbles. So, can they win? As I see it that question is going to come down to two major factors:

SEC Championship Game Predictions: Alabama vs. Georgia Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 11/29/2012

Not sure if you heard or not, but the SEC is good. And college football’s best conference is assured of having a chance to defend its streak of six straight national titles. The winner of Saturday’s SEC title game at the Georgia Dome between No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia will face No. 1 Notre Dame on Jan. 7 in Miami. No offense to Georgia, but if it’s Bama-Notre Dame, it might set a TV ratings record – it might regardless just because it’s the Irish. The latest odds on Sportsbook.ag have Notre Dame at +10 vs. the Tide and +3 vs. the Dawgs.

NFL Week 13 Player Props, Leaders Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 11/29/2012

I rather like Bovada’s Week 13 futures specials rather than what happens just this week, so let’s look at a few of those. I’m always ready to jump on those head-coaching props, and the site lists three on whether they will return next season: the Jets’ Rex Ryan, Lions’ Jim Schwartz and Cardinals’ Ken Whisenhunt. Certainly New York and Detroit had playoff expectations this season. I’m sure Arizona will say it did, too, but it was kidding itself with the quarterbacks on the roster.