Miscellaneous Articles

College Football Predictions: South Carolina at Florida Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/16/2012

When the season’s first BCS standings were released on Sunday, the biggest surprise was the Florida Gators being No. 2 behind Alabama. You could already hear the screams coming from Eugene, Oregon, as Ducks fans wondered how on earth the Gators could be behind UO in both human polls but ahead of them in the BCS standings. But it really doesn’t matter Ducks fans, because, obviously, if Bama and UF both run the table in the regular season they will be playing in the SEC title game.

Thursday College Football Picks: Oregon at Arizona State Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 10/16/2012

Let’s be clear here: the Pac-12 Championship is going through Los Angeles and Southern Cal. I mention this because Oregon (No. 2 in polls, No. 3 in the BCS standings) and Arizona State meet Thursday night in a matchup of division leaders (the Ducks are tied with Oregon State atop the North) that could be a preview of December’s title game. But the loser on Thursday could be in some major jeopardy of missing that game because both Oregon and Arizona State still have to visit Southern Cal. In fact, they do it in back-to-back weeks.

College Football Picks: Mid-Major Game Day Predictions Week 8
by Dave Schwab - 10/16/2012

The initial BCS rankings were released this past Sunday night, and the race for a spot in the BCS bowl series and national title game is in full gear. While there are a number of marquee showdowns on this week’s schedule that will have a direct impact on that race, I prefer to dig through the Week 8 matchups in search of a few “diamonds in the rough” in the mid-majors. These games may not attract all that much attention from the betting public, but they offer a ton of value in the lines if you know where and how to look.

NFL Week 6 Player Props, Leaders Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/12/2012

It was a decent Week 5 in terms of player/team props recommendations. I hit on Peyton Manning at +120 to have more passing yards in his matchup with Tom Brady and also on the fact that Mark Sanchez wouldn’t be benched in the Monday night game vs. Houston (-140) and that the Jets would finish with less than 320.5 yards (-115) vs. the Texans.

NFL Week 6 Bovada Specials Props Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 10/12/2012

Back in mid-August, I wrote my 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year props preview story, and, to no surprise, No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts was the 5/2 favorite at Bovada. Well, the site has released an updated list of Offensive Rookie of the Year odds heading into Week 6, and Luck is again the favorite at 5/4, but he’s joined there by Washington QB Robert Griffin III.

College Football Odds: New Mexico at Hawaii Predictions and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/11/2012

I have never been to either New Mexico or Hawaii. I can confidently say I will never visit the former (I’m sure it’s lovely) but that I will get to the islands at some point. I can also say I don’t think I have ever seen New Mexico’s football team in action and that I probably haven’t caught a Hawaii game since Colt Brennan left. Back in the day of the Run ‘n Shoot, Hawaii games were can’t-miss TV late at night – much like those when those UNLV basketball teams of Larry Johnson, Stacy Augmon, etc., played during the Runnin’ Rebels’ heyday.

College Football Power Rankings: Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 10/11/2012

It was another successful week for the Ferringo 15, with our teams posting a profitable 7-5 record against the spread last week and running the F-15’s two-week mark to 17-9 ATS. Our top six teams went 5-1 against the number, following a 9-1 mark from our Top 10 the week prior, and right now we are locked into the most valuable teams in college football.

Sharpe Pointers for College Football Betting Week 7 (Plus Free Picks)
by Jason Sharpe - 10/10/2012

Betting on and winning at college and pro football can be a very tough task for those who don’t work full-time at it. I spend the entire week researching teams and game matchups, trying to uncover any edge. I will be here each week to share some of my “tricks of the trade” and also offer other insights when it comes to beating the football betting market.

NFL Predictions: Packers at Texans Betting Odds and Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 10/10/2012

When the NFL schedule for the season was released earlier in the year, this game stood out as one of the best on tap. Last year the Packers were the class of the NFL — at least until the playoffs started. The Texans were also very good and were clearly only going to get better. In the eyes of many it was going to be a Super Bowl preview.

Weekly CFB Mid-Major Betting Report: Ohio Bobcats Week 7
by Aaron Smith - 10/10/2012

The regular season has reached the midpoint for the Ohio Bobcats. We’re back with the sixth edition of the mid-major betting report. Ohio is off to a 6-0 start, but they still haven’t quite breached the Top 25. If this team can keep winning, they might be a part of the BCS picture at the end of the year. I’m following players on Twitter, reading reports from Ohio beat writers, and reading transcripts from press conferences to become an expert on this Ohio Bobcats team. The goal of this report is to show how specialization is a profitable sports betting strategy.

Weekly Philadelphia Eagles Betting Picks: Week 6 vs. Lions
by David Schwab - 10/10/2012

The Detroit Lions come off their bye week and will be looking for fresh start when they travel to Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday afternoon for a NFC matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The game is slated to kickoff at 1 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast locally on FOX.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 6 Over and Under Predictions
by David Schwab - 10/10/2012

The total line in the NFL remained fairly even for the second-straight week with eight of the 14 games staying “under” the closing line. I was also on the plus side of my top three picks for a second-straight week with a 2-1 record. After a very slow start, my year-to-date record has now neared .500 at 7-8.

College Football Predictions: South Carolina at LSU Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/9/2012

You really can’t criticize any SEC team for scheduling a cupcake nonconference schedule these days. For example, look at LSU’s conference schedule. The Tigers played and lost at No. 10 Florida last week, host No. 3 South Carolina this week, then have to go to No. 22 Texas A&M, host No. 1 Alabama and host No. 19 Mississippi State. That’s borderline criminal.

College Football Picks: Mid-Major Game Day Predictions Week 7
by David Schwab - 10/9/2012

The college football season has reached its midpoint. While the battle for this year’s BSC title game is starting to take shape with major conference showdowns on each week’s slate, I prefer to turn my attention to the “under-the-radar” opportunities that can often be found in teams that reside in the mid-majors. These “diamonds in the rough” do not attract much attention from the betting public, so the value in the lines is there if you know where and how to look.

College Football Picks: Arizona State at Colorado Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 10/9/2012

The Pac-12 again has the ESPN Thursday night spotlight this week, and it will be the first of consecutive Thursday games on the network for Arizona State when it visits Colorado in a matchup that on paper shouldn’t be very competitive. Both teams last played Sept. 29.

Sharpe Pointers for College Football Betting Week 6 (Plus Free Picks)
by Jason Sharpe - 10/5/2012

Betting on and winning at college football can be a very tough task for those who don’t work full time at it. I spend the entire week researching teams and game matchups in order to uncover any edge. I will be here each week to share some of my “tricks of the trade” and also offer other insight when it comes to beating the college football bookies.

NFL Week 5 Quarterback Props Specials with Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/5/2012

It’s a quarterback-heavy specials menu for Week 5 NFL player props at Bovada. And fittingly, a few of the props involve the marquee individual battle of the weekend: Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady in a matchup of future Hall of Famers with a combined six NFL MVP awards and four Super Bowl rings.

NFL Week 5 Additional Props Specials with Betting Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 10/5/2012

Back around Aug. 21, I previewed the NFL MVP race for this season. And now that the league is at its quarter-pole (all teams but Pittsburgh and Indianapolis have played at least four games), let’s look at Bovada’s re-posted odds for that award. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, the 2011 MVP, was the 11/2 favorite at the site before the season. I wrote then that “I don’t like him on this prop because there’s almost no way he can match last year’s numbers, just as there’s no way Green Bay will finish 15-1 again.”

College Football Power Rankings: Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 10/5/2012

It was the best week yet for the Ferringo 15 this season, with our top 11 teams combining to go 9-1 against the total (Kansas State was on a bye week) and the F-15 earning a 10-4 mark overall on the weekend. Here are this week’s Ferringo 15 college football power rankings (all records are ATS against the closing line) for what have been the most valuable teams in college football betting so far this year:

NFL Predictions: Chargers at Saints Betting Odds and Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 10/4/2012

Drew Brees is about to break an impressive record. The last time he played a game without throwing a touchdown pass was Oct. 4, 2009. Sunday will be his 48th game since then — three full seasons. If he scores through the air in this one he will break the record set by Johnny Unitas way back in 1960. The fact that he has a chance to break the record against the team that gave up on him probably has some added significance. Or at least it would if there weren’t far more pressing matters on his mind.