2016 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Predictions and NCAA Basketball Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 2/29/2016

Arch Madness, also known as the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, has become the marker that The Madness has begun. This is not the first conference tournament - the Atlantic Sun and Patriot League each begin on March 1 - but Arch Madness is the first of the recognizable, nationally-televised leagues to determine their championship.

NCAA Tournament Projections: Only a Dozen or So Bubble Teams Exist
by Robert Ferringo - 2/29/2016

If I've said it once I've said it a million times: Joe Lunardi is a fraud. Joe Lunardi is a loser. Joe Lunardi is a clown. He is one of the biggest jokes in sports, yet for the next two weeks his face is going to be plastered all over ESPN and his drivel will be treated like gospel.

March Madness Handicapping: Bid Stealers Looking To Make Life Tough for Big-Name Programs
by Robert Ferringo - 2/29/2016

This time of the year there is a lot of talk about the NCAA Tournament bubble. These are the alleged teams fighting for the last at-large bids into The Big Dance, as determined by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. According to some members of the bobblehead media - who are mostly just trying to increase interest and boost ratings for games broadcast on their networks - there is this vast ocean of teams still clawing for the final spots in the tourney.

My Votes for Top College Hoops Players in the Nation
by Robert Ferringo - 2/29/2016

I am a voting member of the United States Basketball Writer's Association of America, and this week was the first chance to submit an All-American ballot for college basketball. For those that are interested, here is whom I voted for in regards to All-Americans, Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year and National Player of the Year.

NFL Season Win Totals Odds Released by CG Technology
by Robert Ferringo - 2/26/2016

The paint isn't even dry on the Denver Broncos' Super Bowl banner. The booze and coke from the players' celebration has only recently been washed off. Yet people in dark corners are already shining the light on the 2016 NFL football betting season and already sculpting expectations as to how that season with play out.

Worst College Basketball Teams for Betting Against the Spread
by Robert Ferringo - 2/12/2016

Value is a tricky thing to get a grasp on in betting markets. To understand value you need to have a baseline of what your own expectations for a team are, a keen understanding of what the general public's expectations are, and then a focused insight into how to explain their results in relationship to the pre-understood level of expectations. As we saw with the Top 10 best ATS teams this year there were several reasons as to why they had been so good at the window.

Best College Basketball Teams Against the Spread
by Robert Ferringo - 2/11/2016

College basketball can be an overwhelming sport to follow, either as a fan or as someone who bets on sports. Most casual fans I know adopt a simple, "I just like March Madness" approach to the game because they don't have the time or inclination to follow the hundreds of teams that make up Division I.

Super Bowl Handicapping: Carolina Panthers and the Cover-2 Defense
by Robert Ferringo - 2/5/2016

There are a million different angles to take leading into Super Bowl 50 between Carolina and Denver, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday near San Francisco. But for me, one of the most interesting subplots - which is interesting to exactly zero other people - is whether or not Carolina's Cover-2 will finally get the best of Peyton Manning, and whether the Panthers' success in making it to Super Sunday will lead to a resurgence of the Cover-2 defense. I have written several times over the past three years that the Cover-2 is an antiquated system and ready to go the way of the Wishbone and the Run-and-Shoot. But could a Super Bowl win by the Panthers lead a revival for this dying approach?

College Basketball Handicapping: Beware the North Carolina Bandwagon
by Robert Ferringo - 2/3/2016

Groupthink is the enemy of sports betting profit. Whenever there is a generally held consensus in the world of sports - Green Bay and Indianapolis are preseason Super Bowl favorites! The Nationals are going to dominate the N.L. East! - you can all but guarantee that consensus is not only wrong, but shockingly wrong. And it almost always costs common square bettors a lot of money before they realize that these communal delusions are inaccurate and misguided.

NCAA Tournament Projections and Bracketology
by Robert Ferringo - 2/1/2016

Selection Sunday is usually painted as this wild, controversial day on the sports calendar. But the reality is that by that Sunday afternoon the NCAA Tournament field is generally pretty clear. There are always three or four teams battling for the final one or two spots. But beyond that the other 66 positions are pretty cut-and-dry. And at the end of the day we get a tournament field that is relatively problem free.

How to Bet Super Bowl Props Expert Advice and Tips
by Robert Ferringo - 1/29/2016

The Super Bowl is the ultimate sports spectacle, a living, breathing testament to American Exceptionalism. It is an opportunity to exercise our rights as Citizens of This Great Land to party hard, gamble openly, and enjoy sanctioned, state-financed violence just like the Good Lord intended. Super Bowl Sunday is a glorious, self-proclaimed national holiday and represents the apex of sports, entertainment and corporate whoring in our society.

NFL Playoffs Handicapping: Revenge a Factor in all Four Divisional Round Games
by Robert Ferringo - 1/15/2016

Motivation is one of the biggest factors in handicapping any sport. One of the unique challenges of handicapping the NFL postseason is the fact that the motivation angle is essentially gone since each team in the playoffs has exactly the same motivation: win a championship and prevent the end of the season.

NFL Divisional Round Predictions: Expert Handicapper Handicaps Games
by Robert Ferringo - 1/15/2016

The NFL Divisional Round takes place this weekend, and there are all kinds of stats, facts, tidbits and trends for intrepid football bettors to pour through before making their wagers this weekend. Well, I'm here to throw a few more at you! Here are five interesting angles to consider before putting your money down at the window this weekend:

2015 NFL Power Rankings Week 17
by Robert Ferringo - 12/30/2015

The two biggest NFL stories of the week were Bill Belichick's decision to kickoff at the start of overtime and the firing of Chip Kelly. Both of them were unique situations. But in a way the media firestorm surrounding both were born of the same fundamental underlying issue: it's all about results.

2015 NFL Power Rankings Week 16
by Robert Ferringo - 12/24/2015

Merry Christmas to everyone! It is the happiest time of the year - unless you are a professional sports handicapper or a member of the Cleveland Browns. But one of the keys to surviving the holidays is suppressing your seething rage in the name of consumerism and Catholicism, so instead of railing against the NFL and its minions we will get on with the show.

2015 NFL Power Rankings Week 15
by Robert Ferringo - 12/16/2015

It was announced this week that the league is considering making some officiating changes for the postseason. The idea is that they are going to have someone from the league office working in conjunction with replay officers and officials during the playoff games. My question is this: why the hell isn't the standard throughout the season? Wouldn't that have helped to quell the fecal storm of blown calls and missed plays that have plagued this season?

2015 NFL Power Rankings Week 14
by Robert Ferringo - 12/9/2015

College football is taking a breath before the bowl game bukakee erupts onto the holiday sports scene. That means that the NFL is front-and-center this weekend and that the attention of the sportsbooks is squarely set on pro football lines. That means that the numbers will be sharper and the line movements more meaningful as every gambler in the country casts their lot in the weekly Thunderdome that is NFL betting.

2015 NFL Power Rankings Week 13
by Robert Ferringo - 12/2/2015

Playoff football is here. I know there are still five weeks left in the regular season, but from here on out nearly half of all games each week will feature games with major playoff implications. This week just two games - Jags-Titans and Ravens-Miami - feature "dead-money" teams that are just playing out the string. Parity has created opportunity. But don't mistake playoff hopes for actual playoff potential.

College Basketball Betting and Handicapping: Might be Time to Jump Ship on Villanova
by Robert Ferringo - 12/1/2015

The Wildcats are currently 6-0 and ranked in the Top 10 of both major college basketball polls. They are currently the No. 1-rated team according to Ken Pomeroy. However, I feel confident that if you ask any square bettor or even any decent college hoops fan to name the best teams in the country the would likely run through a dozen or so teams before they got to the boys from Philly.

2015 NFL Power Rankings Week 12
by Robert Ferringo - 11/24/2015

Let's get Elias or EPN Stats and Information on this one: when was the last time that the Browns, Raiders and Jaguars were all favored on the same weekend? I'm guessing never. But I don't know if anything serves as a better sign of the fact that the NFL has been terrible this year than that. Combined with the fact that there won't be enough .500 or better college football teams to fill out all the bowl games and facts are facts: there is a lot of awful, ugly football being played in this country right now at all levels.