Hoops Picks

Sizzlin' right now on the hardwood...look at the results from yesterday:

MICH over MSU
MARY over VIR
MISST pushes VAN...had the ball down 3 with :15 left and somehow they push at +7?
DUKE loses by 1/2 pt...lame
ASU pushes at +2 w/USC
ILL loses at IND - bad pick
DEP loses at USF - bad pick
ARI over UCLA
STAN loses to ORE - bad pick
STM beats GONZ as a dog
CAL houses OREST

So in total, 5 wins - 4 losses - 2 pushes...both pushes coulda/shoulda been W's, and 1 L could/shoulda been a W...so I'll take it.

Never argue with anything in the black.

Nothing tonight...but the Saturday card is huge. Good Luck!

The Circus that is Iowa City

Are you guys following the latest chapter of the off-season circus in Iowa City? Apparently, having a handful of transfers and a drug-house arrest wasn't enough for this off-season in Hogeye land.

The latest act in this circus involves 13 guys getting violently ill and being hospitalized with a rare condition that is caused by working out too hard, in layman's terms. Apparently, these guys were admitted to the hospital with severe body pain, tea colored urine, and the potential for serious damage being done to their kidneys and livers.

That sounds fun. Every crazy ass Hogeye fan already has psycho-strength coach-I want to fight everyone type tendencies already, can you imagine how ridiculous and intolerable their actual strength coaches must be? And apparently, they are so good at their job that they nearly kill some of their kids in trying to get them prepped for a season that doesn't start for 8 MONTHS! Asinine, isn't it?

The best part is how they are becoming the Vikings of the NCAA with all of the bizarre drama that is coming from the program this season. They are getting destroyed nationally for their horrible presser they held to speak about the latest "incidents" around the drug house and testing, and now they are getting hammered again with these hospital visits and very serious situations surrounding 13 of their players. The presser didn't include the Cap'n, as he's out in barns and crackhouses across the country recruiting the next great Hogeyes. My questions is this, if you're a parent of one of these 13 sick kids, and your beloved Cap'n knows about this serious situation for 3 days without flying home to check on their status and reassure the family...how does that make you feel? Ferentz, AD Barta, and the strength coaches were all being ripped mercilessly for their lack of information and participation in the presser on Tuesday.

Clearly a bad situation...unless you hate Iowa...and WHO HATES IOWA???

WE HATE IOWA!!

Keep up the good work, we still have so much time before the season I'm hoping for at least 3-4 more great stories from Iowa City before the 2011 season.

And we're back...

7-4, that a much better night.

11 more tonight worth a look...feeling pretty good right now:

MICH +10.5 at MSU
MARY -4 at VIR
MISST +7 vs. VAN
DUKE -16.5 vs. BC
ASU +2 vs. USC
ILL -4.5 at IND
DEP +9.5 at USF
ARI -8 vs. UCLA
STAN -7.5 vs. ORE
ST.MARYS +2.5 at GONZ
CAL -9.5 vs. OREST

Get your Pac-10 Hoops fix tonight!! I'm thinking another 7-8 of these will be winners tonight...good luck!

Working on planning a little March Madness gathering during the tourney...details in the works, but I'll try and get something out there in FEB. I'm thinking a Hoops watching, card playing, gamble on anything and everything, drink-a-thon type of a gathering.

More details to come when I figure it out...but keep it in mind...and start watching NCAA Hoops to figure out what is what so you don't lose all your money at this event!

NCAA Hoops

3-4 last night...sorry. I thought I was all set up for a solid 2-5 or 1-6 after losing the only game I actually bet on by a fluke in the FLA-GEO 2OT thriller. Cursed.

So I'm down to enough cash to make about 1 or 2 bets tonight to try and rebuild the bankroll. It's a big slate tonight, here's who I like...very little research, going on feeling and trends tonight.

PSU -7.5 vs. IOWA
WV +6.5 at LOU
PROV +6 vs. NOVA
GTOWN -8.5 vs. STJ
TEX -4.5 at OKST
NC -1 at MIA
LSU +15.5 at TEN
NW +5 at MIN - I know, going against the Gophers sucks, but truly doesn't this make sense?
ISU -11 vs. TT
CIN -10.5 vs. RUT
SDST +5 at JIMMER - hate betting against my guy Jimmer, but I've been waiting for the SDST streak to stop for about a month and it just doesn't...they good.

11 games...I'll predict a 3-8 mark tonight...so pick the inverse and win big!!

VEGAS 2011

I know we still have a game to play in the 2010 season, but I think it's time to start looking forward to the VEGAS Football Death Trip of 2011.

WHEN: Looking at NCAA schedules to find out a nice week to go...how does this sound?

SAT. OCT 8th
AUB at ARK
FLA at LSU
GEO at TEN
IOWA at PSU
GOPHERS at PURDUE
OHIOST at NEB
OK vs, TEXAS

That's just a quick top of the head list I found. 3 gigantic games, a winnable Gophers game, a loseable Iowa game...the perfect storm?!?

Anyway, I just wanted to throw the idea out there for those of you that need 8 months to plan...or maybe just to start getting excited for the next trip!

I think we'll be moving back to the strip after the Hilton experience...call me crazy, but 75 year old waitresses really don't outweigh the free drinks at the SportsBook. We'll likely be going back to the Mirage or something else on the Strip where playing the ponies will have to keep the drinks flowing for us all.

We'll see what the NFL slate looks like, but this would be a rockstar NCAA weekend.

Think about it - we'll be booking sometime this summer...let me know if you want to come and win with us.

Free NCAA Hoops Picks!

These really shouldn't be free, but they are for you guys. How to make money fast? Bet against my picks in all of these!

GEO -2.5 vs. FLA
CLEM -7.5 vs. NCST
PUR +7.5 at OHIOST
GT +3 vs. VT
AUB +14.5 at ARK

I would also take MARQ -4.5 vs. UCONN, KAN -7.5 at COL, SYR -12.5 vs. SH

Go Teams!

Weekend Update - Super Bowl Line + Props

Alright - so I'm glad Snow White ended in time for me to see the end of the AFC Championship, I never thought it would be that close after the 24-0 start.

Everyone hit at least 1 game this weekend with a bunch of us hitting them both...here are the current standings:

MC: 95
JR: 92
GR: 90
RO: 85
MR: 80
SS: 74
MH: 72
AW: 71
JG: 58

We have 21 more points available, so you can do the math around whether or not you have a shot.

I'm going to be locking in my picks this week, and you all will have until next Thursday to lock down you picks...but once I have them they will be locked. I don't want people to be changing just to give themselves a shot once they see who the leader picked...so take that into consideration.

So here's what we'll be looking at 2 weeks from today:

PIT
GB -2.5

This game is worth 16 points, then we will also have 5 prop bets all worth 1 point each...so in the next 2 weeks send me your winner for the game and each of these 5 props:

1. OVER or UNDER 46 total points?
2. Who will be ahead at half time, GB or PIT?
3. Will there be a DEF/SPT TD in the game...yes or no?
4. Which team will score 1st...GB or PIT?
5. Finally, for the former coach of my beloved Gophers...which team will score last...GB or PIT?

Think about it - send me all of your picks by FEB 3rd - next Thursday. I'll send out a blast with the lines again next Monday as well.

I'm stopping my horrible NCAA Hoops run tonight with this lock...BALLST -2 vs. Morehead St. I dare to you to follow me on this one. Looked at both the major games on ESPN, don't love either one. What would I pick with a gun to my head...PITT at home -11, always take PITT at home. I also think KST is getting it together and BAY really isn't that good...so despite all of my numbers saying BAY I would go w/KST in that one.

Happy Hype Week - try your best to avoid any and all Sconny's for the next 2 weeks - it will be unbearable if you don't.

Steelers

PITT officially declared the winner...watching Snow White during the
2nd half...I'm sure u r all doing the same.

Sent from my iPhone

NCAA Hoops for Tonight

In case you can't wait for Saturday...here are 4 NCAA plays for tonight.

I went 11-6 LW, and I am 6-4 TW after 2 bad bad beats last night.

MARY -5.5 vs. VT
WASU -10 vs. ASU
STAN +7 at USC
ARI +9 at WASH

4-0

Championship Sunday

The picks are in - here's the breakdown for Sunday.

GB at CHI (+3)
This first game of Championship Sunday features a couple of teams we know well. Since I picked the Bears to lose to SEA last week, you probably know where I'm going on this one. Here's the pick breakdown:
CHI - JG, SS, RO...all else like the PACK

Why GB? Well, I still am not buying into this CHI team. The Packers have a far superior offense and even a better defense than the Bears. Hester creates a huge SPT advantage against GB, but I don't think it's enough for them to win the game. GB has better points, yardage, and turnover numbers than CHI - and they are playing better right now and have been for about the last 6 weeks. Honestly, I don't really see a way for CHI to win this game. Maybe if there are crazy 40 mph winds and passing becomes extremely difficult and they get a big play from the defense and a score from Hester...then I could see a 17-10 CHI win. But that's a lot of ifs...what's likely to happen is that GB comes in and after weathering the early storm from the Bears they will show who the better team is. I think the Packers win a low scoring one.

GB 23 CHI 10 - love the UNDER 43.5 in this one.

NYJ at PIT (-3.5)
MR and MH are on the NYJ...the rest of us like PIT.
The 2 guys who took 1st and 2nd in the regular season both like NYJ in this one...should that be telling us all something? Our "wiseguys" are both on the JETS, but we all continue to like PIT.

Why PIT? First, the emotional edge that they should have coming in will be huge. The JETS just went through 2 very personal, tough road wins to get here - and their emotional outbursts after the win last week made me feel like beating the PATS was their goal and they might be spent before even getting to PIT. Second, I look at the numbers and PIT has a better offense, defense, ppg diff, ypg diff, and TO margin edge. That's pretty much every major category I care about. SPT edge would go to NYJ, but that has been pretty meaningless so far in this postseason. Then we look at QB...edge Big Ben > San-cheeeese. PIT is at home - not an easy spot to play. I just feel like they can punish the JETS D in ways that NE couldn't. PIT's ground game is a little down this year, but I love Big Ben in the playoffs. He'll find ways to move the ball and put some points up. But where I think the Steelers win this game is on defense. Sanchez played well last week, but that NE D is nothing close to the Steeler D that he'll face this week. They will pressure him and they stop the run better than anyone right now. If the JETS are going to do anything they will have to do it through the air, and I still don't trust Sanchez to be elite in those situations.

This one should be very close, which makes me think taking the 3.5 might be the best plan...but I really like PIT and I feel like they are the team of destiny this year...so I'm picking the team that I think will win.

PIT 21 NYJ 16

Each of these games is worth 9 points for a total of 18 this week.

Leaderboard w/Weekend Picks:
MC: 77 - GB/PIT
RO: 76 - CHI/PIT
JR: 74 - GB/PIT
GR: 72 - GB/PIT
MR: 71 - GB/NYJ
SS: 65 - CHI/PIT
MH: 63 - GB/NYJ
AW: 53 - GB/PIT
JG: 49 - CHI/PIT

Super Bowl will be worth 16 + 5 prop plays where the winner might be decided. Good Luck!!

Weekend Results + Championship Game Lines

I nailed it on Saturday and had 2 terrible picks on Sunday...the weekend was equally as bad for most of us, but not all of us.

RO went 3-1
MC went 3-1
GR, MH, AW all went 1-3
The rest of us were 2-2

OVERALL POST-SEASON STANDINGS (Bowls+Playoffs)
MC - 77
RO - 76
JR - 74
GR - 72
MR - 71
SS - 65
MH - 63
AW - 53
JG - 49

We have 18 available this Championship Weekend, then 21 available for the Super Bowl weekend.


Here are the 2 Championship Game lines:

GB
CHI	3
NYJ
PIT	-3.5

9 points for each game - send me your picks!

Divisional Playoff Picks

Huge weekend of football on tap for us with 2 games Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Want to know who will win and why...here you go:

BAL at PIT (-3)
*still waiting on MR's picks, but here's the scoop without those
PIT is the consensus pick here with only 2 guys on BAL so far.
I like PIT as well. First, BAL is one of the oldest teams in the league and they are playing on the road on a short week against a team who is well rested and didn't have to play last weekend. That's advantage #1. Second, I look at the QB's, and although Flacco has won a ton of road game in the playoffs in his short career, I still give the advantage to Big Ben in this one. The guy always manages to get it done - especially at home in a game like this. I think I've seen the "last 4 times this match up has been decided by 3 points" stat about 40 times this week...which means this one will definitely NOT be decided by 3 points.  PIT has a better offense statistically, a much better defense, better turnover numbers, and a more decisive advantage in YPG and PPG than BAL. A healthy Polamalu makes that D the best around, and all indications are that he will be ready to go. BAL does have a slight SPT advantage, but I'm hoping that doesn't come into play as much as it could. If you are looking at playmakers, Mike Wallace and Big Ben are the top 2 in this game on the offensive side, and both are on the PIT side. BAL's offense has just never gotten off the ground this year, and I don't think they will start tomorrow.

PIT 23 BAL 13

GB at ATL (-2)
Game 2 of our Saturday double header is maybe the best game of the weekend. We are at a split on this one right now with 4 on the Pack and 4 on the Falcons. Unfortunately, I have to side with the Green and Gold on this one. Ratings wise, I have GB as an overall better team than ATL on a neutral field. I know ATL has a decisive home field advantage, but I think that can be overcome. For the gaudy record the Falcons put up this year I really don't think they were that impressive. They outgained opponents by 8.9 YPG, and outscored opponents by 7.9 PPG. Not terrible numbers by any means, but a +14 TO ratio has been a huge help to them all year because they have been that dominant in the yardage game. GB is the opposite. The have a ppg differential of 9.2 and ypg of +49...both pretty high numbers but they have suffered a ton of close losses. They also have been a positive in TO at +10. ATL's offense revolves totally around the passing game. In my numbers, their rushing game actually ranks below GB's for the season at a -6% below average (GB is a +2%). The passing attacks of these 2 teams is about the same, so no real advantage gained there. Offensively, I'll call it a push. The real difference comes into play on the other side of the ball. Both teams play the run fairly well, not that it should matter too much in this game because in a dome environment it will always come down to passing. GB has one of the best pass defenses in the league - they get to the QB, they force TO's, and they have a great cover CB. ATL has a below average pass defense and seems to be kind of in the bend but don't break mode of ol' Denny Green Vikings teams. Playmakers - well, you have both QB's, but beyond that who could make a difference. GB has Jennings/Driver, although DD is past his prime. ATL has Roddy White. What have we seen out of the 1 WR teams so far this post-season? Reggie Wayne = nothing. Dwayne Bowe = nothing. Roddy White = yep, I look for him to have no impact on Saturday night. Which means Ryan (please don't call him Matty Ice...ever...like never ever) will have to really utilize Tony Gonzalez. Tony, I like you, but you're not going to win the game for this team on Saturday. For all the crap Rogers got for not winning a playoff game (which is a huge monkey off his back BTW) Ryan hasn't exactly done it either. I think he's a good QB, but the pressure all lies with the #1 seed Falcons this week, and I think they crumble.

GB 31 ATL 21

On to Sunday.....

SEA at CHI (-10)
Another seemingly lucky draw for the Bears who have beaten like 4 or 5 3rd string QB's this year in their bizarre run to the #2 seed. We have 5 guys on the SEA train and 3 on CHI this week.
I like SEA. Talk about nothing to lose - SEA was all but eliminated right after they beat STL to get to the playoffs, so after winning last week they have to be willing to try anything to keep this train moving. CHI has all the pressure in the world on them, and it seems to me that everyone is treating SEA as an afterthought this week as well...which is not a good thing for a Bears club that doesn't have enough firepower to look past anyone. Numbers wise, good god - how are either of these teams sitting in this position. SEA's rankings show them as having a terrible offense and a terrible defense. CHI has an equally terrible offense and a good defense. Both teams are very strong in SPT, which could be a huge factor in this one. Both were outgained during the season, hell - SEA was even a -9 in TO! So how could I pick SEA, right? Well, first the weather looks like it might really suck for Sunday morning in CHI. This would lead my logic to thinking it will be a run fest and a low scoring game...give me 10 points any day in that scenario. 2nd - 2 terrible offenses get together, one riding a wave of points from the upset last week with an experienced QB and nothing to lose, and the other with a QB that's never won much of anything, a psycho OC who could whip together 25 passing plays in a row at any moment with a terrible OL. I know the Bears have looked better down the stretch with their balance, but seriously - are you going to trust Jay Cutler to beat Hasselback by more tha n 10 points in the playoffs? In fact, if SEA gets the crowd on edge early and takes a little lead, watch Air Martz come out and a couple of Cutler picks later the Bears will be dreaming of next year.

SEA 20 CHI 17

Finally...the 4th and final game of the weekend...

NYJ at NE (-10)
Only 2 guys showing any Jets love at this point, which I expected. I think the PATS are an obvious public pick even at 10 points...so that's where I'm siding.

I said it 5 months ago, but I just do not trust this JETS team one bit. With a wild emotional leader and a team full of jackasses you never know what you're going to get. They've been all over the place this week doing their tough "intimidation" and name calling toward NE, while we've heard nothing but a few puns from Welker in his presser and a kind response from Brady to the guy with 5 different 3 year olds. The JETS act has gotten stale because they don't have anywhere close to the momentum of last season which they are trying to manufacture. While the whole time Belichick sits in silence thinking of ways to exploit the overrated JETS D and attack the Hollywood QB. From a pure power rating point of view, 10 is probably too much to give as a NE backer...but because of the emotional nature of this one for NY, I think it could get very ugly if they get behind. The NE offense is off the charts good. The are ridiculously efficient at running the football even though you never hear or think about that. And the passing game rates as 73% better than the average passing game in the NFL...not bad. The JETS can run it, I don't think this D will be a brutal as INDY was last week and allow you to run 60 times and continue to get 1st downs...which means San-Cheese is going to have to make some plays. Oh yeah, he said his shoulder is great and he's super healthy now...hmmm, didn't look like it last week. Even if he is healthy, they have a very average passing game and that "young" NE secondary has a full year under their belt and won't be nearly as easy to pick on at this point. Defensively, NE is pretty average. Their passing D ratings aren't real good because of the early season struggles, but they have a genius running the show which always helps. And on the other side, the JETS D is actually quite average as well. Their run defense has been great - just as great as the Purple when Belichick came into the Dome and threw it 30 times in a row. Yeah, stopping the run is great, but it won't win you a game by itself...which we've seen over the years. I really think Belichick might come out throwing it a lot early and try to get a lead on these guys and then turn the dogs loose. The JETS probably try and fool people by laying back and playing passive again, which is fine, because Brady will complete 30 underneath passes in a row to Woodhead and the young TE's and that will be that. NE has thrived off of TO's all year at a ridiculous +28, but there is absolutely no way they lose this home playoff game to this bunch of convicts.

NE 24 NYJ 10

There you go - 4 games, 4 W's. My top plays for the weekend are PIT -3 and then a sneaky 2 team teaser of GB +9.5 and NE -2.5...can't lose.

Good Luck!

Still need picks

ROE and HEINERT - please send them over today.

2-1 in NCAA again last night...not too upset with the PUR loss!!

Gophs finally looked like they had a clue on offense, where has that been for the last month!? Huge win, now with the Sunday beatdown of Iowa coming we should be back to .500 with an extremely difficult part of the schedule over. PUR is really good, so this win will come in handy if we get down to bubble time in March.

I can't find any games for today - lots of small conferences, nothing I can legitimately have an opinion on...too bad. But there are about 1000 games on Saturday and Sunday...however, the attention will be diverted to the football games, so likely no action in NCAA Hoops until Monday.

Send me your picks if you haven't and I'll get the recap out before the end of the day.

Need Picks from...

Still waiting on MR, AW, MH, MC for picks on the Divisional Playoff Games.

Was 1 point away from hitting 6 of the 8 college games last night, but 5-3 is still a money maker.

Not in love with tonight's slate, but if I had to pick 3...and I do...here they are:

WV -9.5 vs. PROV
UCLA -3.5 at OREST
PUR -3 at MIN

Remember the last really good team the Gophers beat? Neither do I...so giving only 3 seems too easy for PUR. I won't be actually betting on any of these cause I have all of my BODOG cash tied up in football bets for the weekend...going all in on some big opinions this weekend, but I can't reveal them until I get picks from everyone.

NCAA Hoops Picks

Huge night of College Hoops on tap...no football action, so gobble up some of these if you can - promise they will be better than the ND over MARQ pick from Monday - OUCH!

COL +10 at KST
CLEM -7.5 vs. GT
PITT +3 at GTOWN
UNLV +4.5 at SDST
NOVA -4.5 vs. LOU
SYR -2.5 at STJ
DUKE -8.5 at FSU
KAN -8.5 at IOWAST

At least 6 winners out of this group.

Final Bowl Standings

It's all over - 35 games later, here's what the standings look like:

GR: 60
JR: 59
RO: 55
MC: 50
MR: 50
MH: 48
SS: 44
AW: 38
JG: 28

Keep in mind this is only 1/2 the battle, as we will add this total to your NFL Playoff final score to determine our winner in the post-season challenge.

TOTAL STANDINGS
GR: 66
JR: 62
RO: 58
JG: 37
MR: 59
AW: 47
MH: 57
MC: 59
SS: 53

63 points still remain and we have 6 guys at the top within 10 points...still anybody's game right now.

24 points available this weekend making it the biggest weekend left...Championship weekend has 18 available points and Super Bowl weekend has 21 available points.

Send me over your Divisional Picks when you have them.

Good Luck.

NFL Divisional Playoff Lines

 

BAL
PITT	-3
GB
ATL	-2
SEA
CHI	-10
NYJ
NE	-10

 Send me your 4 picks.

Weekend Update - BCS Title Game Picks!!

34 Bowls down and 1 big one to go...here are the current Bowl Standings

GR-50
JR-49
MH-48
RO-45
SS-44
MR-40
MC-40
AW-38
JG-28

Very tight race at the top...but we have some differing opinions for tonight:

ORE vs. AUB (-2.5)
JR, MR, GR, MC, RO - all on AUBURN. I made my pick in this game about 2.5 months ago after watching AUB beat LSU in Vegas...they are the best team, and they will win the National Title this year...enough said.

JG, AW, MH, SS all like OREGON.

It's a 10 point game, so it will go a long way in creating a gap between some of the leaders.


The other half of the post-season got started this weekend as well with 4 Wildcard games that were worth 3 points each.

6 guys went 3-1, which is good for 9 points: JG, MR, AW, MH, MC, SS
GR went 2-2, which is good for 6 points.
JR and RO both went 1-3 and dug an early hole for themselves.

4 more games on tap next weekend for double the points - 6 each for a total of 24 available next weekend.

The lines are already out, and I've locked in all 4 of my picks...maybe the earliest ever for a set of playoff games, but I really like my chances in all 4...and I need the 24 points after sucking last weekend!

I'll send those out in a minute.

Enjoy the game tonight - it should be a fun one. Bottom line, AUB has the better QB and better defense so I can't see them not winning this thing. SEC over P10.

AUB 38 ORE 30.

I also love ND +3 at MARQ tonight in case you need a little extra action for the evening!

Sunday Games

Wow! Chiefs were a great pick!!

Still love thd EAGLES in this next one...also on UNDER 47, trying to
make up some ground. Good luck!!

Sent from my iPhone

Wildcard Playoff Picks

Locked and loaded for round 1 of the playoffs...3 pts per game - 12 pts total for this week available...75 points available in the playoffs.

Here's what we have for Saturday and Sunday:

NO at SEA
JR, GR, MH, SS, RO are laying the points and taking the Aints on the road.
Rest of you on SEA and getting 10.5

NYJ at IND
JR, MR, MH, SS are all playing the dog on the road and like the JETS.
Rest are on the Colts at -3.

BAL at KC
JR and MR like the Chefs as a home dog.
The rest of the world likes BAL in this one at -2.5.

GB at PHI
JR and RO like PHILLY.
Everyone else is on the Packers at +2.5.

Good Luck!!

Cotton Bowl...still need NFL Picks from MR, MC, RO

MDTN looked like they came to play for the 1st half last night, but then sucked in the 2nd. So most of you made up 2 points on the leader (GR), and there's a chance for more tonight.

The Cotton Bowl is one of the toughest calls of all the Bowl Games, here's the deal:

A&M vs. LSU (-1)
A&M comes in super hot with wins and covers in their last 6 games leading up to the bowl. They have motivation to be there with not having been to a bowl in quite a while under Mike Sherman, and they have a nice road record and played a tougher schedule than LSU, which I was surprised by. The Tigers lost to ARK to close the season and didn't cover 4 of their final 6. Now the rumors of the Mad Hatter heading to MICH will be everywhere tonight and this bowl game really isn't that big of a deal for a club like LSU. Even with all this leaning toward A&M, I'm still very hesitant because I just don't think much of the Aggies, but by the numbers they look like a pretty legit club that's riding a nice streak. So even though I thought this was going to be a lock for LSU, I will be going with A&M tonight at the current line of +2.5.

JR, GR, AW, RO are all on A&M - the rest have LSU.

The UNDER might also be a good play tonight as both teams have pretty good defenses and kind of suspect offenses...so I like the UNDER 49 as well.

Not much at all for CBB plays today...too bad, I rocked with STAN +5 last night and they beat the Sun Devils outright by like 15.

Weekend BOWLS
UK vs. PITT
JG, MR, MH are on UK...the rest of us like PITT. Wannstedt's last game = PITT motivation and I think they roll through an overmatched UK club...one of the best bets left I think.

BC vs. NEV (-9.5)
MR, MH, MC, RO all on NEV to cover the points while the rest of us like BC.
I think NEV had their moment, BC stops the run very well and all NEV does is run the ball...at 9.5 points, yep I think BC is the play here. But I don't feel great about it either way.

That leaves us with only 1 game left - the big one for the title...we have some diversity in our picks, so it should be an exciting finish to the Bowl Season.

Send me your NFL Playoff Picks for the weekend...I'm a loner so far in 2 of the games, so we'll see what these 3 come up with before I send out the preview hopefully later today.

Good Luck - Go Aggies!

GoDaddy.com Bowl!!

Who is excited for this classic tonight between MDTN and MIAOH!?!?

Well, no one...but we bet on it anyway. Here's the breakdown:

JR, JG, GR = MDTN
All else = MIAOH

The line that we are using is MIAOH -2...currently the line is MDTN -2.5.

Fun stuff. But it's a slow sports night, so I'll probably watch it.

What else do we have...well, after hitting a 3-0 NCAA Hoops mark yesterday with the 2 other games I didn't play going 2-0, I feel like I need to find some more NCAA Hoops action today. So here we go:

It's a slim list tonight, but I found a couple I like:

STAN +5 at ASU
STAN is a better team flat out. ASU looks too full of holes to even win this one, but I'll take points and STAN.

This is the only one I will for sure play, other possibilities:

CIN -9 vs. XAVIER: not sure Xavier is this bad, but will be interesting watch.
Thought about NOVA at -7.5 at USF, but USF is like the BIGEAST version of Sconny hoops, although they turn it over a lot more...I'll watch and not play this one.
Also kind of loving ARI at -13 hosting CAL...CAL has just been bad and ARI shoots the lights out every night so I would maybe be willing to give the 13.

Not a great night of hoops, but we'll find something to win with after the GoDaddy.com bowl.

Good Luck!!

Bowl Update

A thriller last night that came down to scoring on a blocked punt or jumping on it...ARK chose to jump on it and throw a pick = L. Oh well, at least it was close.

Current Standings
GR-46
JR-45
MH-43
RO-41
MR-35
SS-35
MC-33
AW-32
JG-23

19 points still available in Bowl Season...then 75 available in the NFL Playoffs.

Tonight - NO BOWL GAMES!! WTF?? Bad scheduling NCAA.

So the focus has to shift to basketball...this is what I've got tonight:

PUR -6.5 at PSU
Easy one here, PUR is still really good and experienced on the road at a shit PSU club...it's also a 5:30 game so you can get the night off to a great start!

LOU -11 vs. SH
LOU will be looking for a rebound after the UK debacle, so I see no problem covering 11 against an inept SH team that has a hard time shooting and holding onto the ball.

BYU +4 at UNLV
I've been winning all year on UNLV games, and I think this is another one. Jimmer and BYU are too good to be getting 4 points (or more as this line is climbing) on the road.

A couple other possibilities are DUKE -18 hosting UAB tonight...DUKE houses everyone but I'm staying away because it's a sandwich game for them before MARY on the weekend.

Also kind of like WIS -11 at home against MICH, MICH is super young and this is their first B10 road game, and they can't rebound...all bad, bad things against the BADgers.

I looked at MEM+6 at TEN, but both of these teams are so unpredictable this could be a 20 point blowout in either direction - should be a fun watch, but you might be suicidal trying to watch this one with a bet on it.

Also - Wolves are home favorites tonight...Wolves should never be home favorites, bet on CHAR.

Until tomorrow...GOOD LUCK!

Send over your NFL Playoff Picks if you have them.

End of the DICKROD

It's over - MICH is officially in the hunt for a new coach. Nice run DICKROD...2 losing seasons with no bowl games and one season where you get crushed by MISS ST. and suffer the worst bowl loss in MICH history. Nice work.

In other hilarious coaching news...guess who made the Final 4 for the HC job at Texas State....

Wow.

And it gets better for our rivals...IOWA is likely to lose their DC to retirement on the account that, well, he doesn't have a foot anymore and their OC is a possibility for a couple of different openings I've read.

While the BAAAADgers after suffering a Rose Bowl defeat and a hoops loss at Illinois all in the same weekend have lost their DC to NILL as the HC and it's being reported today that Paul Chryst, their OC, is interviewing with TEXAS for the vacant OC spot.

Could we have the most tenured coordinators in the tri-state area?? Bizarro world.

More craziness is sure to come...including MICH's pleading and praying for Jimmy Harbaugh to come back, but I'd be willing to bet anything and everything that he won't go to Michigan. Maybe they'll grab the Mad Hatter from LSU...that would be amazing!

Do you think Mase in handing in an application to the Maize and Blue to try and get back at OHIOST for passing him over?

SUGAR Bowl Picks

The Cardinal came through last night - never a doubt. They steam-rolled VT in the 2nd half and won me some $$$.

Tonight we have the Sugar Bowl, which is shaping up to be another great one and the last of the BCS Bowls before next Monday.

ARK-OHIOST (-3)
I've wavered on this one quite a bit as well, but I think I have to lean away from the mighty B10 and toward the SEC and the points. ARK +3 is the pick tonight for me and for MR...everyone else is staying true to Buckeye nation tonight.

Why ARK? I think they have been playing better and I think it could turn into a shootout because nobody has been able to stop this ARK offense all year. They only scored less than 31 points 2 times this season, yes one of those was ALA who might be the best comparison game for OHIOST...but I don't think OHIOST can stop them. The Buckeyes also likely won't be able to keep up with them on the scoreboard with the Hogs. They have no convincing wins this season and played poorly in all of their road games except for at the Bank. Speed edge to ARK, QB edge to ARK, playmaker edge to ARK. OHIOST has the better D, but I don't think they've really been tested like they will tonight.

ARK 31 OHIOST 21

In other action we have IND at MIN (-10) in hoops: not playing it but I would take IND to cover the 10 because the Gophs just don't blow anyone away right now.

I do like TEXAS at -10 hosting ARK tonight...ARK's first true road game and 1st real test while TEXAS is well seasoned already and a very stingy D. I'll take the Horns.

Good Luck!!

Orange Bowl

I'm actually kind of excited for this one. It should be a heck of a matchup between the Cardinal and the Hokies tonight.

Here's the situation:

VT vs. STAN (-3)
I really liked VT all year and wasn't convinced of STAN running over them in this game. I'm still a little scared of all the Harbaugh rumors being a distraction, but I think I'm going with STAN to win and cover tonight. JG, MH, RO all agree with me. It's a big 5 point game, so you better watch.

Deciding factor for me is the strength of schedule STAN played all year which was much better than the weak ACC slate VT went against. I also don't trust Tyrod and that offense to consistently score a lot of points on STAN. Harbaugh will have this team ready - I'll go with STAN 27 VT 20.

In other news...

Adam Robinson has officially been kicked off the Iowa squad.

Devoe Joseph is meeting with Tubby today to discuss his future...sounds like he's likely done as a Gopher and looking to transfer, which seems crazy to me considering he's already a Junior this season.

Not much else looks appealing tonight - good luck!

PLAYOFF LINES & Post-Season Challenge Rules

First, here are the 4 lines for the weekend - send me all 4 of your picks this week:

NO
SEA 10.5

NYJ
IND -3

BAL
KC 2.5

GB
PHI -2.5


All of these games this weekend will be worth 3 points each. The total breakout is as follows:
WC: 3 pts each
DIV: 6 pts each
CHAMP: 9 pts each
SB: 16 points + 5 prop bets worth 1 each

This gives us a Grand Total of 75 NFL Playoff points possible and 100 Bowl points possible. This is the same ratio we used in the regular season. The 2 scores will be combined to determine your final score and figure out who our winner is.

$180 is in the pot - $160 for 1st and $20 for 2nd.

Good Luck!!

Football Challenge 2010 - FINAL STANDINGS

The regular season came to an exciting finish yesterday, and for the 1st time ever we have a new champion.

ROE needed another GB TD and for the NYG to keep WAS out of the endzone at 17-7, but neither happened and Mark Heinert is the 2010 Football Champion.

Here are the FINAL STANDINGS
MH 139 111 55.6%
MR 138 112 55.2%
RO 133 117 53.2%
SS 131 119 52.4%
JR 129 121 51.6%
MC 128 122 51.2%
JG 128 122 51.2%
GR 126 124 50.4%
AW 126 124 50.4%

ROE posted a 2-8 in the final week vs. MH's 4-6...not exactly a great finish, but to hit 55% for both of you is a very nice year. Congrats.

BOWL CHALLENGE/PLAYOFF CHALLENGE

Here are the current standings for this:
GR-41
JR-40
MR-35
MH-33
RO-31
SS-30
MC-28
AW-27
JG-13

A 7-21 start for JG...but plenty of big points left, you can still manage 42 points if you hit the rest of the Bowl Games.

I will be sending out the Wildcard Playoff lines and point values for those today.