Liberty Bowl Predictions, Picks & Odds
In the afternoon on New Years Eve, the Cincinnati Bearcats will square off against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the Liberty Bowl. The Bearcats come into the game with a 9-3 record, having lost the Big East title due to tiebreakers, while Vanderbilt comes in at 6-6, which is a great record if you know anything about the history of Commodores football in the vicious SEC. Will the seemingly better team get the win, or will the team from the vastly better conference get the W?
Cincinnati won six straight games in the middle of the year, sandwiched between a loss to Tennessee and back to back losses to West Virginia and Rutgers, which ultimately cost them the Big East crown. It doesn’t bode well that they lost handily to the only other SEC team they played, while they’re best wins came over modest Big East foes like Louisville and Pittsburgh.
They are a well balanced club, which scored 33.5 points per game, 28th best in the country, and surrendered just 20.0 points for game, 20th best. They were more solid with their ground attack led by Isaiah Pead, who rushing for 1,110 yards and 11 TDs on the season, although QB Zach Collaros threw for 14 TDs and 1,860 yards.
Six wins and a bowl game berth is a great season for Vandy. They began the season strong, including a win over Big East representative Connecticut. They got blown out in back to back weeks against South Carolina and Alabama, but they were competitive in losses to Georgia, Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee.
The offense was fairly meager, scoring just 26.9 points per game, 60th best, dead average, but the defense was more solid, allowing 20.8 points per game, 27th best. Their offensive standout was running back Zac Stacy, who rushed for 1,136 yards with a 6.2 average yards per carry, in addition to 13 TDs.
Vanderbilt is actually the slight favorite in the game, at -1.5 points. The over/under line is at 48.5 points, a pretty modest total.
By the numbers, Cincinnati is the better team. But a look at their records, the quality of opposition and how they fared against similar opponents may tell a different story. A bowl game win for Vanderbilt will be a landmark moment for the rebuilding program, and they feel confident they can handle a Big East team after making it through the SEC gauntlet at .500. It might not be an upset according to the lines, but in reality it is one… take Vandy to beat Cincinnati and get a huge, feel good bowl victory that will give them a major sense of pride of momentum heading into next season.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Insight Bowl Predictions, Picks & Odds
The 2011 Insight Bowl features a very unlikely match-up between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Sooners come into the game ranked number 19, with a 9-3 record on the year, while the Hawkeyes are unranked and sit at 7-5. Iowa unseated another top 20 school during the year though, so will they be able to pull out the magic again and get the big win, or will Oklahoma win and try to salvage the season?
Things turned sour for the Sooners pretty quickly this year. They were the number 1 team in the country and were riding high with big wins over Florida State and Texas to begin the year at 6-0. Then they were upset at home by Texas Tech. While they rebounded with a win over number 10 Kansas State, they lost a few weeks later on the road to Baylor, and they got crushed against in-state rival Oklahoma State to close out the year. That’s how a national title threat ends up at 9-3 and in the Insight Bowl.
Landry Jones threw for 4,300 yards and 28 TDs to lead the offense which averaged 40.3 points per game, 10th best in the country. His favorite target was of course Ryan Broyles, who had 1,157 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. The defense though was only average, giving up 22.8 points per game, 37th best in the nation, which led to all of their losses.
Iowa’s big moment during the year came in November, when they met number 13 Michigan. They took out the Wolverines and won 24-16, however they lost to both Michigan State, Penn State and Nebraska, the other high quality teams they played. They never won more than two games in a row all season, although they never lost two in a row either, making them constantly up and down.
Of course, they lost to Nebraska in their last outing, so they’ll be trying to continue that streak against the Sooners. Their offense and defense are both mediocre, as they scored 28.7 points per game, 53rd best, and surrendered 23.3 per game, 42nd.
Taking a look at the official odds, Oklahoma is favored by 14 points over Iowa. For a straight bet, you can get the Sooners at -550 or the Hawkeyes at +425. The over/under for the game is at 58 points. Considering that Oklahoma might go off for 50, you’d be smart to take the over.
The Sooners really had a letdown of a season after having legit national title hopes. But make no mistake about it, they are a full class or two above the Hawkeyes team, which was largely mediocre in every way. This is the most lopsided of the bigger tier of bowls, and Oklahoma will make this one ugly, winning the game and easily covering the spread while blowing the Hawkeyes out.
|
|
|
|
|
Week 17 NFL Picks: Dallas vs New York Giants Predictions & Odds
The biggest game in week 17 of the NFL season is a title fight for the rights to the NFC East division crown. It’s a rematch of a game played just a few weekends ago, where the Giants held out to get a huge road win over Dallas. Now, Dallas will try to return the favor, and get a road win to seal the deal over their divisional rival. The winner is in and the loser goes home, so which team will make their final stand and get the job done?
Obviously for a regular season game it doesn’t get any bigger than this. Both teams are tied up, and there is only a single postseason berth available to either of them, the spot that goes to the NFC East champion. The loser misses out on the playoffs entirely, while the winner clinches the division, makes the postseason, and as a division winner and the number 4 seed, even gets to host a playoff game.
The Giants kept their season alive last weekend by defeating the Jets in what was technically a road game for them. The defense, led by Jason Pierre-Paul – a name that Cowboys fans don’t want to hear right now – looked on point, and the running game was better than it had been as well. In addition, Eli Manning continued his hot ways, and Victor Cruz was on fire as a top tier deep threat once again.
The Cowboys lost bad at home to the Eagles last weekend, however, the game was basically meaningless for them, as this final contest was going to decide things either way. Tony Romo hurt his hand early on and then sat out the rest of the game. He should be back and ready to go for this one though, and there’s a ton on the line for him personally.
He has had a great year, but has gotten a bad rap, and is seen as not being a clutch player. Manning is Mr. Clutch, and if Romo outduels him late to win the division, he can finally win over some of his doubters. Manning though won’t go down easily, and neither will Tom Coughlin, who could find himself without a job if the G-Men miss the playoffs for the third straight year thanks to a second half collapse.
The Giants, at home, are 3.5 point favorites to take care of business over the Cowboys. The over/under for the game is a high 48 points, and you should take the over on that too.
The Giants are a little hotter and a little better right now, and playing at home with everything on the line will be enough to give them the edge. Pierre-Paul and Manning will lead the Giants to a victory and the NFC East title in week 17 against the Cowboys.
|
|
|
|
|
Champs Sports Bowl Predictions, Picks & Odds
The Champs Sports Bowl features two big name football powerhouse programs coming off of disappointing campaigns. It’s the number 25 Florida State Seminoles against the unranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, with each team sporting an 8-4 record which fell beneath their respective lofty expectations to begin the year. Which program ends on a positive note to rebuild the hype for next season though?
Florida State began the season with a very high ranking and a load of positivity under Jimbo Fischer. Then they crashed and burned over a four week period where they lost three straight games, including to number 1 Oklahoma and number 21 Clemson. After that though, they quality rebounded with five straight wins before losing by 1 point to Virginia and ending the season with a win over rival Florida to return them to the rankings.
The Seminoles are all about their defense, which ranked 4th in the country while allowing just 15.2 points per game, and 6th in the country in yards surrendered, 274.6 per outing. The offense has some dynamic players though, most notably EJ Manuel, who threw for 2,400 yards and 16 TDs on the season while completing 65.4% of his passes.
Notre Dame also dug a hole for themselves at the start of the season, losing their first two before going on a four game winning streak. Then they lost to USC, won four more straight, and lost to Stanford to close out the year. None of their losses were terrible, but they only have one real quality win, and that’s against number 15 Michigan State.
Both offensively and defensively, the Fighting Irish were middle of the pack. They scored 30.5 points per game, 44th best in college football, and allowed 20.9 points per game, 29th best. The offense was led by quarterback Tommy Rees, who threw for 2,700 yards and 19 TDs, but also threw for 12 INTs on the season.
Florida State enters the game as the slight favorite. According to the official lines, they are -3 in the point spread here, and you can bet on the game straight with Florida State at -155 and Notre Dame at +135. The over/under is 46.5 points, and considering the Seminoles lock down defense, you should take the under of that point total in this match.
Neither team lived up to expectations, and neither team fared well against the top flight schools they faced. They’re fairly equal, but the difference will be the Seminoles D. They’ll keep Notre Dame off the scoreboard and keep the team out in front, allowing them to lock down the Fighting Irish even more in the latter portions of the game, and they’ll emerge victorious as a result.
|
|
|
|
|
Holiday Bowl Predictions, Picks & Odds
The Holiday Bowl features two big name programs which finished 2011 with very mediocre seasons, although depending on the expectations you might have had beforehand, it wasn’t all bad for either squad. The California Golden Bears and the Texas Longhorns each enter this bowl game with a 7-5 record, and each will be looking to get a strong showcase win to end the season and begin the march to a more successful 2012 campaign. So which school will get the job done?
Cal certainly had its ups and downs on the year. They had a three game losing streak in the middle of the season, including bad losses to Oregon and USC. Towards the end of the year, they played Stanford close on the road but ended up losing by three points. Their best wins came against mediocre teams like Utah and Arizona State, while they also had a loss to UCLA on their resume, a game they’d certainly like a do-over for.
The Golden Bears are middle of the road in both offense, where they score 29.8 points per game, 47th best in the nation, and defense, where they allow 24.4 points per game, 52nd best in the nation. Their offense is led by quarterback Zach Maynard, who threw for 2,800 yards and 17 touchdowns, and running back Isi Sofele and wide receiver Keenan Allen, who each contributed over 1,200 yards of offense and a handful of touchdowns.
Texas got off to a nice 4-0 start, however, they lost three of their last four games, including bad losses to Missouri and Baylor, both on the road. The defense wasn’t spectacular, allowing 23.3 points per game, 43rd best in football, but it was the offense which let them down more often than not.
Case McCoy, Colt’s younger brother, ended up getting the bulk of playing time on the season, but only threw for 1,034 yards and 7 TDs against 4 INTs. The team ranked 85th in the nation in total passing yards, but 22nd in rushing yards to help them put up a respectable 28.7 points per game, 54th best in the country. When the ground game can be contained though is when the Longhorns struggle and stall.
Texas will enter the game as a 3 point favorite over Cal. For a straight bet, Cal is going off at +135, and Texas at -155. The over/under line for the game is at 48 points, a fairly low total.
Neither of these two teams had much to offer the best opponents they played during the year. While both also stumbled to other squads, Texas held stronger against some quality, middle of the pack teams. Take the Longhorns to win as long as they can run the ball. If Cal shuts down the ground game, then the Golden Bears will pull out an upset.
|
|
|
|
|
Week 17 NFL Picks, Predictions & Odds
The final week of the 2011 NFL season is finally here. As always, it’s nothing but divisional match-ups in week 17, and there are still multiple divisions and playoff berths on the line. It’s going to make for a very interesting, do or die weekend in the NFL. Here are all of the odds and predictions for the NFL games on the week 17 schedule.
At Philadelphia -9 Washington
The Eagles have been one of the hottest teams in the league for the past few weeks. Of course, it’s too little too late now, as they’ve been officially kicked out of the postseason. They will still be playing hard to get back to .500, to beat down a divisional rival, and perhaps to keep coach Reid’s job. Eagles will win and cover the spread at home.
At Atlanta -14 Tampa Bay
The Falcons are two touchdown favorites over the absolutely woeful Buccaneers. Atlanta has clinched their postseason berth, but their position in the ranks hasn’t been decided. They’ll want to make sure they win and get the best seed possible. Atlanta to win and cover over a Bucs team which absolutely imploded.
San Francisco -10 At St. Louis
The 49ers will be big road favorites over the banged up and struggling St. Louis Rams. The 2nd seed in the NFC will be up for grabs, and if San Francisco wants to ensure they don’t miss out, they’ll need to pick up the road win here. San Francisco to win and cover on the road.
Chicago -1 At Minnesota
The Bears are slight favorites on the road in Minnesota. Chicago has been officially eliminated from the postseason, and they’re missing many of their best players. For the Vikings, Adrian Peterson just went out with a knee injury. However, Jared Allen still is on the field, and that’s enough. Minnesota to win at home.
Detroit -1 At Green Bay
The Lions have clinched their first postseason berth in a decade. Their reward is to head to Lambeau and play against the Green Bay Packers. Detroit is fighting for their playoff position though, while Green Bay may be resting players. That gives the Lions the edge, but the Packers won’t just lay down either, not against a potential playoff opponent and division rival. Green Bay holds out at home.
At NY Giants -3.5 Dallas
The Giants are favored to beat the Cowboys at home. It’s a win and you’re in game for both teams, and the loser will go home while the victor gets the NFC East and a home playoff game in the first round. This is going to be a shootout, but why not take the home team coming off a big win? Giants to win, Cowboys will beat the spread and make this a nail biter.
At New Orleans -8 Carolina
The Saints are favored by more than a touchdown over Cam Newton and the Panthers. For New Orleans, there’s still a shot at getting the number 2 seed, and Drew Brees will be looking to put up big numbers to secure his record breaking season and set a new, high mark. He’ll show Newton how to really be an upper level quarterback in the NFL, although Cam is on his way. Saints to win and cover at home, where they’re unbeatable.
Tennessee -3 At Houston
The Titans are slight favorites on the road against a terribly banged up Houston team. Houston is struggling, and even though they have clinched their division, their playoff future seems gloomy. The Titans need to win and get a few things to roll in their favor to make the postseason. They’ll do their part and win on the road here.
Baltimore -2.5 At Cincinnati
If the Ravens win this showdown, they lock up the AFC North. If the Bengals win, they clinch a trip to the postseason. The Ravens are not a good road team, at all, however, they can’t allow the Steelers to win the division, which means they’d head on the road in the playoffs too. The Ravens find a way to get a close, hard fought win here.
Pittsburgh -7 At Cleveland
The Steelers need to win and have the Ravens lose in order to clinch the division. Against the Browns, they’ll easily take care of their end of the bargain, regardless of whether or not Big Ben suits up for the game. Steelers to win and cover.
At Jacksonville -4 Indianapolis
Suddenly the Colts have won two straight games, and now they could be in jeopardy of winning a third and undoing their first pick in the draft bid for Andrew Luck. The Jaguars have been terrible, and only have four wins on the year. But Maurice Jones-Drew will be the deciding factor here, and he’ll lead the Jags to a close win over the Colts, but Indy beats the spread.
At Miami -1 NY Jets
The Dolphins are slight favorites at home over the Jets. New York has a shot at making the postseason still, although they need a win and some other games to go their way. Miami will make it a moot point, as they will hold down the fort at home and end the season with a bang.
At New England -13 Buffalo
The Patriots are two TD favorites over the incoming Bills. A win for New England locks up the number 1 seed in the AFC. They haven’t lost to Buffalo at home in a decade, and they won’t here. Patriots win, cover and clinch.
At Oakland -3 San Diego
The Raiders to win this game and have the Broncos lose in order to make the postseason. San Diego would love to upset that. But the Raiders have shown a fierce heart and a bit of a lucky streak, and they’ll do their part to make it. Raiders win at home.
At Denver -3 Kansas City
If Denver wins this game they win the AFC West. Playing at home against a fierce rival, Tebow and company can’t let this one slip out of their hands and risk ruining their magical season. Denver wins at home and clinches the division and a playoff spot.
At Arizona -3 Seattle
Neither team can make it into the playoffs by winning in week 17, but one will end the year on a high note, and with an 8-8 record. The Cardinals are at home, and have won four of their last five. The Seahawks though may be the better team top to bottom. Take Seattle to get a road win and close the season at .500.
|
|
|
|
|
Independence Bowl Picks, Predictions & Odds
While bowl season already has been going on for a few weeks, the Independence Bowl on Monday night, December 26th, really kicks off the bowl festivities and leads up the week long run to all of the New Years Day and weekend games. This game will feature two 7-5 teams who survived up and down seasons and are now looking to end the year on a strong note and perhaps build up some steam for 2012. So will the North Carolina Tar Heels come out ahead, or will it be the Missouri Tigers?
Missouri started the year off poorly, but ended on a stronger note. While they lost five games, you can’t blame them for too many of them. They lost to then number 1 Oklahoma in the beginning of the season, and they also lost to number 6 Oklahoma State. Another loss came by just three points on the road to Baylor and superstar Robert Griffin III. They lost to number 20 Kansas State, also on the road, and their other remaining loss was to Arizona State.
Meanwhile, they beat two ranked teams during the season, number 16 Texas A&M, on the road, and number 21 Texas at home. The offense is fairly high powered, especially on the ground, where they rushed for over 2,800 yards on the year for an attack which averaged 32.2 points per game. The defense was at times very strong, as when it held Texas to 5 points, and averaged 23.5 points per game allowed.
UNC was snakebitten before the year even began thanks to some controversy and off the field issues. After starting off strong, winning five of their first six games, they ended badly, losing four of their last six to end up with that 7-5 record. They lost to all three ranked teams they played, and their best win on the season was an early two point home win over Rutgers. Their offense is led by three key players, quarterback Bryn Renner, running back Giovani Bernard, and receiver Dwight Jones.
Taking a look at the official numbers for the game, Missouri is a 4.5 point favorite. You can bet on the game straight up and get the Tigers at -190 and the Tar Heels at +165. The over/under for the game is pretty middle of the road at 53.5 points.
The teams enter with equal records, but not on equal footing. UNC stumbled throughout the second half of the season, and failed to get any true noteworthy wins. Missouri finished stronger, and has some very high quality wins on the resume. They’ll get the job done here, and they’ll beat UNC and cover the spread as well.
|
|
|
|
|
Monday Night Football: Atlanta vs New Orleans Picks, Predictions & Odds
While many of the league’s Monday night football games this season have featured disappointing match-ups that failed to generate any interest, here in week 16, fans will get treated to a very intriguing, and hopefully entertaining showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. The high flying Saints 11-3 on the season and looking to lock up the NFC South, and the Falcons are 9-5 and are at the least trying to clinch a Wild Card berth.
If the playoffs started today, both of these two teams would be in. The Falcons would have one of the two NFC Wild Card positions, and the Saints would win the division, and a potential playoff showdown could be awaiting them. But there’s still a few more weeks to see how it all shakes out of course.
The Saints are perhaps the hottest team in all of football right now. They have won six straight games, and have the second highest combined margin of victory of any NFL team, +151 points, second only to the Packers. Drew Brees looks set to break all kinds of records with his numbers for the season, and he has been scorching lately. The entire team is clicking, and they’re especially good at home, where they’re 6-0 on the year and routinely blow other teams out of the water.
That’s not something that Matt Ryan and the Falcons want to here. They have won four of their last five games and control their own fate in terms of making the postseason. After a shaky start to the year, they’ve been playing much better as of late, as Ryan and the rest of the offense have kicked things into gear. They’re playing with the kind of fire they’ll need if they want to make a deep run in the postseason this year, and they’d love nothing better than to make a huge statement against their division rivals here.
The odds makers think that the Saints have the advantage in this one, and they are 6.5 point favorites. The over/under for the game is the highest of the weekend, at 53 points, and that actually might be a low estimate considering what each of these offenses can accomplish.
The Falcons are a very good football team. But the Saints might be a great team, and they just might be the favorites to win the Super Bowl, which would be their second in three seasons. They are simply too good, especially at home, and especially in a game where they can clinch the division title and knock down a rival all at the same time. Take the Saints to win this one at home, although Ryan and company may be able to keep it close and interesting until the end.
|
|
|
|
|
Week 16 NFL Picks: Chicago vs Green Bay Predictions & Odds
In a crazy weekend of NFL football due to Christmas falling on Sunday, the only game on the day will be the Sunday evening game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. The Packers get to play host to their divisional rivals, and they’ll be hungry for a win, since they suffered their first setback of the season last weekend. Do the Bears have what it takes to pull out a surprise road victory?
The Packers hadn’t lost a game for a full calendar year until last weekend. It was one of the longest and most dominating stretches in the history of the NFL, that saw them win last year’s Super Bowl and start off this season on a 13-0 tear. Then, of all teams, it was the Kansas City Chiefs who knocked them off and ended their perfect team. A Chiefs team banged up by injuries and with an interim head coach after having just dismissed Todd Haley.
But that’s how it can go in the NFL sometimes. Meanwhile, it’s easy to forget that last season, when the Packers became the champions and Aaron Rodgers rose to absolute elite status, it was the Chicago Bears who actually won the NFC North. They then lost in the NFC Championship game to the Packers, and they had high hopes for the 2011 season, pinned on their always stout defense, an improving Jay Cutler and perhaps some underdog status that could let them fly under the radar.
But then things started going badly, and Cutler and Matt Forte were both lost to injuries. It sent the team in a tailspin, and they have lost four straight games to fall to 7-7, after having been looking pretty good at 7-3. They are behind both the Lions and the Falcons for Wild Card positioning, and tied with several other teams, and it’s highly unlikely that they can make the postseason.
Taking a look at the official odds and lines, the Packers are 13 point favorites over the Bears. The over/under for the game is at 44.5 points, a low total for a game involving the Packers thanks to the Bears strong defense.
These two teams always play each other tough, and the games are more often than not very close. While Caleb Hanie has been miserable in his time this season, it was in that championship game last year, against the Packers, when he played above expectations. Maybe he has some of that left here. The Packers are going to win the game, but take the Bears to keep it close and beat the spread, fighting hard no matter what the standings and odds say.
|
|
|
|
|
Sports Betting Picks ScheduleSimply choose a sport from the drop down arrow on the right to see what Premium and Free Sports Predictions are available on a certain game. Bet with confidence today!NFL Schedule: Feb 05
| |||||||||||||||