Categories
PGA Golf

2013 TOUR Championship Preview/Picks & Gambling Lines

PGA Betting Predictions

The final event of the 2013 PGA TOUR season is here, as the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings head to East Lake for the TOUR Championship.

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Fight Club

UFC 165 Handicapping | Betting Preview | Free UFC Picks

UFC 165 Jones vs. Gustafsson Handicapping

The UFC returns to Canada Saturday for UFC 165 – a card that features one of the most dominant champions in the organization. Jon Jones will defend his Light Heavyweight title for the sixth time against Alexander Gustafsson.

The odds are certainly stacked against the Swedish challenger but it wasn’t that long ago that another of the UFCs untouchables fell at the hands of an upstart challenger (cough, cough – Anderson Silva). It’s a pretty explosive card with excitement promised as always.

Let’s break it down.

UFC 165: Jones vs. Gustafsson
Date: September 21, 2013
Time: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Location: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
UFC Odds From Bovada

MAIN CARD

Jon Jones (18-1): -900
Alexander Gustafsson (15-1): +550

Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson each have one loss in their careers but in Jones’ case it was a DQ loss in a fight he was totally dominating. In other word, he hasn’t “lost” so far in his career. The reason? Athleticism, size, length and an imagination unlike any other in the UFC.

Jones is perhaps the most athletic fighter in the UFC. He is long, he is lanky, he is quick, he is unorthodox and he is simply top notch anywhere a fight happens to go. Taking a look at whom he’s defeated is a who’s who of MMA legendry – Shogun Rua, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson and Vitor Belfort to name a few.

Alexander Gustafsson is one of the few in the world that will actually have a size advantage over Jones – he may surprisingly have the striking advantages as well! At 6’5”, Gustafsson has been able to use his insane boxing skills to inflict damage and to stay out of the way of potential danger zones. He is an ideal “stick and move” fighter with devastating kicks and surprisingly good defense. Beyond that, there isn’t a whole lot that stands out.

Gustafsson has been working on his wrestling ahead of this fight and it is a good thing – his only real chance however is if this fight remains upright. The Swede has a good gas tank, a good striking pedigree and seemingly a good knowledge of what his opponents wants to do in the Octagon.

The problem is that Jones himself enters with a multitude of ways he can beat you.

This fight is only happening because there is nobody left! Jones is on his way to history – Gustafsson is just another speed bump.

Pick: Jon Jones -900

Renan Barao (30-1): -650
Eddie Wineland (20-8-1): +425

The interim bantamweight title is on the line Saturday when Renan Barao takes on Eddie Wineland. Wineland has been knocking on the door recently but every time he steps up he is knocked down again. Recent losses to Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez seem to prove that he is not quite ready for prime time just yet.

Renan Barao has won 31 fights in a row for a reason – he is a beast that could be the best all-around fighter in the game right now. His strikes are superb and his submission game is second to none in the bantamweight division.

Wineland is a tough guy and a decent all-around fighter but Barao is on a different level along with Dominick Cruz in the bantamweight division. The Brazilian has the advantage anywhere this fight happens to end up. It should be exciting but it will be predictable.

Pick: Renan Barao -650

Matt Mitrione (6-2): -120
Brendan Schaub (9-3): -110

Two former UFC prospects and TUF alums in the midst of mini-slumps look to right their ships in Toronto Saturday. Matt Mitrione and Brendan Schaub will look to change their fortunes around after losing two of their last three fights. A loss Saturday for either fighter may be their last with the organization.

Mitrione brings terrific athleticism to the Octagon. He is a former NFLer with terrific power – five of his six wins have come by KO while Schaub has a similar stat-line – 7 of nine wins by KO.
In a matchup of evenly-skilled fighters with similar experience, I will take the more athletic of the two.

Pick: Matt Mitrione -120

Francis Carmont (21-7): +155
Costa Philippou (12-2): -190

A battle of the five fight win streaks takes place when striking machine Costa Philippou takes on French MMA star Francis Carmont in Middleweight action. Both fighters, on paper have been tremendous lately and both have six KOs on their résumés. Philippou will definitely have the stand-up and power edge while Carmont will look to stifle his opponent in typical style.

Carmont has a knack of dumbing down a fight like nobody in the Middleweight Division. He will look to smother Philippou and will have success doing so. I see a justified frustrated Philippou being dragged the full three rounds and be outpointed in typical boring, grinding Carmont style. [ad-3573245]

Pick: Francis Carmont +155

Pat Healy (29-16): +200
Khabib Nurmagomedov (20-0): -260

Pat Healy will look to build on an impressive win over Jim Miller (before his positive drug test!!!) when he takes on undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov – one of the most impressive emerging grapplers in the Lightweight division. With a possible title shot on the line, this fight has potential to be best of the night.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has had his way with the lower tiers of the Lightweight division but gets his biggest test Saturday. Healy is a tough guy – well rounded with a terrific chin and a ton of experience. Healy also has a stellar wrestling background that should be able to somewhat minimize what Nurmagomedov hopes to do – Healy is a takedown machine that may have met his grappling match!

That said Nurmagomedov looks to be that guy being groomed for bigger things in the UFC.

Healy is a stepping stone (a tough one at that) along the way to bigger things for Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Pick: Khabib Nurmagomedov -260

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Myles Jury (12-0): -400 vs. Mike Ricci (8-3): +300
Pick: Myles Jury -400

Ivan Menjivar (25-10): -190 vs. Wilson Reis (16-4): +155
Pick: Ivan Menjivar -190

Chris Clements (11-4): +220 vs. Stephen Thompson (7-1): -300
Pick: Chris Clements +220

Mitch Gagnon (9-2): +175 vs. Dustin Kimura (10-0): -220
Pick: Mitch Gagnon +175

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Renee Forte (8-2): +165 vs. John Makdessi (11-2): -210
Pick: -210

Michel Prazeres (16-1): +140 vs. Jesse Ronson (13-2): -170
Pick: Michel Prazeres +140

‘Bruce Leeroy’ Alex Caceres (8-5): -155 vs. Roland Delorme (9-1): +125
Pick: Roland Delorme +125

Nandor Guelmino (11-4-1): +220 vs. Daniel Omielanczuk (15-3-1): -300
Pick: Daniel Omielanczuk -300

CLICK HERE NOW to place a bet on UFC 164 At Bovada!

Categories
Nascar

NASCAR Sprint Cup Sylvania 300 Preview and Prediction

New Hampshire – Sylvania 300 Predictions

The Chase to this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup title is underway and the second of this 10-race playoff takes the series back to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this week for the running of the Sylvania 300.

Sunday’s race is set to start at 2 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Categories
NFL

Cappers Picks NFL Power Rankings – Week 3 – September 18th 2013

Dave B’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 3

NFL Power Rankings – Where Every Team Sits After Week 2

Week 2 of the NFL season is in the books and as per usual, the weekend brought about some surprises that resulted in a reshaping of the Power Rankings landscape.

Categories
NCAA Football

Handicapping AP Top 25: NCAA Football Top 10 – Betting Preview

Week 4 AP Top 25

The Week 4 AP Top 25 college football rankings were released on Sunday. No movement in the top 5, and Texas A&M were able to stay inside the top 10 despite losing on Saturday.

Categories
NFL

Washington Redskins vs. Green Bay Packers Gambling Prediction & Week 2 Preview

Washington vs Green Bay NFL Football Spread/Handicapping

Both of these teams were in the playoffs a year ago but both are 0-1 heading into week 2 and in trouble. Whichever team exits 0-2 is going to be really behind the eightball to make it back to the playoffs and both play in competitive divisions.

Categories
NFL

Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Gambling Prediction & Week 2 Preview

Minnesota vs Chicago NFL Football Spread/Handicapping

Minnesota is on the road for yet another divisional game. Last week they lost at Detroit and a loss this week would be especially damaging because it would drop them to 0-2 and two games behind at least Chicago in the NFC North.

Categories
NFL

Carolina Panthers vs. Buffalo Bills Gambling Prediction & Week 2 Preview

Carolina vs. Buffalo NFL Football Spread/Handicapping

Buffalo almost started the Doug Marrone/E.J. Manuel era with a surprising win over the Pats last week while the Panthers almost smothered the hype around the Seahawks.

Categories
NFL

Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals Betting Picks & Week 2 Preview

Detroit vs Arizona NFL Point Spreads

The Detroit Lions are looking to start the 2013 NFL regular season 2-0 for just the fourth time in 13 years when they travel to Arizona to take on a Cardinals team that lost their opener despite racking up a ton of yardage in St. Louis.

Categories
NFL

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Picks & Week 2 Preview

New Orleans vs Tampa Bay NFL Point Spreads

Bad penalties, including one that set up the winning score, killed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who lost their season opener to the New York Jets last Sunday.

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NFL

Denver Broncos vs. N.Y. Giants Betting Picks & Week 2 Preview

Denver vs New York NFL Point Spreads

Last weekend produced the tale of two Mannings, with Peyton playing lights out in the Broncos home opener against the reigning Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, while little brother Eli struggled to overcome a mass of early Giants mistakes in a loss to the Cowboys in Dallas.

Categories
NFL

Week 2 NFL Betting Parlay – Redskins vs. Packers, 49ers vs. Seahawks

NFL Parlay of the Week

Last week we got our first real look at all 32 NFL teams in action and while most of the favorites held true to form straight-up, there were some golden opportunities to cash-in on some bad lines against the spread. That is bound to hold true again this week so here is my two-team NFL parlay for Week 2 based on lines provided by [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′].

Game 1- Washington Redskins vs. Green Bay Packers

Pointspread: Green Bay -9
Total Line: 49.5

ATS Matchup Stats | NFL Gambling Insight!

Washington is going to have to quickly rebound from a stunning 33-27 loss to Philadelphia this past Monday night as a three-point home favorite. The total in that game went OVER the 51.5-point line. It found itself down by as many as 26 points before rallying to keep the scoring closer than this game really was.

The good news is that Robert Griffin III finished on a strong note after looking extremely rusty in the first half.

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Green Bay had a four-point lead with eight minutes to play in its season opener against San Francisco, but it could not hold on in a 34-28 loss as a five-point road underdog. The total in this matchup went OVER a closing line of 47 points.

Aaron Rodgers had no problem moving the ball up and down the field through the air against one of the best defenses in the league, so look for him to have another big day this Sunday as well.

Both of these teams come into this game with a number of question marks on defense, which should translate to quite a few points on the scoreboard.

The total has gone OVER in four of Washington’s last six games and in four of the 49ers’ last five, so I am going with the OVER 49.5 in this game as the front-end of this week’s parlay. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Game 2- San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Pointspread: Seattle -2.5
Total Line: 44

ATS Matchup Stats | NFL Gambling Insight!

Everyone wondered if Colin Kaepernick was the real deal after leading San Francisco to the Super Bowl last season and the third-year quarterback answered that question with 412 yards passing and three touchdowns on opening day.

These numbers are impressive but the 49ers are going to have to do a much better job running the ball to win this game after gaining just 90 yards on the ground against Green Bay.

Seattle has already proven it knows how to win ugly and that was clearly the case last week in a 12-7 victory over Carolina as a three-point favorite on the road.

The Seahawks were held to just three points in the first half and did not find the end zone until five minutes into the fourth quarter. The good news is that Seattle’s defense looked to be in mid-season form; holding the Panthers to 253 yards of total offense.

San Francisco is 1-5 against the spread in its last six trips to Seattle, which is one of the toughest places in the league to get a win.

The Seahawks went a perfect 8-0 at home last season and given that the half point on the spread in in their favor, I am going with Seattle covering the 2.5 points as the back-end of this parlay.

Categories
NCAA Football

Vanderbilt Commodores vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Gambling Predictions & Week 3 Preview

Vanderbilt vs South Carolina NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The Vanderbilt Commodores are trying to rise to the top of the SEC, while the No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks are trying to stay there.

Categories
NCAA Football

Ole Miss Rebels vs. Texas Longhorns Gambling Prediction & Week 3 Preview

Ole Miss vs Texas NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

After last week’s poor showing against BYU there is a lot of grumbling in Austin right now. Texas has once again failed to live up to expectations and the faithful are tired of it and needed someone’s head to roll (defensive coordinator Manny Diaz).

Categories
NCAA Football

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Purdue Boilermakers Gambling Predictions & Week 3 Preview

Notre Dame vs Purdue NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

A mistake-prone No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish team will travel to Purdue on Saturday, looking to put their 41-30 loss at Michigan last weekend behind them and return to some resemblance of the Irish team that propelled them into last year’s BCS National Championship game.

Categories
NFL

Steelers vs. Bengals Gambling Odds & Week 2 Free NFL Pick

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati Betting?

Steelers Visit Bengals on Monday Night

Well, the AFC North is tight again! There is a four way tie for top spot after week 1. Not surprising until you realize that NO TEAM won their Week 1 matchup.