Categories
Handicapping

Ben Burns: Bad Beats September 22nd

Bad Beats: When Bad Quarterbacks Attack

Ben Burns
Ben Burns

Here’s the situation: You’re laying two points with a home favorite. Your team just scored a go-ahead touchdown and now leads 10-6 with 2:30 left.

Which opposing NFL quarterback would you most like to be facing in that situation?

Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell, if not the unanimous first choice, has to be in the discussion.

Categories
Handicapping

Ben Burns: Bad Beats September 14th

Burns’ Bad Beats: Three little Bears blew a game

Ben Burns
Ben Burns

First, Bad Beats would like to offer its sincerest condolences to Chicago Bears fans, who lost linebacker Brian Urlacher for the year during Sunday’s loss to Green Bay.
Now, we would like make fun of Nathan Vasher, Lovie Smith and Jay Cutler. Nice work, guys.

Categories
Handicapping

Ben Burns: Bad Beats September 7th

Bad Beats: Welcome to college football by a straight right

Ben Burns
Ben Burns

College football welcomed back bettors with a LaGarrett Blount right hand instead of a friendly handshake.
The opening week featured backdoor covers, favorites who forgot to score in the second half, a last-minute safety that affected a total and a meaningless touchdown on the game’s final play that hurt.

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Handicapping

Ben Burns: Bad Beats August 18th

Bad Beats: BCS style points can kill

Ben Burns
Ben Burns

The BCS has made running up the score a smart move instead of an unsportsmanlike one.

The embattled system forces coaches to emphasize their dominance, because, like it or not, style points matter.

Those style points also can lead to a bad beat.

Categories
Handicapping

Ben Burns: Bad Beats July 20th

Bad Beats: Deeper, trendier than ever

Ben Burns

Ben Burns

Last week ‘s Bad Beats column either spawned the most intellectual conversation ever had in a Sports betting forum or the dumbest, depending how you look at it.

To quickly summarize, some of you believe there is no such thing as a bad beat. A loss is simply and ultimately a bad bet.

Categories
Cappers

Division by Division NFL Picks (NFC)

NFL Picks: 2009 NFC Preview & Predictions

Michael Alexander
Michael Alexander

The start of NFL training camps is right around the corner with the NFL Pre-Season beginning in less than 3 weeks! While technically true that every team has a shot at the NFL Vince Lombardi Trophy in September the fact remains that some will just be entertaining pipe dreams.

The NFL for the most part has created extreme parity making it an interesting challenge in identifying what NFL teams are going to be able to navigate successfully through the season.

Categories
NCAA Football

NCAA Football Pre Season Picks | Handicapping Analysis

NCAAF Picks: Top 10 Predictions

Michael Alexander
Michael Alexander

Sure, baseball season is in full swing but let’s admit it, we just can’t wait for the NCAAF Picks season to start! Although, baseball continues to be called “American’s Pastime”, no one can argue that the football picks season is the most favorite time of the year.

It won’t be long before the old pigskin is flying and we’re writing here discussing how wrong the structure of the NCAAF BCS set up is.

Categories
Handicapping

Ben Burns: Bad Beats July 14th

Bad beats: Are we whiny?

Ben Burns
Ben Burns

Losing stings when a game goes just like you thought it would, but you end up on the wrong side.

Those times when your team’s running game was way too much for the other team’s injury-ravaged D-line. But a tipped pass is intercepted and returned for a meaningless touchdown, preventing you from covering.

Or when you play the under in hoops, and the game is 30 points under at the end of regulation … before going into overtime.

Categories
NFL

NFL Preseason Picks & Handicapping Analysis

Michael Alexander’s NFL Pre-Season Picks and Analysis

Michael Alexander
Michael Alexander

Although most folks are thinking about that summer vacation and the hot weather that is either present or around the corner, football picks experts are turning their attention to the upcoming NFL Picks season. This month marks the beginning of  NFL Picks training camp followed by the Pre-Season.

Categories
Betting Props

Gambling Analysis: The 2009 Oscars

Betting on the 2009 Oscars

Will Kate Winslet cry? Will Sean Penn go long? Can Mickey Rourke pull off an upset for bettors?

Bettors are gearing up for the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is 81st Annual Academy Awards show, aka the Oscars, this Sunday and while Hollywood is making preparations, so are the bettors.