Posts By: caliche
Understanding the NFL’s Unpredictability
Fans and sportsbooks alike know that the NFL is one of the most unpredictable professional sports league within the US. One of the reasons that football can be so unpredictable is the small sample size which fans, or critics, have to base their predictions on. For example, sports like baseball and basketball – hell even hockey, play 80+ games a season (an MLB season even consists of 162 contests). Therefore, over the course of the season, fans have ample opportunities to watch and evaluate their teams. Flukes, whether they are positive or negative, get drowned out in the ongoing attempts athletes must continually make to try and play at their best. While on the other side, the NFL season only consists of 16 games. Granted, the league would be hard-pressed to try and fit more games into the season, due to the physicality of the sport.
Ford Field? More like Force Field: Redskins at Lions
The Detroit Lions have won two straight at home and are looking to give the Washington Redskins their first road loss of the season when the two meet on Sunday, October 23rd at Ford Field. Here are the odds for people who bet on NFL at a sportsbook: Redskins +1 (-110) 49 (-110) EV Lions -1 (-110) 49 (-110) -120
Patriots Reliability Continues to Surprise Sportsbooks
Before the season began online sportsbooks were convinced of the New England Patriots impending success. Of course, the odds also thought that the Carolina Panthers were a solid choice for Super Bowl contenders. But now, heading into Week 7, it’s obvious that the prediction about the Patriots is much closer to reality than the one about the Panthers. So far this season the Panthers have been one of the biggest disappointments since, well the 2004 Carolina Panthers. But on the other hand, the Patriots have been playing better football than arguably all the other 31 teams within the NFL. Even without Brady the Patriots were impressive, and now that they’ve gotten Brady back under center, there might not be a team capable of beating this year’s Super Bowl favorites. New England will get a chance to assert their dominance when they take on the Steelers in Week 7. How much are the odds favoring New England in this pairing?
Cleveland Cavs open season versus “super team” Knicks
As far as basketball betting odds go, the Golden State Warriors are the only thing standing between the Cleveland Cavaliers and back-to-back NBA championships. However, on Tuesday, October 25th at the Quicken Loans Arena, the New York Knicks will give the Cavs an idea of what it’s like to go against a super team. At least, that is how New York’s new point guard Derrick Rose envisions things going down. “With these teams right now, they're saying us and Golden State are the super teams,” Rose said during an interview with NBA.com in July. Rose declined to specify who “they” are, but for my money, it’s a toss-up between the Illuminati and the Rosicrucians.
The Eagles have crash-landed: Minnesota at Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Eagles have lost two straight games, but is Wentzmania still running wild? That is what people who bet on NFL are going to find out when the undefeated Minnesota Vikings visit Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, October 23rd. These are the online sportsbook odds for that game: Vikings -2½ (-115) 40 (-115) Eagles +2½ (-105) 40 (-105)
Penn State says they can beat Buckeyes but they’re Lion
The Penn State Nittany Lions have won two straight but the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes are the heavy NCAA football betting favorites when the two colleges meet on Saturday, October 22nd at Beaver Stadium in University Park. PA. The following are the betting sportsbook odds for that match-up: Ohio State -19½ (-110) 59½ (-110) -1250 Penn State +19½ (-110) 59½ (-110) +800
Ice ‘R’ Us: Red Wings take on the Rangers
The top sportsbooks are ready for another exciting season of professional ice hockey, but are fans ready for the NHL? Of course they are! The NHL regular season began last Wednesday, and since then fans have been racing to place bets on their favorite team, as well as dashing to the nearest TVs to catch the results of their predictions. One upcoming contest that will give New York fans – as well as Detroit fans – the opportunity to wager on their favorite team is the upcoming contest between the Red Wings and the Rangers.
Boston Looking to Bruise the Jets
The sportsbooks are primed for another season of professional hockey now that the NHL season has officially begun. One team that critics and fans alike are excited to watch compete this season is the Boston Bruins. Last season, the Bruins finished with a 42-31-9 record which ranked them 4th in the Atlantic Division. While it was a slight improvement from the previous year, Boston failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive year. However, after a solid offseason, the Bruins showed a lot of promise in their 2016-17 debut by overcoming the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3. Will the Bruins be able to continue their early success in their game against the Winnipeg Jets?
White-hot Whiteside brings Heat to Charlotte Hornets
The Miami Heat will go back on the road when they visit the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on October 20th for their next-to-last preseason game. The Heat are 2-1 n the preseason – as of this writing; they still have three other games to go before actually making it to Charlotte – while the Hornets are 1-3. On the surface that might make Miami basketball betting favorites to beat Charlotte. Let’s not forget, though, that the Heat eliminated the Hornets in the first round of the playoffs back in May, so a little payback might be in order.
NFL Betting Face-Off in the AFC South
For several years, the Indianapolis Colts were one of the safest bets on NFL games that could’ve been made. After the 2011 that saw Manning depart with the team, the Colts have enjoyed continued success with Andrew Luck under center. That success includes three consecutive seasons where the Colts finished with an 11-5 record, and two consecutive seasons where they won the division. Unfortunately for Colts fans, that success came to an abrupt stop in 2015 when Indianapolis struggled to finish 8-8. With that record the Colts failed to qualify for the playoffs, but fans were hopeful that a new season would bring new success.