Handicappers Picks

The 2010 college football campaign is about to get underway, and here at BetUS Sportsbook, we have the best football expert line analysis on the internet! We’ll take our licks at the duel in Salt Lake City between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Utah Utes for Thursday night!
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Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Utah Utes
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 8:30 ET
Game Location: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
TV/Radio Broadcast: Versus, Sirius

NCAA Football Odds: Pittsburgh Panthers (+3) -110 vs. Utah Utes (+3) -110: Over/Under 49.5

The Panthers have two critical things going for them in this game. The first is that they clearly have one of the, if not the best running backs in the game in Dion Lewis. He rushed for 1,799 yards last year as just a freshman, and there is no reason to believe that he will be slowed down in the opener either.

The second item of note for U-Pitt is the fact that it always seems to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks with just the use of its front four. Blitzing isn’t really in the cards most of the time for Dave Wannstedt, but in the event that he does call for the heat, it is unlikely that most quarterbacks will find the time to make the throws to beat the ‘D’.

On the other side of the ball, it isn’t going to help the Utes any that their quarterback, Jordan Wynn is just a sophomore and has still yet to reach double digits in terms of games played at this level. Wynn did come on strong against the California Golden Bears in Utah’s bowl game last year, going 26-of-36 for 338 yards with three TDs, but he was sacked a handful of times and couldn’t get away from the pass rush when it came.

Wynn is going to need a lot of help from his defense in this game to contain Lewis and the Panthers. This is a unit which ranked in the Top 25 last year in total defense (313.8 yards per game), pass defense (176.2 yards per game), and scoring (20.2 points per game). The better news is that Pittsburgh might be a one dimensional team, as it is breaking in a new quarterback in Tino Sunseri, who replaces a veteran of the team, Bill Stull.

NCAA Football Insider Tip: The Utes are generally slow starters, at least in terms of the spread, as they are just 1-4 ATS in their L/5 games played in the month of September.

Though this is a tough game to call, the Panthers are our choice. The defensive front and the consistency of the rushing game with Lewis will be too much to handle. Our football expert line choice is on U-Pitt in this college football betting battle.

My NCAA Football Predictions: Pittsburgh Panthers (+3) -110

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Football betting game odds are already up and posted at BetUS Sportsbook for Thursday night’s clash in the Lone Star State between the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys.
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Miami Dolphins vs. Dallas Cowboys
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, TX
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Football Odds: Miami Dolphins (-1.5) -110 vs. Dallas Cowboys (+1.5) -110: Over/Under 37

It is fairly clear that Tony Sparano isn’t a very happy man right now. After last week’s 16-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at home in which the team failed to reach the end zone, Sparano announced that he will indeed use his starters against the Cowboys in the preseason finale.

This immediately jolted the football game odds down to make Miami a short favorite instead of a three point underdog at the opening of lines.

How long the Miami starters will play is still anyone’s guess. We know that Chad Henne is probably going to need to do a better job of hooking up with his receivers that are going to be in the rotation starting next weekend. Brandon Marshall and Anthony Fasano, the team’s best receiver and tight end respectively, only have a combined 11 catches in three games.

Wade Phillips was fairly irate after Dallas was dumped by the Houston Texans 23-7 at Reliant Stadium last week. He promptly came out the next day in the media and said that he would be utilizing his starters as well in spite of the fact that this is the fifth preseason game for the Cowboys.

On Wednesday though, he changed his mind. Stephen McGee will get the starting nod in what will be the most important game of his career.

McGee is still trying to prove that he is worthy of a spot in the NFL, and this preseason has been a mixed bag that hasn’t helped that cause any. The former Texas A&M Aggie has gone 26-of-45 for 220 yards and he has yet to either throw a touchdown pass or a pick.

The worse news for McGee is that he probably won’t get much help from his ground game. The Cowboys rank dead last in the league in rushing and have yet to score a rushing TD in the preseason.

NFL Insider Tip: Neither one of these teams has been particularly proficient on offense in the preseason, and the end result has been a combined six ‘unders’ against just one ‘over’ contest.

How could we not play the ‘under’ once again? This would be a bunch of points for the Dolphins and Cowboys to reach if this were a regular season game, let alone one in the preseason. This should once again be a relatively sloppy contest, and the end result should be an easy win for players of the ‘under’ on the football game odds.

My NFL Predictions: Miami Dolphins/Dallas Cowboys Under 37

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Thursday night will be the final chance to sink your teeth into football game lines for the NFL preseason! The duel in the desert will be a very interesting one to watch, as plenty of quarterbacks will be fighting for jobs in the clash between the Washington Redskins and the Arizona Cardinals.
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Washington Redskins vs. Arizona Cardinals
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 10:00 ET
Game Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, AZ
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, NFL Network, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Washington Redskins (+5.5) -110 vs. Arizona Cardinals (-5.5) -110: Over/Under 37

Thanks to injuries to both Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman, the only two quarterbacks that are probably going to suit it up for the Redskins on Thursday night are John Beck and Richard Bartel.

Let’s remember that Beck was competing to be the starting QB for the Miami Dolphins as recently as two years ago, so he clearly has some skills. Beck is only completing 50.0 percent of his passes for 103 yards in the preseason.

Bartel came on last week and threw for 44 yards and a TD in his debut in ’09 for the Redskins.

Washington has made it to 2-1 on the preseason thanks to the fact that its defense has been fantastic at times. Allowing a total of just 51 points in three games ranks Washington Redskins at 12th in the league in scoring.

On the other side of the field, the Cardinals are clearly in some disarray. Though it is unknown whether either Derek Anderson or Matt Leinart is going to play in this game, it is clear that Anderson is playing in Week 1, while Leinart, barring injury, will not. Ken Whisenhunt announced on Wednesday that the former Cleveland Browns starter is his man for the beginning of the season, which has really thrown the entire team for a whirl. Leinart, once upon a time considered the future of the franchise, is reportedly on the trade block.

Beck’s successor at BYU, Max Hall should be used quite a bit for the Cards on Thursday night. Both he and fellow rookie John Skelton have looked good in the preseason, and both are going to be fighting for what could be just one roster spot should Leinart not get moved by the start of the year.

NFL Insider Tip : The Redskins are unbeaten in their L/5 road games dating back to last season, going 4-0-1 against the football game lines.

Are Beck and Bartel the second coming of Joe Theismann and Mark Rypien? Of course not. However, they are both probably going to find a way to play inspired football once again. There is a lot of controversy right now in Arizona Cardinals, and we don’t love the idea of laying six points in the preseason with a team that doesn’t have a fantastic direction of where it is going.

The ‘Skins should top the Cards on the football game lines on Thursday.

My NFL Predictions: Washington Redskins (+5.5) -110

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BetUS Sportsbook is back with another fantastic NFL line analysis in the Week 4 NFL preseason duel between the Denver Broncos and the Minnesota Vikings from Minneapolis.
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Denver Broncos vs. Minnesota Vikings
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Mall of America Field, Minneapolis, MN
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Football Odds: Denver Broncos (+4.5) -110 vs. Minnesota Vikings (-4.5) -110: Over/Under 35

The key to figuring out the winner of the football game line in this one is going to be quarterback play.

Quite simply, for the visiting Broncos, their QBs just aren’t quite there yet. Neither Brady Quinn nor Tim Tebow is completing more than 57 percent of their passes, and neither has even reached 200 passing yards yet in the preseason. The two have also combined to throw just one touchdown against two INTs.

Denver is clearly also not being helped by its defense, which is allowing 385.3 yards per game, the second worst total in the NFL. Will the ‘D’ that picked off three passes and made life a living hell for the quarterbacks of the Pittsburgh Steelers show up? Or will the one that seemingly tanked its first two games of the year rear its ugly head?

If it is the latter, the backup QBs for the Vikings are going to make Denver pay. The Vikes, without a doubt, have the strong trio of quarterbacks right now in the league, and even if Brett Favre doesn’t play (or doesn’t play much), there is no reason not to believe in the combination of Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels.

Look for Rosenfels to get the majority of the reps once again for the men in purple and gold, as this will probably be the last time that he ever steps foot on the turf for his current team. Rosenfels has looked sharp all preseason long, completing 63.8 percent of his passes for 392 yards with four scores and no picks.

Even the fourth man on the depth chart, rookie Joe Webb has looked great, throwing for 91 yards and two TDs and rushing for another 78 yards and a score.

NFL Insider Tip: These two teams are clearly in different mindsets right now in terms of recent form. Denver is just 2-5 ATS and 1-6 SU in its L/7 games overall, while Minnesota has beaten the football game line in five of its L/6.

That being said, we tend to believe that the backups for the Vikings are just all around better than they are for the Broncos. Yes, we understand that Tebow generally refuses to lose as a starter, but this is a game that isn’t exactly for keeps. Go with Minnesota, and you’ll be a winner against the football game line on Thursday night.

My NFL Predictions: Minnesota Vikings -4.5

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Thursday night will be the final chance to sink your teeth into football game lines for the NFL preseason! The duel in Steeltown will be a very interesting one to watch, as plenty of quarterbacks will be fighting for jobs in the clash between the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Carolina Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 7:30 ET
Game Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Carolina Panthers (+6) -110 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-6) -110: Over/Under 37

The Panthers have been an absolute train wreck so far in the preseason. They have yet to score an offensive touchdown and have only found pay dirt a grand total of one time; on a kickoff return.

None of their quarterbacks have played well either, as Matt Moore, Jimmy Clausen, Hunter Cantwell, and Tony Pike have all completed 50 percent or fewer of their passes. Simply put, that isn’t going to cut it in the NFL at any level, even in the preseason.

The far more interesting story here is the play of the Steelers. Mike Tomlin still doesn’t know whether he is going with Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon to start the regular season under center. We don’t expect to see all that much from the soon to be suspended Ben Roethlisberger because of this, as these two prospective starters for the first month of the season are still locked in a crucial duel.

Dixon has looked the better of the two QBs so far in the summer, as he has completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 304 yards with a score and two picks, while Leftwich is only completing 45.0 percent of his passes for 138 yards and a TD. Dixon also has a ton of mobility and can get himself out of trouble if need be, while Leftwich looks like a statue in the pocket.

The problem that the former Oregon Duck has is that he looked terrible at times last week while playing against the Denver Broncos first team defense. He won’t see Carolina’s best effort this week, which might not give Tomlin the best gauge for which man he should use some next Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

NFL Insider Tip: For whatever reason, whether in the preseason or in the regular season, the Steelers have dominated this series. They hold a 5-1 ATS and 4-2 SU advantage over Carolina since 2005.

Let’s not mistake the fact that this is an incredibly hefty set of football lines in this game. Asking anyone to cover six-points in the preseason is a tall task. We saw that last week when the St. Louis Rams upset the New England Patriots as 7.5-point pups.

Still, Pittsburgh has too much to play for against a team that has looked this bad to not win by at least a touchdown – Expect a double digit victory!

My NFL Predictions: Pittsburgh Steelers (-6) -110

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BetUS Sportsbook is back with another fantastic football betting line analysis in the Week 4 NFL preseason duel between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants from New Meadowlands Stadium.
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New England Patriots vs. New York Giants
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 7:00 ET
Game Location: New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Football Odds: New England Patriots (+3) -105 vs. New York Giants (+3) -115: Over/Under 37.5

Even though the Patriots have scored the third most points in the NFL this preseason, don’t expect them to be going all out to improve upon those numbers this weekend. Tom Brady played into the fourth quarter of last week’s mildly surprising 36-35 loss to the St. Louis Rams, and Bill Belichick has to be thrilled about the fact that his offense is operating so well.

That being said, expect to see some more out of backup Brian Hoyer. Hoyer has only completed 54.8 percent of his passes for 205 yards in the preseason, but he has thrown two TD passes without chucking a pick.

He would be helped out dramatically by his defense if the unit could hold the Giants to less than its averages so far in the summer. New England is allowing 344.3 yards and 23.3 points per game thus far through three bouts against the football game line.

No team has done a worse job defensively this preseason though, than the Giants. New York is allowing a whopping 387.3 yards per game, a league worst 281 of which have come through the air. This is terrible news for both the front four, which is getting minimal pressure on opposing QBs, and the secondary, which is clearly just getting abused.

The offense might see Eli Manning for a bit more than the average starting quarterback in the fourth game of the preseason, as he has only thrown 26 passes thus far, completing just 13 of them. It will be interesting to see whether Victor Cruz gets more reps after his stellar exhibition campaign in which he has accounted for a dozen catches, 251 yards, and all four of the team’s receiving touchdowns.

The Giants have only forced three turnovers in as many games in the preseason, which is why their defensive stats look so dismal.

NFL Insider Tip: Dating back to last year, the G-Men are only 3-6 SU and ATS in their L/9 games overall.

New York is probably just a wee too inconsistent to back in this game. Grabbing points in the preseason is always a good idea, especially when you really don’t have much of a clue about what either head coach is thinking in terms of quarterback rotation.

Odds have it, New England is going to lead you to victory on the football game line.

My NFL Predictions: New England Patriots (+3) -105

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Teasing preseason games in the NFL is always a great way to get an edge on the oddsmakers if a line is tight. They don’t get any tighter than in the preseason, so we are set to take advantage. Check out our super NFL teaser of the week for the fourth and final week of the preseason.
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Miami Dolphins vs. Dallas Cowboys
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Irving, TX
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Miami Dolphins (+3) -110 vs. Dallas Cowboys (-3) -110: Over/Under 37

The Cowboys are going to throw their first team offense on the field on Thursday night for at least a few drives against Miami, and that could really make all the difference in a game that is more important than most in Big D probably perceive it to be. Dallas is going to want to get some mojo going for the start of the regular season, and though the team has a 2-2 record both SU and ATS, it really has yet to play a fantastic game. This is a solid spot for your NFL teasers.

Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, OH
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Chicago Bears (-3) +100 vs. Cleveland Browns (+3) -120: Over/Under 36.5

The Bears have struggled offensively all preseason long, and we don’t see how that is going to change in this game. Seeing them put 20 on the board would be a heck of an accomplishment even if the first team does end up playing longer than expected. The Browns have really played poor defense, but they have run up against some relatively strong offenses and have been put in bad situations. This is going to be a great chance for this unit to shine. Though teasing either team probably wouldn’t be a bad call, we just don’t see a way that this game gets to 47 points, so back the ‘under’.

Carolina Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 7:30 ET
Game Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Carolina Panthers (+5.5) -110 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5) -110: Over/Under 37

The number 27 is a key one in NFL preseason games, as a vast majority of games actually reach that figure in spite of the fact that it sometimes doesn’t feel that way. The offenses for both of these teams need to get in gear, and we expect both to find the end zone at least twice. The Steelers are still trying to figure out which quarterback is going to start the season, while John Fox simply won’t let his team go the whole preseason without finding the end zone offensively. The ‘over’ is the right way to go.

My NFL Preseason Predictions: 10-point Super Teaser – Dallas Cowboys (+7) / Chicago-Cleveland Under 46.5 / Carolina-Pittsburgh Over 27

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Our Wednesday night MLB predictions take us to AT&T Park where the NL West rival Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants will close out their three-game baseball betting set.
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After Colorado stole the series opener by a 2-1 final tally in a fabulous pitching duel, the Giants evened the series up with some late game heroics from the offense to capture the 5-2 victory. The Rockies hold an 8-6 season series advantage and 10 of the 14 games have combined to go ‘under’ the closing number.

This will be the final match-up of the regular season in tonight’s venue between these clubs. The Giants have been one of the better home teams this season capturing baseball betting odds victories in 41 of 68 tries ($459), while ‘under’ bettors have made a modest profit overall (33-29-6). Manager Jim Tracy’s club has been a woeful visitor securing victories in just 26 of 67 overall attempts (-$1649); it has however been a solid ‘under’ bet away from Coors Field (39-26-2).

Colorado Rockies (69-62, -$491) vs. San Francisco Giants (73-60, $595)
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, September 1st, 9:15 ET
Game Location: AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
TV/Radio Broadcast: FOX – Rocky Mountain, Comcast (Bay), XM

MLB Odds: Colorado Rockies -1.5 +150 -120 (Ubaldo Jimenez – R) vs. San Francisco Giants +1.5 -170 +100 (Tim Lincecum – R): Total 6.5 O -125 6.5 U +105

Though Ubaldo has churned out quality starts in each of his L/6 outings, the potential NL Cy Young Award winner has just two wins to show for it. He failed to pick up the 18 th win of his 2010 campaign his last time out at home against the Dodgers who got to him for nine hits and three ER’s through his seven innings of work. The defeat dropped him to 17-5 overall.

He’ll toe the AT&T Park bump for the second time this season having last tossed a complete game 4-0 shutout there back on May 31 st. The power righty has allowed just 10 ER’s through his L/28 innings of work, and has beaten the Giants twice in his three 2010 starts.

Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum has to be ecstatic that the month of August has come to a close. He dropped each of his five outings and posted an unheard of 7.82 ERA in doing so. He enters his 28 th start of the season 11-9 with a rather un-Lincecum-like 3.80 ERA & 1.35 WHIP.

He got shelled by the Diamondbacks his last time out to cost baseball bettors a pretty penny after going off the board as a -180 MLB betting odds favorite. He’s surprisingly had his roughest go at it at home in the pitcher friendly venue where he stands 7-6 with a 4.12 ERA & 1.41 WHIP through 87.1 total IP. San Fran has dropped his pair of starts vs. Colorado this season, and in his career, he’s 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 13 overall starts.

MLB Insider Tip : With these clubs separated by just three-games in the NL West standings, the pitching has really stepped to the forefront in this series. That’s normally the case in a playoff atmosphere, and I look for that trend to carry over into tonight’s finale.

I’m not exactly sure what Lincecum’s problem has been, but never underestimate the power of a new month; especially in the game of baseball. I look for him to bring his “A” game tonight but also expect Ubaldo to continue bringing it as well.

Home plate Ump Jerry Layne has been decent for ‘under’ bettors this season with his games playing to the low side of the baseball betting odds ‘total’ 14 of 24 times. With oddsmakers posting this number so low even though Lincecum has been severely struggling, it sounded alarms off for me immediately! Take the plus-money return and look for yet another pitcher’s duel to close out the series.

My MLB Prediction: Colorado/San Francisco Under 6.5 +105 (Jimenez/Lincecum)

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Our Tuesday night MLB predictions take us to Sun Life Stadium in beautiful Miami, Florida, where a pair of NL East dregs in the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins partake in the second game of their current baseball betting series.
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The Nationals powered their way to the 9-3 victory in last night’s series opener launching a pair of long balls and 11 overall hits. Jason Marquis secured his first victory of the season after tossing 5.2 innings of three-run ball, and the Nats now have a nice little three-game winning streak in the works after swiping a pair from the Redbirds.

Since letting go of clubhouse sparkplug Cody Ross, the Marlins have dropped four of seven and enter tonight’s contest losers of three in a row. The pitching staff has surrendered a whopping 28 runs during that stretch. Now playing with a rag tag lineup with just a few notables, the Fish have seemingly given up on the season.

Washington Nationals (57-75, -$493) vs. Florida Marlins (65-65, $123)
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, August 31st, 7:10 ET
Game Location: Citi Field, Flushing, NY
TV/Radio Broadcast: FOX – Florida, SNY, XM

MLB Odds: Washington Nationals +160 (Jordan Zimmerman – R) vs. Florida Marlins -190 (Anibal Sanchez- R): Total 8.5 O -115 8.5 U -105

Jordan Zimmerman’s first start since returning from Tommy John surgery hardly went as planned. The righty surrendered seven hits (1 HR) and five ER’s while K’ing four and walking one through just four total innings of work. He said he felt strong throughout the outing, but just left a few pitches up that St. Louis batters teed off on.

There are simply no trends backing the youngster in this spot! The Nationals have lost each of his L/6 road starts, and each of his L/5 when installed a road underdog. He did however pick up a no decision against the Marlins in his lone career start against them tossing six innings of two-run ball with a 6/1 K/BB ratio last season.

Opposing the flamethrowing righty will be Anibal Sanchez who sports the second best starting ERA on the team at 3.29. Florida’s won three of his L/4 MLB predictions outings which includes a shellacking of the Mets his last time out after limiting NY to four runs through five innings of the Marlins 11-4 road victory.

He’s been at his best at home where he sports a 4-3 record with a 2.69 ERA & 1.26 WHIP through 73.2 innings of work; Florida’s just 6-6 in his 12 starts in front of the home crowd. He earned a no decision and a win in a pair of outings against the Nats this season, and in his career, he’s a perfect 4-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 11 starts vs. Washington.

MLB Insider Tip: This line is simply absurd for a pair of teams going nowhere this season. Yes, Sanchez is yet to suffer a defeat against the Marlins throughout his career, but Florida’s a .500 team with him leading its charge at home and the Nats have been playing some decent ball of late.

Washington’s gotten the better of each of the L/4 right-handers its opposed, and the Marlins are just 1-4 the L/5 times they were favored and 0-fer in Sanchez’ L/4 Game 2 starts.

Washington knows exactly what to expect with Sanchez as it’s opposed him numerous times. That’s simply not the case with Zimmerman, so both MLB bettors and the Marlins don’t fully know what to expect tonight. With that being the main reason for tonight’s MLB predictions against the heavily favored Marlins, take a stab with the Nats as they simply don’t deserve to be dogs of this magnitude to the Fish at this point in the season!

My MLB Prediction: Washington Nationals (Zimmerman)

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BetUS Sportsbook has more NCAA football betting analysis for you this week by picking apart the best teams against the college football spreads from last year. Check out whether we think these squads are going to be able to keep it up for NCAA football betting fans this year or not!
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Connecticut Huskies (11-2 ATS in 2009) – The Huskies are going to be a very interesting team to watch this year in the Big East, especially if Jordan Todman can keep the team going on the ground. The passing attack is going to be non-existent yet again for UConn, but head coach Randy Edsall has a history of putting together a team that plays some hardnosed ball. The defense should be able to carry the way well enough to set the table for Todman to roll right over a good chunk of Big East teams. Repeating an 11-2 ATS mark is going to be virtually impossible, but we’d be surprised it the Huskies weren’t NCAA football betting winners by year’s end.

Ohio State Buckeyes (10-3 ATS in 2009) – Yikes! We don’t think so. The Buckeyes are one of the most overrated teams in the land this year. Terrelle Pryor, year in and year out, is an overhyped field general, and though he led the team in both rushing and passing last year, we don’t see any significant value in him over some of the other average quarterbacks in the Big Ten. OSU is going to be asked to cover some hefty, hefty spreads this year, and we think that the 2010 Rose Bowl triumph over Oregon is going to install a false sense of security in the minds of NCAA football betting fans all year long.

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (10-3 ATS in 2009) – MTSU probably can’t be overrated this season. Dwight Dasher is one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the game, and he won’t be contained by Sun Belt defenses. Until we start seeing some big numbers get thrown on the board, particularly when they are in Murfreesboro, the Blue Raiders are going to be a team to back all year long. Consider this a warning to both the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Middle Tennessee State is coming to get you!

Central Florida Knights (9-3 ATS in 2009) – Head coach George O’Leary still has a major quarterbacking issue at UCF, and until that gets fixed, we are going to be awfully reluctant to back this team. One wrong step for Brynn Harvey, the team’s leading (and only legitimate) rusher, and it’s all over. The defense still has a lot of playmakers in spite of the fact that it lost second round draft choice Torrell Troup to the NFL. It all worked for the Knights last year, but now that they have the expectations on their shoulders for being one of the top teams in Conference USA, NCAA football betting on them could become awfully dicey.

For every great team, there has to be one that has a miserable time trying to pick up college football betting victories. BetUS Sportsbook has the top four teams that you needed to avoid last year on the NCAA football spreads and whether they will be detriments to you again this season.
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San Jose State Spartans (2-10 ATS in 2009) – The Spartans might have a new head coach now that Dick Tomey has retired, but that doesn’t mean anything has changed in San Jose for the upcoming season. There is still a significant lack of quarterback play for SJSU, and a porous defense isn’t helping any. The only good news is that the oddsmakers apparently aren’t opposed to giving the Spartans 40 points to start a game with early in the season. That’s what they’ll be catching in Tuscaloosa against the defending champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 1; it also might be what they need to be catching all season long to finish .500 against the NCAA football spreads.

Colorado State Rams (2-9 ATS in 2009) – This team was nothing short of brutal at times in 2009. The only thing that CSU could take away from last year was the fact that it beat its rivals from Colorado. Now, the Buffs are out for revenge, and unless the offense is going to find more than 21.7 points per game from somewhere this year, it could be a bad start to what could be yet another miserable campaign.

Arkansas State Red Wolves (2-9 ATS in 2009) – It’s difficult for a Sun Belt team to post an ATS record this bad since the conference gets such little respect as it is, but the Red Wolves found a way to pull the feat off last year. Things should get slightly better this year, if for no other reason than the fact that the “top performers” from last year’s 4-8 team are all gone. New blood has to help Arky State, which looks to inch towards .500 this year in a woeful conference.

Florida State Seminoles (3-9 ATS in 2009) – It’s been years since Florida State has been a viable team to back on the NCAA football spreads, and for good reason. The Noles are consistently overhyped. If the garnet and gold nation hears one more time that “this is the year” that the team comes back, it might haul off and smack someone. Guess what, Seminoles fans… This isn’t the year either. Christian Ponder is being touted as one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and though the offense for FSU is ready to go, the defense is still atrocious. Unless by chance the Seminoles plan on winning a lot of 42-38 games this year, this will be another year of disappointment in Tallahassee. Maybe the problem wasn’t Bobby Bowden coaching the team after all.

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Our Monday night MLB betting predictions take us to Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio where the Chicago White Sox will look to embark on that final push of the regular season against the putrid Cleveland Indians.
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The weekend was one filled with excitement and frustration for Palehose fans, as they dropped two of three to the hated New York Yankees, but picked up Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers in the hopes that he’ll fill the void left at the DH position.

Manager Ozzie Guillen’s squad now sits 4.5-games off the pace set by the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.

For them to even get back into the playoff discussion, the Twins are going to have to slump while the Sox are going to have to go on another winning streak similar to the one they rattled off around the All Star Break.

Though Cleveland has been putrid overall, it’s been a nemesis to divisional opponents scratching out wins in 24 of the 50 meetings this season ($410). Most of those victories have come against the White Sox, as they’ve won eight of the 12 MLB predictions meetings this season; that mark includes a 4-1 tally at home.

Chicago White Sox (70-60, $627) vs. Cleveland Indians (53-77, -$642)
Game Date/Time: Monday, August 30th, 7:05 ET
Game Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
TV/Radio Broadcast: WGN, SportsTime Ohio, XM

MLB Odds: Chicago White Sox -1.5 +120 -140 (Mark Buehrle – L) vs. Cleveland Indians +1.5 -140 +120 (Mitch Talbot – R): Total 9 O -105 9 U -115

The last time Mark Buehrle toed the Progressive Field bump, he was given the heave-ho after arguing a pair of balk calls against him. He had his two game winning streak snapped his last time out at home against Baltimore.

What bothered him most about the defeat was walking a pair of leadoff hitters; both came around to score and Chicago ended up losing by two.

He’s been pretty solid throughout the month of August allowing just 33 hits and 12 ER’s with a K/BB ratio of 12/9. He’s 3-2 during that stretch with a 3.09 ERA. Though his record doesn’t reflect it, he’s been at his best away from US. Cellular Field where his ERA is a run+ lower than his home ERA (3.33).

He has had problems with the Tribe in the past however, but Chicago’s won three of his four outings against them this season.

Mitch Talbot has had a rough go of it since returning from the DL. The righty has allowed 22 hits and 15 runs (12 ER) over his L/3 starts. He was just plastered by the Oakland A’s his last time out allowing five ER’s in the first inning.

In 13 overall home starts, Talbot has allowed 86 hits and 47 ER’s in just under 73 total innings pitched.

Cleveland has secured MLB predictions victories in only three of his L/10 overall starts and just five of his 13 Progressive Field outings. He has however experienced great success against Chicago throughout his career going 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA & 0.91 WHIP.

MLB Insider Tip: If the White Sox are truly serious about making a run at the Twins, they have to start winning every series played from this point forward. Times a ticking, but lucky for them, they get to start off with the Tribe before heading to Boston and Detroit to close out this 10-game road trip.

I expect Chicago to come out 110% motivated to take it to the Tribe in this series. They’ve won each of the L/4 times Buehrle toed the bump in a series opener, and have treated MLB wagering fans kindly in the first game of a series winning 17 of the L/22 times.

The Tribe has come out on the short end of the scoreboard each of the L/5 times they opposed a lefty, and my MLB predictions have them keeping that trend intact in this spot.

Talbot is tossing batting practice right now, and if the Palehose can’t make him pay with the game being served up on a silver platter, their 2010 future looks bleak at best.

My MLB Prediction: Chicago White Sox (Buehrle)

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The third week of football preseason betting action continues with BetUS Sportsbook on Saturday night in a Lone Star State shootout, as the Houston Texans play host to the Dallas Cowboys.
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Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans
Game Date/Time: Saturday, August 28th, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
TV/Radio Broadcast: CBS, Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Dallas Cowboys (+3) +100 vs. Houston Texans (-3) -120: Over/Under: 40.5

The Cowboys continue to have a major problem this year offensively. They have yet to score more than 16 points in a game, and they only have two offensive touchdowns to show for three games worth of work. Simply put, that isn’t going to cut it, especially for a club that expects to boast one of the top offenses in the league this year.

However, for as poorly as Dallas’ ‘O’ has played in football preseason betting action, its defense has been incredibly solid. This unit has only allowed a total of 38 points in three games and looks to be an incredibly dangerous unit.

Tony Romo has the worst numbers on the team amongst quarterbacks, as he has only completed 46.4 percent of his passes for 141 yards with a TD and a pick. That must improve on Saturday for the Cowboys to triumph in this football preseason betting duel.

The Texans are 0-2 this year in football exhibition betting battles, but that doesn’t mean they’re ripe for the picking once again. This is their first 2010 game at Reliant Stadium after a pair of road defeats.

One could argue that the recipe was just wrong for Houston last week at the Superdome, as it was the first time that the Saints had played in their building since winning the Super Bowl. This week though, the exact same sort of mojo could be playing in the Texans’ favor, as they are full of expectations this year and the hometown crowd is dying to see the team live.

The offense has looked sharp as a tack when Matt Schaub has been on the field. Schaub has thrown for 195 yards on 81.3 percent completions with a TD, and he has successfully directed the starting offense on at least two scoring drives in both of Houston’s football preseason wagering games.

NFL Insider Tip: The home team has won all seven affairs between these two teams. Houston is just 2-3 SU, but 3-2 ATS in five football preseason betting clashes.

Head coach Gary Kubiak is badly going to want to get his team off to a good start in this spot.

Taking a game against its instate rivals is going to be great for Houston, even if this is only just a preseason match-up. For a team that historically does very well in their exhibitions, the Texans are the obvious football preseason betting choice on Saturday night!

My NFL Preseason Predictions: Houston Texans (-3) -120

Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

Our Friday night MLB predictions take us to the Great American Ball Park where the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will lock horns in the opener of the division rivals final series of the 2010 season.
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A funny thing happened after Manager Lou Piniella decided to take an early retirement from the sinking ship otherwise known as the Chicago Cubs; they started winning. Maybe it was because they were matched up against another stiff of a ball club in the Washington Nationals, or maybe the team loosened up after the Hall of Fame Skipper vacated the premises. Either way, the Cubs took a solid step forward in attempting to close their 2010 campaign off on the right foot.

The Reds blasted their way to an impressive 5-1 showing throughout the first six legs of their nine game west coast road trip. However, they ended up 6-3 overall after dropping the first two of their series with the San Francisco Giants and needed to go to extras in their marathon 12-11 win in the series finale. Luckily for Manager Dusty Baker’s squad, it had the day off on Thursday to rest up after the long road trip. Now they get to embark on a six-game home stand against division rivals where they sit 10-games over .500 (36-26, $558) for those that made MLB predictions backing them as a host.

Chicago Cubs (54-74, -$2860) vs. Cincinnati Reds (73-54, $1773)
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 27th, 7:10 ET
Game Location: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
TV/Radio Broadcast: WGN,FOX – Ohio, XM

MLB Odds: Chicago Cubs +1.5 -130 +155 (Tom Gorzelanny – L) vs. Cincinnati Reds – 1.5 +110 -175 (Johnny Cueto – R): Total 9 O Even 9 U -120

Tom Gorzelanny has thrown a ton of pitches entering his 20 th start of the season on Friday night. He tossed 120 pitches for the second consecutive outing in a 5-4 Cubs win his last time out to move Chicago to 7-12 with him leading their charge this season.

He’s been at his best away from Wrigley Field where he sports a 3-2 record with a solid 3.27 ERA, but Chicago Cubs stands just 3-5 in his eight road starts. The Cubs are 1-6 in his L/7 starts vs. NL Central opposition, and he owns a personal mark of 3-4 with a 4.74 ERA in nine lifetime appearances vs. the Reds.

Johnny Cueto’s first start since serving his seven-game suspension didn’t go all too well. The righty was pumped to say the least, and because of it, his control suffered. The righty walked three and served up four home runs through just three innings of an 8-5 MLB predictions defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now he returns to the “GAB” where he owns a 5-2 record with a 4.12 ERA & 1.36 ERA on the year; the Cincinnati Reds won six of his 11 home outings. He was outdueled by Randy Wells in his lone 2010 start against the Cubs and stands just 2-5 with a 4.17 ERA & 1.43 WHIP in nine career starts vs. Chicago.

MLB Insider Tip : Cincinnati has gotten the better of the Cubs this season winning 10 of the 13 overall meetings ($750); that mark includes a 4-2 ($190) mark at the Great American Ball Park. However, there’s just something about this spot for the Redlegs that I just don’t like at all.

Chicago looked to be playing much looser in its most recent series with Washington. Having traded away a number of players over the last month and capping it off with the departure of “Sweet Lou” might have been the exact elixir this club needed to start eating into its outrageous MLB betting deficit.

Gorzelanny has been one of the Cubs most dependable starters since he returned to the starting rotation, and Chicago is currently in the midst of a five-game road winning streak. Cincy could come out a bit rusty in this spot returning from an extended road trip, and they’ve played to an even 6-6 record after an off day to date. Go ahead and take a stab with the barking dog in the series opener!

My MLB Prediction: Chicago Cubs (Gorzelanny)

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The preseason of pro football betting usually provides some real surprising results that just aren’t common due to the uncertainty of the game. Today at BetUS, we look at our “Rabid Dawgs Parlay” for Week 3 of pro football betting in the preseason.
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Washington Redskins vs. New York Jets
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 27th, 7:00 ET
Game Location: New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Washington Redskins (+4.5) -110 vs. New York Jets (-4.5) -110: Over/Under 34.5

Even though Donovan McNabb isn’t likely to play in this one, we still believe that the Redskins have a significantly better chance to win this game than the +180 moneyline suggests. Backup Rex Grossman has proven to be significantly more than competent in the preseason, completing 64.1 percent of his passes for 335 yards with two TDs and a pick. That’s two more yards, one more TD pass, and two fewer INTs than all of the New York quarterbacks combined.

Rex Ryan has called two very vanilla game plans so far in this preseason, and we tend to believe that that could reasonably come back to bite him in this one in spite of the fact that his team is the sizeable choice to pick up a victory.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 27th, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Philadelphia Eagles (+1) -110 vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-1) -110: Over/Under 37

Haven’t the Chiefs already shown that they have no ability to win in the preseason? They were awful offensively in games both against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons, and now they are going to play host to one of the deepest offensive teams in the NFL in the Eagles. Kansas City’s quarterbacking rotation just doesn’t add anywhere up to near what the Eagles can offer, as Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, and Mike Kafka might all be better than anything that Todd Haley is going to be able to trot out there.

Kolb has proven that he can be explosive, and we look for him to exploit the KC defense for at least two scores before he calls it a day around halftime or so. KC should have no answers in this one, and the end result should be a mild upset perfect for our Rabid Dawg selection for Week 3.

Though the Eagles aren’t a huge underdog, when parlayed with the Redskins on Friday night, they make for a fantastic price. This is still the preseason. Upsets like this happen all the time. Don’t be afraid to throw down on both of these NFC East teams this weekend, as they should combined to be worth somewhere in the neck of the woods of about 6.25-1 in your pro football betting card.

Rabid Dawg Parlay: (Washington Redskins/Philadelphia Eagles)

Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

Teasing preseason games in the NFL is always a great way to get an edge on the oddsmakers if a line is tight. They don’t get any tighter than in the preseason, so we are set to take advantage. Check out our super NFL teaser of the week for the third week of the preseason.
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St. Louis Rams vs. New England Patriots
Game Date/Time: Thursday, August 26th, 7:30 ET
Game Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: St. Louis Rams (+7.5) -110 vs. New England Patriots (-7.5) -110: Over/Under 37.5

Simply put, catching 17.5 points in the preseason is nuts. Are the Rams going to be able to compete with the Patriots in the first two quarters of this NFL betting battle on Thursday night? Probably not. However, if they can stick within a TD, they are almost certainly going to be golden going into the second half. This is a huge game for Sam Bradford, as he looks to build some confidence against the best in the NFL. The Pats have played well in the preseason thus far, but we tend to believe that getting this many points is too good an opportunity to overlook.

Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers
Game Date/Time: Thursday, August 26th, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
TV/Radio Broadcast: ESPN, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Indianapolis Colts (+3.5) -110 vs. Green Bay Packers (-3.5) -110: Over/Under 44.5

What a lofty ‘total’ this is! One must remember that this is still the preseason and that the starters are still only going to play a half of football at best. Indianapolis is still a team that really could care less whether it wins or loses its exhibitions, and quite often, it plays an awfully vanilla game just to survive without any injuries. Green Bay’s defense should be up to the challenge of facing Peyton Manning and one of the highest flying offenses in the league. There’s no way the ‘total’ should be this high, and taking it up ten more points almost isn’t fair

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Game Date/Time: Saturday, August 28th, 7:30 ET
Game Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Jacksonville Jaguars (-2.5) -110 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2.5) -110: Over/Under 36.5

If the Jags don’t find a way to win at least the first half of this game on Saturday night, they have a lot of problems. Tampa Bay is going to be without Josh Freeman, meaning it’ll be up to Josh Johnson and Rudy Carpenter to carry the load for the Bucs’ offense. David Garrard and Luke McCown both have something to prove, as both have the ability to lead this team to a number of scores. Jacksonville gave up last week and conceded a one point loss instead of trying to tie the game, which blew any chances of the cover. We’ll have plenty of leeway this week catching over a touchdown.

My NFL Preseason Predictions: 10-point super teaser – St. Louis Rams (+17.5) / Indianapolis-Green Bay Under 54.5 / Jacksonville Jaguars (+7.5)
Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com