Ultra Sports Bet » washington

NFL Saturday action

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 18:22:06 +0000

I like Saturday’s games way more than I like Sunday’s. That doesn’t mean that I am going to be original, though – it’s going to be all about the chalk today. I don’t love being in line with the public, but I can’t justify going another way here.

Washington (+3.5) at Seattle – The Redskins have been playing with emotion and determination. The Seahawks really haven’t. Washington matches up well on the run against the Seattle front line, and should be able to score. If Seattle wins they should win a close game, and my guess is that they won’t even manage that. Pick: Washington.

Jacksonville (-2.5) at Pittsburgh – Jacksonville is the total media darling, but in this case they deserve it. Pittsburgh has looked lackluster recently. They have lost three of four. Jacksonville beat them less than a month ago, and that was before the Steelers got hit badly by injuries. The Jags will be able to run all day, and they will score at a pace that I am not sure Pittsburgh can match in their current state. This is my favorite game of the weekend. Pick: Jacksonville.

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I’m on strike!

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:34:11 +0000

Normally in this spot I would make a write up and a pick for the Thursday night NFL game between Chicago (+3) and Washington. I absolutely refuse to do it. This is a truly and utterly awful game, and I am not going to watch it because I don’t want the NFL to think I approve. I will come back to the NFL when they start showing better games (like Sunday – this isn’t a long strike), but I refuse to be part of such terrible football. In a pinch I guess I would lean towards Washington, but none of the above is really the only choice to make.

Instead of this bad excuse for sports entertainment I am going to go watch Sidney Crosby, aka Wayne Gretzky Jr., play live in my hometown of Calgary for the first time ever. Normally I am blindly loyal to my Flames, but in this case I will be cheering for Sidney to get about 8 goals. Even if he gets no points, though, it will still be much better than the football mess. Since we are on the hockey topic, I don’t bet on the NHL much, but I think that the value in this game is with Pittsburgh (+120) in the first period. Calgary has not been starting strong recently, and Crosby’s presence has created a bit of a circus in town, so it is quite likely that they won’t jump off to a good start again. I also like Pittsburgh (+146) for the game including overtime, and that may make me a bad Flames fan.

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This is the Saturday on which Michigan wins the Big Ten

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:45:12 +0000

Five games capture my attention this weekend. None of them, of course, will be nearly as interesting to me as watching my beloved Wolverines crush the life out of the Buckeyes will be.:

Western Michigan (+14.5) at Iowa – Western Michigan is hit and miss and have not been a great team to bet on this year. that being said, I like them here. It comes down not to what they bring to the table, but rather that I have no faith in Iowa’s ability to beat anyone by more than two touchdowns right now. Pick: Western Michigan.

Iowa State (+27) at Kansas – I love the Jayhawks story this year, and I hope they run the table and really make a mess of the BCS. That being said, they are getting a ridiculous number of points here. Iowa State has won two in a row, covered four straight, and has regularly shown their ability to get up for a big game. This is the biggest of games – a chance to knock of the last major conference undefeated team. Kansas has covered every game this year, and I think that this is a case of the books trying to set a line high enough to get them beat. Pick: Iowa State.

Cal (-7) at Washington - The season has taken a horrible, horrible turn for Cal after such a great start. They are still a talented team, though, and I think that this is where they start to get it back on track. Two more wins gets them a decent bowl game. Washington has been terrible, and QB Jake Locker is likely out for this game. They have the look of a team that could quit, and I like Cal’s chances of winning by at least a touchdown. Pick: Cal.

NC State (+6.5) at Wake Forest - I love the way that the Wolfpack is playing lately. Tom O’Brien is a great coach, and his message is clearly catching on. They have won four in a row, covered five straight, and are playing tough, competitive ball. They are one win away from bowl eligibility, and I believe that that will be a huge motivator for the squad. Wake Forest has has two straight missteps, and they need to improve from where they have been to win this game. I think NC State is getting too many points here, and that makes this a betting opportunity Pick: NC State.

Boston College (+8.5) at Clemson – This line makes no sense to me. I know that the Eagles have lost two in a row, but they are a solid team with a talented QB, and they can be expected to bounce back. These two teams have played very tight games the last two weeks, and they are reasonably well matched. Clemson is on a tear over the last four, but they looked pretty mortal before that and could easily crash back to earth. I think that this game could go either way, but I will happily bet that BC can stay within a touchdown. Pick: Boston College.

UPDATE: First, Michigan sucks. What a disgusting effort. Or rather, lack of effort. So long, Lloyd Carr. It’s only sort of been good to know you. That lousy game was part of a pretty lousy day of football from a betting perspective. I was happy with how Western Michigan did, and I was glad to see Boston College win a tight one, but that was the end of the good news. Kansas is a very solid team – better than I have given them credit for. I am very much looking forward to their showdown with Missouri next Saturday night. Cal is just a mess – what a collapse. NC State didn’t show up either. That brings me to 2-3 on the day. Yuck. My first losing weekend since week 6.

Post from: Ultra Sports Bet

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 06:53:21 +0000

There may be more, but as of Friday night these are the NFL games I will be paying speciall attention to:

Philadelphia (+2.5) at Washington – Neither of these teams are playing particularly well right now. The difference, I think, is that Washington has the chance to rebound and make the playoffs, while this has the stench of a lost season for Philadelphia. Washington has played better at home than on the road, and they are back in front of their faithful after a couple of weeks away. Given the reasonable spread, the value is on the Redskins. Pick: Washington.

Dallas (-1.5) at N.Y. Giants – This is being painted as a battle for the top of the NFC, but I’m not buying it. New York is getting way too much credit for it’s six game winning streak. The last four wins have been against a true pack of losers – Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta, and the Jets. They looked pathetic against Miami, and I am not certain that you could call their offense trustworthy or particularly legitimate. This game could be a shootout, and I don’t like the Giants’ chances of keeping up. Tony Romo isn’t going to be as bothered by the pass rush as other quarterbacks with less swagger have. Pick: Dallas.

Detroit (+1.5) at Arizona – Try as I might, I can’t come up with a particularly good reason not to take a shot on Detroit here. This line really caught me off guard. I’m going to quit trying to over think it and just put my money down. Pick: Detroit.

Indianapolis (-3.5) at San Diego – I think that there is a ton of value in Indianapolis. They are going to be pissed off after their loss last weekend, and they will take it out on the Chargers. San Diego looked dismal last week, and they have only beaten bad teams this year. Indy has some injury issues, but I don’t think they are serious enough to overcome the advantage that Indy has in how they have been playing. Pick: Indianapolis.

Buffalo (-2.5) at Miami - I love how Buffalo has played the last three games. I don’t love anything about Miami. They are ravaged by injuries, they have nothing to play for, and they see to be self-destructing under the watch of a terrible coaching staff. Buffalo is playing like they believe in what they are doing, and I am a sucker for a plucky upstart. That makes the Bills the pick. Pick: Buffalo.

UPDATE: A very frustrating Sunday. Buffalo and Dallas did just what I hoped, but nothing else went right. Washington collapsed badly at the end, Detroit just forgot to show up, and Indy lost one of the most disgustingly bad football games in recent memory. 2-3 and the first losing weekend in the NFL in a long time.

Post from: Ultra Sports Bet

Four more for Sunday

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 03:18:41 +0000

You would never guessed it based on the media, but there is actually more than one NFL game being played this weekend. Here are the games involving merely mortal teams that I will be paying special attention to. I’ll be paying special attention to these ones because they are the ones I will actually be playing. The Pats game is just for fun – as a bet there is no value:

Washington (-3.5) at New York Jets – Washington was embarrassed by New England last week. I suspect that their pride will lead them to take out their frustrations on a far inferior New York team. The last time they had a bad loss, to the Giants, they came back the next week and crushed Detroit. Kellen Clemens is starting, and Washington will do everything they can to make his life miserable. Pick: Washington.

Seattle (pick) at Cleveland – When the game is a pick you just put your money on the better team. That is, unbelievably, Cleveland. Their offense has really found its stride, and they are playing like they finally believe in themselves – something they haven’t done since Bernie Kosar retired. Seattle is coming off a bye, but they have been decidedly lackluster all year, and I am not expecting to be impressed. Pick: Cleveland.

Jacksonville (+3) at New Orleans – The Jags have struggled defensively the last few weeks. New Orleans is experiencing an offensive renaissance. The game could become a shootout. If it does then I would bet on New Orleans every time, because I don’t like Quinn Gray’s chances of keeping up. Pick: New Orleans.

Dallas (-3) at Philadelphia – I’ve been taking the public teams all the way along today, so I might as well stick with it. At this spread I think Dallas is a steal. They have had a bye week to prepare for an inferior team. They have an offense that Philly won’t be able to keep up with. They did a decent job of containing Minnesota’s potent run game and should be able to do the same for Philadelphia. If Dallas is near their best then I don’t see how the Eagles compete. Pick: Dallas.

UPDATE: Sooo close. 3-1 on the games today, and a lousy half a point in the Washington game away from 4-0 and a perfect weekend. I think that the Dallas line was one of the softest ones of the season.

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