NFL Futures – Indianapolis Colts Still Control AFC South

If you’re an NFL betting fan of Houston, Tennessee or Jacksonville, then you know that the road to the playoffs goes through the Indianapolis Colts.

What has always made the AFC South division intriguing is the fact that we get tight games no matter how stacked one team is compared to their divisional opponent.

Over the long haul however, it has been the Colts that have been the division winner for seven of the past eight seasons.

Indianapolis Colts (-150 to win AFC South)

A 2009 AFC Championship will hang from their rafters next year, but it’s certainly not the decoration that four-time MVP Peyton Manning and his Colts were hoping for.

Not only did they go a sterling 14-2 SU last season, they also went 10-6 ATS, reigning in big wins for their football betting backers.

Virtually everything about this team stays the same heading in to the 2010 NFL betting season, but what’s scary is that they may be even better this year than last.

Running back Mike Hart and wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez will both return from injuries, making an offense that saw the emergence of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie last season even wealthier in talent.

Reggie Wayne is still in the picture, so it’s not like there’s any reason to doubt the favorite in the AFC South.

Houston Texans (+350 to win AFC South)

Drafting Ben Tate at running back was a huge win for Texas’s running game, which will see constant relief as teams focus their attention on keeping Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson from tearing their endzone to pieces.

However, the big story in Houston is always defense. The Texans gave up 324.9 yards per game (13th), 20.8 points (17th) and, 106.9 yards on the ground (11th) 217.9 yards through the air (18th).

For a defense that failed to rank in the top-10 in any relevant stat category, the four-game suspension of Brian Cushing will kill this team’s chances from getting a hot start.

It’s easy to be optimistic about the Texans on paper, but this is a team that has never found a way to turn the corner. They’ve never made the playoffs in franchise history. Thinking they’ll win the division is sheer insanity.

Tennessee Titans (+350 to win AFC South)

No team is poised to fall apart at the seams more than the Tennessee Titans.

Letting Albert Haynesworth walk two years ago was a bigger loss than they realized, but allowing Kyle Vanden Bosch to prowl with the Detroit Lions all but assures that this once stout defensive front will be a walking mat.

There are zero big names in the trenches for this defensive side, making them prone to be torn asunder by the rest of the division.

Couple their defensive woes with the not-so-sudden personal implosion of one Vince Young, and the looming contract issues with Chris Johnson, and you have a definitive stay-away bet in the Titans.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+1000 to win AFC South)

They missed out on the Tim Tebow sweepstakes and are stuck with David Garrard.

Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that someone would actually make a fan base miss Byron Leftwich, but Garrard has been tremendously underwhelming.

The Jaguars had the worst record in the division at 7-9 SU, and the worst betting record at 5-11 ATS.

Anyone who thinks that their money is safe with Garrard at the helm needs to have their head checked.

Detroit Lions NFL Futures – More than Five Wins?

The Detroit Lions have not done well both against the NFL betting spreads and straight up in recent years.

But after a string of good draft picks put together by new GM Martin Mayhew, things seem to be looking up for the arguably the worst franchise in the NFL.

NFL betting fans will notice that the Lions’ projected win total according to the odds hasn’t grown much this year despite all the positive press the Lions have received this off-season, however, as the total for NFL futures is still set at just 5 wins.

Last season the Lions went just 2-14, however, so the total makes sense in that respect. They only managed to beat the Redskins and the Browns and they lost all their road games. But in an odd way, the season seemed like a bit of a step forward for the battered Detroit franchise.

Matthew Stafford showed signs of being the QB Detroit needs for the future and other players stepped up, especially the rookies. DeAndre Levy from the third round from Wisconsin became a leader at ILB/OLB, Louis Delmas might be the next young star at safety in the NFL with his speed from the second round out of Western Michigan, and Sammie Lee Hill was solid for a rookie from tiny Stillman College at DT. TE Brandon Pettigrew also became a solid player when he was healthy from Oklahoma State out of the first round.

This year brings more promising rookies in RB Jahvid Best from Cal along with Ndamukong Suh at DT from Nebraska with the 2 nd pick and others.

The Lions have about as much promising rookie-sophomore talent as any team. Learning to win will be the big key with this team, and that could be tough in such a hard division. But five wins is a conservative estimate this year for NFL betting fans with this team, who has surrounded Stafford with even more weapons in Nate Burleson, a great second option to Calvin Johnson at WR if healthy, and another former Western Michigan star in TE Tony Scheffler from Denver. Best will also provide a home run threat the Lions haven’t had since Barry Sanders at RB.

Put it all together and the Lions have the potential to get way more than the NFL betting projection of five wins with a great chance of at least breaking even.

NFL Betting – Chicago Bears an NFC North Title Contender?

The Chicago Bears have big plans for the future now that they have their QB of the future in tow in Jay Cutler. Cutler didn’t work out well last year for the Bears leading to numerous NFL against the spread and straight up losses but he didn’t have a whole lot of help.

Cutler took the blame but he has a chance to come out and redeem himself this year. He doesn’t have a ton of help on offense but the Bears have a better all-around team which should allow Cutler’s mistakes from trying to do too much not stand out as much should they occur.

The Bears won’t be a favorite according to the NFL against the spread odds in most games but they will be a solid all-around team with a chance to make some noise, win the NFC North, and perhaps get into the playoffs. At the projected win total of 8, the Bears have a lot of work to do to make betting fans happy this time around, however.

The defense could be much improved with the addition of Julius Peppers via free agency adding to a pass rush that has languished in recent years. Brian Urlacher should be back for a defense that will all of a sudden gain two premium impact players this season.

On offense, the Bears are hoping for maturation from young receivers like Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashadu along with Devin Hester, all of whom have shown potential. They’ll need to do some off-season work to get on the same page with Cutler if they hope to make improvements and cut down on the bad throws, routes, and miscommunications that plagued them last year.

If that can happen and new addition Chester Taylor gives the Bears another option to keep Matt Forte fresh at running back, the Bears can do well in the NFL against the spread department.

But beating the NFL odds against the spread won’t be easy in an improved division for the Bears, who will likely finish just short of win predictions.

 

Chicago Bears 2010 prediction: 7-9.

College Football Dark Horse Teams to Win the BCS

The 2010 college football betting season will kick off in less than two months, and here at BetOnline sportsbook, there’s no such thing as a bad time to start talking about the boys on the gridiron.

Today, we will look at the NCAA Football betting futures and pick out a few longshots to win the BCS National Championship.

Pittsburgh Panthers (+5000) – Someone is going to have to win the Big East, and whoever successfully pulls it off is at least remotely going to have their names etched in the BCS title run, just as the Cincinnati Bearcats did last year.

The Panthers are coming off a great regular season in which they only lost one game in the conference and two games overall. Though QB Bill Stull has departed, HC Dave Wannstedt has never heavily relied on his quarterback to win games.

Instead, the "Stache" is going to be reliant upon the legs of RB Dion Lewis, who crushed every freshman rushing record in the U-Pitt books last year with 1,799 yards and 18 TDs.

Beyond a visit to Utah, the rest of this schedule is very manageable. Trips to Connecticut and Cincinnati won’t be fun, but will be very doable for a team that should be fun to watch in ’10.

Florida State Seminoles (+5000) – It’d be a shame to see the ‘Noles do this well in the first year without HC Bobby Bowden, but there is a real possibility for it to happen. They are +125 favorites to win the ACC in the BetOnline NCAA football divisions futures.

QB Christian Ponder is considered one of the top quarterback prospects for the NFL Draft of 2011, and he is going to be leading an offense that should simply be amazing under new HC Jimbo Fisher. The ‘Noles averaged 30.1 points per game last year with Ponder throwing for just 2,716 yards. It looks as if a 3,000+ passing yards season is a foregone conclusion.

Florida State could lose to Oklahoma in Week 2 and still be a title contender, particularly with wins at Miami and at home against Florida. If the FSU defense figures out how to avoid giving up 433.8 yards and 30.0 points per game again, look out for the garnet and gold.

Oregon State Beavers (+5000) – With the USC Trojans out of the picture in terms of the National Championship, any Bowl games or Pac-10 races, the door is going to swing open for a ton of teams.

Though we don’t really believe that the Beavers can run the table with the atrocious schedule in front of them, they can clearly go to the BCS title game with one loss this year thanks to what should be very strong computer numbers.

One win from games at TCU and Boise State would be great, while the Pac-10 seems reasonable, especially with USC and rival Oregon both coming to Reser Stadium. Throw into the mix the fact that RB Jacquizz Rodgers (1,440 yards, 22 TDs) is back for a Heisman Trophy run and OSU can drastically improve upon its 8-5 record from a season ago.

George Steinbrenner, Legendary Yankee Owner, Dies at Age 80

George Steinbrenner, the legendary owner of the New York Yankees, who built perhaps the most well-known sports franchise in the world, has died at the age of 80.

According to reports, Steinbrenner suffered a heart attack and died on Tuesday in Tampa, Florida.

George Steinbrenner owned the Yankees for 37 years, from 1973 until his death, and is infamous for increasing player salaries.

His hand was also evident in establishing the right of players as free agents, giving them the choice to change teams according to the contracts offered. All business.

His approach to baseball earned him the nickname “The Boss.”

He was also influential in changing the media business of baseball, as Steinbrenner was the first owner of a Major League Baseball betting team to sell cable TV rights to cover the team.

The Yankees are the most expensive sports team in this history of America, with a payroll of $208 million in 2005.

According to Forbes, the estimated value of the Yankees in 2010 is $1.6 billion. Steinbrenner was quite the businessman.

Under his leadership, New York won 11 pennants and 7 World Series titles.

Since 2006, Steinbrenner has stepped out of the Yankee spotlight, leaving the team to be run by his sons, Hank and Hal Steinbrenner.

Ironically, Steinbrenner died on the morning of the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

MLB All-Star Betting – NL Will Steal Home Field Advantage In Fall Classic

It’s the 81st Annual All-Star Game from Anaheim, California! The American League hasn’t lost this game in 13 years, including the infamous tie-game in 2002. Unfortunately for logic’s sake, this game still determines which league gets home-field advantage in the World Series.  

MLB All-Star Game
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 – 8:00 PM EST
Broadcast: ESPN 
MLB All-Star Betting Line: AL -125

Run Line:
NL +1.5 -175
AL -1.5 +155

Total:
8.5 O -115
8.5 U -105

Pitching:
NL:
2010 is being called “The Year of the Pitcher,” and most of the NL’s pitching staff is the reason why. The Senior Circuit is rolling out one of the most talented groups of starters in All-Star history. Led by 15-game winner and no-hitter-thrower Ubaldo Jimenez, the NL’s staff looks like something out of a video game. Following Jimenez is Roy Halladay (who threw a perfect game two months ago), Josh Johnson (leads league in ERA), Tim Lincecum (2-time Cy Young), Adam Wainwright and Tim Hudson.

The bullpen is led by Brian Wilson, Jonathon Broxton and NL saves leader Heath Bell. The trio of NL-West closers are some of the best in the game and will most definitely see action in the later innings.  

AL:
While not as flashy, the American League rotation is a pretty damn solid group of arms. 12-game winner David Price leads the charge, with three fellow lefty’s right behind him. Cliff Lee (MLB-leader in WHIP), Andy Pettitte and Jon Lester are all top-flight pitchers. The weak link in the starting rotation is token Indians All-Star Fausto Carmona. Carmona can be beaten, especially by strong teams (i.e. and ALL-STAR TEAM), and may be the reason the AL may lose this game.  

Batting:
NL:
The National League starting lineup may not scream All-Star, but it’s filled with capable players eager to win. Albert Pujols against lead the squad, while David Wright and Andre Ethier are expected to provide secondary scoring. Hanley Ramirez, who came in second place in the 2010 Derby, will also be a focal point in the NL offense.

The NL-bench is a very impressive one, especially at first base. After Pujols, the NL trots out Ryan Howard, Adrian Gonzalez and Joey Votto, all potential MVP candidates at the end of the season. It’s also a very young and new bench; 9 of the 16 bench spots are by players making their All-Star debut.  

AL:
This is the American League’s strength. Their number eight hitter (Robinson Cano) leads the Yankees in batting average and is second in home runs. Josh Hamilton, Miguel Cabrera and Vladimir Guerrero are all having career years and make up the heart of the order.

The AL bench features a litany of power hitters. MLB home run leader Jose Bautista is on the team, as is 2010 Home Run Derby Champion David Ortiz. Alex Rodriguez, Adrian Beltre and Paul Konerko can all mash the ball, but it may be easier said than done against the NL’s pitching staff.  

Outlook:

The American League hasn’t lost in 13 years, but I think that streak will end in Anaheim. The NL pitching is just too talented to hit with any consistency, and the AL All-Stars will soon figure that out.  

MLB All-Star Betting Pick: National League

MLB All-Star Game – Can N.L. Pitching Break the A.L.’s Unbeaten Streak?

This Tuesday night the best baseball players in MLB descend upon Mickey Mouse’s hometown of Anaheim, CA for the annual MLB All-Star Game.

The American League has won every Midsummer Classic since 1997 except for a tie in 2002.  That’s 12 victories over the National League since 1997.  How amazing is that?

Pretty amazing!  But the National League will go into the Midsummer Classic with supposedly a better arsenal of pitchers in Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies, Josh Johnson of the Florida Marlins and Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Will the N.L. finally break the streak?  Or, will the A.L. make it 13 out of the past 14 years?

2010 MLB All-Star Game

National League vs. American League

Where:  Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA

When:  July 13th, 2010 at 8:00 pm EST

TV:  FOX

MLB Betting Odds

National League All-Stars                  +1 ½ -190        Ev

American League All-Stars                 -1 ½ +160        -120

There’s really no reason to look at baseball betting trends. The only trend that matters is that the A.L. has dominated the N.L. in the last 13 years of the All-Star Game.

It makes more sense to look at the individual make-up of each team for this year’s All-Star Game and then to determine the winner based on drawing a few conclusions.  After studying each line-up, there’s something that’s very apparent, the N.L. pitchers are better than the A.L.’s pitchers.

David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays, who gets the start for the A.L., has been very good in 2010 but he hasn’t dominated the way that Johnson, Jimenez and Halladay have.  The same goes for other A.L. pitchers like C.C. Sabathia from the New York Yankees, Jered Weaver from the Los Angeles Angels and Cliff Lee from the Texas Rangers.

Overall, the N.L.’s pitching should keep the A.L.’s awesome batters from getting out of control, but will it be enough?  The biggest question isn’t whether or not the N.L.’s pitchers can keep the A.L.’s batters from going crazy against them, they can.  The big question is whether or not the N.L. batters are good enough to get to the A.L.’s less than dominant pitchers.

Save for the awesome Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals’ first baseman who was the top vote getter in N.L. balloting, the rest of the N.L. batters leave something to be desired.  I don’t see them having any more luck against the A.L. pitchers than the A.L. batters will have against the N.L. pitchers.

But the fact remains that the N.L. has an amazing amount of pitching talent on which to draw from this Tuesday night.  After Jimenez, Johnson and Halladay, the National League can turn to Tim Lincecum from San Francisco, Yovani Gallardo from Milwaukee, Tim Hudson from Atlanta and Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, both from the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pitching will carry the day for the N.L. in the 2010 All-Star Game.  They’re the team to bet in the baseball sportsbook to win on Tuesday night.

MLB Sportsbook Pick:  National League All-Stars Ev

MLB All-Star Parlay Picks – Cash in on Annual Star-Studded Showcase

Colorado Rockies gifted right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (15-1, 2.20 ERA) will take the mound opposite Tampa Bay lefty David Price (12-4, 2.42 ERA) looking to overpower the AL and help the National League snap an emphatic seve-game losing streak when the two leagues take to the field for the annua Midsummer Classic at Angels Stadium on Tuesday night beginning at 8 PM ET.

Tuesday, July 13, 5:00 PM ET
Angels Stadium, Anaheim, CA

MLB Betting Odds
National League +1½ -190
American League -1½ +160
Moneyline
National league Ev
American League -120
Over 8½ -115
Under 8½ -105

TV: FOX
Radio: Sirius 182 XM

National League 411
The National League has lost seven straight and 12 of 13 all-star games, wile managing a 7-7, 11-inning tie in 2002 when idiotic commissioner Bud Selig brought the game to a halt without a winner having been decided.

The good news for the National League is the fact that they have been extremely competitive in each of the last four all-star classics, losing each contest by just one run.

American League 411
The American League has been totally dominant in owing the NL since the senior league won three straight all-star games from 1994-96.

The Starters:
Ubaldo Jimenez –R (15-1, 2.20 ERA)
David Price –L (12-4, 2.42 ERA)

Jimenez has gone an impressive 2-0 with a high 5.40 ERA over his last three starts after struggling in tow of them. However, the gifted right-hander got back to ‘normal’ in his last start, allowing just one earned run on three hits in eight overpowering innings of a 4-2 win over St. Louis on Thursday. Through his first 14 starts, Jimenez had a microscopic 1.15 ERA before running into a bit of a rough stretch.

In the past 30 years, according to Baseball-Reference.com, he is one of 13 pitchers to earn 15 wins in his team’s first 85 games. Additionally, Jimenez is 11-0 in his starts after his team loses.

Price has gone 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA over his last three starts, allowing just two earned runs each time out. The young southpaw allowed just eight hits while striking out 10 in 7.2 innings of a 6-4 win on Wednesday.

From the time he was drafted No. 1 overall out of Vanderbilt in the 2007, big things have been expected out of David Price would announce his arrival as a dominant force for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Well, that time is clearly now.
The 6-foot-6 southpaw leads the league in victories (12) and ERA (2.42) through 17 first-half starts and will likely get even better as his experience increases.

Analysis: Go ahead and call me crazy, but I’m picking the National League to snap their long losing streak in dramatic fashion as they get mostly phenomenal pitching from its fantastic staff en route to a convincing two-run victory.

The top six pitchers in baseball this season in terms of ERA are all NL all-stars, not counting the Cardinals’ Jamie Garcia (8-4, 2.17 ERA) who ranks third in ERA but failed to make the team as teammates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright sere selected.

Additionally, Frisco’s Tim Lincecum and Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay are former Cy Young winners while Padres closer Heath Bell may be the best bfinisher in the game this side of Mariano Rivera.

MLB gamblers should also know that Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera will not be avaiilable tonight and that will hurt the AL’s chances immensely as Rivera has saved three of the past five All-Star wins for the AL.

Last but not least, I firmly believe Philadelphia’s Charlie Manuel is a far better manager than New York’s joe Girardi as I stated during last season’s World Series and I genuinely believe that is still true today (in spite of last season’s outcome).

I like the National League to cover the MLB Run Line with the outright win while the Under plays out for pro baseball betting fans everywhere.

MLB Free Picks: National League +1½ Runs/Under 8½ Total Runs

College Football Preseason Odds – Can Iowa Win Big Ten?

Last year, the Iowa Hawkeyes came into the year as an underdog in the college football preseason odds to win the Big Ten. But they almost got it done before losing to Ohio State in a league-deciding game without starting QB Ricky Stanzi, who got hurt in their other loss to Northwestern.

But the Hawkeyes finished the year strong in beating Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Now, the Hawkeyes are reloaded and ready to make a run at the Big Ten Title with the college football preseason odds more in their favor.

Iowa gets Stanzi back at QB along with one of the best defensive lines in the country and a great wide receiving corps. The current odds have Iowa at +350 to win the Big Ten, far better odds than the favorite, Ohio State, who is listed at -250.

But Iowa might have just as good a chance to win the league this year with all of the talent they have coming back. For starters, Adrian Clayborn is back at defensive end. Some are calling him a Ndamukong Suh-type talent at the position as he is both big and powerful as well as athletic. He could have been a top five pick but now he is back to lead the Hawkeyes, who might have the best d-line in the conference.
Iowa has always won in the trenches and this year will be no different.

Playmakers are present at safety (Tyler Sash and Brett Greenwood), linebacker (Jeremiah Hunter), as well on defense despite a few holes or new starters. The defense should be strong again. But the offense is what really has folks fired up in Iowa City. Stanzi is not a big numbers guy but he is the type of athletic, smart game manager who can win titles, if he plays within himself that is. He is a winner but he needs to stay healthy and cut down on mistakes for Iowa to make a run.

Jewel Hampton could return to provide a big boost at tailback and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos is in position to become Iowa’s all-time leading receiver this year. Iowa gets Ohio State at home and could have the inside track to winning the possible title contest with a healthy Stanzi this time around.

At +350 college football preseason odds and with a favorable schedule, Iowa is an intriguing pre-season pick.
The college football preseason odds for the Hawkeyes to win the Big Ten Title are a good bet this year because of the team’s experience and that’s why Iowa is worth a look going into the 2010 season for betting fans.

All-Star Game Props

Baseball betting fans should be happy to know that there are a whole bunch of props they can bet on Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim (game time is approximately 8:20 PM ET), but I thought there should be some other props on the game, and so the "Charles Jay Line" went to work on short notice.

The opposing teams are the National and American Leagues, in case you weren’t aware, and the AL Stars are a -130 betting favorite, with the total set at 8.5 runs.

[Offtopic: by the way, do you want to get a 60% bonus on your first deposit here at BetOnline? Find out more exciting details HERE.]

Here, for example, is one of the props you can bet for Tuesday:

Betting Odds – To Win Most Valuable Player

• Adrian Gonzalez +2500
• Albert Pujols +700
• Andre Ethier +1800
• Carl Crawford +1800
• Corey Hart +1800
• David Price +1600
• David Wright +1400
• Derek Jeter +1000
• Evan Longoria +1400
• Hanley Ramirez +1400
• Ichiro Suzuki +1400
• Joe Mauer +1400
• Josh Hamilton +1400
• Martin Prado +2200
• Miguel Cabrera +700
• Robinson Cano +1400
• Ryan Braun +1400
• Ryan Howard +1400
• Ubaldo Jimenez +1600
• Vladimir Guerrero +1400

Here are some other I think we should stick in there:

* The YO- ADRIAN! betting prop — Yovani Gallardo of Milwaukee (NL) gives up a home run to Adrian Beltre of Boston (AL): 50-1

* The PRICE IS WRIGHT betting prop — David Price of the Rays either strikes out the Mets’ David Wright or gives up a homer to him: 4-1

* The WILSON-PHILLIPS betting prop — Brandon Phillips of the Reds hits a homer and Brian Wilson of the Giants gets the save for the National League: 75-1

* The STATUS-KUO betting prop — Hong-Chih Kuo of the Dodgers is the only pitcher for the National League who never gets off the bench: 60-1

* The MORE THAN YOU CANO betting prop — Robinson Cano of the Yankees hits at least two homers in the game: 80-1

* The TAMPA BAY-BUCK betting prop — A member of the Tampa Bay Rays AND John Buck will each have home runs: 125-1

* The CAPPS-IZE betting prop — Matt Capps of Washington gives up the winning run: 25-1

* The ROLEN-ALONG betting prop — Scott Rolen of Cincinnati hits a home run: 25-1

* The TY-ME-UP betting prop — Ty Wigginton, the only representative of the Baltimore Orioles, hits a home that ties up the game: 75-1

* The NOT-SO-MEEK betting prop — Evan Meek of Pittsburgh comes in and strikes out the side in an inning: 50-1

* The LONESOME RHODES betting prop — Arthur Rhodes of Cincinnati is the only player not used in the game: 150-1

* The HOLLIDAY FESTIVAL betting prop — Matt Holliday of St. Louis hits at least two homers in the game: 150-1

* The HALLADAY FESTIVAL betting prop — Roy Halladay of the Phillies strikes out the first three batters he faces: 65-1

* The YOUNG-AT-HART betting prop — Both Chris Young of Arizona and Corey Hart of Milwaukee hit home runs for the National League: 200-1

* The BOURN TO RUN betting prop — Michael Bourn of Houston will have at least two stolen bases in the game: 30-1

* The "KING IS HERE" betting prop — LeBron James crashes the game and goes on the field with sidekick Jim Gray to announce SOMETHING: 100-1

Let’s PLAY BALL!!

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