Mayor Carcetti's Hallowed Wagers
As we look forward to the final college football weekend in October, we have to comment on the Thursday night action in Blacksburg, Virginia. What a great overall performance by Virginia Tech as a 4 point underdog dismantling Clemson by a final margin of 24-7. Most scribes will talk about how Va Tech had the Hokieville Homefield advantage (which they certainly did). Other pundits will highlight the fact that Clemson and its stifling defense were due for a major letdown after crushing Georgia Tech last weekend 31-7. Did we mention Clemson held its homecoming last Saturday? Of course they were fired up to knock off a highly ranked opponent. They were fired up last weekend which means they weren't fired up for a Thursday night ESPN game seen by the entire nation (sans those in San Louis & Detroit watching the World Series)? The Mayoral Staff says excuses are for losers. (Spoiler alert for those individuals without HBO On Demand: Ex-Mayor Royce has taken his loss in full stride. Let his grace in defeat be a lesson to sore losers everywhere).
There are two reasons that Tech buried Clemson. The first was due to a man that we like to call Ore Ida, sophomore RB Brandon Ore. The bruising back ended up with 37 carries for 203 yds and 2 touchdowns. Those are Heisman like numbers. The second and soon to be most overlooked key to the game was the Tech defense. They made big plays in key situations and refused to let Clemson in the vicinity of the redzone after giving up an early TD. They also forced Clemson into ten, count 'em 10, 3 plays & punt. That is some serious defensive pressure. Combine these two factors with the strategy of head coach Frank Beamer (now in his 20th season) and the Hokies were the victors. It's that simple.
However, those that rest on their laurels are doomed to fail. Which is precisely why we are immediately turning our attention to the action on the college gridiron this weekend. Here are the Bills that Mayor Carcetti has decided to sign into Law:
Friday Nite Special: Conference USA has the college football spotlight this evening when UTEP travels to Oklahoma to take on the Tulsa Golden Canes. The wiseguys like the Over 55 because the 2 teams have combined to average 78 points in their last 3 "defensive" slugfests. We're looking to go in another direction and grab Tulsa minus 14. The Golden Canes are 7-3 ATS versus UTEP and we simply can't see UTEP stopping the other Canes' offense. Plus, UTEP QB Jordan Palmer is decent but not nearly as solid as brother Carson. The other Canes by 17.
I'm not a big fan of wagering on a game when both teams are ranked, but we can't help but think that #23 Missouri (-1.5) will defeat the Adrian Peterson-deprived 19th ranked Oklahoma Sooners at home. Our pick is going against the trends in more ways than one. Not only is Mizzu 3-7-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings between the two, they're also 1-4 ATS in their last 5 October home games. Combine that with the fact that the underdog is . . . blah, blah, blah. If numbers told us everything, we'd all win the lottery at least once in our lives. Instead, we're going with the fact that Oklahoma is relying on Allen Patrick at RB now that Peterson has gone down for the count. We also love the way Mizzu QB Chase Daniel (19 TD/5 INT) runs the offense. If you haven't heard of him then you will by Saturday night. The staff has conferred and unanimously decided Mizzu will win outright by double digits.
Have you seen my huge Super Bowl ring? Has anyone seen my huge, shiny Super Bowl ring? You gotta love Charlie Weis, sporting his bling, verbally badgering the BCS and their unmagical formula. Weis is pissed and his Notre Dame squad is going to take things out on their next opponent, NAVY. The line says 13, but I don't see it being that close. We're not even going to talk angles & trends etc. for this one (although I had no idea that Navy hasn't beaten ND in 42 attempts). Weis is pissed and his ND squad is going to take things out on Navy.
If you're a fan of angles & trends we have a few that you might be interested in regarding the two other Armed Forces with collegiate football programs. The overall winner of the BYU/Air Force game is 18-1 ATS, with The Force going 3-5 in the last eight. The Force is also 6-13 ATS the week prior to facing Army. Which leads us directly to the Tulane/Army game. Army is 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 against The Wave, while they're also 7-2 against Vegas in their last nine at the friendly confines at West Point. Interesting statistical tendencies to ponder before calling Sully's Books.
(That's not to say that we don't pay attention to the angles. We wouldn't be somewhat semi-successful cappers if we failed to do so. We'd fade into wagering bolivian if we didn't take advantage of the fact that past results often predict future outcomes).
As the fall swiftly approaches the northeast, we can't think of anything better to do than to head to Jaxonville for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Never witnessed the festivities firsthand, but I've visited many Western Unions on a Saturday evening in late October with the main goal of getting some quick cash wired to the Jaxonville Police Department. For the 2006 version of the WLOCP we're going with Florida (9-1) minus 13 over Georgia (6-2). Florida has covered 6 of the last 8 times they've faced UGA. They're also 12-7-1 against the number following a bye week. Combine these trends with the fact that the outright winner of the WLOCP is 21-2-1 versus Vegas and we have ourselves a winner. These stats aren't the only reason we like the Gators, but they don't hurt. Quite simply, we like QB Chris Leak and his receiving corps to dismantle a very suspect UGA defensive backfield. We also don't like Georgia's QB, whomever he may be. I'm not a big fan of writing the following but here it is regardless: Go Gators. Let's see that defensive Swamp Chomp.
For the Saturday Nightcap let's stay down south and travel to Columbia, SC. We're big fans of road underdogs giving a figgie. Throw in Steve Spurrier (whom we despise), Eric Ainge, Phatty Fulmer and a team that thrives on the road and we absolutely have to go All In on Tennessee minus 3 at South Carolina. The Vols have only 1 loss on their resume, a 21-20 defeat at the hands of the aforewageredupon Gators. Stevie Spew shouldn't have left Florida for "greener" pastures in the NFL. Now he's going to have to deal with getting beaten by a man that stays true to his school, 15 year Vols Vet Head Coach Phillie Fulmer (in front of a national TV ESPN audience on Saturday evening no less). The game might be close, but the Vols defense will make a big play late and Ainge will be his usual unspectacular yet poised and precise self. Have I mentioned that the road team has managed to win outright and cover the line 9 straight times? Don't tell me the trend will be stopped prior to reaching double digits.
If you don't like any of the games listed above, here's the Bills that we're still considering turning into Law:
As much as we love Laurence Maroney, The Ohio State University minus 27 should put a serious pounding upon Minnesota. The Buckeyes offense keeps on rolling.
USC will celebrate the birth of former star QB Matt Leinart's child (is it a boy or girl? Who's the Mommy, Who's the Mommy?) by heading to Oregon State and winning by 17.
Texas will be very impressive when they hit the road to face Texas Tech. The line is hovering around 10. I thought it would be more like 20?
Our random upset special of the weekend is the winless Duke Blue Devils plus 9 9 at home over Vandy. We know this isn't college hoops but Duke will not go winless this season. Not saying they'll win this game outright, simply taking the free points.
Idaho is not going to know what to do with itself when they arrive in Honolulu to take on Hawaii minus 26. I know the line is high, but the PotatoMakers don't stand a chance against June Jones' offense. Warriors by more than 40.
And last but certainly not least, Do Not forget The New England Patriots giving 1 at Minnesota on Monday Night Football on ESPN. This has all the makings of an MNF Instant Classic.
There are two reasons that Tech buried Clemson. The first was due to a man that we like to call Ore Ida, sophomore RB Brandon Ore. The bruising back ended up with 37 carries for 203 yds and 2 touchdowns. Those are Heisman like numbers. The second and soon to be most overlooked key to the game was the Tech defense. They made big plays in key situations and refused to let Clemson in the vicinity of the redzone after giving up an early TD. They also forced Clemson into ten, count 'em 10, 3 plays & punt. That is some serious defensive pressure. Combine these two factors with the strategy of head coach Frank Beamer (now in his 20th season) and the Hokies were the victors. It's that simple.
However, those that rest on their laurels are doomed to fail. Which is precisely why we are immediately turning our attention to the action on the college gridiron this weekend. Here are the Bills that Mayor Carcetti has decided to sign into Law:
Friday Nite Special: Conference USA has the college football spotlight this evening when UTEP travels to Oklahoma to take on the Tulsa Golden Canes. The wiseguys like the Over 55 because the 2 teams have combined to average 78 points in their last 3 "defensive" slugfests. We're looking to go in another direction and grab Tulsa minus 14. The Golden Canes are 7-3 ATS versus UTEP and we simply can't see UTEP stopping the other Canes' offense. Plus, UTEP QB Jordan Palmer is decent but not nearly as solid as brother Carson. The other Canes by 17.
I'm not a big fan of wagering on a game when both teams are ranked, but we can't help but think that #23 Missouri (-1.5) will defeat the Adrian Peterson-deprived 19th ranked Oklahoma Sooners at home. Our pick is going against the trends in more ways than one. Not only is Mizzu 3-7-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings between the two, they're also 1-4 ATS in their last 5 October home games. Combine that with the fact that the underdog is . . . blah, blah, blah. If numbers told us everything, we'd all win the lottery at least once in our lives. Instead, we're going with the fact that Oklahoma is relying on Allen Patrick at RB now that Peterson has gone down for the count. We also love the way Mizzu QB Chase Daniel (19 TD/5 INT) runs the offense. If you haven't heard of him then you will by Saturday night. The staff has conferred and unanimously decided Mizzu will win outright by double digits.
Have you seen my huge Super Bowl ring? Has anyone seen my huge, shiny Super Bowl ring? You gotta love Charlie Weis, sporting his bling, verbally badgering the BCS and their unmagical formula. Weis is pissed and his Notre Dame squad is going to take things out on their next opponent, NAVY. The line says 13, but I don't see it being that close. We're not even going to talk angles & trends etc. for this one (although I had no idea that Navy hasn't beaten ND in 42 attempts). Weis is pissed and his ND squad is going to take things out on Navy.
If you're a fan of angles & trends we have a few that you might be interested in regarding the two other Armed Forces with collegiate football programs. The overall winner of the BYU/Air Force game is 18-1 ATS, with The Force going 3-5 in the last eight. The Force is also 6-13 ATS the week prior to facing Army. Which leads us directly to the Tulane/Army game. Army is 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 against The Wave, while they're also 7-2 against Vegas in their last nine at the friendly confines at West Point. Interesting statistical tendencies to ponder before calling Sully's Books.
(That's not to say that we don't pay attention to the angles. We wouldn't be somewhat semi-successful cappers if we failed to do so. We'd fade into wagering bolivian if we didn't take advantage of the fact that past results often predict future outcomes).
As the fall swiftly approaches the northeast, we can't think of anything better to do than to head to Jaxonville for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Never witnessed the festivities firsthand, but I've visited many Western Unions on a Saturday evening in late October with the main goal of getting some quick cash wired to the Jaxonville Police Department. For the 2006 version of the WLOCP we're going with Florida (9-1) minus 13 over Georgia (6-2). Florida has covered 6 of the last 8 times they've faced UGA. They're also 12-7-1 against the number following a bye week. Combine these trends with the fact that the outright winner of the WLOCP is 21-2-1 versus Vegas and we have ourselves a winner. These stats aren't the only reason we like the Gators, but they don't hurt. Quite simply, we like QB Chris Leak and his receiving corps to dismantle a very suspect UGA defensive backfield. We also don't like Georgia's QB, whomever he may be. I'm not a big fan of writing the following but here it is regardless: Go Gators. Let's see that defensive Swamp Chomp.
For the Saturday Nightcap let's stay down south and travel to Columbia, SC. We're big fans of road underdogs giving a figgie. Throw in Steve Spurrier (whom we despise), Eric Ainge, Phatty Fulmer and a team that thrives on the road and we absolutely have to go All In on Tennessee minus 3 at South Carolina. The Vols have only 1 loss on their resume, a 21-20 defeat at the hands of the aforewageredupon Gators. Stevie Spew shouldn't have left Florida for "greener" pastures in the NFL. Now he's going to have to deal with getting beaten by a man that stays true to his school, 15 year Vols Vet Head Coach Phillie Fulmer (in front of a national TV ESPN audience on Saturday evening no less). The game might be close, but the Vols defense will make a big play late and Ainge will be his usual unspectacular yet poised and precise self. Have I mentioned that the road team has managed to win outright and cover the line 9 straight times? Don't tell me the trend will be stopped prior to reaching double digits.
If you don't like any of the games listed above, here's the Bills that we're still considering turning into Law:
As much as we love Laurence Maroney, The Ohio State University minus 27 should put a serious pounding upon Minnesota. The Buckeyes offense keeps on rolling.
USC will celebrate the birth of former star QB Matt Leinart's child (is it a boy or girl? Who's the Mommy, Who's the Mommy?) by heading to Oregon State and winning by 17.
Texas will be very impressive when they hit the road to face Texas Tech. The line is hovering around 10. I thought it would be more like 20?
Our random upset special of the weekend is the winless Duke Blue Devils plus 9 9 at home over Vandy. We know this isn't college hoops but Duke will not go winless this season. Not saying they'll win this game outright, simply taking the free points.
Idaho is not going to know what to do with itself when they arrive in Honolulu to take on Hawaii minus 26. I know the line is high, but the PotatoMakers don't stand a chance against June Jones' offense. Warriors by more than 40.
And last but certainly not least, Do Not forget The New England Patriots giving 1 at Minnesota on Monday Night Football on ESPN. This has all the makings of an MNF Instant Classic.
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