After that devastating 1st week were I had 3 games on lock till they all blew it in the 4th quarter I’m back and going to get this shit back on track. I better win since the last thing I want to do is to have to bet on the NFL on Sunday to try and recoup.

Record 0-3

Wisky -16.5 @ N. Illinois

If I wasn’t on a week long tilt I would have hammered Wisky to crush the Beavers last week and I’m not going to miss out on them again. Barring some TO’s by Wisky I feel this should be an easy cover. N Illinois is giving up 278 rushing yards a game, what do you think the Badgers are going to do to that defense with their ridiculous rushing game. Getting a TO or 2 and this game should be on cruise control.

UW +17 @ Nebraska

I am very hesitant to pick the Dawgs here, but 17 points seems like too many to be getting to pass up. UW has a terrible defense, but Nebraska is such a one dimensional team I think that the Dawg D could actually get some holds. UW’s offense has been pretty solid so far this year and if they can keep Nebraska under 40 I don’t see how they can’t cover this spread easily.

Wazzu +5.5 @ SDSU

This is another game I am very hesitant on. Go figure it’s the 2 Washington schools that have me on edge. Wazzu has been putting up some numbers on offense this year and I’m hoping that the trend continues. This is a game that Cougs should win and if not they should be able to cover this many points. God I don’t feel good about this pick.

ASU +1.5 @ Illinois

Another road Pac-12 team and another road Pac-12 team I’m taking. I’m hoping that the ASU D can bounce back after what was bot a very good performance on their part and mix in some points and this game could be a lock. I never like taking Pac-12 teams on the road in Big10 country, but Illinois is bad and if ASU wants to be a contender this year this is a game they need to win.

Houston -7 @ LA Tech

This game seems like a lock, but with the way things have gone so far for me I can see Houston getting up big then dumping the lead and costing me the cover. Houston can score the ball that’s for certain I will just be hoping that the rag tag D that they have can actually stop someone. This isn’t a bad UCLA offense they will be facing. How sad is that when I’m saying this LA Tech offense is much better than UCLA’s.

Since there are no hot Houston cheerleaders or anything you get extremely hot Houston Texans cheerleaders

I can’t tell you how long I have been waiting for this day to come. My degenerate gland has been in full effect for the last week just waiting for this day and it has finally arrived. There is nothing better then the start of college football.

We got new players, new coaches and new conference alignments. What more can you ask for as a gambler?

It’s an ok starting day for football with a few decent team playing, but I always use the first couple weeks to get a feel for teams so I won’t have too much to say about each team.

UNLV @ Wisky (-35)

Wisky has been getting hyped up big time coming into the season. They have a new QB that transfered in and Russell Wilson is going to want to show everyone that he will be a difference maker coming in. They have some big playmakers on the O with WR Nick Toon and RB’s Montee Ball and James White. The D will be a solid D as usual for the Badgers and scoring for UNLV will be at a minimum. Plus Wisky doesn’t mind running the score up one bit as they scored

Montana State @ Utah (-29)

It’s tough to not like the Utes at home especially against a team like Montana State. With Utah joining the Pac12 this year they are going to want to come out firing to show the rest of the conferene that not only do they belong, but they are a team you have to be worried about. Wouldn’t be surprised to see them run the score up a little bit to make a statement.

UC Davis @ ASU (-37)

This seems like an easy play for ASU. Hurricane Dennis is in his 5th year now and it’s time for him to show something or he could be looking for a new job. I like ASU here just becuase of their defense. Vontaze Burfict might be the best defensive player in the Pac12 if not the nation and the rest of the D is no slouch either. I honestly can’t see UC Davis scoring more than 10 points in this game and that’s if they get lucky. Expect to see the D cause turnovers and I just got to hope that the O can punch it in when they get the chance.

The greatest time of the year is upon us again, Derby Day. The day were everyone is a degenerate horse gambler and I’m looked on in a better light. All my hard work of handicapping day in and day out finally comes to play and it’s time to take a run at the big payday.

I really don’t understand what most people have against horse racing, especially people that like to bet on sports. You can spend a lot less in a day betting horses and have a chance to win so much more if you know what you’re doing. Plus there is no other high like betting on horses. Picture an entire day of last second shots and game winning at-bats and you get that with almost every race.  So today I invite all you other degenerate gamblers to give horse racing a look today and I guarantee once you can read a racing forum and know what is going on you will be hooked.

As for betting the Derby I’ll give you some picks if you don’t really have a clue, which I’m guessing is almost all of you.

If you want to spend a little bit on betting here’s my pick 4 play. The 1st race of the play starts at 1:00 pacific so get to the OTB early.

Cost $30 or play for .50 and will only cost $15

Race 8:

With a tough looking 10th race and the Derby this is a race I’m going to single a horse. The 11 Never Retreat looks strong in this field going up against a few horses he has beaten the last 2 races. Add in that he is the 3rd choice at 9/2 and it’s a strong play at a great price.

Race 9:

The 10th is going to be a great race and what that usually means is it’s wide open. I’m going to take 6 horses in it and hopefully hit the better price. I’ll be using the 1 Akinite, 2 Smiling Tiger, 3 Apriority, 4 Captain Cherokee, 6 Captain Candy Man and the 12 Here Comes Ben. More often than not if Smiling Tiger was in a race going 7 furs I would be all over him, but with this strong field he will be my slight favorite.

Race 10:

I love the 12 Court Vision. He loves racing at Churchill Downs, loves this distance and is a veteran of this race (His 3rd time in it). He finished 2nd last year to General Quarters who ran a huge race and 3rd the year before that to Einstein and Cowboy Cal who were both turf monsters. This year he is up against a weaker field and if he is going to win this race it will be this year.

Race 11:

Now for the big daddy the Derby. In this play I will use 5 horses. The 1 Archarcharch, 6 Commatothetop, 11 Master of Hounds, 15 Midnight Interlude and 16 Animal Kingdom. If my picks are alive going to the Derby get ready for a huge payday considering I’m using 2 10-1′s and 3 30-1′s.

If you are just looking for some friendly action for just the Derby itself here’s the plays that I like.

Trifecta:

Win: Master of Hounds

Place: Midnight Interlude, Nehro, Animal Kigdom, Twice the Appeal, Archarcharch

Show: Midnight Interlude, Nehro, Animal Kigdom, Twice the Appeal, Archarcharch

This wil cost you $20 and should give you some enjoyment

1-2 yesterday with a tough loss in the Zona game. Always sucks when you’re up 12 needing to cover 11.5 and nothing but scrubs are in for Zona with a minute left. I pretty much knew it wasn’t going to end in my favor in that scenario, but I never expected the Ducks to do what they did. I will take that loss to have the Ducks dismantle UCLA the way they did every time. Finished with the 1 winner in my lock of the Apple Cup.

It’s the next round so another chance to get to even.

Zona Vs USC (1)

Zona is the 1 seed and they are the underdog against USC. It’s not even the championship game and the 1 seed isn’t the favorite, only in the Pac-10 could this happen. I don’t get it, but I’ll take a 1 seed with points everyday of the year.

Zona +1

Oregon Vs Washington (9)

Another interesting line here. Ducks just crushed the 2 seed UCLA and for doing that they catch more points against a team they beat by 18 earlier in the season. 3 games in 3 days is tough, but the way the Ducks have played the last 2 games 9 points is way too much.

Oregon +9

Free NBA game

Blazers (4.5) @ Bobcats

Are the linesmakers forgetting that the Blaze just beat the Bobcats 93-69. Are they forgetting the Blaze just beat Orlando (without Howard) and the Heat and that the Bobcats have lost 6 straight all by 5 or more. Plus Gerald Wallace is playing in Charlotte where he just made comments that he’s pissed at the Bobcats for trading him. Lock this shit up as fast as you can, because this is going to be a route.

Blazers -4.5

Beavers Vs Zona (11.5)

Zona is the best team in the Pac, the Beavers are the Beavers. That’s all I need to know to know that I am taking Zona even giving up 11.5 points.

Zona -11.5

Ducks Vs UCLA (8.5)

Tough game here. UCLA should win but this 8.5 points is tough. UCLA has won by 8 and by 10 so there’s no real help there. The only angle I like is that there is no way the Ducks can shoot as good as they did last night.

So I’m going to go with UCLA. Ducks wont shoot as good as last night and they did play yesterday so they should get tired.

UCLA -8.5

Wazzu Vs UW (5.5)

The other 2 games are a little tougher, but this one is easy as shit. Wazzu has beat UW both times this year, Thompson is coming back after his suspension and Overton is suspended for UW. And looking at who needs the win more it has to be Wazzu. I hate saying it but Romar’s bunch is in the tournament at this point, but Wazzu is one of those teams hanging on the edge. I see a lopsided win for the Cougs tonight and getting 5.5 points is the cherry on top.

Wazzu +5.5

Wazzu doesn’t have any cool buzzer beaters so here’s one against them

Surprisingly I’m not picking against the Ducks here, even though I do like UCLA -9. No this lock goes against the other Oregon school the Beavers.

USC hosts the Beavs tonight and giving up 11.5 points. Now that seems like a lot of points for a very marginal SC team to be giving up, but the Beavers are that bad on the road. This year the Beavs are 1-7 on the road with loses to Seattle, Colorado and Montana, that 1 win was against Howard so it was nothing special. Also of those 7 road losses only 2 were by less than 10 points (Seattle was 3, Montana was 5).

USC is not very good, but at home they have played some pretty good games. They beat Texas at home by 16, beat UCLA by 11 and beat WAZZU by 4. I really hate picking teams that are so inconsistent like SC, but the numbers don’t lie and 11.5 points seems way to low to be giving the Beavers.

If you need anymore reasons to pick SC here you go.

Are the lines makers serious with this spread, because if they are a lot of people could be making a lot of money today.

I’m not going to go into one of my rants and lists of why the Ducks are awful and why Duck fans need to stop accepting this teams losing and so forth. I’m going to make this short and simple.

The Ducks are bad. They have lost 6 straight. 3 of their best players could be out today in Armstead, Catron and Jacob. Even if they were to play they are still bad. USC is not bad. They have won 6 of their last 8 including wins over Tennessee, Washington State and UCLA. They have players that are taller than 6’6. They only lost at Kansas by 2. They don’t have the pressure to produce a win in a new $227 million arena (Check D’s last post about the arena).

Could the Ducks pull this game out? Sure, but with those 3 players out it would take the Ducks playing their best ball and USC to have a down game. And if that’s the scenario I’ll let it ride everyday.

Another day another huge mistake by the Sportsbooks. This is almost as easy as that Duke spread against the Ducks, but since it’s the NBA it’s not quite as easy.

For some crazy reason the Blazers are 2.5 point favorites tonight against the Suns. Yeah the Blazers are at home, but that is really the only thing they have in their favor tonight. The Suns have been playing pretty good basketball as of late winning their last 3 games, but that is not the reason why they are a lock tonight. Andre Miller is suspended tonight for hitting Blake Griffin a little to hard last game against the Clippers. Not only is this going to snap his streak of playing 632 straight games, but it also forces the Blaze to play Armon and Patty Mills the entire game.

Miller has been the Blazers best player this year and with him out look for the Blazers offense to struggle mightily.

Suns to win is a lock and if you want something to parlay that with take the under. No way the Blazers score over 90.

While all you savages are watching the barbaric and unrefined game of football tomorrow, us gentlemen will be watching the King’s sport, horse racing. With purses all over $1 Million dollars and the best horses from around the world all gathered in one place, the Breeders Cup makes the Kentucky Derby seem like the Cottage Grove mule races.

With the bigger purses and better quality horses it also brings in more people and for our sake more money. So when you win here you get paid out extra fat. Last year I had the favorite to finish off a very easy to hit pick 4 which was paying out nearly $2500. Of course the horse I had was by far the best horse in the race and even with one of the worst trips I’ve seen a horse have he still nearly got up for me.

If there was ever a time to walk away with more than 10K, today is the day.

Not only will I give out my Picks, but my buddy O who is getting his foot in the door of being a professional handicapper will also give out some of his plays.

MY PICKS:

The first play was one we both agreed on and that’s  a simple straight win wager.

Race 3: (Win Wager), Cost (Whatever you want)

Win wager on the 3 Always a Princess. She is  horse from out West who had all the markings of being a really good horse, then she made a move to a race out East on conventional dirt and just ate it up. This should be a huge run by her today and hopefully her odds don’t fall to close to even money.

Race 1: (Pick 3), Cost ($4)

This pick 3 play is just to get the juices flowing for all the big races later in the day. It going to be a pretty chalky one, but if you play it for a few bucks you might be able to make some ok money off it.

Race 1: Gonna use the 4 It’s about Midnight and the 6 Speightful Lady. Neither are the favorite but both should go off as not great odds.

Race 2: This is a simple choice to make in this race, just going to use the 2 clear favorites the 1Rapport and the 2 Nicole H. Should have no problem getting by this race.

Race 3: Going to Iso the above mentioned 3 Always a Princess. If get to this race could have a decent chuck riding on this race.

Race 8: (Pick 4), Cost ($72)

Race 8: I would love to take 5 horses in this race, but to keep the cost down I had to trim it to 2. The 2 horses I’m taking are studs though. the 9 Sidney’s Candy is one of my favorite horses and I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a wire job. The other horse is the 10 Goldikova this horse has only run in the U.S. twice, yet it just happens to be this race which he has won both times. He is the class of Europe banking $5 million and eats up turf. If Sidney’s wasn’t in this race i would only take Goldikova

Race 9: If it wasn’t for this race I would feel like there was no way I wouldn’t win, but this race is on the card and I’m pretty well stumped on it. With only betting $72 I couldn’t wheel it like I would want to ,so I’m going with my 3 best choices. The 2 Tizway, 5 Here Comes Ben and the 12 Vineyard Haven. I’m hoping one of these 3 can get me thru.

Race 10: This is just a tough race to handicap. This is a race going 1 1/2 miles over turf. Perennially the Euros have destroyed this event and they bring in 2 big guns for it again. The 6 Workforce and 7 Behkabad look to keep the Euro dominance. I’m also going to go against the norm and going to take an American turf horses and that’s the 2 Winchester. Should get thru this leg with these 3.

Race 11: Now for the grand daddy of them all The Breeders Cup Classic. All the talk so far has been about undefeated filly Zenyatta who is looking for her 20th straight win and as the 9/5 favorite people see her winning again. I am not one of these people. If you have ever read my picks you know that I try and beat Zenyatta every time she runs. It’s not that I don’t think she will win, but her odds are always so shitty that if you ever beat her you are looking at making a lot of money. So of course I’m going 4 deep and I have a good feeling I get her this time. I’ll be using the 1 Quality Road, 5 Blame, 8 Zenyatta and 12 Lookin at Lucky. If it comes to this race and the pays are huge to the other 3 I will be rooting against Z for sure, but if she wins that will be fine.

O’S PICKS:

Race 5: (Pick 3), Cost ($25)

Race 5: 2,5,7,10,12

Race 6: 11

Race 7: 1,2,7,9,10

Race 8: (Pick), Cost ($16)

Race 8: 9,10

Race 9: 1,2,5,7

Race 10: 6,7

Race 11: 8 Big Z Zenyatta

BONUS BET:

I’ve been waiting for this horse to run again and of course this is the day he runs. In the 2nd race at Hollywood park the 2 horse War Pilot will win. He will go off at at a short price, but lock that shit up.

10-4-2 on the year, and I’ve been cold!

Washington @ Arizona  (-6.5): Picking this game sucks, as cheap-short artists in Pullman knocked out Foles for this one, leaving the toothless Doogs a great shot.  Arizona should have plenty of motivation after getting screwed last year up in Seattle, and wanting to stay in the thick of the Rose Bowl race, but is Matt Scott good enough to not screw it up? Ski is wrong on this one, UW covers, but Zona wins.

Arizona 27, Washington 24

Ok, so these aren't really Zona chicks, but with those assets who cares

Arizona State @ Cal (-3): Holy hell, can ASU get a home game up in this joint or what? At Wisky (home to Oregon) at OSU, at UW and now at Cal. No rest for the weary… Cal made the Men of Probation look like the best team in America last week. They also got crushed by Nevada, so who really knows with these guys. Kevin Riley is awful, and ASU has a salty D, led by maniac Vontaze Burfict. I want to pick the Devils really bad, but I just can’t. Cal wins in-spite of the Ludwig and Riley combo, leaning on Shane Vareen to win a game that will hurt your eyes to watch. ASU covers, but goes back to Tempe with another ‘L.’

Cal 23, ASU 21

Oklahoma (-3) at Missouri: Easiest money of the week (minus the Oregon game…) and makes me wonder if the boys in Vegas just threw darts to pick this line.  Mizzou is a fraud. Columbia, Missouri is a terrible place as well. They can’t even say ‘Missouri’ right, they say ‘Missour -uh’, stupid hicks. Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles will pick apart whatever meat is left on the anemic skeleton that is the Tiger defense. This isn’t January, so Stoops aint laying an egg.

OU 42, Mizzery 24.

And they say you can't motorboat in the dust bowl

LSU @ Auburn (-5.5): At a certain point having Gary Crowton lead an abysmal offense is going to catch up with LSU. This is that game. The Auburn D isn’t that great, but it won’t need to be, not with Cam Newton running and passing the ball. In a battle between unbeatens, look for the Tigers to win (hey yo…) by 10+

Auburn 31, LSU 20

Kittens!

Nice...socks?