WINFO Issue #17

WINFODec. 29 - Jan. 4, 2017 

N F L B e s t B e t s H i t 9 - 2 A T S 

Issue #17 

Greg Dempson 

PICKS 

CAN CANUCKS PAY? 

WEEK 17 WITH 

ALEXANDER 

College Football 

Playoff Picks

IN THE ISSUE 

IN THE ISSUE 

4 

3 The Good, The Bad, The Ugly 

4 Greg Dempson 

5-6 Wine and Whining 

7-9 NFL Analysis 

10-12 College Football Picks 

13 NHL Analysis and Picks 

14 Futures Foray 

7 

11 

2

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY 

THE GOOD, THE BAD 

AND THE UGLY 

When the Buckingham’s sang 

“Kind of a drag” they could 

have been talking about most 

Week 17s of the NFL season. This 

one included. It had potential, as we 

broke down the Week 17 matchups 

prior to the Week 16 games kicking 

off (as we do every week) there were 

a large number of games that might 

have had playoff implications – but it 

wasn’t meant to be. 

The results that would have teed up 

a healthy dose of drama didn’t come 

through. Minnesota didn’t beat Green 

Bay, Baltimore couldn’t hold off Pittsburgh, 

Denver didn’t dig deep and 

upset the Chiefs and nor did Buffalo 

do their part. 

When the Week 16 games went final, 

six teams had clinched spots and 

eight were officially eliminated. 

It means a liberal number of games 

this week have either no playoff 

meaning for both teams, or for one 

of the two, adding an element of 

complexity to handicapping the card. 

This is the only week of the season in 

which we’ll pass on making a suggested 

play for a game in our NFL 

Game-by-Game Analysis. 

Let’s have a quick look back at the 

results from last week’s issue. 

The Good 

The NFL Analysis had a nice 

bounceback week after stumbling 

the previous issue. We finished up 

with an 11-5 mark against the spread 

taking the overall record to a healthy 

57-45-4 ATS. 

We also won with our NFL Best Bet (we 

had the Packers), taking the best bet record 

for the season to a 9-2 ATS mark. 

The NHL also got back on the winning 

track, adding +1.25 units. The season 

record does sit at a very pedestrian 

+0.45 units overall. 

The Bad 

Both Greg and Jarvis dropped their 

plays last week, landing them here. 

Greg had been on a nice winning 

streak the last few weeks, as had Jarvis 

with his Over/Under picks and info 

before the setback in Issue #16. 

Greg has a Total play from the NFL 

in this week’s column, while Jarvis 

has the week off. He’ll be back with 

breakdowns on all the NFL WildCard 

playoff games. 

The Ugly 

THE RESULTS 

THAT WOULD 

HAVE TEED UP 

A HEALTHY 

DOSE OF 

DRAMA 

DIDN’T COME 

THROUGH. 

Neil’s had a great season so far, but 

he took it on the chin a little last week, 

dropping all three of his games. He’s 

still sitting with a 12-9 ATS mark on 

the year and has three more plays in 

his column this week. 

Good luck this week everyone. 

3

GREG DEMPSON 

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 

AT MIAMI DOLPHINS 

by Greg Dempson 

THE DOLPHINS ARE 

9–21 TO THE UNDER 

WHEN OFF A ROAD 

WIN VS. A 

DIVISION FOE. 

This is one of a handful games on 

the Week 17 card of significance, 

as a New England loss and an 

Oakland win would drop the Patriots to 

the #2 seed. Last season they did not 

take care of business at Miami in Week 

17. They lost straight up, (20–10,) as 

10-point road favorites. That cost the 

Patriots home field throughout the playoffs 

and eventually they had to play the 

AFC Championship game at Denver, 

and I am sure if you’re reading this, you 

know how that worked out! 

New England has actually performed 

very well on the road this season going 

7–0 straight up and 6–1 ATS. 

Since starting the season at 1–4 the 

Dolphins have lost but one game and 

enter this contest on a three game 

winning streak including back-to-back 

road wins at the Jets and Buffalo. 

Miami’s a big home underdog of +10 

points at –120 with a total pegged 

at 44.5 as of this report. This line 

might be skewed a little based on 

New England’s crushing win vs. the 

Jets last Saturday, (41–3.) If Miami 

wins this game and the Chiefs lose 

to San Diego the Dolphins would be 

the number 5 seed so each team will 

be playing their starters in this contest 

and I believe Moore is an upgrade at 

quarterback. I am leaning to the home 

dog but have opted to invest on the 

total instead. 

“Movin’ on Down The Line” 

• New England is 1–8 to the under in 

their last nine road games. 

• Quarterback Matt Moore/Team is 

3–7 to the UNDER at home and 

6–10 Under when the line is between 

41 to 48. 

• In the second half of the season the 

Patriots are 7–20 to the UNDER 

in road games vs. teams that are 

penalized for 60+ yards per game. 


Dolphins are 8–21 to the Under vs. 

teams that allow 17 or less points 

per game. 

• The Patriots are 0–6 to the Under 

after covering in road games after 

covering the spread in six or seven 

of their last eight games. 

• The Dolphins are 9–21 to the Under 

when off a road win vs. a division foe. 


Dolphins are 14–37 to the UNDER 

vs. excellent punt coverage teams 

that allow 7.5 or less yards per return. 

Last Week In Review 

My selection on the Over in the Panthers 

game lost as I had bet the over 

early at 51 only to see the total bet 

down to 48 on game day morning. So, 

I lost with the over at 51 and I am now 

4–5 here at Winfo. (I hope some of 

you won at over 48 or 48.5 or perhaps 

pushed at 49.) There was certainly 

ample opportunity for it to sail over the 

number, but, it was not to be! 

All Systems Go, (The 24 Pack) 

After scoring more than 24 points 

in back-to-back games, (applies to 

Miami,) play the Under when said 

team is at home and hosting a foe that 

scored 24 or more points in the first 

half in their last game. This system 

is 14–37 = 72.5% to the under since 

1983 as well as 9–21 = 70% to the 

Under the past decade. 

Onto This Week’s Winfo 

Selection 

My Winfo selection for this week is a 

play on the Patriots and Dolphins to 

stay Under 44.5 points. 

Good luck this week 

4

WINE AND WHINING 

WINE &WHINING 

by Neil Alexander 

I’m nothing but consistent. After starting the 

campaign 12-3, I’ve now gone 0-3 in two consecutive 

weeks putting the column record at 

a profitable, but uninspiring 12-9. I backed a disinterested 

Chargers squad playing out the string 

and losing in Cleveland; the Bills losing in OT at 

home, fielding only 10 men during the key play 

in OT where Jay Ajayi ran for 57 yards into field 

goal range for the game-winner (thanks Rex); 

and the Lions, who had dreams of an NFC 

North title game against Green Bay dancing in 

their head, while being blown out in Dallas. 

There were some strange peculiarities this 

weekend during the NFL festivities. It was 

Christmas Eve afternoon, so I had one eye on 

the action and another on the preparation for 

the big day with my family. It seemed every time 

I looked up at the TV, there was a kicker missing 

a PAT or a field goal. And not just the garden 

variety 35 yarder with their team up by double 

digits, but rather kicks that would tie a game, 

or win the game outright. What is going on with 

kickers this season? They seem psychologically 

more delicate than ever since the NFL moved 

the PAT attempt back to the 33-yard line. 

The second thing that stood out was the number 

of legs breaking like turkey limbs. Step right up 

Mariota, Carr and Lockett. There was the usual 

plethora of injuries that one finds in a weekend 

of NFL collisions – torn ligaments, bruises, dislocations, 

and concussions. But I can’t remember 

a time where there were so many broken bones 

in one weekend. There’s no easy segue to the 

wine, so let’s just get on with it. 

5

WINE AND WHINING 

Kickers seem psychologically more delicate 

than ever since the NFL moved the PAT 

attempt back to the 33-yard line. 

The vineyards are planted at 

the base of the Andes 

Mountains 

THE WINE 

Concha y Toro, Marques de Casa 

Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 

$20.70 

This is another one of my go-to wines 

based on the price and return on 

investment, although it has changed 

over the years. 

The 2015 installment is 95% Cabernet 

Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 

1% Syrah, and it is less oaky, vanillin 

and confectionary than previous 

versions. 

It sports classic Cabernet Sauvignon 

cassis and red fruit notes, with meaty 

accents and herbal character. The 

fruit is balanced nicely with the tannins 

and acidity and it exhibits a long finish 

for a wine at this price point. 

Absolutely delicious and punching 

above its price point weight class. 

THE PICKS 

Let’s try to end the season with more 

winners than losers! I’m backing 

three favorites, two on the road 

(gulp), but all with significant motivation 

on their side. 

KC -4.5 at San Diego 

I never feel great about laying points 

with KC on the road, as they are often 

more content to play conservatively 

and shoot for the field goal win. I like 

this spot for a few reasons though. 

This is a meaningful game for the 

Chiefs as they can be seeded as a 

#2, 5 or 6 in the playoffs depending 

on how things play out. And we’ve 

already established that the Chargers 

have already packed it in this season 

handing the Browns their only win 

of the year. With the tepid fan base 

and potential move on the horizon, all 

signs point to the Chiefs. 

Take the Chiefs and lay the 4.5 

points. 

Seattle -9.5 @ San Francisco 

They’ll take your sharp betting card 

from you in Vegas when you back 

favorites in the 10-point or greater 

range. But given how the sharps 

have done this season, I’m good with 

the risk. My first instinct was that this 

is too many points to lay between 

division rivals, but looking at the past 

five meetings, Seattle has beaten 

the 49ers by 19, 16, 17, 10 and 16 

points respectively. Factor in that this 

is a meaningful game as Seattle can 

end up as a #2, 3, or 4 seed, and the 

‘Hawks are the play. 

Take the Seahawks and lay the 9.5 

points. 

New Orleans at Atlanta -6.5 

Atlanta’s seeding potential is currently 

identical to the Seahawks, as they 

can end up as a #2 - #4 seed in the 

NFC. The Saints are 7-8 and would 

love to end up with a .500 record at 

the expense of their division rival. 

However, my view is that the Falcons 

have too much firepower on both 

sides of the ball. Their +128 point 

differential is second in the league 

only to the Patriots. New Orleans will 

not keep up. 

Take the Falcons and lay the 6.5 

points. 

6

NFL ANALYSIS AND PICKS 


No idea what happens to Chip Kelly after this game, but his team should make 

the Seahawks look real good. 

Week 17 can be a bit of a drag. 

It’s the only week of the season 

where we take a pass on 

a few games, based on the difficulty 

factor of handicapping teams who 

have varied game plans, including 

resting players, pulling players early, 

evaluating talent, etc. So you will see 

a few games we’ve left alone in terms 

of a suggested play. 

Good luck this week! 

Houston at Tennessee 

Line: Titans -3 

Over/Under: 40 

Set-Up: While Houston is locked in to 

the No. 4 seed in the AFC, this is still 

an important game for them. The offensive 

coaching staff will be focused 

on getting QB Tom Savage comfortable 

with the entire playbook as they 

head into the playoffs. The matchup 

vs. this Titan secondary is a good one 

for the new signal caller, which isn’t 

the case for backup Matt Cassel on 

the other side. 

Cassel gets the ball in the season 

finale after the Marcus Mariota injury 

and a dreary finish to what started 

as a promising season. The Texan 

defense will be rough on this offense 

playing without their leader. 

Suggested Play: Take the Texans 

Buffalo at NY Jets 

Line: Bills -3.5 

Over/Under: 42.5 

Set-Up: EJ Manuel vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick 

– ouch. Hard to say what these 

two teams will look like on opening 

day next season, but massive overhauls 

are coming. As for this season 

finale – the Bills are the better team 

and while Manuel is obviously a step 

down from Tyrod Taylor, he’ll benefit 

from that strong O-line. 

We’re not going anywhere near this 

one, but we do lean to the Bills. 

Baltimore at Cincinnati 

Line: Pick’em 


Set-Up: What could have been. Both 

teams expected this one to have 

some meaning, but alas, it doesn’t. 

Aside from a goodbye turn for Steve 

Smith and a chance for the Bengals 

to get another look at who might step 

up to be their No.2 wideout, there’s 

nothing to see here. 

NY Giants at Washington 

Line: Redskins -7.5 


Set-Up: The set-up for this one is 

straight forward – Washington needs 

to win to punch a playoff ticket, while 

the Giants are locked into the No. 5 

spot. How long Coach McAdoo keeps 

Manning and OBJ in the game is a 

question mark. We do think they play 

enough to build some confidence vs. 

7


this weak Washington defense. We’re 

not playing this, but do lean to the 

underdog. 

Green Bay at Detroit 

Line: Packers -3.5 


Set-Up: The Packers have been as 

hot as any team in the league coming 

down the stretch, but leaving Ford 

Field with a win is not going to be an 

easy task. Getting Darius Slay back 

would be a huge boost for the Lion’s 

defense, but it’s not looking good. 

And a running game wouldn’t hurt 

either. Stafford will be on his own, but 

going against a Green Bay pass defense 

that got roughed up by Adam 

Theilen last week and Matt Barkley 

the week before, he should match 

Rodgers through the air. 

Hard to know how 

much playing time 

the Cowboys’ 

starters will be 

getting this week 

vs. the Eagles. 

We like getting the 3.5 points with 

the home dog who can play with this 

Packer team. 

Suggested Play: Take the Lions 

Jacksonville at Indianapolis 

Line: Colts -4.5 


Set-Up: Really like the way this Jaguar 

defense is rounding into one of 

the better units in the league, paced 

by Jalen Ramsey and Dante Fowler 

Jr., who are quickly becoming stars. 

They’ll be tested in this matchup, as 

Andrew Luck (who hasn’t been a part 

of the Colt’s problems this year) will 

chuck everything at them. Bortles 

has been better since Doug Marrone 

took over and he does get to face 

an awful Indy D, but we look for the 

Colts and Coach Pagano to finish up 

a disappointing season with a home 

win. 

Suggested Play: Take the Colts 

Dallas at Philadelphia 

Line: Eagles -4 


Set-Up: A mean-nothing game in 

which the “will Romo play or won’t 

he” storyline will dominate the build 

up. Coach Garrett has some real decisions 

to make and so far he hasn’t 

tipped his hand. Who will he rest 

and for how much of the game. The 

Eagles would obviously love to go 

out with a win over a bitter rival, even 

one not entirely focused on beating 

them, but with so much up in the air 

with the Cowboys lineup, this is tough 

to handicap. We lean to Dallas and 

the points. 

Chicago at Minnesota 

Line: Vikings -6 


Set-Up: Sure a few Minny players 

went rogue after last week’s loss 

and you’ll see some fallout in the 

off-season, but look for those who 

are willing to step-up for Mike Zimmer 

to play hard for their coach. Jobs 

are on the line with this team. They’ll 

play accordingly – especially the 

defense, who will have a productive 

day getting after Barkley and taking 

advantage of the bad decisions that 

result (i.e. plenty of picks). 

Suggested Play: **Take the Vikings** 

Best Bet 

Carolina at Tampa Bay 

Line: Bucs -4.5 


Set-Up: No way the Bucs make the 

playoffs, as the path to securing a 

spot is just way to difficult, but they’re 

going to play this one like they can. 

They’ll be without Doug Martin, 

which is actually a good thing, as the 

offense runs better this season when 

the Muscle Hamster is sidelined. 

Carolina are a proud group and will 

push back, but they’re running out of 

gas as the season comes to a close. 

Winston and Evans will take advantage 

of holes in a Panther D that 

have been there all year. We like a 

young Tampa Bay team playing with 

a lot of heart. 

Suggested Play: Take Tampa Bay 

Cleveland at Pittsburgh 

Line: Steelers -6 


Set-Up: Unlike the decision between 

keeping the momentum going or 

resting players that Jason Garrett is 

dealing with, Coach Tomlin landed 

firmly on the side of giving his stars 

a break. Big Ben, AB and Bell will 

all sit, as well as others will be given 

time on the bench. 

The Steelers have nothing to play 

for and the Browns, well, Cleveland 

won their game last week. Fact is the 

Pittsburgh backups will still be better 

than the Browns starters, but we’ll 

pass on this one with all the personnel 

moves leaving a lot of questions. 

8

TOTALLY COVERED 

New Orleans at Atlanta 

Line: Falcons -6.5 


Set-Up: The Falcon defense is quietly 

(very quietly) becoming a more 

difficult unit to play against, giving 

this team the look of one that could 

go deep in the playoffs. The offense 

can keep pace with any in the NFC, 

including Drew Brees and the Saints. 

They’re balanced, with Devonta 

Freeman and Tevin Coleman consistently 

giving them mouth-watering 

down and distance situations with 

their running, and Matt Ryan putting 

together an MVP-calibre season. The 

New Orleans defense are going to 

struggle. 

Atlanta needs this win to clinch a 

highly desirable bye week and we 

see them getting it. 

Suggested Play: Take Atlanta 

THE PACKERS HAVE BEEN AS HOT AS ANY 

TEAM IN THE LEAGUE COMING DOWN THE 

STRETCH, BUT LEAVING FORD FIELD 

WITH A WIN IS NOT GOING TO BE AN 

EASY TASK. 

that is good, but have issues with the 

vertical passing game. Jared Goff 

and the Ram offense will sputter and 

stall all afternoon. 

Suggested Play: Take the Cardinals 

that really are that bad. The Hawks 

are not heading into the post-season 

playing like a true Super Bowl contender, 

but this is an opponent that 

will help boost the confidence. 

Suggested Play: Take Seattle 

New England at Miami 

Line: Patriots -9.5 


Set-Up: The Patriots want to win this 

one to lock up home field in the AFC 

and win it they will. We expect to see 

a lot of play-action that has receivers 

open all day in the Miami secondary. 

Matt Moore simply won’t be able to 

keep pace. 

Suggested Play: Take the Patriots 

Arizona at Los Angeles 

Line: Cardinals -6 


Set-Up: Look for this to be the Larry 

Fitzgerald show. If you’re interested 

in a prop play, take a peek at the 

Over for total receiving yards for 

number 11. With this possibly being 

his last game, and the team having 

nothing meaningful to play for in 

terms of playoff positioning, Coach 

Arians is going to feed Larry the ball. 

And last week we saw the Cards 

push the ball downfield – expect to 

see more of that vs. an LA defense 

Kansas City at San Diego 

Line: Chiefs -5.5 


Set-Up: In what could be the last 

game for the Chargers in San Diego 

(and for coach Mike McCoy), they’ll 

face a Chiefs team that is better than 

them offensively, defensively and on 

special teams – and they really need 

to win. The division title and a bye 

are up in the air for KC so they’re not 

going to mess around. Travis Kelce 

and Tyreek Hill create big matchup 

issues for this Charger D, while the 

Rivers-led offense on the other side 

doesn’t bring anything to the table the 

visitor can’t handle. 

Suggested Play: Take the Chiefs 

Seattle at San Francisco 

Line: Seahawks -9.5 


Set-Up: Remember this while you’re 

watching the Seahawks –Niners 

game: Seattle are not this good. They 

only look like it vs. a 49er defense 

Oakland at Denver 

Line: Broncos -1 


Set-Up: Matt McGloin is going to 

struggle – this week and particularly 

in the weeks ahead. But with Paxton 

Lynch the likely pivot Denver will roll 

with, McGloin will be the better QB in 

this matchup. Playing behind a very 

good O-line that will be able to open 

up holes for the running game, they’ll 

have a gameplan that sets him up for 

success. 

We expect Khalil Mack and his band 

of brothers to be very disruptive 

to a Bronco offense that doesn’t 

have the ground game to set-up an 

effective passing game...and even if 

the ground game was to have some 

success, it wouldn’t be enough. 

Suggested Play: Take the Raiders 

Best Bet Record: 9-2 against the 

spread 

Season Record: 57-45-4 against 

the spread 

9

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL 

BOWL BREAKDOWN 

This is the last full week of bowl 

games, and includes the two 

College Football Playoff semi-finals 

on New Year’s Eve – the Check- 

Fil-A Peach Bowl and the Playstation 

Fiesta Bowl. We have a suggested 

play on the Peach Bowl matchup 

featuring the Washington Huskies and 

Alabama Crimson Tide. 

We’ll cover the National Championship 

game in detail in next week’s 

issue. 

December 29 

BIRMINGHAM BOWL 

South Florida vs. South Carolina 

South Florida features a high-octane 

offense with QB Flowers and 

RB Mack who averaged more than 

7 yards per carry this season. The 

big question for the Gamecocks is 

will their defense be able to hang 

against the relentless Bulls offense? 

South Carolina doesn’t have the 

Bulls talent, but with solid special 

teams and an offense that does 

just enough, they have a knack for 

keeping games close. 

South Florida is favored by 10 

points. 

BELK BOWL 

Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech 

Looking at the respective teams’ 

defensive and offensive rankings, 

they are pretty evenly rated, which 

should make this a close contest. 

The Hokies have outscored their 

opponents by more than 150 points 

this season, while the Razorbacks 

have been outscored by 1 point. But 

adding some context, Arkansas plays 

in the powerful SEC and has played 

seven ranked teams this year. 

Virginia Tech is favored by 7 

points. 

VALERO ALOMO BOWL 

Oklahoma State vs. Colorado 

The Buffaloes won their final six 

games of the season, finishing with 

an impressive 10-3 record a big 

turnaround from the 4-9 mark from 

last year. Oklahoma State started the 

season 2-2, ripped off seven straight 

wins, before losing their season finale 

against Oklahoma. Both offenses 

can score, hence the 62.5-point total, 

however the Buffaloes field the higher-ranked 

defense. 

Colorado is favored by 3 points. 

December 30 

AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL 

Georgia vs. TCU 

Both teams stubbed their toe down 

the stretch with TCU going 2-4 and 

Georgia going 3-3 in their final six 

games. TCU can move the ball on the 

ground as they averaged close to 200 

yards rushing per game. However, the 

Horned Frogs defense will also have 

difficulty corralling Georgia’s elite RBs. 

This one is a coin toss as evidenced 

by the point spread. 

The game is a PICK. 

HYUNDAI SUN BOWL 

North Carolina vs. Stanford 

This game is notable as McCaffrey 

opted to sit out to protect him 

from injury before turning pro. This 

gives Stanford a chance to see 

what they have in his backup Love, 

who averaged 7 yards per carry in 

McCaffrey’s absence. The Tar Heels 

QB is tabbed as a future NFLer, and 

he will be under center in this one, 

advantage North Carolina. However, 

the Tar Heels run defense has been 

10


shoddy at best and Stanford will 

dominate here, advantage Cardinal. 

Stanford is favored by 3 points 

Suggested Play: Take Stanford to 

win and cover. 

FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE 

MUSIC CITY BOWL 

Nebraska vs. Tennessee 

The Cornhuskers enter the game 

at 9-3, and are led by HC Mike 

Riley who has a 7-2 record in bowl 

games. They will try to control 

the tempo and take advantage of 

Tennessee’s poor run defense. The 

Volunteers have done remarkably 

well against Big Ten teams sporting 

a 6-1 record in their past seven bowl 

games. Tennessee is the more talented 

team, however big plays and 

momentum go a long way in bowl 

games. 

The Volunteers are favored by 6.5 

points. 

THE TIDE DOESN’T 

HAVE ANY OBVIOUS 

WEAKNESSES 

AND BEAT 10 

BOWL TEAMS 

THIS SEASON. 

THE HUSKIES 

AREN’T EXACTLY 

SLOUCHES 

EITHER 

NOVA HOME LOANS ARIZONA 

BOWL 

South Alabama vs. Air Force 

Air Force is on a roll entering the 

contest on a five-game win streak 

including impressive wins over Colorado 

State, Army and Boise State. 

USA enters the game at 6-6. The 

two big questions in this one are can 

the South Alabama defense hang 

with Air Force, and can their offense 

have any success? 

Air Force is favored by 14 points. 

CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL 

Florida State vs. Michigan 

Two heavy weight programs are 

set to battle in the Florida with 10-2 

Michigan vs. 9-3 Florida State. The 

Wolverines have only lost two games 

all season, however both losses have 

come during their past three games. 

The Seminoles enter the contest on 

a 4-game win streak and winners of 

6 of their past 7 games. Michigan is 

second in the nation in points allowed 

(12.5) and Florida State averages 35 

points per game. Something has to 

give here. 

Michigan is favored by 7 points. 

The Husky fans wanted Bama and they Bama they got. 

That old, “better watch what you wish for” saying might be apropos... 

December 31 

BUFFALO WILD WINGS CITRUS 

BOWL 

LSU vs. Louisville 

This game features Louisville’s 

Heisman winning QB and will be without 

LSU’s standout RB Fournette who 

opted to sit this one out. The Tigers 

finished the year at 7-4 in the powerful 

SEC, and held Alabama to only 10 

points (problem is that they put up a 

goose egg on offense). The Cardinals 

were 9-1 heading into their final two 

games of the season, with their only 

blemish a close loss to Clemson. However 

they were unimpressive in losing 

both of these games. 

LSU is favored by 3 points. 

11


TAXSLAYER BOWL 

Kentucky vs. Georgia Tech 

For those of you confused by the 

bowl name, this was previously called 

the Gator Bowl. Georgia Tech enters 

the contest on a 3-game win streak 

and winners of five of their past six. 

The Wildcats finished the year at 7-5. 

The Yellow Jackets have the nations 

10th best running offense. The Wildcats 

can also run the ball finishing 

third in the SEC. The Georgia Tech 

defense might be the difference in 

this one. 

Georgia Tech is favored by 3.5 

points. 

CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL 

Washington vs. Alabama 

The first of two playoff semi-finals pits 

#1 Alabama against #4 Washington. 

The Tide doesn’t have any obvious 

weaknesses and beat 10 bowl teams 

this season. The Huskies aren’t 

exactly slouches either, but they did 

dominate against lesser talent versus 

their SEC opponent. Should be a 

great one! 

The line did inch to 15 at some 

places but has now settled back to 

14. A little concerned about how 

the Huskies O-line, that struggled 

vs. USC, will manage vs. the Bama 

front seven, but we like the matchup 

of the Washington D vs. the Tide’s 

offense. When you factor in UW’s 

playmakers on both sides of the ball, 

a mediocre SEC this season, overall 

low expectations for the Huskies and 

the ever-present hype around this 

Saban-led team, we see some value 

on taking the points. Look for U-Dub 

to hang in there. 

Suggested Play: Take the two TDs 

and play Washington. 

PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL 

Ohio State vs. Clemson 

It’s another dream match-up in the 

second semi-final game pitting #3 

Ohio State against #2 Clemson 

— two explosive offense and excellent 

defenses. Both teams boast 

star-power QBs and the Tigers are 

15th in the nation in points per game, 

while the Buckeyes are ninth; and in 

points allowed, the Tigers are 12th, 

while Ohio State is third. 

Ohio State is favored by 3 points. 

January 2 

OUTBACK BOWL 

Iowa vs. Florida 

Both teams enter the game with 

identical 8-4 records this season. 

In their past five games Iowa is 3-2 

ATS, while the Gators are 2-3. Their 

respective point differential and offensive 

categories are similar however, 

Iowa’s defense has conceded about 

50 more yards per game compared 

to Florida. 

The Gators are a 3 point favorite. 

GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL 

CLASSIC 

Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin 

The Broncos of Western Michigan 

went a perfect 13-0 this season, 

The quest for 

the big college 

football playoff 

prize starts 

this week 

blowing away most of their competition 

along the way. Wisconsin 

went 10-3, but their losses were all 

against highly ranked opponents: 

Michigan, Ohio State and Penn 

State. The Broncos are led by their 

QB, who has a 32 to 3 touchdown 

to interception ratio. The Badgers 

are led by RB Clement, who had 14 

rushing TDs this season. 

Wisconsin is favored by 7.5 

points. 

ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED 

BY NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL 

Southern Cal vs. Penn State 

This game features two of the hottest 

teams in the nation. The Nittany 

Lions are on a 9-game winning 

streak (8-0-1 ATS), and Cal is on 

a similar 8-0 win streak (7-1 ATS). 

In terms of points scored/allowed, 

Penn State’s 25th ranked offense 

will face USC’s 24th ranked defense. 

USC will have de facto home 

field advantage as the game is in 

California. 

The last time USC played in the 

Rose Bowl, way back in 2009 with 

Mark Sanchez under center, they 

smacked Penn State. Look for them 

to repeat with another win over the 

Lions. USC are favored by 6.5. . 

Suggested Play: Lay the points 

and take Southern Cal. 

ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL 

Auburn vs. Oklahoma 

With a points total of 64, Vegas is 

expecting some fireworks in this 

one. This game pits Oklahoma’s 

high-toned offense against the Tigers 

physical defense. The Sooners 

will be happy to contribute to the 

total score as they finished third in 

the nation in scoring (44.7) and total 

offense (557). Carl Lawson leads 

the Auburn defensive line with nine 

sacks and more than a dozen tackles 

for losses. 

Oklahoma is favored by 3 points. 

12

NHL GAME PICKS AND ANALYSIS 

LEAFS TOP BOLTS 

FOR ROAD WIN 

Thursday, December 29th 

Toronto at Tampa Bay 

After a rough home stand in the middle 

of December, the Leafs have strung together 

a series of road wins. The level 

of competition wasn’t overly impressive 

(Colorado, Phoenix and Florida) and 

while tonight’s opponent is a step up, 

it’s not a big step. The Lightning lineup 

has been nicked up with injuries. The 

result has been consistency issues at 

both ends of the ice. The way Toronto 

has been playing, they matchup nicely 

with this current TB roster. This is a 

good spot for another road win for the 

Leafs and we should get a nice underdog 

price on them. 

Take Toronto 

Friday, December 30th 

Nashville at St. Louis 

The last time these two hooked up 

we’re guessing Ken Hitchcock’s doctor 

had to call the dressing room and 

tell Hitch to double up on his blood 

pressure medication. In that game, St. 

Louis jumped out to a 3-0 lead before 

letting the Predators score six unanswered 

goals to deliver a demoralizing 

6-3 defeat. If you know Hitchcock, no 

doubt he was blowing a gasket. 

Tonight the Blues get a bit of revenge. 

They catch a tired Nashville team that 

will be playing without PK Subban 

(they expect to have him back in the 

New Year). We’re a little nervous 

backing St. Louis the game before 

they host the Blackhawks in the Winter 

Classic, but we think the Predators 

will get their full attention. 

We’ll play the Blues to win in regulation, 

laying a half goal to get rid of the juice. 

Take St. Louis to win in regulation. 

Anaheim at Vancouver 

The Canucks entered the break on 

a downward skid, dropping a pair of 

games, including an ugly effort vs. 

Calgary. It was a different story in 

their first game back, as they welcomed 

Alex Edler back into the lineup 

and beat the LA Kings on home ice. 

Having Edler back, joining Chris 

Tanev who also recently returned, is a 

huge boost, as both chew up a lot of 

minutes, making life so much easier 

for everyone else down the line, particularly 

youngsters Troy Stetcher and 

Nikita Tryamkin. 

Tonight they face another divisional 

rival, one that has beaten them in 

both previous meetings thus far. That 

said, we think this is a good spot for 

the home team to get a win. While 

Vancouver does give up a bit of an 

edge with the top line matchup, look 

for Coach Willie to take advantage 

of the last change to put the Sedins 

in advantageous situations. It does 

mean Bo Horvat will have extra 

responsibility, but we think he’s up for 

the task. The Canucks also should 

enjoy an edge in net. 

You’ll get a good number on the home 

team. 

Take Vancouver 

Saturday, December 31st 

San Jose at LA Kings 

The Kings have been woefully inconsistent 

all year, showing flashes of 

being a true contender some nights, 

while other times playing like a team 

jockeying for a lottery pick this summer. 

San Jose is a tough out for this 

LA roster, evidenced by the 0-2 mark 

against them so far this season. But 

we like the set-up for the Kings here. 

They play a heavy game, taking the 

body whenever they can. This should 

serve them well vs. a Shark team 

that faced the Philadelphia Flyers last 

night. If LA can lean on them early 

they could start to win most of the 

puck battles and see less of the Shark 

players in the dirty areas. 

We’ll take the home team who should 

be getting a good number. 

Take LA 

Last Week: +1.25 

Season Record: +0.45 

13

FUTURES FORAY 

A FUTURES FORAY REVIEW 

As New Year’s Eve approaches, 

we thought that it would be a 

good time to take stock of some 

of the column recommended plays 

over the past couple of months. 

NFC Champion 

We liked the New York Giants at 13-1. 

Current odds today are 13-1. We’ll call 

this a push. At the time the Packers 

were 12-1 (and not playing well) and 

are now 11-2. This would have been 

the better play in hindsight but we are 

still not counting out the G-Men. 

AFC Champion 

Parity in the NFL seems to be at an all-time high this season. 

We were on the right track by taking 

the long odds and attempt to predict 

the AFC North winner. At the time 

Pittsburgh was 10-1 and Baltimore was 

20-1. We opted for the longer odds, as 

there wasn’t much separating these two 

teams. The Ravens came within a yard 

of keeping Antonio Brown out of their 

end zone as time ran out last week — 

and yes, a yard of claiming the division 

and beyond. Pittsburgh is currently 4-1. 

We opted to stay away from the 

Patriots as they were -110 and there 

wasn’t much value (or fun) backing 

the frontrunner. That said, they are 

now -180, so in hindsight, there was 

decent value at -110. 

SHARP BETTORS 

ARE IDENTIFIED BY 

THEIR ABILITY TO 

GET THE BEST PRICE 

ON A CONSISTENT 

BASIS, NOT BY 

THEIR WINS 

AND LOSSES 

Division Odds to Win 

NFC SOUTH – we correctly picked 

Atlanta but stayed away as the price 

was -400. 

AFC NORTH – Pittsburgh was -220 

and Baltimore was +180. We still 

think we backed the right side at the 

respective prices, but we came up a 

yard short. 

AFC SOUTH – Houston even money, 

Indianapolis +400. The rationale at 

the time was Andrew Luck at +400 or 

Brock Osweiler at even money? We 

opted for the former. Who knew that 

Brock would be benched? 

AFC WEST – Kansas City +140. 

This is still very much in play as the 

Chiefs are 5.5 point road favorites in 

San Diego. If they win and the Derek 

Carr-less Raiders lose in Denver, then 

the Chiefs win the West. The beauty 

of a live futures ticket is that it offers 

you the ability to hedge your bet if the 

confidence level is low. In this case, 

we say full steam ahead and let it ride 

with the Chiefs. 

Cleveland Browns Futility Prop 

This one was frustrating and we got 

a great price at the time, but San Diego’s 

injuries and desire to win finally 

caught up to them. We had Cleveland 

not to win this year at +130. Last week 

the price for the same bet was -185. 

Betting is all about getting the best 

price. Sharp bettors are identified by 

their ability to do this on a consistent 

basis, not by their wins and losses. 

NFL MVP 

The recommendation at the time was 

a hedge between Aaron Rodgers and 

Matt Ryan at 9-1 and 6-1 respectively. 

This is still very much in play as 

both gunslingers have had their odds 

reduced to 3-1. It is worthwhile to note 

that Elliott is now the betting favorite at 

+275. At the time of our recommendation, 

his price was +400. 

SUPER BOWL LI 

We made three recommendations 

based on your risk tolerance — Seattle 

(6-1), Kansas City (18-1), and 

Pittsburgh (10-1). Of the lot, the 

Chiefs were the best option as their 

price has been reduced to 12-1. In 

fact, of all of the available options, the 

Chiefs price was slashed the most by 

bookmakers. The Steelers price was 

also moderately reduced to 9-1. We 

stubbed our toe on the Seahawks 

who somehow have forgotten how 

to block, and have had their price 

increased to 12-1. 

14

WINFO Issue #17

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