After some surprising twists and turns in Big Ten football the last couple of weeks, no one expects anything less this weekend, when five games are likely to shed some more light on how crowded the top of the conference standings will be a month from now.

Wisconsin’s spanking of then-No. 1 Ohio State leaves only three unbeatens in league play – Iowa, Michigan State and Purdue (yes, Purdue ...  read more

Five Big Ten games a week ago only produced more new questions than answers. Ohio State continued to roll, but Michigan State took a huge step forward with a convincing victory at Michigan. Northwestern, off to a 5-0 start, fell to Purdue, and then Illinois startled Penn State with a lopsided win at State College.

Four teams are still unblemished in conference play – and this new slate o ...  read more

Back in 1990, the NFL began using a bye-week in order to give teams a break from a lengthy 16-game schedule. The league actually decided to allow for two weeks in the 1993 season but shifted back to the 17-week schedule in 2004 and it has remained the same ever since.

Good sports handicappers always look for a new edge and, thanks to this rest factor, a number of excellent wagering oppor ...  read more

With five teams still unbeaten in Big Ten play, the chase for roses is far from decided. But, with this week’s headline game in Ann Arbor, some key questions about the power in the conference could be decided. Yes, the marquis game features unbeaten Michigan State at the Big House, against the unbeaten Wolverines. But, in other key action, Ohio State (hosting Indiana) and Northwestern (hosting ...  read more

conference test, a major revenge war and even the final battle to name a few. Teams hit these milestones and, depending on whether they are able to pick up the "W" or post an "L", it can make or break their season.

This week's College System focuses on those teams at game five of the regular season carrying a .500 record. At 2-2 straight up, this specific contest becomes extremely impor ...  read more

Momentum can be a very powerful tool in the world of sports handicapping. Teams with “good ‘ol mo” have a tendency to keep playing well while others without it can struggle. In the NFL, backing teams that got out of the gate quickly has been almost automatic for me. Take a look at what my powerful NFL database discovered.

For starters, game three teams that enter off back-to-back strai ...  read more

The first week of NFL action is in the books. Considering the home teams went 12-4 SU and 10-4-2 ATS, there’s a pretty good chance that most of you found your way into the profit zone last weekend. Regardless of whether you made or lost money, the NFL moves forward and now you’re forced to look at another 16 intriguing games.

So what do you do in game two? My database goes all the way ...  read more

The first week of the NFL can be a difficult one to handicap. Success or failure in the Pre-Season doesn’t always translate into regular season wins and losses. Free agency does a number on team chemistry too. Yesterday’s talent isn’t always the same as todays and there could be growing pains on either side of the ball when a bunch of new personnel is shuffled in or out.

I’ve been gr ...  read more

The last four games of the NFL regular season can mean everything to those teams still in the playoff hunt and nothing to the others that have already been eliminated. Novice handicappers could experience a great deal of financial stress at this time of the year. The Las Vegas line is usually inflated on those squads still battling for playoff position. If you invest your hard earned dough on "b ...  read more

50 is the Magic Number - By Tom Stryker Over the years, I’ve come across a ton of scoring angles. Some are good, some aren’t. The one I’m about to break down for you is one of my best. It’s simplistic in approach. All I wanted to see was how well a reasonably priced home favorite did after a solid offensive performance on foreign soil. As you know, momentum is huge when it comes to handic ...  read more

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that college football teams are more comfortable playing at home than they are on the road. Practicing in their own backyard, sleeping in their own beds and being able to relax with their teammates and friends goes a long way. Of course, like some things in life, too much good can lead to trouble.

When I started researching this week’s car ...  read more

It doesn’t matter if you’re handicapping football, basketball or baseball, momentum is a valuable tool. When teams finally get their act together and play well, they have a tendency to do it for a number of games in a row or a set period of time.

With that theory in mind, I decided to take a look at how well college football teams do provided they get out of the gate quickly. My knee-je ...  read more

There’s nothing better than getting out of the gate in week one with a straight up victory. It makes all the hard work and effort put forth during the offseason and the month of August worth it.

The argument could be made that some teams have their fate determined after their season opener. A confidence-building win could spark a team greatly and propel them to a string of victories. ...  read more

College basketball teams refer to this contest as "senior night." It is the final home game of the regular season where athletes get one last chance to walk off their homecourt a winner. This is an emotional evening for both players and coaches. There are times when this event leads to a lackluster performance because of all the distractions involved. However, for the most part, this is usuall ...  read more

Emotion plays a big part in sports. It doesn't matter if its football, basketball or baseball, one team is usually "getting up" for another. Thankfully, this emotional part of the game exists because it leads sports handicappers and investors to an array of profitable opportunities. This specific technical situation is one of my favorites. It assembled from criteria that flat out works in the ...  read more

According to my powerful NFL Database, Conference Championship hosts have produced a respectable 37-19 SU and 31-25 ATS record over the past 28 seasons. Within that set of 56 games, there are a variety of tighteners you can look at that make things look better (or worse) for the host. Here are just a couple. If our NFL Conference Championship host checks in with momentum off back-to-back SU and ...  read more

There are plenty of technical situations that flat out work during bowl week. Some like to take dogs while others like to back teams with a reason to play. This system I’m about to show you is as simple as it gets yet works like a charm. I call it “Win Won – Lose Lots”. Check it out: Since 1980, neutral bowl underdogs or favorites of -9.5 or less are a soft 12-34-2 ATS provided both teams o ...  read more