Holy Wagers - October 27th Weekend

Check my season long record here of 61% and up 11 units for the season. All bets are 1 unit, with the Most Blessed Wager of the Week being 2 units. Now on to the picks:

College Games

Tulsa -14 vs. SMU [Most Blessed Wager of the Week] >> SMU is horrible, and Tulsa can score points. I dont see this one being close at all. Check out SMU's season long record and who they have played and you will like this game even more. Prediction - Tulsa 42 SMU 17

Hawaii -27 vs. New Mexico St >> This game is in Hawaii, and the Rainbow Warriors need to keep pounding the opposition for a chance at a BCS bowl bid. This game should be high scoring and I think Hawaii will win big and cover. Prediction - Hawaii 55 New Mex St 24

California +3 @ Arizona St >> Its time to see how good AState is. Its also time for Cal to stop their 2 game losing streak. Tedford is a good coach and the Cal speed will be on display and win this game straight up. Prediction - Cal 35 Arizona St 21

PRO GAMES

Saints -3 @ 49ers >> This is a tough one, but I think the Saints are finally playing up to their potential. Throw in Trent Dilfer for the 49ers and you have an inept offense against a good offense. If the Saints defense and special teams play well they will win by a touchdown, which is what Im predicting - Saints 24 49ers 17

Bucs -3.5 vs. Jaguars >> The Jags will likely have a beat up David Garrard or possibly Quinn Gray (who?) playing QB for them. The Bucs are undefeated at home, and the Jags are coming off a tough defeat. MJD for the Jags will be a bit banged up also. Prediction - Bucs 24 Jaguars 10

Giants -9.5 vs. Miami (in London) >> I think the Giants will run the ball and score at will against the helpless Dolphins. I just dont see Miami being able to score more than 17 on the Giants tough defense, and I dont see the Giants scoring less than 28. Prediction - Giants 35 Dolphins 14

Best of luck this week.

Holy Wagers Results Posted

You can see them by clicking the permanent link to the left, or by clicking here

The Pope had his best week ever, going 3 for 4 in college (winning the Most Blessed Pick so being up 3 units) and 3 for 3 in pro football. On the season, an average record just got bumped up a bit.

Holy Wagers - Pro Football October 21st

Nice pick by the Pope last night with the Rutgers victory. Now on to the Pro football games this weekend (Check out the Pope's record for the season by clicking on the link to the left near the top of the page):

Colts -3 @ Jaguars - Monday night special. Yes, the Jags were all over the Colts last year. Yes, the Jags are 4-1 now and looking pretty solid. But also yes, the Colts have Peyton Manning. I just dont see the Colts making similar mistakes this week, despite how well the Jags are playing. Peyton thrives under the lights in big games traditionally, with the exception of two teams: the Patriots and the Florida Gators. This aint them - Prediction: Colts 33 Jaguars 24

Detroit -1 vs. Tampa Bay - Detroit has a great offense at home, and Im not sold on Tampa Bay. The Titans played awfully last week against them, and the Bucs needed a questionable pass, an injury to Vince Young, and a last second field goal to beat the Titans. Prediction: Detroit 28 Bucs 17

Bears +5 @ Eagles - Everyone is against me on this one. I just think the Bears are not going to let the Eagles score lots of points, not that the Eagle offense could anyways. I think this will be a close game, with a huge defensive play for the bears being the difference - Prediction: Chicago 24 Philadelphia 21

Holy Wagers - October 20th Weekend

Here we go with this week's College picks. Check out the full season of Holy Wagers by clicking here. The Pro picks will be up tomorrow.

College

Rutgers +2 vs USF (Thursday night special!!) - Rutgers is at home, they have a very good running game. I am not sold on the turnover prone USF Green Knights and dont see how they escape this game. Prediction: Rutgers 24 USF 21

Florida -6.5 @ Kentucky [Most Blessed Wager of the Week!!!] - Just another day in the SEC where the good teams beat each other up. Kentucky cannot possibly top the top two SEC teams in consecutive weeks can they? Florida might even be better than LSU and I think they will show it this Saturday - bigtime. Prediction: Florida 48 Kentucky 28

Louisville -3 @ UConn - Louisville has no defense, but they certainly have an offense. And while they may not be a top ranked team anymore, they are definitely not chopped liver. I expect UConn to fear the previous version of Louisville and the Cardinals to win a close one. Prediction: Louisville 41 UConn 31

Michigan St +17.5 @ Ohio St - Most Spartan teams meltdown this time of year. This new coach is a strict disciplinarian, and has the Spartans running the ball very well and playing hard. I expect Ohio St to win comfortably, but the best running back duo in the big 10 will control the clock a bit and allow 17.5 points to be close enough. Prediction: Michigan St 20 Ohio St 31

Pro picks will come out tomorrow, Friday morningish.

Holy Wagers Results - Week 4 (Oct 6th Wkend)

Week 4 record > 3-4 (2-2 in College, 1-2 in Pro)

Net Betting Units Week 4 > EVEN (+1 in College, -1 in Pro)

And that brings the overall season record to . . . 14 - 10 - 2 , and + 5 betting units.

College record is now 10 - 4 with a +7 betting units net, and Pro is 4 - 6 - 2 with a -2 betting units.

Remember, we are in the month of LOCKTOBER. This week's picks up on Thursday. Hopefully the College picks by the Pope can continue.

Holy Wagers - October 6th Weekend

Lets keep the picks going strong for the Pope! Just to review, the season totals thus far through 3 weeks for the Pope are as follows:

• College Record > 8 - 2


• Pro Record > 3-4-2


• Net Betting Units Up (Down) > + 5

All games are one betting unit, unless noted. The "Most Blessed" Pick of the Week is two units. Now on to this week's picks:

College Games

Oklahoma -11 vs. Texas > The favorite has covered the last 9 years in this game, in a series that hasnt featured many close games. OU is the favorite, Texas has injuries at QB, and both are coming off losses. OU was a national championship contending team and will show that talent in this game. Prediction: OU 38 Texas 14

Ohio State - 7 vs. Purdue > I got to watch Purdue play last week, and they had an awful second half against the Irish. We passed all day on them, and even outgained the mighty Purdue offense in total yards. I think in the horseshoe, this Purdue team will lay down like a cheap tent on national television. Prediction: Ohio State 45 Purdue 20

Hawaii -39.5 vs. Utah St > Hawaii is at home, and needs to keep rolling big to have a chance at a BCS bowl. Hawaii has covered against these guys the last two years, including 63 to 10 last year. Hawaii is especially good this year, while Utah St is especially bad. Not close - Hawaii 70 Utah St 24. [Note: This is a high spread, yes. But remember I picked Arkansas -36 last week and they covered that spread by more than 20 points against North Texas. Its worth a look]

THURSDAY NIGHT SPECIAL!!!! ***South Carolina -3.5 vs. Kentucky*** [Most Blessed Pick of the Week] > The talk is all about Kentucky, but they are human my friends. Columbia is very tough place to play, and tonights crowd will be extremely roucous. The bigger story than Kentucky, to me, is can South Carolina impress in front of a national TV audience. South Carolina has only lost to LSU, but gave them a decent game. Kentucky's defense gives up to many yards on the ground, and their offense will sputter a bit with all this hype and pressure finally hitting them. You heard it here - South Carolina 35 Kentucky 21

Pro Games

Steelers -5.5 vs. Seahawks > Pitt is very tough at home, especially coming off a loss. Seattle is good but the cross country travel and the ghosts of Super Bowl 40 will not let them get off the ground in this game. Steelers 31 Seattle 21

Ravens -3.5 @ 49ers > The Ravens burned me last week against the Browns. Not this week, playing agianst their old QB Trent Dilfer for the 49ers. I just dont see the Ravens losing this game, as the 49ers offense does not match up well against the Ravens D. Ravens 24 49ers 17

Cardinals -3.5 @ Rams > The Cardinals are playing good offensive football, especially with Edge James. The Rams will be starting Gus Frerotte . . . no, thats not a misprint. Bulger is out and the O-line is decimated. The away team has won the last 4 meetings between these guys. Cardinals 28 Rams 21

And remember . . . Barney loves Soulja Boy

Holy Wagers - Week 3 Results

Post- week 3 picks, here are the season pick standings for the Vatican (click here to see my picks I made last week for week 3):

• Wins = 11


• Losses = 6


• Push = 2


• College Record 8-2


• Pro Record 3-4-2


• Net Betting Units = +5 (for the season)

I lost my Most Blessed Pick of the week in Michigan, but won 3/4 games. Unfortunately the most blessed pick was 2 units, so that loss only gave me +1 unit for college and -1 unit for Pro, net, for week 3 of my picks. Michigan won by 12 but was 5 points short of covering.My favorite pick that worked out was Arkansas -36 over North Texas, as they won by more than 50 points.

This was my worst week yet, but I still broke even on betting units and was 4-3 on the picks. Not bad. Lets keep it going for the Pope.

Holy Wagers - Week 3 (September 29th Weekend)

So far this season, the Pope's record stands as follows:

Wins 7
Losses 3
Push 2
Win 60%

Net Betting Units for Year +5

In College, my record is 5-1. In Pro, the record is 2-2-2.

Remember, my regular standard Holy Wagers I recommend 1 betting unit. The "Most Blessed Wager" is 2 units, and there could be a super star wager of 3 units a few times per year. Remember, this is for non-gambling purposes only (uhehmm, wink wink). Now on to the picks for this week:

COLLEGE

Michigan - 17 @ Northwestern [Most Blessed Pick of the Week] - The Wolverines are not an awful football team, like their first game made you believe. They also have covered 8 out of their last 9 Big Ten road games, which aint bad. Northwestern has given up 50+ to Ohio St, 31 to Nevada, and 20 to Duke. Michigan gets 35 to 45 points and Northwestern won't get to 21.

Georgia - 15 vs. Ole Miss - I wanted to make this a blessed pick, but the Rebels can sneak up on you and play SEC teams close. Georgia is improving and will look to run the ball all over the Rebels. I dont see the Rebel QB pulling out some long passes like he did last week against Florida, being a night game on the road. I say Georgia gets 28 to 35, while Ole Miss might get to 14. Its a good play because Georgia will be ready with how close a scare Ole Miss gave Florida last week.

Arkansas -36 vs. North Texas - North Texas is giving up 6 YPC this season . . . sounds pretty good for Mcfadden and Jones. NT gave up 79 to Oklahoma, so you have to think that Arkansas can get to 50. North Texas might get 14 points, but I doubt they will get much more. Mcfadden needs Heisman stats and the Razorbacks need a whipping boy after starting 1-2.

Thursday night special - Boise St -10.5 vs. Southern Miss - This is a rare Thursday night play but it will count as a Holy Wager. Boise is a long long ways away for the Eagles, and that Blue turf doesnt bode well for visitors typically. Boise St isnt what they were last year, but this team is stopping the run well, to a 2.7 YPC average for the season, including 2.2 YPC at home. I look for some Southern MissCues to turn this one in favor of Boise St, 28-10.

PRO

Ravens -4.5 @ Browns - Derek Anderson hasnt seen a defense like this, which I think is the best defense in the NFL period. I expect a INT pick 6 in this game, as well as 21 points from the Ravens offense. Ravens 28 Browns 17

Seahawks -2 @ 49ers - I expect this one to be close and relatively low scoring, but the Seahawks have a comparable defense and a much better offense to boot. Seahawks 24 49ers 21

Texans -2.5 @ Falcons - The Falcons cannot run the ball very well right now, and Harrington is a time bomb waiting to throw an INT. The Texans have played good defense in every game, and will run the ball right at the Falcons in a boring game. Texans 27 Falcons 17

Good luck, hopefully the picks will continue to fall the Pope's way.

Holy Wagers Results - Week 2

Another solid week for the Holy Wagers. I was very close to having a great week, pushing one pro game and losing one by 1 point. The push was the Colts, as I used -6 while some lines had -5.5, which would have covered. The Raiders didnt cover by a point also, oh well. Ole Miss showed up and shocked a lot of people by making a game of it against Florida.

My record for week 2 was 3-2-1, pulling my full season record to 7-3-2, which is a 60% winning rate. Not bad.

Next week, Im feeling good about the picks. Also remember that the Most Blessed pick of each week is 2 units of betting, while the other Holy Wagers are 1 unit. I am 1-0-1 in my Most Blessed Picks, giving us a +5 units for the year through the two weeks of my blog.

Holy Wagers - September 22nd Weekend

Last week, I had a solid week with my Holy Wagers, going 4-1-1. I plan on continuing to pick 5 0r 6 games per week, college or pro, and see how it goes. Here are my picks for this week, bet at your own risk!

College Games (Saturday)

Central Florida -7 vs. Memphis [Most Blessed Pick of the Week] - Memphis is awful against the run, and the George O'Leary coached Knights have the top rusher in the nation. Central Florida lost to Texas by 3 last week, and I just think in their new stadium in Orlando, this is an especially bad matchup.

Michigan +3 vs. Penn St. - Michigan has been awful all year. I think two things: first, Penn St is a bit overrated. Their QB is a walking possible disaster, and they dont have a stud running game to hang their hat on. Secondly, Michigan, I believe, came out of a funk and got some confidence last week in their thumping of the Irish. I will take the 3 points in the Big House, in a game that would put Michigan back towards the top of the conference, this being their first conference game.

Florida -23.5 @ Ole Miss - Ole Miss has done well against Florida, winning the past two contests ('02 & '03). However, the combination of an explosive Gator offense against a very subpar Ole Miss defense is not enticing. I would imagine Ole Miss will try to run the ball and play keepaway with the clock, but something tells me that either Ole Miss QB will make a mistake when given the chance. Florida will be scoring 35 points at a minimum, and I think Ole Miss cannot score more than 20. All that said, Im willing to take the chance that Florida will get in the 40s and cover this bet.

Pro Games

Colts -6 @ Texans - The Texans are playing well and playing at home. However, they've never done well against the Colts, unlike the Titans. Typically teams have to have lots of positive experience playing against the Colts before they can play with them, and I just dont see it. Houston is much improved, but with Andre Johnson out, and the line having moved 1.5 pts in the Colts favor already, I dont see this one being within 10pts.

Raiders -3 vs. Browns - Looks crazy dont it? Raiders favored!? Well, they have actually looked pretty solid on offense and defense this year, much improved over last year. They should have beaten the Broncos in Denver last week, and are ready to win at home with a rejuvenated crowd. I say lightening doesnt strike twice and the Browns offense gets stuff, Raiders winning by two TDs.

Panthers -4 @ Falcons - The Falcons played a close game last week, but against a heavily struggling offense in the Jaguars. I dont think they will be able to move the ball for more than a couple of TDs, and I think Carolina really really needs to win this game to hang around the NFC South. The Falcons season is already over, and Leftwich looms over Harrington's shoulders. Panthers in a close one by a TD.

I also like the Titans on Monday night getting 4.5 at New Orleans, but thats a bit too biased to make for a Holy Wager. I really like our defense though, and think that our offense is sneaky the way we control the ground game.

Holy Wagers - Week 1 (Sept 15th)

Not a bad week for the Vatican. In college games, I finished 3-0, with Purdue, Boston College, and Ohio St all covering. Boston College and Ohio St. looked especially good in covering.

In pro games, I went 1-1-1, with the Lions pushing in my most blessed pick of the week. I missed big when I thought the Browns would score 10 points or less. They scored 51! Wow. Titans covered and had a great chance to win the game.

That brings my season record through my first week of picking (6 games) to 4-1-1. Not bad.

Holy Wagers - September 15th Weekend

This is the first installment of the Pope's "Holy Wagers". These are my favorite plays of the week in the sports betting world.

College Games

• Purdue -21 vs Central Michigan [Pope's take: Typical Purdue team - beat up on the little guys with huge offense, throwing all 4 quarters. Purdue has looked very good so far on offense, with everyone back from a bowl team last year. QB Painter is good.]
• Ohio St. -4 @ Washingon [Pope's take: Washington is coached by Ty Willingham. Seriously though, Washington just wont be ready for a more physical defense. I look for OSO to get some big turnovers and just enough offense to cover]
• Boston College +6.5 @ Georgia Tech [Pope's Take: BC is a solid team with one of the best QBs in the country. Georgia Tech's defense is awesome. However, Im not sold on Tech's offense though, and think that this will be a close enough game for BC to cover]

Pro Games

• Bengals -7 @ Browns [Pope's Take: The Browns are awful, and will be especially awful until they start Brady Quinn, which doesnt appear to be in the cards for this weekend. The Bengals have too many offensive weapons, while the Browns have too few, for this to be a close game.]
• Lions-3 vs Vikings [Pope's Take: The Vikings have a very young QB who I am just not sold on. The Lions have some serious WRs and scored well last week against a top defense in the league in Oakland. In Detroit, Martz's guys on offense will be all over the field and I think this is the "Most Blessed Holy Wager" of the week. And yes, the Vikings beat them twice last year, but Im a believer in that offense and not in Tavaris Jackson.
• Titans +7.5 vs Colts [Pope's Take: Yes, the Titans are my team, and its hard to be unbiased. However, the Titans ran the ball incredibly last weekend against a very tough Jaguars squad. Also, last season, the Colts beat the Titans 14-13 in Indy, and the Titans beat the Colts in Nashville. Jeff Fisher is very familiar with the Colts, and usually gets the Titans ready to play against these guys. Straight up, the Titans are 9-3 in their last 12 games, including an ultra impressive 9-3 against the spread in that same span. One more fact - the Titans have covered 6 of their last 7 AFC South games.

We'll see how I do the first week. A good prognosticator will go over 60% correct for a season, which will probably be pretty difficult for me. But nonetheless, you have my best.

FYI - I use a website called Scores & Odds, to obtain my line information. It gives up to the minute lines, as well as a history of how the lines may have changed since they opened for each game. A useful tool.