Monthly Archives: September 2018

Odds to Win College Football Championship – You Still Have Time

The 2018 NCAA College Football season is in full swing, the season has been nothing less than fantastic. The usual teams are winning and most of the usual teams are losing. There have been a few surprises along the way and some let downs from teams that should have delivered and didn’t, (Michigan—Notre Dame). The online sportsbooks are bringing their offerings to a close very soon, so you must get your bets in within the next day or so. Hey, we’re going into week four and to get any kind of offer would be a bargain really. We know what teams look like. Three weeks gives us a fairly good idea of what we can expect and what bets are still a “value bet”.

Sports Odds History – How to Read Sports Betting Odds

Who is still worthy of your time and money and who should you no longer consider?

Boise State: Don’t even consider betting on this team. That’s if any bookie out there is still offering odds. The way in which they lost to the Oklahoma State Cowboys was a true showing of the anatomy of a Bryan Harsin football team; a flash in the pan. They are going nowhere and would have to run the table and beat everyone huge. This bet would be a waste of money, don’t do it.

Alabama: The obvious choice to win yet another NCAA National Championship is most definitely the Alabama Crimson Tide. This team has not missed a beat and Saban has once again put together a Steller football team. These guys have hammered the three teams they’ve played— the Louisville Cardinals, Arkansas State and Ole Miss by a combined score of 170-28! Alabama will be tough to beat and they are focused on another Championship. At +125, this is the bargain of the century! Get in before it’s too late. Call the bookie now and make this bet.

Understanding Football Wagering – Point Swings and Live Wagering

Clemson: The Tigers have the ability to run the table. Dabo Swinney is another amazing football coach and he rarely loses. His team has the player personnel to win a championship and although they may not be covering the big spreads; that’s college football! Alabama is covering big but they are playing less talented teams then Clemson has played. Alabama plays Texas A&M this week and they are laying -27. That’s probably too many points. They are getting the love because of the crazy numbers that we posted above and they will get that respect until a team gives them a run. A&M gives them a run this week but comes up short and Alabama goes on to run the table. Clemson has played a tougher first three games and although they came close to covering against Georgia Southern last week and absolutely beat the tar out of them by a final of 38-7, they didn’t cover the -33. Forget about that! They will be a playoff team and will be in position to win a title. At +350, this is another fantastic buy. Call the online sportsbook and get this bet in quickly.

Michigan: They still have a chance, unlike Boise State, Michigan can actually afford one loss! The Wolverines play in the Big 10 and strength of schedule means everything. They had the hiccup against Notre Dame and now they are past it. If Harbaugh can get his team to the “Big Six” he has a fighting chance. The Wolverines schedule is fairly light in the middle, however, they end the season at Ohio State. They are a worthy look at +2000.

Sports Odds History – Live College Football National Championship Odds

Have fun with this, get online and check out the numbers with your favorite sports book. The cutoff is within the next couple of days. You will not get any of these numbers after this weekend. Don’t delay. Here lies an investment opportunity, be sure and make the most of it. Good luck.

Why Brash talking pays?

Different fights require different tactics. An opponent who is weak at defending strikes will require a different approach to an opponent who struggles when the fight is taken to the ground. Some fights prove their worth the minute the two competitors enter the Octagon, while others provide value in the build-up, with the pre-fight press conference an opportunity for fighters to increase the buy-rate for their pay-per-view.

The dynamics of mixed martial arts have changed over the years and the battle is no longer purely fought in the Octagon. A top level fighter needs to have the physical prowess and a working knowledge of multiple disciplines, but now the build-up provides an opportunity for the brash talkers to gain a psychological advantage before a punch is even thrown. The best talkers know how to hype up their fight, draw in the crowd, and how to get inside their opponent’s head.

The king of trash talk, Conor McGregor perfectly epitomises the aforementioned characteristics that a fighter needs to possess. The Irishman loves to talk trash and it is one reason why he has become a favourite among UFC fans. However, he is not the favourite when it comes to the betting odds on Paddy Power for his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

How brash talking influences the cards?

No matter how much fans respect the purist approach fighters bring to the Octagon, the brash talking is arguably a bigger stimulus on the money involved in the sport. Each event is an amalgamation of a back and forth exchange of verbal trash, a few barbed tweets, the give and take of heavy flack at the press conferences and of course, the final outcome beyond the psychological warfare, the actual fight.

Although the crux of the trash talk was to get inside your opponent’s head before the game and make them question their strategy, now it pivots around the business end of the sport — trash talking is an ostentatious way to grab the eyeballs regardless of people liking you or not, and more importantly, catching the attention of matchmakers to bring more cash into the bout and add more marketability to your image. Sometimes the spectacle often overhauls the actual fight and the fans pay more attention to how fighters belittle each other before the fights than who will win the fight.

The ‘Money Fight’ of 2017 is a good example to explain the scenario. The fight bought McGregor the golden ticket to catch the attention of millions of fans all across the globe — this wasn’t just about the fans of MMA now; the Irishman was about to become a global phenomenon after becoming a Beats by Dre athlete. He became a household name and casual sports fans knew who he was.

Most of the people knew what the result would be, yet the build-up was what fans looked to the most — two of the biggest names in the world of combat sports going into a war words. The most fascinating part about the fight was the fact that no fighter in the history had benefited from a win more than what McGregor did from a loss — that’s how your words can set the stage for you.

The trailblazer

While we’re on the subject, let’s take a glance at the career of the trailblazer of the brash talk in the history of MMA — Chael Sonnen. The man whose zippy tongue whirled more swiftly than his arm — the witty man’s words produced more fireworks than his moves inside the Octagon as he brought the WWEesque approach of pre-fight talk and over the top personality antics into the sport. He always managed to clutch the attention of the fans because of his cocky attitude towards every opponent. He paid more attention to belittling his opponents than gaining an edge on the battleground and the spectators didn’t really have a problem with that.

The authorities reaped great benefits from his fights as the majority of the fans turned up to see the opponent beat the loudmouthed man for fun. Fans remember him for being involved in one of the most one-sided rivalries in the history of MMA with Anderson Silva — let’s revive our memories a little with this quote from Sonnen: “You tell Anderson Silva that I’m coming over and I’m kicking down his backdoor and patting his little lady on the ass and I’m telling her to make me a steak, medium-rare just how I like it.”

In a nutshell, the world of MMA isn’t constrained to technical skills and cutthroat rivalries, the war of words plays a big part in grabbing the attention of the matchmakers and in mushrooming the ticket prices to one’s fight. It is a proven formula for success from the time of WWE’s attitude-era and now McGregor and other contemporaries are keeping the culture ticking.

Most Underrated UFC Fighters

Mixed martial artists can be catapulted into the limelight after just a few good performances, but as they leave a slippery mix of blood and sweat on the floor in the Octagon, not everyone in the audience believes the hype.

A fighter’s reputation isn’t built on their record alone, as fighters like Conor McGregor and Brock Lesnar can attest to. Some of the most highly regarded fighters are also some of the best talkers in the business, knowing what to say and when to say it. These may not always be the favourites in the odds from Paddy Power, but they will always draw in a sizeable crowd when they’re on the card.

In fact, most of the time, the biggest draws aren’t even the number one ranked fighter in their weight category. It’s their personalities which make them so marketable and gets the crowd on their side.

For those who go about their business in a quiet, understated manner, they can often be overlooked in favour of the more outspoken members of the roster. We have taken a look at three of the most underappreciated and underrated fighters in the UFC today.

1) Chris Weidman

Chris “All American” Weidman (14-3-0) looked set to become the next challenger to Robert Whittaker in order to once again become the UFC middleweight champion. This however, was dealt a cruel blow at the news that Kelvin Gastelum is now at the front of the queue for a shot at the championship.

34-year-old Weidman has previously defeated Gastelum via submission and currently sits one place above him in the middleweight rankings.

Often regarded as a grappler, his striking capabilities have often been underrated. He has twice knocked Anderson Silva out, the first time resulted in him winning the middleweight title. He has also stopped Munoz with a perfectly timed elbow and scored a beautiful TKO victory over Uriah Hall, who himself is a dynamic striker. In his second title defence, he managed to out-strike Lyoto Machida, winning via unanimous decision.

He has faced top-level competition since 2011 and has won almost all of them, suffering only 3 losses, all via TKO. His losses were to high-calibre competition but none of them were a result of them being a superior striker to him.

He holds victories over the likes of Silva (twice), Lyoto Machida, Mark Munoz, Uriah Hall, Tom Lawler, Alessio Sakara, Kelvin Gastelum, and Victor Belfort. His three defeats were at the hands of Luke Rockhold, who he meets at UFC 230 on November 3rd, Yoel Romero and Gegard Mousasi.

Often regarded as a wrestler, Chris Weidman also has a decent stand-up. He is one of the best middleweights in the world, but he doesn’t get enough credit for that.

2) Germaine de Randamie

Germaine de Randamie has been labelled “The Iron Lady” with a record of 7-3-0. The 34-year-old former women’s featherweight champion has recently moved back to the bantamweight division where she will take on Raquel Pennington at UFC Fight Night 139 on November 10th.

The Iron Lady’s decision to return to the bantamweight division was controversial, as she had recently won the featherweight championship when she announced her intentions. She drew criticism for refusing to fight Cris Cyborg while in the featherweight division, with some believing she was afraid to take on Cyborg, who is regarded as one of the toughest women in the UFC today.

Her reputation has been damaged by controversies and poorly managed PR gaffes, which has led to the fall in her position among the fans of UFC. She controversially defeated Holly Holm to claim the featherweight championship, having hit her opponent after the bell rang to end the round.

The manner of her victory over Holm and unwillingness to fight Cyborg has led to some fans forgetting the fact that he is a legitimate talent. She was a kickboxing champion at the age of 16 and from the start of her UFC career she has fought the tougher competitors, claiming victory more often than not.

Fans may not like her but she has proved her worth in the UFC and is a legitimate threat to anyone standing at 135lbs.

3) Conor McGregor

”It’s funny to say this because of how popular he is and what a huge star he is, but I think Conor McGregor is one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC,” Dana White said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “Every time Conor McGregor comes out to fight somebody new and it’s a wrestler or it’s whatever, this is the fight that Conor is going to lose.”

Yes, he’s famous inside and outside the bounds of UFC fandom but somehow, he has got this notion surrounding him that he’s going to lose the next fight. Conor fought Jose Aldo and won when everybody said he’d lose. He knocked out Alvarez when everybody thought he’d lose, and the same happened when he fought Chad Mendes.

He’s accurately rated when it comes to striking, it’s his grappling and ground game that is underrated and he’s underrated as a whole. He has been defeated 3 times via submission, which perhaps explains why his ground game is often questioned. With that being said, he went to ground against the current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway as well as Diego Brandao and Denis Siver, but didn’t struggle. Yes he can lose the ground game, but he can also hold his own.

His fame is the result of his notorious personality, after which he’s nicknamed. But fame doesn’t ensure the accurate rating. Too often people have underestimated him and he has proved them wrong. In his next fight, against the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov, he is once again being considered the underdog, but with some impressive victories in the past, this could be yet another where McGregor defies expectation.

The return of Tiger Woods

Image Source: pixabay.com

Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods is one of the most famous golf players in the world, and is also considered the best golf player of all time. The last few years of his career have been frustrating for the former world number one as he has slipped down the rankings due to a persistent back injury. Despite these constant setbacks, Woods has returned to the sport fully recovered, with many believing 2018 is his comeback year. His recent call up to the Ryder Cup squad, in which America are favourites according to the Ryder Cup odds 2018 sites, seems to prove this theory. But will Woods ever get back to the ‘top’ of the sport?

From a young age, Woods showed promise in the sport and was quickly labelled as a child prodigy. Before he reached the age of ten, Tiger had already broken 80 and also won the 9-10 boys’ event at the Junior World Golf Championships. At age 12, Woods broke 70 on a regulation golf course for the first time.

Woods continued to excel at the amateur and junior level, winning the US Amateur Championship three times in row and was part of the winning team at the 1994 Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships.

Unsurprisingly, his success on the amateur stage lead to numerous college’s aiming to recruit him. In the end he chose Stanford University who were the NCAA Champions at the time. During his time at Stanford he participated in his first PGA Tour major, the 1995 Masters, and finished tied 41st and as the only amateur to make the cut.

After turning pro at age 20 in 1996, Woods immediately signed advertising deals with Nike and Titleist and was also named as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in the same year. His first PGA major would come just one year later when he won the Masters in record-breaking fashion. Woods was also the youngest winner of the tournament, aged just 21 years old.

Despite winning the Masters, it wouldn’t be until 1999 when he became one of the greatest golfers and started a period of domination. From 1999 to 2009, Woods managed to win 13 major tournaments, bringing his career total to 14 Majors. The highlight of this decade of dominance came in 2001 following his 2001 Masters victory. His two-stroke win over David Duval means that Woods became the first ever player to hold all four Majors at the same time.

For around a decade, Woods was at the top of the sport with very few players being able to compete with him consistently.

However, injuries and controversy in his personal life since his final Major tournament win led to a massive downturn in his career and put an end to his period of dominance. His 2010 season was the worst of his career as he failed to win a single tournament. His worst performance of the year came in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, finishing second-to-last place by going 18-over par. The next few years saw slight improvements, but Woods still failed to win a Major tournament.

Even though failure to win a Major trophy was a major disappointment for the golfer, things would get a lot worse for Woods. From 2014 to 2017, he would end up missing out on numerous tournaments due to a persistent back injury which he would end up having four operations on. At one point there was a fear that he wouldn’t be able to play professional golf again, but a month later it was announced that Woods would be returning to the sport.

Image Source: golfdigest.com

After a couple of years away from the PGA Tour, his first tournament of the year was the Farmers Insurance Open. Although he finished in tied-23rd place, there were a lot of positives to take from the tournament. The main positive being that Woods completed his first four-round event on the PGA Tour since August 2015.

Since returning from injury, Woods has participated in numerous PGA Tour tournaments and recorded some fairly impressive scores, but has fallen short on winning a tournament. His best performance this year came in the PGA Championship where Woods managed to secure a second place finish, only two strokes behind first place Brooks Koepka. It’s this impressive form in the last few months which has led him earning a ‘wild card’ call up for Team USA at the Ryder Cup.

There is also a belief amongst golf fans that 2018 is the start of Tiger Wood’s’ comeback. At the start of the year, Woods claimed that he just wants to get back on the course and hit some shots. There was very little expectation for him to immediately start winning again, but it’s almost nine months later and Woods seems to be improving every tournament that he has participated in. It also seems that he has regained his aggression which made him successful in the first place. His putting is still not as good as it used to be, but it is one part of the game that could come back faster than anything else.

Although Woods has been taking all the right steps in his ‘comeback’ to the sport, there is still one thing that he is missing in order to complete his return; a tournament win.

It’s highly unlikely that Woods will be able to reclaim his period of dominance like he did in the early 2000s. However, if the American is able to ‘reinvent’ himself like others have done in the past, Woods might be able to remain competitive at the higher levels in of the sport in the next few years.

Famous fighters who have been banned for doping

Doping has taken a firm grip on many sports around the world. For some, the allure of victory outweighs the potential sanctions such performance enhancement carries with it. Moral obligations go out the window in the face of the lucrative and enticing world of sporting celebrity. Cycling and athletics are the most obvious examples of sports that have been tarnished by the brush of doping, but to assume that doping is confined to only a select few sports is wishful thinking.

Boxing has had its fair share of controversy when it comes to performance enhancement, one of the lesser-known examples is Alexander Povetkin, who takes on Anthony Joshua on Saturday, 22nd September. The Russian was originally suspended indefinitely but had his suspension reduced to one year on appeal. Povetkin has returned in time for his fight with Joshua, but the Joshua vs Povetkin odds heavily lean in the defending champion’s favour, with the British boxer priced at 1/12.

The following are some more famous examples of fighters who have been hit hard by bans and suspensions for their involvement in doping.

Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury’s battle, against both UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the British Board of Boxing Control (BBBofC), was an arduous and drawn out affair. In October of 2016, the Manchester-born fighter vacated his WBA, IBO and WBO Heavyweight titles, as the cloud of a pending doping investigation circled around him. The then 28 year-old also cited medical and mental health issues as his reasoning for stepping away from the sport.

Fury was eventually suspended by the BBBofC, and later stripped of his The Ring magazine’s Heavyweight Championship as well as the three titles he resigned. A long and bitter series of hearings ensued and, in late 2017, Fury was eventually given a two year ban, which was backdated to December 2015, essentially freeing him to re-apply for his boxing license as soon as he desired. It was reported that UKAD had spent almost £600,000 on legal fees throughout the case.

The 6ft 10in ‘Gypsy King’ made his return to the sport in June of this year with a fight against Sefer Seferi in Manchester, and although the pairing was something of a mismatch, Fury proved that he has what it takes to return to the top of the sport. With a crunch showdown against Deontay Wilder around the corner, Fury has the chance to prove that his doping woes are behind him.

Canelo Alvarez

One recent doping episode in the sport of boxing involved the highly rated middleweight fighter Saul ‘Canelo' Alvarez. The Mexican tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol — used to relieve asthma among other effects — in early 2018. Alvarez was hit with a six month ban by Nevada boxing regulators, a sentence deemed by some to be quite lenient given the usual minimum ban for a first-time doping offence is one year.

Alvarez maintained his innocence throughout the ban, claiming that contaminated meat had been the cause of his consumption of such substances. The 28 year old returned to the ring in September where he recorded a dramatic win in his rematch with Gennady Golovkin, inflicting a first professional defeat on the Kazakh boxer.

Eric Molina

American Eric Molina, who fought and lost against Anthony Joshua in December 2016, was handed a two year ban in May of this year taking the prohibited substance dexamethasone. Although the drug is not performance enhancing, it can give an unfair advantage to endurance fighters.

UKAD, in their assessment of Molina’s actions, said that the 36 year old “did not look to cheat,” although those words will have come as little comfort to the American, who still faces the prospect of another 18 months out of the ring.

The sad reality is that as long as the potential financial gain in professional sport continues to rise, so too will be the means by which athletes and their sponsors use to achieve success. Boxing is a sport that rewards the fittest, strongest and most agile. Thus it is highly susceptible to those who would seek to take advantage of this fine sport’s virtues and use them for personal gain.

In this age, where sporting authorities simply cannot keep up with the rate of medical advancement and new technologies, vigilance is needed to ensure that boxing does not become a bastion for that which all true sports fans detest: the cheat.

Can Tottenham challenge in the Champions League?

Much has been made of the fact that Mauricio Pochettino failed to bring in any new faces to the Tottenham side over the course of the Summer. A statistical anomaly that meant that the North London outfit were the first club not to sign a player since the introduction of transfer windows in 2003.

The fact that no new players were signed was not a decision that was taken lightly by the Tottenham hierarchy, namely Pochettino and club chairman Daniel Levy. However, the consensus was that if a player cannot be found for the right price, that can also improve what they already have then why spend the money at all.

STICK OR TWIST

It is an incredibly risky strategy but at the same time it is one that could make a lot of sense at the same time. Only time will tell as to whether it is one that has been successful, but if you look at the initial signs they certainly look positive. The stick or twist reference is related to the famous game of blackjack, which is a where players pit their wits against the dealer and the luck of the deck much like the luck of the slot games on sites such as MoneyReels.com

Admittedly two games of the Premier League season is not a huge amount to base things on, however the club have recorded a maximum haul of six points after wins over both Newcastle and Fulham.

The fact that there are no new signings to be integrated means that the team is a lot more settled going into the start of this campaign. This means that there is a greater chance of them hitting the ground running, something that has already been evident in the month of August.

It’s been quite a month for the club as not only did not manage to bring in any new players, they also have had to delay their return home. The new stadium that was meant to be ready for business in mid-September now might not be open until the start of 2019.

That is something that could well have derailed the club’s start to the season, but the group of players have managed to put any off-pitch issues to one side as they have made relatively light work of the opposition that has been put in front of them.

HOME FROM HOME

And it is Wembley in which Tottenham will start their third successive Champions League campaign, after discussions with UEFA they have been granted dispensation to play at least one group game at the English national stadium.

Last season saw Tottenham not only top their group but also get the better of eventual winners Real Madrid at Wembley. In what was a historic night for the club, they beat Los Blancos by three goals to one.

That meant that qualification to the Round of 16 was secured, a phase where they were paired with Italian giants Juventus and although they dominated large periods of the two clashes they eventually lost by an aggregate 4-3 score line.

It was felt that the young Tottenham team showed naivety when it really mattered, while perhaps Mauricio Pochettino should have taken a more pragmatic approach when his side were 1-0 up in the second leg.

NO LONGER YOUNG GUNS

However, they can only really be deemed as excuses in defeat and when you consider that this Tottenham side is unchanged and nearly a year older it means that the tag of youngsters is one that cannot really be applied anymore.

But with that experience that the crushing defeat bought back in March, it will have sharpened their focus to not just go one better but perhaps go all the way this time around. If that is to be the case though they are going to have to beat some of Europe’s biggest outfits.

Something that is reflected in the fact that Tottenham currently find themselves at odds of +2500 in most markets. A price that has them as only 10th favourites to win the Champions League, which also intimates that a return to the Round of 16 and no further is the most likely.

However, these odds can quickly change especially if Tottenham not only get a favourable draw in the group stages but also start off in the same way that they did last season. Should they get off the mark quickly then their odds will tumble.

KANE AND ABLE

Therefore, it might be a shrewd move to back Tottenham now when the price is so favourable. Especially now that Harry Kane has got rid of the hex that was seemingly upon him, one that saw him unable to score goals in August.

Now that particularly monkey is off his back it means he will be getting up through the gears a lot quicker and that is bad news for opposition defences both home and abroad. Not only that but he will be backed by a supporting cast in attack.

Many column inches have been written about Dele Alli and his teammate Christian Eriksen over the past few years and the hope if not the expectation is that they will be pulling the strings in midfield once more, however there is also a wild card in the pack.

That comes in the shape of Lucas Moura, the Brazilian joined from French outfit PSG at the start of the year but failed to make any real strides in his first four months with his new employers. Thankfully though with a pre-season under his belt he looks up to speed with the cut and thrust of the Premier League.

Something that was evident with his goal that opened the scoring in Tottenham’s recent win over Fulham. Although technically not a new signing, he will certainly feel like one due to the improvements he has made in a short space of time.

And of course, one should not forget that the club have also managed to keep hold of Belgian duo Toby Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele. If both of them can avoid the injuries that have plagued them as of late then they will give the team a welcome boost indeed.

It may be a long shot that Tottenham win the Champions League this season, but with the reason’s listed above and the current price that is being offered it may be a tip that is too hot not to take advantage of.