NFC West – 2020 Season Preview

ODDS TO WIN THE DIVISION (Bovada sportsbook)San Francisco 49ers +105Seattle Seahawks +205Los Angeles Rams +600Arizona Cardinals +600 Let's go on record and get it out of the way in stating the NFC West will be the best division in football in the upcoming season. Although the Rams and Cardinals both…

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A NASCAR Doubleheader at Pocono (6/27/2020)

Talladega. Must I say more? Mother Nature's lack of southern hospitality pushed Sunday's race into Monday. After waiting out another obligatory weather delay, we were rewarded by an evening of heart-pounding action. Ryan Blaney scored back-to-back wins at Talladega - both by a minuscule 0.007-second differential. Blaney, obviously affected by…

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2020 GEICO 500 at Talladega (6/21/2020)

Good things come to those who wait. Mother Nature tested our patience with several hours of delays before delivering uninterrupted racing at Homestead-Miami. There's no mid-week Cup race in the meantime, so all eyes are on the 2020 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Buckle up because this race is going…

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NASCAR’s Battle at Bristol (5/31/2020)

The whirlwind that is the 2020 NASCAR schedule takes us next to Blue Ridge Mountains for a Battle at Bristol. Charlotte treated us to a spectacular Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600 and a rain-delayed 311-mile sprint on Thursday. Brad Keselowski won his first 600 and Chase Elliott pulled away with…

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Running it Back at Charlotte (5/27/2020)

NASCAR's return has been nothing short of electric. Darlington's first race was action-packed and the mid-week encore was as tense as it gets, with rain was looming. Then Kyle Busch clipped Chase Elliott and sent him spinning into the wall. Sunday's thrilling Coca-Cola 600 was a fitting Memorial Day weekend…

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NASCAR’s Darlington Encore (5/20/2020)

Sunday's action at The Lady in Black was fast, furious, and long-awaited. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. started off as only he could by hitting the wall then shedding flames on his way to the garage - all before completing a single lap. Later, Jimmie Johnson ruined his own day with an…

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Adjusting MLB Win Totals to a 100-Game Season

The need for sports is real as the United States deals with quarantines and work closures. Hell, even national leaders are calling for the return of sports like baseball to help improve morale. NASCAR rolled out its plan to resume their 2020 season this month. MLB followed that with another…

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NFL POWER RANKINGS

Preseason Edition With the hype of the draft now clearly in the rear view mirror there are a lot of NFL future bets being posted and sportsbooks are anxious to start taking your bets. The league plans to release a schedule and fingers crossed, it looks like the season is…

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The Return of NASCAR to Darlington: An Early Look

We could all use some good news these days and boy did NASCAR deliver. Real-life, on-the-track, no-simulator-in-sight Cup Series racing is back, by God. NASCAR made the call to resume the 2020 season at Darlington Raceway on May 17th. Then the action moves to Charlotte for Memorial Day weekend. The…

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2020 MLB Season Win Totals: AL West

The 2019 American League West saw the Houston Astros make their second run at a World Series in three years. Oakland repeated their 2018 season with 97 wins and another loss in the Wild Card game. Below them, a trio of teams struggled to crack the .500 mark. The Angels…

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2020 MLB Season Win Totals: NL East

Going into the 2019 season, expectations were high in the NL East, where all but one team had season win totals of 85 or higher. Even more impressively, three of those four actually exceeded their totals. Your World Series Champions, the Washington Nationals, cleared their total with a second-half surge…

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2020 FanShield 500 at Phoenix

I'll start by saying how competitive and entertaining the young 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season has been. Daytona - what can you say about that? Vegas - late caution forces a 2-lap sprint. Fontana - a huge, bumpy track made for flat-out racing. Three races into the season and the…

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2020 MLB Season Win Totals: AL East

Goldilocks would have loved the 2019 AL East: two teams pushed their way to the top, two sunk to the bottom, and one settled in the middle. But she's the only one who'd call Boston "just right" last year, as they failed to repeat their 2019 glory. Baltimore and Toronto…

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2020 MLB Season Win Totals: NL Central

Last year's NL Central crown race was one of the tightest in the league. My eyes, as a holder of a late-season plus-money divisional futures ticket on the Cardinals, were glued to Milwaukee's September charge. The Brew Crew made things way too interesting for my taste, even without 2018 NL…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/29/2020

It's Leap Day and we've got some MACtion locked and loaded! Wednesday's Denver +7.5 play gave me one hell of a sweat with IPFW getting the 58-51 win. Saved by the hook...and a lucky steal by the Pioneers to keep the Mastodons from covering in the final seconds. It's all…

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2020 Auto Club 400 at Fontana

We move southwest from last week's high stakes action in Las Vegas to California for Sunday's Auto Club 400 at Fontana. We were treated to some spectacular racing in Vegas; three-wide, four-wide, and even five-wide action was not uncommon. There was just something about the competitiveness of last week's race…

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2020 MLB Season Win Totals: AL Central

The Minnesota Twins owned the AL Central in 2019. They took the division lead on April 20th and ran away with it by smashing offensive records and by getting unexpected production out of starting pitchers. It looked like a runaway until the Indians picked themselves up off the mat and…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/26/2020

We've been ugly in the Road Dog Report lately, though the results fortunately haven't. LaSalle and their 3-10 Atlantic 10 record did not keep them from getting a road win on Saturday. Then we backed a Toledo team last night who had dropped six of eight before their 93-81 win.…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/25/2020

Saturday's Road Dog Report landed on that perfect confluence of being picky and fortunate. Rhode Island needed to overtime to sneak inside the hook after two stressful out-of-bounds reviews. LaSalle choked away a 14-point halftime lead only to regain it in the waning minutes. I'll take it though, especially after…

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2020 MLB Season Win Totals: NL West

In 2019, the Los Angeles Dodgers were crowned kings of the National League West for the seventh year in a row. Given this juggernaut, few people expected the division to be competitive despite San Diego making an offseason splash by signing monster free agent Manny Machado. Regardless, consensus gave Colorado…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/22/2020

A Saturday in February means one thing is for sure: a huge college basketball slate is staring us down. XFL Week 3 rolls on today as well as qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas, so our eyes will be on those events as well. We settled…

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2020 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas

Sunday's Daytona 500 was a prime example of superspeedway racing, also known as a 200-MPH crap shoot. Races at Daytona and Talladega are exciting as hell, especially in the later laps when guys are antsy and cars are nose-to-tail at extremely high speeds. The Cup Series circuit travels from the…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/18/2020

It's been a minute since the last Road Dog Report, and Tuesday MACtion is a great reason to get back on the ball! I find myself getting pickier with college hoops plays as the season progresses, which is fine considering it is time to ramp into the MLB season. There's…

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2020 Daytona 500 Betting Card

After a three-month layoff the NASCAR Cup Series is back, baby! The green flag drops on the Great American Race Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET and we've got you covered with the BetCrushers' Daytona 500 Betting Card. NASCAR's highest circuit continues to evolve with rules, race packages, and the car…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/13/2020

Southern Illinois had two powerful things going for them: a strong defense and a seven-game winning streak. Their defense came to play last night, but the Salukis' shooting was horrendous. They relied on the perimeter shot that was not falling (5-28) and shot only 23% from the field. Despite the…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/12/2020

After a few days without any college hoops action, the Road Dog Report is back! Saturday's pair of featured handicaps (Florida International and Northern Arizona) split as each squad attempted a second-half comeback. One was successful, the other was not. I was built to grind and so we push forward…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/8/2020

Losing the game via three free throws in the final seconds is not the way you want to go down. Friday's 61-60 loss to the Rider Broncs was a brutal way for Canisius to slip further down the MAAC standings. This result partially substantiated the premise of yesterday's handicap that…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/7/2020

I have not found an overwhelming number of opportunities on the college hoops slates in the smaller conferences that I follow lately. Whether it is my tendency to be more conservative during a down season or just the way the lines are shaping up, I'm not one to force the…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/5/2020

If nothing is there, don't force it. It's a principle that you have to stick to as a handicapper, and that's the situation I faced last night when looking at Tuesday's college basketball slate. Monday's handicap for Lafayette/Bucknell came to fruition despite the Leopards facing a team that had beaten…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/3/2020

Regardless of the outcome, I must say that last night's Super Bowl was one hell of a contest. Props go out to my BetCrushers partner, Yanni, who led us in our inaugural season of NFL handicapping. It's been a learning lesson with the website since our Memorial Day launch and…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 2/1/2020

Friday night MACtion delivered an excellent game between Akron and Kent State last night. The 68-67 Golden Flashes victory had everything a hoops fan wants in a game: big dunks, a bunch of lead changes, and a three-point attempt to close it out. The offenses were held in check for…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/31/2020

Last night’s gambit to catch a falling knife with Coastal Carolina resulted in bloody palms. I tried to grab them in a spot where they could cover the +7 easily if they snapped out of their shooting funk. Well, they didn't. Despite the loss, watching the teams commit a combined…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/30/2020

Wednesday's handicap of the Cal Baptist Lancers recognized the potential weakness against Utah Valley's 6'7" front court duo. And the Lancers came into the game after one their worst shooting performances this season. Nonetheless, I trusted the handicap and stuck with a team who has treated us very well this…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/29/2020

Tuesday MACtion got a little weird when coronavirus concerns on the campus of Miami of Ohio postponed last night's showdown with the Chippewas. Thankfully, I took the morning off from writing up a full handicap on that one. That break was well-deserved after a big swing-and-miss on Sacramento State Monday…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/27/2020

Sunday's on-court action took a back seat to reality as the news about Kobe Bryant's death shook us and sports fans everywhere. The tragedy certainly put the games and betting action in perspective. When the dust settled, my featured sides ended in a 1-1 split. Monmouth started the day with…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/26/2020

The NFL may have left us stranded today (unless you REALLY need to watch the Pro Bowl), but the college hoops slate has a good mix of power- and small-conference action. I'm coming with another pair of handicaps after yesterday's featured sides went 1-1. Drexel (+8.5) was too sloppy to…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/25/2020

BetCrushers.com is free and clear of hosting issues this morning! Good thing, because it's college hoops Saturday and the slate is huge. I won't bury the lead with a recap of Thursday's game since it is a topic of the Road Dog Report for 1/25/2020. Let's go! (683) Drexel @…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/23/2020

Thursday offers a healthy college hoops slate to dive into. As much as I want to crank out full breakdowns on several key matchups I'm playing, I need to stay focused. As most of you know, balance in life is essential and my love for handicapping college hoops and the…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/22/2020

No college hoops handicap yesterday only gave me more time to plug away at our MLB divisional previews. Another free agent found a new home, as the Braves signed Marcel Ozuna to fill Josh Donaldson's hole. Despite these previews being a work in progress, I just moved on one season…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/20/2020

College hoops on a Monday afternoon? Count us in! The NFL Conference Championship games treated us well but there's only one game left for us to handicap in that department. After Sunday's South Dakota State disappointment, I'm ready to get back on track with the Road Dog Report for 1/20/2020.…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/19/2020

There's certainly no shortage of sports betting action today despite the short college hoops slate. It's NFL Championship Weekend and we've got you covered with a pair of in-depth handicaps on the gridiron. After a much-needed day off from pounding away on the keyboard, I'm back with a solo shot…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/17/2020

After a couple days of taking (and hitting, fortunately) solo shots on my betting card, yesterday's feature handicap expanded to a pair of Road Dogs. I take the split as Georgia State bombed out South Alabama with 15 buckets from downtown, while Loyola Marymount missed the mark by a half-point.…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/16/2020

What a roller coaster last night's Bradley/Missouri State turned out to be. Bradley worked themselves into a nice 10-point halftime lead last night even without one of their best players, Elijah Childs. However, Missouri State came out hot after the break, went on a big 12-0 run to take a…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/15/2020

I never want to see my alma mater take the L, though there was enough solace in them covering the spread last night at least. The Ohio Bobcats lost a tight one at Buffalo Tuesday on a final-possession turnover. We've brushed it off and are back on the grind with…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/14/2020

Hiding in the shadows of an insane NFL Divisional Round weekend, Saturday's featured college hoops handicaps went 2-1. Seems unspectacular, right? After the previous Saturday's 0-3, I wondered if that particular day of the week was my boogeyman. Coastal Carolina made up for their meltdown in their previous game and…

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Using the MLB Team Unit Ratings

The beauty - and sometimes frustration - of handicapping is that there is no universal method or "secret code" that holds the answer. Fortunately, Major League Baseball is blessed with a cult following of statistical-oriented minds that compile and make available volumes of data for us to use. You can…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/11/2020

Yesterday's handicap on Canisius simply did not come to fruition. However, this weekend presents a ton of opportunities including our play in the NFL Divisional Round. My college hoops card is loaded up with this big Saturday slate, but I've focused on three matchups in the Road Dog Report for…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/10/2020

Conference play continues to be quality entertainment for the fans. For handicappers like myself, it adds some tricky angles that you cannot ignore. These teams know each other well, which can emphasize scheme and coaching more than in non-conference games. I'm dialed in on one such matchup in the MAAC…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/9/2020

Thursday presents another healthy college hoops slate, and we're ready to roll with handicaps for two early-evening matchups. Conference play has a tendency to reduce the number of large mismatches, sometimes making point spreads irrelevant. Last night was a good example of this, where both of our Road Dogs got…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/8/2020

We walked a tightrope last night with a Missouri State team that had been unable to seal the deal on the road this season. Coach Dana Ford had them ready to play and it showed as they knocked off a tough Illinois State team who defends their home court quite…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/7/2020

The Florida A&M Rattlers bit back last night, putting up a little too much of a fight. FAMU battled back and made it to overtime, where dogs go to die. We're roaring back like a bear today in the Road Dog Report for 1/7/2020. (635) Missouri State @ Illinois State…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/6/2020

The NFL Wild Card Weekend action was anything short of wild, including a pair of overtime games, a 1-point game that eliminated the defending champs, and a repeat of the previous matchup between Seattle and Philly. Unfortunately, we got swept on the gridiron and the court. Time to keep grinding…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/4/2020

We've got one hell of a sports day ahead of us! The NFL Wild Card games kick off today and the college hoops slate is massive. I have nine NCAAB tickets but I'll focus on three handicaps in the Road Dog Report for 1/4/2020. (707) Eastern Illinois @ Belmont -11.5…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/2/2020

The holidays are over and this means two things in the BetCrushers' sports betting world: the NFL Playoffs and NCAA hoops conference play are here. Our early Wild Card handicapping is done and early bets are made. Thursday's NCAAB slate is a big one and have two early wagers made…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 1/1/2020

First and foremost, Happy New Year! 2020 is here and I'd like to make my 18-24 start to the NCAAB season last year's news. Air Force sent 2019 out with a giant thud as my UC Riverside ticket was bombed out by the Falcons. It did not take long to…

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NCAAB Road Dog Report – 12/31/2019

Oh so close to a 3-0 Monday as the Bonnies fall short of covering the +4 at Buffalo. Regardless, closing line value was positive for all three plays and our friends at Cleveland State and Idaho handled their business. We're ready to turn the page on 2019, but first, it's…

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