NFL Divisional Playoff Weekend - Hop on the P4P bandwagon as we continue down the Road to the Super Bowl with more FREE winners

Greetings to all of our loyal P4Peeps.  While life continuously tries to throw us distractions,  curve balls if you will, your partners here at Picks4Players remain locked in to the pulse of the National Football League and the playoffs.    P4P went 2-1 last weekend in our 5 star selections against the spread (ATS) and would have been perfect were it not for Aaron Rodgers historiCALly typiCAL OT blunder that ruined an otherwise exceptional day by the Chico, CA native.  It also ended the season for a dangerous Packers team and ultimately cost P4P the up to the minute, year-to-date lead in the 30th Annual National Handicapper’s Bowl, as featured in Pro Football Weekly.  Otherwise, your handicapping consultants, your partners here at Picks4Players were right on target.  As predicted, the J.E.T.S. JETS! JETS! JETS! rolled over Cincy and while most services told you that New England was a lock, we correctly told you that not only wouldn’t the PATS cover, but their season would end.  We told you that nobody feared the Patriots around the NFL and if you research some of the Ravens post game comments, that is exactly what was said.  The Mystique has turned into a mistake.  Belichick, the fourth best Head Coach in NFL History named Bill is sounding much like the guy who got run out of Cleveland by the Browns, S.O.U.R.  The fake dynasty of the Patriots, as previously told to you on this very site, is O.V.E.R, OVER.  

Speaking of OVER, let’s get to this week’s action.  This weekend’s four playoff match-ups leave the P4P team with some very strong opinions about who will advance, who will go home, and who will cover the point spread.  Saturday’s Games feature Arizona at New Orleans and a night-cap of the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Indianapolis Colts.  New Orleans is a 7 point favorite with a point TOTAL of 57 in game 1 and Indianapolis is a 6 1/2 point favorite with a point TOTAL of 44 in game 2.

Starting with game 2 tonight, we fully expect this battle to be an all out brawl.  Ray Lewis will be at his entertaining, intimidating, passionate, insane best tonight.  He will be playing with a passion similar to the hatred the Raven fans have for their former beloved COLTS and the Irsay family who bailed on Baltimore several decades ago under the cover of darkness.  The Ravens will leave it all on the field, as they say, but will it be enough against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts?  We don’t think so.  Manning will have a little early rust but will maximize the Colts offensive possessions with pretty high efficiency.  We expect the Colts to score.  We expect Baltimore to grind the clock with Ray Rice and limit Manning’s touches.  What does it all mean?  We expect Indy to shake off the early rust and ultimately win this game.  They may in fact cover the spread, but with the line @ - 6 1/2, we’d recommend buying it down to 6.  With the wackiness of the NFL, the half-point hook bothers us.  OUR Recommendation for this game: Indy-Baltimore  OVER 44 

The first game of the day should be an old fashioned barnburner.  The scoreboard should be rolling like a pinball machine similar to last week’s game between the Packers and Cardinals.  The game should be wildly entertaining, high scoring, and should come down to one of these defenses finally stopping the other teams offense.  I don’t think we’ll see 96 points like we did last weekend, but the Saints and Cardinals will light up the Super Dome which will be electric.  Who Dat?  The Cardinals, Dat Who.  We don’t know if Kurt Warner and the Cards will pull off the win in the Big Easy, but we do know that the reigning NFC champs won’t go out like punks.  OUR Recommendations:  Arizona +7 and OVER 57

Enjoy the entertainment that is the NFL.  These guys, our modern day gladiators laying it all on the line.  Play wise, play smart, play on, PLAYERS!!!

Picks4Players On Campus - Check out today’s FREE College Football Winners

Picks4Players Top College football picks for Saturday, October 17^th.

HOME TEAM IN CAPS

 

ALABAMA -17 ½ over South Carolina

The Alabama defense has been dominant, giving up less than 90 yards in the first half of 4 out 6 games on the year.  South Carolina has been giving up 4.3 yards per rush and QB Steven Garcia has been very erratic leading the ‘Cocks.  If Alabama gets up early, Garcia will have a difficult time playing catch up and he will commit turnovers leading to a run-a-way victory for the Crimson Tide.

 

ARIZONA -4  over Stanford

Arizona is looking for revenge over Stanford after last years defeat.  This will be toughest test the Stanford ground game has had to face all year and we think the Stanford defense was exposed last week against Oregon State.  Look for Arizona QB Nick Foles to continue his hot play over the past couple of weeks.

 

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE +4 1/2  over Mississippi State

Why Mississippi State would schedule this game on the road is a head scratcher.  They are going to get ambushed this week facing a good Middle Tennessse State team that can put some points on the board. This game is also on TV which should get the home crowd fired up more than usual.  A MTSU game usually equals lots of moonshine, some being consumed out of Souvenir Ketchup Bottles that look like Curt Schilling.  Now when you add a national TV audience, I don’t know if we’ll be able to keep all of our teeth in place for this one.

 

ARIZONA STATE -6 ½ over Washington

This line just keeps climbing and with good reason.  Washington gives up more yards on the ground than any Pac 10 team.  With the late start in Tempe, look for the Sun Devil co-eds to be both liquored up and fired up for this one.  Jake Locker simply can’t do it himself for the Huskies, but count on him having a great time after the game with a few of the aforementioned ASU co-eds.  He is a stud.

 

WISCONSIN -2 ½ over Iowa

Wisky outgained Ohio State by over 200 yards last week and we think they will give the Iowa defense all it can handle this week.  Iowa has not run the ball particularly well this year and when they have to pass look for the Wisconsin defense to get a couple of picks.  As an added bonus, Wisky is playing this with revenge from last year.

 

TEXAS -3 over Oklahoma

Everyone will tell you Oklahoma has a great pass defense but other than BYU who have they faced that can really throw the ball?  Look for Texas to have some success throwing the ball while the Texas defensive line will give Sam Bradford all he can handle.  Remember Bradford will be without all world TE Gresham for the remainder of the year.

 

COLORADO +10 over Kansas

The Kansas defense has been brutal over the past 2 weeks yielding over 32 points per game.  Colorado’s new QB who looked impressive last week should have a big day throwing the ball and keeping this one close the entire way.  It would not be a surprise to see Colorado win the game.

P4P ‘en fuego’ ATS, win week #5 of the National Handicappers Bowl

Your consulting team at Picks4Players continues our consistent and strong selecting of football games ATS (Against The Spread).  With a big weekend last week in which we were 3 for 3 in our 5 star selections, P4P won Week #6 of the NHB and climbed to third overall.  

In fact, with our recent hot streak we’ve adopted the title of ‘The Nipsy Russell’ of Sports Handicapping:                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Track P4P on-line, or follow our tweets, our free selections, can’t be beats.  Add us to your favorites, and tell all of your peeps, P4P’s may be FREE, but we’re playing for keeps.

Check back soon for Saturday’s College Football Breakdown and Check back tomorrow for the NFL.  As always, our selections are FREE, FREE, FREE!!!!

Unparalleled Research + Strong Hunches = FREE College Football Winners all day from your P4P consulting team

Top College football picks for Saturday, October 3^rd.

 

HOME TEAM IN CAPS

 

GEORGIA -3 ½  over Lsu

There is a reason the #4 LSU Tigers are the underdog.  That reason, they are just not very good.  They have underachieved all year and ascended to the #4 ranking almost by default.  With Florida up next on their schedule, look for LSU to peek ahead and not come with full focus in this one.  Standout Georgia WR A.J. Green gets 2 TD’s today against the Bengal Tigers and the carousel that is the top 5 will continue to spin. 

 

Florida St. -3 ½  over BOSTON COLLEGE

Florida St. goes on the road after the embarrassing loss to South Florida and they are pissed.  Things were so intense at practices in Tallahassee this week that Coach Bowden had to twice replace his yellow sniper safety glasses.  He’ll have on a new pair today, rain or shine on Chestnut Hill. Too much speed and power from the Seminoles for Boston College to handle.  FSU’s Chris Ponder should throw for more than 300 yards in this one against a weak BC secondary.  BC’s run of good fortune is over with this wake up call. 

 

North Carolina St +2 over WAKE FOREST

The NC State offense is clicking on all cylinders, throwing for over 300 yards and 4 TD last week.  NC State also has one of the top defenses in the nation giving up less than 300 yards in every game this year.  Take the home underdog WolfPack on the money line if you are feeling great down on Tobacco Road.  P4Ps stone-cold, lead-pipe lock on this one: Lots of chewing tobacco, dipping and all three phases of smoking from the CeeGar, to the traditional cigarette, to the wacky tobacky (not to be confused with former standout Tobacky Jones).  Let’s get real though, the only reason for anyone else in the country to watch this game is if you’ve got some action on it.

 

MIAMI +7 over Oklahoma

Bounce back game for Miami after their disaster last week.  Hurricane stud QB Jacory Harris should play well this week in the friendly confines of the Orange Bowl, I mean Joe Robbie, no wait, Pro Player, oops I mean Land Shark stadium or whatever the F you call the home turf of once mighty, and almost back, the U.  Oklahoma will be without Sam Bradford again and the speedy Miami defense will give back-up Landry Jones all he can handle.  This game will go down to the wire and we’ll gladly take the touchdown cushion at home.

 

Usc -4 over CAL

USC has dominated this series over the last 5 years and you have to wonder how Cal QB Kevin Riley will respond should he get off to a slow start.  For those of you who are thinking that Cal’s blowout loss last Saturday to Oregon was just a one-time deal or an abberation, guess again.  In fact loyal bear backer Ken Miles has coined an adjective for this recurrent type of Bear’s loss, typi-CAL. Whether it’s going back to promising turned disappointing weekends of the Rich Campbell and Gale Gilbert eras to present day scenarios, Cal just refuses to get over the hump and get it done.  In addition, USC will be extremely motivated to play this one for injured RB Stafon Johnson, who was almost killed in a weightlifting accident.  In what should be a low scoring game, look for the USC offense to do enough to pull out a 10 point win.

 

ARIZONA STATE -4 ½ over Oregon State

The opportunistic ASU defense is the real deal, leading the nation in turnover margin.  They battled Georgia between the Hedges and more than held their own.  Oregon State has been less than impressive in the early going and should have a very difficult time doing anything offensively with Sean “Turnover Machine” Canfield at QB.  The ASU passing attack makes the difference in this one.

 

Ucla +5 over STANFORD

Ucla has had 2 weeks to prepare and get QB Kevin Craft ready and love him or hate him, but Skippy Neuheisel can coach.  Also extremely well coached and highly physical Stanford is coming off their emotional win over Washington and now play against one of the most underrated defenses in the nation.  Stanford RB Toby Gerhart is going to have a tough day against this defense.  Take the Bruins plus the 5.

  

Northwestern +7 over PURDUE

This game will be a shootout.  If you like points then you will like this game.  A welcome break from most of what Big-10 football is all about these days.  Most games from this second tier conference are snooze fests.  In fact, I recently called my cable provider to ask them to remove Big-10 TV from our channel line-up.  No such luck.  We like Northwestern to keep this close since the Purdue defense couldn’t stop anyone if it wanted too.  OVER 57 would seem to be a safe bet here as well.

 

That’s all for today.  Play wise, play smart, manage your account and play on Players!! 

 

Good Luck!!!

Picks4Players White Hot Selections- NFL Week # 3 and all for FREE, FREE, FREE

Here are PICKS4PLAYERS BEST BETS for NFL week 3. 

As always, proceed with caution and play at your own risk.

 

Tennessee @ NY Jets, 1 pm EST

Current Line: NY Jets -2 

The desperate (0-2) Tennessee Titans have their backs against the wall as they face the flying high (2-0) Jets of New Jersey.  We have to believe that proven, skilled, defensive tactician Jeff Fisher will have the Titans motivated and ready to attack Jets’ rookie QB Mark ‘Dirty Sanchise’ Sanchez.  Look for Tennessee to shorten the game using their potent ground attack while the Tennessee defense shuts down the Jets running game leaving Sanchez in some difficult 3^rd and long situations. 

Our Pick: Tennessee +2

 

Jacksonville @ Houston, 1 pm EST

Current Line: Houston -3 ½  

After falling flat in week one, Houston rebounded to defeat Tennessee in week two.  We think last weeks win will carry over to this Sunday when Jacksonville comes to town.  Houston is typically very strong at home, so we think that the week 1 loss at home was an exception.  Jacksonville has struggled on offense and the Jags haven’t seemed to respond well to Head-Coach Jake Del Rio’s act for the last 2 plus years, and we see no reason for that to change this week.  Look for Matt ‘Stump the’ Schaub to have strong numbers today (for you fantasy tools).

Our Pick: Houston -3 ½

 

San Francisco @ Minnesota, 1 pm EST

Current Line: Minnesota -6 ½   

After 2 relatively easy wins on the road at Cleveland and Detroit, Minnesota returns home for their opener at the Metrodome to face the rejuvenated 49ers.  This is a huge benchmark game for the 49ers whose new found toughness on both sides of the ball will be challenged today all the way to the end regardless of the score.  If the 49ers can find a way to win this one, then Coach Singletary and his men will have climbed a certain hill on the 49er organization’s road back to NFL respectability.   We see this as a defensive battle with both teams staying with the ground game for as long as they can.  In the end this will be a battle of field goals, so instead of picking a side….

Our Pick: UNDER 40

 

Green Bay @ St. Louis, 1 pm EST

Current Line: Green Bay -6 ½

Green Bay has struggled in pass protection early on, but a game against probably the worst team in the NFL will be a cure all.  After last weeks disappointing loss to Cincinnati, Green Bay will be extra motivated to get a win this week.  St. Louis’ anemic offense has only 1 touchdown in 8 quarters this year.

Our Pick: Green Bay -6 ½

 

Atlanta @ New England, 1 pm EST

Current Line: New England -4 ½

New England could very easily be 0-2 heading into this game while Atlanta heads on the road for the first time this year.  We’ve been telling you for two years that the tainted and stained New England ‘dynasty’ is over and they’ve done nothing this season to suggest anything other than mediocrity. New England has some injury issues at wide receiver and their lackluster defense will have all kinds of problems stopping Atlanta’s Michael Turner.  Also, the Pats have nobody to match-up with new Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez.  Atlanta has the better defense and ground game, which are the 2 biggest factors in winning on the road in the NFL.

Our Pick: Atlanta +4 ½

 

Indianapolis @ Arizona

Current Line: Arizona –2 1/2

The Indy defense has to be tired after chasing the Miami offense last Monday.  Now they have to come back on a short week to chase the Arizona receivers all over the field.  The Arizona defense is very underrated and should match up well against the Indy receivers.  We llo for this to be a high scoring affair.  Arizona will not be able to be as successful at keeping Peyton Manning off the field.  Miami’s 8 minute drives severely limited the Colts’ offensive touches yet they were still able to score almost at will.  Two of their touchdowns were scored in less than 45 seconds.

Our Picks: Arizona –2 1/2 and OVER 48

Friday Night Lights- College Football WAC Throwdown in California’s Central Valley

National darling Boise State hits the road this Friday night for an ESPN showdown in Fresno against the Bulldogs of Fresno State. Boise is riding high after dismantling Oregon in their opener and then destroying Miami, Ohio last weekend 48-0. Fresno State returns home after a valiant effort on the road in Madison against Big-10 foe Wisconsin. This game is a great early season WAC match-up that features Boise State as a 7 1/2 point road favorite. The estimated total on the game is 53 1/2 points.

If you’ve been a loyal P4P follower then you know we are big fans of Fresno State and Head Coach Pat Hill’s ‘anyone, anywhere, any time’ mantra. Boise is very good and this will be tough. The Broncos defense is not at full strength and Fresno moved the ball very well, for awhile, against Wisconsin last week. We expect Boise to pull this one out, but getting the extra 1/2 point hook over the touchdown spread sways us to the Bulldogs side. Also, while we expect a good offensive game, we think that 53 1/2 points are too many tonight.
Our selections tonight: FRESNO STATE + 7 1/2 and UNDER 53 1/2

Check back with us tomorrow about 30 minutes prior to the first kickoff of the day and as always, follow us on Twitter.
Good luck and play on player!!!

NFL Opening Sunday- R U ready 4 some football?

Here are our top picks for NFL week 1.

Philadelphia @ Carolina , 1pm est
Current Line: Philadelphia -2 1/2
The Eagles are replacing the deceased Jim Johnson at defensive coordinator and Carolina who was 12-4 a year ago seems to not be getting the respect it deserves. So Jake Delhomme had a bad playoff game. Big deal…He’s done that before and bounced back nicely. Expect him to be solid today. The Panthers are consistently one of the best home dogs in the NFL.
Our Pick: Carolina +2 1/2

Denver @ Cincinnati, 1pm est
Current Line: Cincinnati -4
Denver didn’t do much this off-season to fix their broken defense and Cincinnati is flying under the radar….no arrests in 6 months! Look for Carson Palmer and Ochocinco to re-establish themselves as one of the best QB/WR combos in the league.
Our Pick: Cincinnati -4

Minnesota @ Cleveland, 1pm est
Current Line: Minnesota -4
Minnesota returns just about everyone from one of the dominant defenses in the NFL. Not a good recipe for Brady Quinn to make his opening season start. Mangini is not a good leader and this is not a good Cleveland team. Minnesota will be looking to show they belong with the Super Bowl contenders and an opening win on the road will get them off to a good start. Look for a steady diet of Adrian Peterson sprinkled in with some play-action fakes and Favre going over the to Percy Harvin.
Our Pick: Minnesota -4

Dallas @ Tampa Bay, 1pm est
Current Line: Dallas -4 1/2
This line has dropped all week, opening at -6 and this makes no sense. TB just fired its offensive coordinator and has a new coaching staff. Typically this doesn’t work out well in week one. Dallas has the better ground game and better defense. Look for Romo to connect early and often with TE Jason Witten, and look for Romo to establish a nice working relationship with wide-out Roy Williams. The passing game and the entire team will benefit through addition by the subtraction of T.O. In the second half it should be a lot of Marion barber running it right down the Bucs’ throats.
Our Pick: Dallas -4 1/2

San Francisco @ Arizona, 4:15pm est
Current Line: Arizona -6
Stat of the week: The last 6 Super Bowl losers are 0-6 against the spread in there first game following the Super Bowl. San Francisco always plays Arizona tough and should have beaten them last year in Arizona. Boldin says he’ll play but his hamstrings are as touchy as he is temperamental. The 49ers will keep this close as Frank Gore grinds away.
Our Pick: San Francisco +6

Chicago @ Green Bay, 8:20pm est
Current Line: Green Bay -4
We are not ones to pay too much attention to the pre-season but Green Bay’s #1 offense was almost unstoppable scoring on 11 of 13 possessions. New Green Bay D-Coordinator, Dom Capers, will have his defense ready to play and look for a Green Bay blowout.
Our Pick: Green Bay –4

On the TOTALS end of today’s action, we like a few OVER/UNDER plays that you may want to consider:

Baltimore @ KC total points: 36 - Take the UNDER: Scott Pioli and Todd Haley will eventually turn KC around, but not today. Matt Cassell isn’t close to being 100% and this is a tough environment to try to implement a new system in your first game.

NY Jets @ Houston Texans total points: 44 – Take the OVER: We expect the Jets to attempt to come out firing on all cylinders today in Rex Ryan’s debut as head coach. We look for both teams to pressure the quarterback, which will translate to some offensive opportunities downfield as well as some defensive opportunities for interceptions and forced fumbles. P4P is actually expecting at least two defensive scores in this game and a point total in the 50s.

Chicago Bears @ Green Bay total points 46 ½ - Take the OVER: Chicago didn’t get Jay Cutler to ignite their running game. Look for these 2009 more balanced bears to get up and down the field more than we’re used to seeing. Green Bay’s first team offense was virtually unstoppable in the preseason and the night should be electric in Green Bay as the NFL wraps up the first Sunday of the season.

As always from your friends at www.Picks4Players.com, play wise, play smart, play on, player!!!!

Follow us on Twitter and look for our post tomorrow for Monday night’s double-header.

College Football Saturday- Week 2

After doing extensive research, here are P4P’s favorite college games for the second weekend of the 2009 season.

Friday night we like Toledo to cover (+3 1/2) against Colorado. Toledo had
almost 500 yards last week in a losing effort and they are home
tonight on ESPN. Also, with that much offense, take the OVER at 55.

SATURDAY:

Vanderbilt +14 1/2 over LSU down on the Bayou.
LSU is 1-16 at home against the spread (ATS) in games v. the SEC. Vandy coach Bobby Johnson says this
is their deepest team in a long time and they return 19 of 22 starters. Vandy is also featuring a new no-huddle offense
that enabled them to totally dismantle Western Carolina in the opener. LSU battled and survived against a rejuvenated
Washington squad last week in Seattle and will be excited to be in front of their toothless fans for their home opener tonight.
Excitement sometimes equals jitters and mistakes. Look for Vanderbilt to cover the number and if you want a little extra action,
take OVER the 44 1/2 total.

South Carolina (+7) over Georgia between the hedges in Athens, GA
Check the history on this one, in 7 of the last 8 meetings between these two teams, the winner has scored
less than 20 points. While the Cocks didn’t light it up offensively in their opener, they had plenty of opportunities. Spurrier and his
Cocks will score some and will cover the touchdown spread.

USC -7 over Ohio St. at the Horseshoe in Columbus
Pete Carroll is 6-0 v. the Big 10 and 11-2 when a team is facing his teams
in a revenge game. Ohio State and Terrell Prior will have to make huge plays all
night long to keep up with USC in this Rose Bowl rematch

UCLA +10 over Tennessee
The spread has jumped 3 points (from -7 to -10 this week) Norm Chow
will be ready for Tennessee, where he spent time as the NFL Titans offensive coordinator. This will be an
interesting game with many story lines from Lane Kiffin and his dad Monte taking over in Knoxville to Skippy Neuheisel
at the helm of his alma mater with renewed expectations for success for the Bruins. With such a dramatic swing in
the spread, we see no other choice than going the other way. 10 points is too much to spot UCLA.

Wake Forest -3 over Stanford
The old 9am start on the Stanford body clocks is always a serious disadvantage for the West Coast team heading East.
Plus this is second road game in a row to start the Cardinal’s season and while Harbaugh is preaching all the right things
to his players, it’s hard to imagine that this group has the mental or physical toughness to overcome these obstacles. Even good
teams that travel West to East struggle, so things don’t look good for Stanford, but it looks like a golden opportunity for you the
‘player’. Also, Wake Forest runs a triple option offense that confuses teams.

Kansas -11 over UTEP
Kansas 20-5 ATS as favorite and 17-3 ATS after a win. UTEP is on a
big downer after losing to Buffalo. Look for the rebirth of the University of Texas
at El intercepted Paso today as Coach ‘Slim’ Mangino and the Jayhawks roll over the Miners.

Houston/Oklahoma St. over 67
This is an all offense special. 2 high powered spread offenses. This should be fun to watch.

Air Force +4 over Minnesota
Minnesota is 4-21 when giving up more than 200 yards rushing and look for the Falcons to gain more
than 200 yards on the ground and cover the 4 point spread.

Oregon -11 over Purdue
Oregon will be fired up and has had a long time to prepare for this
one. They are 15-6 ATS at home and Purdue gave up 500 yards and 26
first downs last week. Oregon is moving forward after a tumultuous opening week
and look for them to explode today and release a ton of pent up frustration.

Here are a few others that you may want to consider:

Iowa St. +6 over Iowa
Iowa lost its star RB Jewel Hampton in the last week of training camp and will start Red-Shirt Freshman
Adam Robinson in his place. Iowa State is 6-0 in non-conference revenge games and this in-state rivalry
will be attended by none other than Iowa governor Chet Culver himself. This should be a tight game all the
way down to the wire.

Auburn -15 over Mississippi St.
Mississippi St. has scored 1 TD in the last 4 years against Auburn. Did we mention that Mississippi State has scored
only one touchdown against the Tigers in the last four years. Look for Auburn in a rout.

Tulane +18 over BYU
Sandwhich game for BYU. Stormin’ Mormons may be looking past the Green Wave as they play Florida State next week.
BYU’s huge win last week over #1 Oklahoma was special, but there could be and should be a little bit of a let down.
They will win, but 18 is too big a number today.

From your squad here at P4P, Good luck. Play wise, play smart, play on player.

Finally, don’t forget to follow Picks4Players on Twitter