2014 SEC Predictions and College Football Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/25/2014

There exists the idea in college football that there is the SEC and then there is everyone else. The idea is that this conference is some kind of behemoth, playing at a level above and beyond the rest of the nation. Well, that idea is a media-driven falsehood. It is myth, like Southern Hospitality. And now that ESPN has a hefty financial stake in this myth, you can expect several more years of hype-fueled fellatio directed at the South’s most far-reaching social contribution of the last 30 years.

2014 ACC Predictions and College Football Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/25/2014

It’s a new year but the same story for the ACC: parity or mediocrity? The conference does boast the defending BCS National Champion with Florida State. But they have gone just 4-13 in BCS bowl games and still have too many 7-6-caliber teams populating the league.

2014 Big Ten Conference Predictions and College Football Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/19/2014

One thing that the league does have going for it is experience. Five of the Top 20 most experienced teams in the nation hail from the Big Ten. However, the five most storied programs – Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Michigan are rated No. 75 or worse in terms of lettermen returning. So talent vs. experience will be a theme all season long around this topsy-turvy conference.

2014 Big 12 Conference Predictions and College Football Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/19/2014

Pass happy and hungry, the Big 12 is set for another exciting season in 2014. No conference in the country has suffered as much at the hands of realignment. But as opposed to other leagues like the Big East, the Big 12 has held firm and soldiered one as one of the power leagues in all of college football.

2014 American Athletic Conference Predictions and College Football Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/19/2014

The American Athletic Conference is an imposter. It is a hobo, formerly known as Conference USA, with a stolen tuxedo and a $50 haircut. And this hodgepodge of third-rate programs, from New England to Texas, has linked up to created a wannabe power football conference.

2014 NFC South Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/13/2014

In one of the stranger streaks in all of football, the NFC South still has never had a back-to-back division champion. That is 11 straight years of complete and utter chaos, worst-to-first shenanigans, and general Southern unpredictability. Given that Carolina, last year’s where-the-hell-did-they-come-from winner, has undergone a sizeable roster turnover this offseason I think it is reasonable to expect the South’s streak to be extended.

2014 NFC East Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/4/2014

The NFC East has been a puddle of mediocrity over the last two seasons and has sent just one representative to the NFC Championship Game over the last five years. The East has experienced back-to-back worst-to-first finishes. They’ve had just two teams in the last three years win double-digit games, and it has been four years since a team has won more than 10 contests.

2014 NFC West Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/4/2014

It was just four short seasons ago that the NFC West became the butt of national sports jokes by producing the first division winner with a 7-9 record in league history. That was rock bottom for what had been the worst division in the league for nearly a decade.

2014 NFC North Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/4/2014

Change is in the air in the NFC North. One year after rookie coach Marc Trestman took over in Chicago, two more fresh headmasters join the fray. Jim Caldwell and Mike Zimmer have been brought in to inject life into sagging Detroit and Minnesota teams, respectively, in an attempt to dethrone the Green Bay Packers from atop the North standings.

2014 AFC West Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/1/2014

Statistically speaking, the two best divisions in football last year were the AFC West and the NFC West. Teams from those two divisions accounted for five of the 12 postseason slots (and that doesn’t include a 10-win Arizona team), and the Super Bowl representative for each conference hailed from out west.

2014 AFC South Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/1/2014

Much like the AFC East, the AFC South is ostensibly a one-horse race. With one franchise dominating this division for over a decade and three floundering organizations scrambling to catch up, the South is a pretty cut-and-dried example of how parity has not completely enveloped the NFL.

2014 AFC East Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/31/2014

The Patriots are going to win the AFC East. The End. My brevity is only partially in jest. The AFC East has been one of the biggest mismatches in the NFL over the past decade-plus. New England has won the division 11 times in 13 years, and according to Sportsbook.ag the Patriots are an overwhelming -300 favorite to win the title again in 2014.

2014 AFC North Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/31/2014

At a time when the rest of the NFL is still going pass-wacky and soft, it’s nice to see that the AFC North remembers its roots. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Baltimore comprise one of the most rugged, physical and violent divisions in all of football. As such, it is also the most competitive division in the AFC and the one grouping without a clear-cut favorite heading into the season.

Betting the Cleveland Browns once Johnny Manziel Starts
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2014

On a personal level, I don’t have much to add to the Johnny Manziel discussion that hasn’t already been said: The Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback is a jerk. Manziel is a spoiled brat, an arrogant shit, and an unrepentant troll. But we already knew this. The question now is how will markets respond to Manziel when he becomes the Browns starting quarterback and how should we bet Cleveland once he takes the reins?

2014 Arizona State Sun Devils Season Win Total NCAA Football Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2014

The Sun Devils had a fantastic season in Todd Graham’s second year at the helm, winning 10 regular season games and earning a spot in the Pac-12 title game. Unfortunately they did close the year with two upset losses and this season they welcome back just eight total starters.

2014 Washington Huskies Season Win Total NCAA Football Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2014

Old coach Steve Sarkisian brought some excitement to Washington. Now new coach Chris Petersen has brought some intrigue to the Huskies. Petersen left Boise State after an absurdly successful run leading the Broncos. And now he will be tasked with picking up where Sarkisian left off in Seattle.

2014 California Golden Bears Season Win Total NCAA Football Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2014

Things got real ugly, real quickly for Sonny Dykes and Cal last year. Cal barely held off Portland State for their lone victory last season. But the rest of the season they spent getting absolutely hammered, losing by an average of 22.9 points per game. Cal has gone just 4-20 straight up and 5-19 against the spread the last two seasons and they are one of the weakest programs in the nation.

2014 Washington State Cougars Season Win Total NCAA Football Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2014

Mike Leach has rescued the Washington State program from the abyss, leading them to their first bowl game in a decade last year. Unfortunately that bowl game ended in one of the biggest collapses I can remember – with Wazzou blowing a 15-point lead in the last three minutes – but hopefully it is a springboard for this Cougars program.

2014 Utah Utes Season Win Total NCAA Football Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2014

How much do you think Utah misses the Mountain West? The Utes have floundered in the Pac-12, seeing their league win percentage stay below .500 in each of their three seasons since joining the conference. Kyle Whittingham is entering his 10th season. But if he can’t find a way to snap a two-year bowl drought then the seat could warm up in a hurry.

2014 Colorado Buffaloes Season Win Total NCAA Football Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2014

Former Alabama assistant coach Mike MacIntyre is entering Year 2 of his complete overhaul of the Colorado program. The Buffaloes have been in the Pac-12 for three seasons but they are still adjusting to the venues and style of play. But this could be a year to make some progress.