College Football Odds - Armed Forces Bowl

What: Armed Forces Bowl
Who: California (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3)
Where: Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
When: Monday, 12:30 p.m.
WagerWeb.com line: Cal -4.5

Disappointing California of the Pac-10 faces Air Force from the Mountain West in Monday's first bowl game of six.

On Oct. 13, the Golden Bears were ranked No. 2 in the AP poll and were in position to possibly move into the No. 1 spot after LSU was upset by Kentucky earlier in the day. Instead they were stunned 31-28 by Oregon State at home, which is when the wheels began to fall off.

A loss to Air Force would punctuate the Bears' season-ending collapse while a win would provide a bit of momentum for next season.

"If you have any pride as a team, you don't want to go down as a losing team," linebacker Worrell Williams said. "You don't want to go down as the team that broke the streak as a winning program. That's going through everyone's mind. We all are going out there with that approach."

To win, Cal will need to stop Air Force receiver/returner Chad Hall. The senior compiled a school-record 2,504 all-purpose yards and is No. 2 on the all-time list with 1,415 rushing yards. He is the lone player in the nation to lead his team in both rushing and receiving (46 catches for 488 yards).He was named the conference's offensive player of the year, leading the Mountain West in all-purpose yards, rushing and scoring, and ranking second in punt-return average and ninth in kick returns.

He averaged 13.2 touches during the Falcons' 3-2 start but has averaged 31.7 while Air Force was winning six of its last seven.

First-year coach Troy Calhoun led the Falcons to the nation's second-best turnaround - from 4-8 to 9-3.

This is Air Force's first bowl game in five years.

Cal's offense was supposed to be one of the nation's best behind QB Nate Longshore, RB Justin Forsett and WR DeSean Jackson.

But Longshore missed the loss to Oregon State with an ankle injury, and threw 11 interceptions in six games after returning the next week. It hampered the Bears, who averaged 39.4 points and 426 yards of offense in their first five games, but only 20.3 points and 380 yards in their final seven.

Forsett ranked second in the Pac-10 and 19th in the nation with 116.9 ypg on the ground, accounting for 13 rushing touchdowns. Jackson had a disappointing season, with 60 catches for 681 yards and five TDs.

The Bears' defense held only two opponents to less than 20 points this season, resulting in a scoring defense that allowed 26 ppg. The run defense was especially suspect as it permitted 151.9 ypg, ranking seventh in the Pac-10 and 58th in the country.

Air Force, meanwhile, ranked second in the country with 298.5 ypg on the ground.

Prediction: If Cal shows any interest, it should win somewhat easily. Cal 41, Air Force 28.

NFL Odds - Titans vs. Colts

You know things are a bit abnormal when the 13-2 Indianapolis ColtsWagerWeb.com. The reason being: The Colts' opponents, the Tennessee Titans, must win to make the playoffs, while Indy is locked into its playoff seed and has a bye week upcoming, so many starters are likely to sit.

If the Titans lose, they are eliminated, and Cleveland will advance to the postseason, regardless of the result of the Browns' game against San Francisco.

Whichever team makes it will play at either San Diego or Pittsburgh in a wild-card game next week.

"This is a playoff game for us, and that's how we have to play," said Tennessee running back LenDale White.

The Titans are expected to see lots of Colts backup QB Jim Sorgi on Sunday night along with other backups like running backs Kenton Keith and Clifton Dawson; in fact, Indy coach Tony Dungy said Sorgi will play at least a half. Still, the Titans are preparing for the Colts' best in Peyton Manning (323-499 completions, 3,945 yards, 64.7 pct., 31 TD, 14 INT, 98.0 passer rating), running back Joseph Addai (257 carries, 1,045 yards, 12 TD) and receiver Reggie Wayne (92 receptions, 1,423 yards, 10 TD).

"If they put other guys in there, that's fine," Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said. "They've been doing that all year you know. Plugging guys in and out when guys got hurt. They're still 13-2, and Peyton Manning still has phenomenal numbers."

One player the Colts apparently will have is receiver Marvin Harrison.He is likely to start after finally practicing this week in a return from a left knee injury that has sidelined him most of the season.

Though Harrison was listed as questionable on the Colts' injury report after Friday's workout, Dungy had said before the session that he expected Harrison to start. He would not commit to a number of plays for the eight-time Pro Bowler.

"But he'll start the game and we'll see how it goes," he said before the practice.

Tennessee's injury news is good as well. Star defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth took part in his first full practice since Nov. 30 on Thursday, and he couldn't have been happier.

"I've still got to knock some of this rust off. Playing helps, but I want to get back to playing the good technique where I was at before I left," Haynesworth said.He originally strained his right hamstring Nov. 4 against Carolina late in a game where he had a career-high three sacks. He missed three games – all Titans' losses - and has started three of the last four but says he is finally close to 100 percent.

Meanwhile, starting cornerback Nick Harper returned to practice Friday. The former Colt injured his groin during warmups before last Sunday's 10-6 victory over the New York Jets and did not play.

The strength of Tennessee's offense is running the ball with RBs White (287 carries, 1,065 yards, 7 TD) and Chris Brown (95 carries, 440 yards, 4 TD). White is a strong runner, who is a load to bring down and he went over the 1,000-yard mark last weekend. The Colts give up 107.5 yards on the ground per game.

The Titans have the No. 6 run defense in the NFL and allow 95.5 yards per game on the ground.

Prediction: Hard to bet against Tennessee here. Titans 21, Colts 20.

Betting trends

The Titans are 6-8 ATS.
The Titans are 3-3 ATS away.
The Titans are 3-5 ATS as the favorite.
The Titans are 1-0 ATS as an away favorite.
The Colts are 9-6 ATS.
The Colts are 5-2 ATS at home.
The Colts are 1-0 ATS as the underdog.
The Colts are 1-0 ATS as a home underdog.More NFL Trends.

More NFL Trends. are 5.5-point home underdogs, as they are this week on

NFL Odds - Vikings vs. Broncos

The Minnesota Vikings will take the field Sunday afternoon against Denver not knowing their playoff fate. The host Broncos are 3-point underdogs, with an over/under of 41.5.

Because of last week's loss to the Redskins, Minnesota must win and hope Washington loses at home to Dallas on Sunday. The Cowboys, however, have already locked up the top seed in the conference and figure to rest star receiver Terrell Owens while limiting quarterback Tony Romo, who is nursing a bruised right thumb.

Both Minnesota and Denver have solid ground games.

The Vikings boast the best tandem in the NFL in Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. With 1,305 yards, Peterson trails San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson by 113 yards and Pittsburgh's Willie Parker by 11 for the NFL rushing title. Parker, however, was placed on injured reserve, and Tomlinson isn't likely to play a full game as the AFC West champion Chargers face Oakland.

"He sure doesn't look like a rookie," Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan said of Peterson. "You could tell why his collegiate career was so impressive, even though he was hampered with some injuries.

However, Peterson may have hit the rookie wall. He has gained 3, 78 and 27 yards in his past three outings.

The Broncos, meanwhile, have nothing to play for and enter the game giving up an average of 140.7 yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry on the ground. But expect them to focus on Peterson.

Shanahan gets great production from a two-back system that uses RB Travis Henry and rookie Selvin Young.

Between the two of them they have gained 1,283 yards and average 4.9 yards per carry.However, the Vikings are holding opponents to 70.5 yards per game or 3.0 yards per carry. Only three teams have topped 100 rushing yards against the Vikings this season and only one - Dallas - gained more than 125 yards (128).

The Vikings own the worst defense in the NFL when it comes to defending the pass. They are giving up an average of 266.1 yards per game through the air. Five teams have topped 300 passing yards against the Vikings, eight have topped 250 yards.That could mean a big day from Denver QB Jay Cutler.

Cutler has been much more effective at home this season, throwing for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions with a 69.5 completion percentage. He has thrown seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions for a 124.4 passer rating in his last three home games.

Minnesota QB Tarvaris Jackson, meanwhile, has thrown five interceptions in his last two games after throwing two in his previous seven contests.

Even with a win Sunday, Denver is assured of its worst season since it finished 6-10 in 1999, and only its second losing season in the 13-year Shanahan era. The Broncos had been the only team in the league with a .500 record or better in every season since 2000.

Denver has lost four straight against NFC opponents and has only 16 total points in its last two games.

But the Vikings haven't won a December game with a game-time temperature of less than 50 degrees since defeating the New York Giants 34-17 at Giants Stadium on Dec. 26, 1999.

Overall, the Vikings have lost 13 of their past 15 outdoor games in December. The other victory came earlier this season at San Francisco, where it was 53 degrees at game time on Dec. 9. It is supposed to be a high of 41 on Sunday in Denver.

Prediction: Three NFC teams, the Vikings, Saints and Redskins, all must win to keep playoff hopes alive.

Past history would suggest all three of them doing so against teams with nothing to play is unlikely. And I think the Vikes are the ones going down. Denver 24, Minnesota 17.

Betting Trends

The Vikings are 7-6 ATS.
The Vikings are 3-2 ATS away.
The Vikings are 4-2 ATS as the favorite.
The Vikings are 1-0 ATS as an away favorite.
The Broncos are 4-11 ATS.
The Broncos are 3-4 ATS at home.
The Broncos are 2-5 ATS as the underdog.
The Broncos are 1-0 ATS as a home underdog.

More NFL Trends.

College Football Odds - Independence Bowl

What: Independence Bowl
Who: Alabama (6-6) vs. Colorado (6-6)
Where: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La.
When: Sunday, 8 p.m.
WagerWeb.com line: Alabama -3.5 (52)

The SEC's Alabama Crimson Tide, on a four-game losing streak, face the Big 12's Colorado Buffaloes in Sunday's only bowl game; it's the second straight Independence Bowl for the Tide, as they lost 34-31 to
Oklahoma State last year.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who formerly led LSU, makes his return to Louisiana, and his team is sliding, including yet another loss to archrival Auburn and a shocking upset by Louisiana-Monroe. All of the Tide's four consecutive losses have been by seven points or fewer, and Alabama is trying to avoid its first back-to-back losing seasons in 45 years.

"The most disappointing thing about this season is we didn't finish," Saban said following the 17-10 loss at Auburn in the regular-season finale on Nov. 24. "I failed the players in not getting them to be able to finish. ... The last four games, we didn't finish the way we wanted to finish."

Colorado, under coach Dan Hawkins, has been up-and-down as well, with the Buffs' season highlight an upset of Oklahoma. The Buffaloes look to avoid back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in 22 years.

Both teams struggle somewhat offensively.

The Tide's offense played well through the first nine games, averaging 31.8 points and 395.9 yards whilex committing only 11 turnovers. But in its last three games, Alabama scored just 12.0 points, averaged 302.7 yards and turned the ball over seven times. That averages out to 26.8 ppg and 372.6 ypg on the season.

QB John Parker Wilson has been central in that inconsistency. He has completed 54.9 percent of his passes for 2,590 yards and 15 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. But his quarterback rating of 111.9 was 11th out of the 12 full-time starters in the SEC, and he struggled down the stretch, throwing one touchdown and five interceptions in the last three losses.However, Alabama expects to have its top three running backs healthy for this game in speedy Terry Grant and power runners Roy Upchurch and Glen Coffee. Alabama has had moments of success running the ball. Grant, who led the team with 891 yards rushing, has three 100-yard games and was named the Southeastern Conference's freshman of the week three times. Coffee gained 121 yards on 30 carries against Houston and was his team's leading rusher against Georgia. Upchurch gained 41 yards on eight carries against Auburn.

But at no time since the Ole Miss game on Oct. 13 have all three been able to play in the same game.

QB Cody Hawkins has taken almost every snap for Colorado this season, and he finished with 424 pass attempts in 12 games, an average of over 35 attempts per contest. Hawkins has completed a modest 56.4 percent of his throws for 2,693 yards with 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Like Wilson, he had an up-and-down season, with a rating of 117.4 -- 10th among Big 12 quarterbacks.

The Buffaloes' Hugh Charles was the Big 12's sixth-leading rusher, running for 1,022 yards and eight touchdowns.

On offense, Colorado struggled in its losses, averaging just 15.3 points. In their wins, the Buffaloes scored 39.8.

Defensively, opponents are posting 21.8 ppg and 341.2 total ypg against Alabama, as the team's defense has been solid in most games this year. In fact, only twice did the Tide surrender more than 26 points in a game, and those two came against LSU and Arkansas.

Colorado, on the other hand, ranks in the bottom half nationally in total defense, pass defense, rush defense and scoring defense. The Buffaloes are allowing 389.4 total ypg, and they have been a little better against the run than the pass.

This is the record 55th bowl game for the Tide, who are 1-1 against Colorado: The Buffaloes won the 1969 Liberty Bowl 47-33, while the Tide won the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl 30-25.

Prediction: Alabama seems slightly less inconsistent and better on defense. Tide 21, Buffs 17.

NFL Odds - Saints vs. Bears

What looked when the NFL schedule came out as a key Week 17 game instead is meaningless for one team and could be for the other.

The 7-8 New Orleans Saints, who still have faint playoff hopes, travel to Chicago to face the eliminated 6-9 Bears in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game won by Chicago. This time, New Orleans is a 2-point favorite on WagerWeb.com with an over/under of 40.

New Orleans must win this game and have Washington and Minnesota lose later in the day to earn the final NFC wild-card spot. The Bears were eliminated two weeks ago.

"It's unfortunate, the seasons we've both had. The expectations for both of us were much higher than it what it turned out to be. But the fact is we still have an opportunity," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said.

The fact New Orleans still has a pulse after an 0-4 start says something.

Brees threw nine interceptions and just one TD pass in that 0-4 start. Since then, he's hit for 24 TDs with just seven interceptions.

Brees became the 12th player in NFL history with multiple 4,000-yard passing seasons. He is completing a career-best 68.6 percent of passes and is 10 completions away from the NFL single-season record (Rich Gannon with 418 in 2002).

Look for Brees to look often to star WR Marques Colston, who has a team-high nine TD catches. Colston left last week's game in the first half with a chest contusion that had him spitting up blood but is expected to start.

However, New Orleans' backfield will be missing some key pieces on Sunday.Reggie Bush sat out practice on Friday, and the Saints listed him as out for the game. Bush has practiced just once during the past two weeks as he attempts to recover from a partial tear of the posterior cruciate
ligament in his left knee. He could possibly return for a playoff game.

Aaron Stecker, who started for Bush during the Saints' past three games, also has missed practice this week with a sprained toe. He was excused from practice on Friday because of a death in the family and was listed as questionable.

Pierre Thomas, an undrafted rookie, is expected to start at running back for the Saints.

Chicago's run defense has struggled all season and is currently ranked 24th in the NFL, allowing 124.1 yards per game. The Saints' run defense is coming off a bad game, allowing a season-high 184 yards on 28 carries last week against the Eagles.

Chicago's run game is second-worst in the league, however, with 1,237 yards. Adrian Peterson did run for 102 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries last week vs. Green Bay.

Kyle Orton (285 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) will make his third start in Sunday's finale. In his first two starts this season, he has a 71.4 quarterback rating.

Last week against Green Bay, Orton passed for 101 yards and had a three-yard touchdown to tight end Desmond Clark.

Prediction: The Bears will stay conservative under Orton and run the ball all day, while Brees will try to throw the Saints to victory. Take the team that needs it more. New Orleans 24, Chicago 17.

Betting Trends

The Saints are 6-9 ATS.
The Saints are 4-3 ATS away.
The Saints are 5-8 ATS as the favorite.
The Saints are 3-2 ATS as an away favorite.
The Bears are 6-9 ATS.
The Bears are 2-5 ATS at home.
The Bears are 4-4 ATS as the underdog.
The Bears are 1-1 ATS as a home underdog.

More NFL Trends

Opting for Insurance

Lots of people play blackjack but have no idea how insurance works. Periodically the dealer will ask you if you want make an insurance bet, and most people just say “no” without knowing what the bet offers. The concept is simple enough to understand once you see the numbers.

When the dealer’s up-card is an ace, players have the opportunity of taking insurance before the other card is revealed. In most blackjack games the insurance bet can be as much as half your original bet, and pays 2:1. This bet is made to try and recover the bet you will lose if the dealer has been dealt a natural (two card 21). If the dealer has the natural you won’t lose any money. If the dealer doesn’t have the natural then you need to win your original bet to prevent any loss.You can also take the “even money” bet when you have a natural and the dealer has an ace showing. The dealer will ask if you want even money on your natural and pay you 1:1 instead of 2:1, regardless of his cards. This even-money bet has the same payout as insurance.

The insurance bet is essentially a bet on whether the dealer’s next card will be a 10 or face card. An unbiased insurance wager would actually pay 9:4, or 2.25:1, because in an infinite deck, 4/13 of the cards are tens or face cards. But the casino only pays 2:1 on this bet, giving them a sizable edge. That means that the insurance bet is rarely a good bet to make, unless you know how to count cards and you know there are a lot of face cards left in the deck.

Blackjack History

The original game that blackjack evolved from was known as vingt-et-un and was played in France in the 1700’s. The game was not popular when it first came to the U.S. after the French Revolution, so local casinos started offering bonus payouts for certain hands in an attempt to draw more players to the game. One bet that paid 10:1 was getting dealt a natural 21 with the ace of spades and a black jack. Thus the new name for the game we know today.

When the game first came to the States there were no laws prohibiting it. Professional gamers discovered the advantages the game can offer and an optimum playing strategy for the game was soon developed. As the game’s popularity grew, the U.S. government outlawed it until Nevada legalized it in the early 30’s, in the new resort town of Las Vegas.The first study of the game was done by Roger Baldwin in 1953 in an attempt to lessen the house edge through optimum play. In 1956 he published “Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” giving anyone an opportunity to lower the house edge to the minimal amount.

The game grew in popularity when the story of the MIT Blackjack Team hit the presses. This group of mathematicians made millions of dollars in the 80’s and 90’s counting cards in American casinos.

Today the game is played internationally in land-based and online casinos. It continues to gain popularity and should be around for a long time.