I played a lot of stuff today aside from the customary 15-team Money Line and Point Spread parlays. There are 11 teams that are playing to get into the playoffs today. Teams like the Falcons and Panthers are playing for postseason positioning, but they are in the playoffs no matter the outcome of their respective games. Other teams like the Eagles, need to win in order to stay alive but need other things to happen. Then you have teams like the Cowboys who only have to concern themselves with themselves.

So, there are 11 teams and 6 of them play each other. (DAL @ PHI, MIA @ NYJ, DEN @ SD) that means you know that there will be 3 teams that will lose today. If 68% of teams that play with something to lose, end up losing, then you can anticipate 68% of the 11 teams that meet the criteria to lose. That means there will be 7.5 teams out of the 11 that will lose today. We have already identified three of the possible teams, and eliminated 6 teams from the equation. So out of the 5 remaining teams, there is a high probability 3-4 of those teams will lose. It is highly probable because it plays to the mean. Now this does not mean anything is guaranteed. Averages are made up of many points along the spectrum of possibilities, some very far from the average in either direction. Today could be closer to 0% than it is 68%, or it could be closer to 100%. The point is to play to the average, and over time you will be near that average. When the average being played to is above 55%, all the better.

Here are the 11 teams that meet the criteria of needing to win today:
Cowboys, Eagles, Dolphins, Jets, Broncos, Chargers, Vikings, Buccaneers, Patriots, Bears, Ravens.
The first 6 teams are removed from the equation because we know that one of them will lose. (I know, unlike Donovan McNabb, that a tie is possible. Bust since we already had that highly improbable event occur this year, it is that much more unlikely to occur today). Those 6 teams will produce 3 losers. We are estimating a total of 6-7 losers out of the pool of 11 teams. Now the game is turned into either identifying which of those teams will lose, OR bet the Money Lines against each of those teams and when the average is produced you will have selected 3-4 Money Line winners. Being that many of the teams you will wager on are underdogs, you can perform beneath the average and still earn money today. If only one team wins, and let’s say its the Raiders at +450, then you are almost at even when only one of those games hit.

Here are all of today’s wagers:

Money Line Wager Risking 1% to Win 4.5%
Oakland Raiders +450

Money Line Wager Risking 1% to Win 2.4%
New York Giants +240

Money Line Wager Risking 1% to Win .66%
Houston Texans -150

Money Line Wager Risking 1% to Win 4%
Jacksonville Jaguars +400

Money Line Wager Risking 1% to Win 2.3%
Buffalo Bills +225

4 Team Point Spread Parlay Risking .5% to Win 5.9%
Detroit Lions +11, Houston Texans -3, Jacksonville Jaguars +10, Indianapolis Colts +3

4 Team Money Line Parlay Risking .5% to Win 5.9%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -600, Houston Texans -150, Atlanta Falcons -1000, Indianapolis Colts +125, Pittsburgh Steelers -600, Arizona Cardinals -290, San Francisco 49ers -145

15 Team Money Line Parlay Risking .5% to Win 729%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -600, Green Bay Packers -600, Philadelphia Eagles -125, New York Giants +240, Houston Texans -150, New Orleans Saints +105, Atlanta Falcons -1000, Kansas City Chiefs +120, Baltimore Ravens -500, Indianapolis Colts +125, Pittsburgh Steelers -600, Miami Dolphins +115, New England Patriots -265, Arizona Cardinals -290, San Francisco 49ers -145

15 Team Point Spread Parlay Risking .5% to Win 771%
Oakland Raiders +11, Detroit Lions +11, Philadelphia Eagles -1½, New York Giants +6½, Houston Texans -3, New Orleans Saints +1½, Atlanta Falcons -14, Kansas City Chiefs +2½, Jacksonville Jaguars +10½, Indianapolis Colts +3, Pittsburgh Steelers -11½, Miami Dolphins +2½, New England Patriots -5½, Arizona Cardinals -6½, San Francisco 49ers -3

The New York Yankees and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team share many common traits; a storied past, the most championships than any other team, a national following, their own television deals (the Yankees actually have a whole channel), and maybe a few others.

Today they share another trait, and that is having a bit of ridicule hurled at them by those that cry about unfair systems. The Yankees are catching heat for the money they are spending, and Notre Dame is catching heat for accepting a bowl bid after completing a 6-6 season.

The Yankees spend a lot of money, everyone knows it. Spending all that money obviously doesn’t unlevel the playing field, the Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2000. If this field was so tilted by the Yankees spending than why haven’t they won? In case you weren’t paying attention, they didn’t even make the playoffs this year. The Yankees also just received a $26.9 million tax bill from the commissioner’s office. Did you hear the Yankees crying about it? Some other teams complain about this ‘reckless’ spending, but the Yankees are spending with much more care than any other team when you consider the size of the New York market.

The Boston Red Sox made an offer to the newest Yankee, Mark Texiera that was only 5.5% smaller than the Yankees accepted offer, yet the Boston market is a fraction of the size and financial power of the New York market. Who was really being careless? If you want to tell yourself the Red Sox are so savvy that they made the Yankees pay more than they otherwise would have, you must also believe that the Red Sox wanted Bill Buckner to let that ball go through his legs, just to make the 2004 World Series win be that mush more special.

Notre Dame meanwhile is taking heat for being treated like they are Kings of College Football, but they couldn’t beat Queens College in a football game. Now the Irish are playing in a Christmas Eve bowl game and people say they shouldn’t go, because they didn’t earn it. The rule is to have a .500 record or better and win a minimum of 6 games in order to be bowl eligible. Notre Dame meets both of those minimums, even if barely. After that we all know it’s a money grab, so why is everyone bitching and moaning? If the bowl system were fair would there be the yearly outcry of hatred for the system? Notre Dame didn’t create this system.

But more importantly to Notre Dame and their obese fool of a head coach, going to a bowl game allows the Irish to get some extra weeks of practice. Practice that is most definitely needed. Another irony of the unfairness of the bowl system is that the worst teams, those that don’t qualify for a bowl, are at a disadvantage because they miss out on practice time that the better teams, those that do qualify for a bowl, get to have. But the problems with the bowl system are obvious and comprise a list ten miles long.

Whether you love or hate either of these teams, and that is where most people fall, take the time to look at the full scope of each environment. Neither organization should apologize for anything.

Money Line Wager Risking .5% to Win 1.25%
Detroit Lions +250

Money Line Wager Risking .5% to Win 1.18%
Buffalo Bills +235

3 Team Point Spread Parlay Risking .5% to Win 3%
Kansas City Chiefs +3½, Detroit Lions +7, Oakland Raiders +7

3 Team Money Line Parlay Risking .5% to Win 1.23%
New England Patriots -350, Cleveland Browns -140, Tampa Bay Buccaneers -175

14 Team Point Spread Parlay Risking .5% to Win 399%
Tennessee Titans +3, 108 Kansas City Chiefs +3½, New England Patriots -8, Cleveland Browns -2½, Philadelphia Eagles -5, San Francisco 49ers -4½, Minnesota Vikings -3, Detroit Lions +7, Carolina Panthers +3½, New York Jets -3½, Oakland Raiders +7, Buffalo Bills +6, Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3½, Green Bay Packers +4

14 Team Money Line Parlay Risking .5% to Win 1297.62%
Tennessee Titans +125, Miami Dolphins -190, New England Patriots -350, Cleveland Browns -140, Philadelphia Eagles -225, San Francisco 49ers -210, Minnesota Vikings -175, New Orleans Saints -300, Carolina Panthers +160, New York Jets -190, Houston Texans -320, Buffalo Bills +235, Tampa Bay Buccaneers -175, Green Bay Packers +180

5 Team Money Line Parlay Risking .5% to Win 1.43%
Indianapolis Colts -1600, Tennessee Titans -160, New York Jets -350, New England Patriots -290, Carolina Panthers -340

3 Team Point Spread Parlay Risking .5% to Win 2.93%
Detroit Lions +17, Cincinnati Bengals +7, San Francisco 49ers +6

2 Team Money Line Parlay Risking .5% to Win 4.94%
Cincinnati Bengals +240, San Francisco 49ers +220

15 Team Money Line Parlay Risking .5% to Win 2,002.18%
Green Bay Packers -130, Indianapolis Colts -1600, Cincinnati Bengals +240, Tampa Bay Buccaneers +150, San Francisco 49ers +220, Seattle Seahawks -135, New York Jets -350, Tennessee Titans -160, Pittsburgh Steelers +120, Carolina Panthers -340, San Diego Chargers -250, Arizona Cardinals -170, New England Patriots -290, New York Giants +130, Philadelphia Eagles -1000

15 Team Point Spread Parlay Risking .5% to Win 697.52%
Green Bay Packers -2, Detroit Lions +17, Cincinnati Bengals +7, Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3, San Francisco 49ers +6, Seattle Seahawks -2½, New York Jets -7½, Tennessee Titans -3, Pittsburgh Steelers +3, Carolina Panthers -7½, San Diego Chargers -6, Arizona Cardinals -3, New England Patriots -6½, New York Giants +3, Philadelphia Eagles -14

Wagers are arrived at by using the Better Bettor principle of Recognition.

By BOBBY BISCUIT

The Rangers will be paid a rare visit this evening from a recently unfamiliar foe the Calgary Flames. They are coached by former Rangers Stanley cup winning bench boss Mike Keenan. They have a great power forward in Jarome Iginla and one of the best goalies in the league in Mikka Kiprusoff.

Not to mention they have one of the best young players and best defenseman in the league overall who is a big fan of SEAN AVERY’S SLOPPY SECONDS! Dion Phaneuf…but seriously…hes good and a big hitter.

The Rangers played poorly against the Habs in Montreal on Thursday and will certainly need a better effort to defeat the Flames tonight.

TOTAL: 5.5 go under these are two good goalies and 2 teams that don’t know each other, so they may spend a period trying to figure each other out.

FEATURED YOUNGSTER: Dion Phaneuf. Calgary doesn’t have a good young player i am aware of so although he is an estbalished player already Phaneuf is the guy tonight.

I have three parlays going today, two of them are the typical long shot parlays. Using Better Bettor principles, my plan is to hit one of these long shots every two years. The other parlay was created using the Better Bettor principle that is based on a recognition heuristic.

5 Team Money Line Parlay Risking .5% to Win 4.75%
Tennessee Titans -750, Washington Redskins +200, New York Jets -210, Pittsburgh Steelers -175, New England Patriots -300

15 Team Money Line Parlay Risking .5% to Win 313.21%
Indianapolis Colts -700, Jacksonville Jaguars +240, Green Bay Packers -275, Tennessee Titans -750, Minnesota Vikings -500, Washington Redskins +200, New York Giants -270, New Orleans Saints -160, New York Jets -210, Miami Dolphins -110, Denver Broncos -425, Arizona Cardinals -800, Pittsburgh Steelers -175, New England Patriots -300, Carolina Panthers -170

15 Team Point Spread Parlay .5% to Win 720.23%
Cincinnati Bengals +13½, Jacksonville Jaguars +6½, Green Bay Packers -6½, Tennessee Titans -14, Minnesota Vikings -10, Washington Redskins +6, New York Giants -6½, New Orleans Saints -3, New York Jets -4, Miami Dolphins pk, Denver Broncos -9, Arizona Cardinals -14, Pittsburgh Steelers -3½, New England Patriots -7, Carolina Panthers -3

By BOBBY BISCUIT

Back to back traveling road games are all of the following.