Marc Lawrence Sports Handicapping News

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Stay tuned.  Beginning July 1st we will be unveiling a new PLAYBOOK.COM website.

It will feature new areas of information plus the ability to save 20% on every purchase you make from the site!  Get ready...

ON THE NBA BUBBLE…

ON THE NBA BUBBLE…
No, I’m not talking about the Kentucky Derby.  It’s the NBA and the final week of the regular season.  Before knee-jerking and backing teams that need to win in order to make the playoffs you might want to consider the following: NBA team that are exactly .500 on the season are 16-9-1 ATS during their final three games of the season.  When these teams are at home they are 12-6-1 ATS and if they are off a win they are 12-2 ATS.  Play accordingly…

NBA After The Break...

Now that the NBA All Star game is in the record books it's time to focus on teams that were disappointing prior to the break that were expected to perform at a higher level the first half of the season.

By ferreting out teams with potential that underachieved you can put added value on your play list, provided of course these teams have not already tossed in the towel.

In the Eastern Conference I would keep a close eye on Detroit.  While the Pistons have played sub .500 ball since the arrival of Allen Iverson the fact remains they are talented and they play a solid brand of defense.  Look for the Pistons to begin hitting on all cylinders soon.

In the Western Conference a team I would pay attention to is the Golden State Warriors. They are finally returning to full health and under head coach Don Nelson they can become dangerous down the stretch.

Let's see what happens...

Post Super Bowl Thoughts...

SBXLIII did not disappoint, at least from a viewer standpoint.  It may arguably go down as the best Super Bowl game ever as both teams went back-and-forth like a ping pong ball in the 4Q.

As disappointed as I was that the Steelers did not get the money in the contest, it would be easy to go back and tell of how they could/would have beat the spread.  The bottom line is they did not, walking away instead with their 6th Super Bowl ring.

From a fan standpoint, I have to wonder why Santonio Holmes was not flagged for excessive celebration immediately after his game winning touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone.  A 15-yard penalty tacked on to the ensuing kickoff would have given Arizona desirable field position and with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin - who knows what might have happened.

Somehow, most amazingly, the higher seeded team fell to 1-11-2 ATS in the last fourteen Super Bowl games.  That's incredible!...

Super Bowl Tidbit

With Super Bowl XLIII kicking off in Tampa on Sunday, February 1st this year keep this stat in mind:  Over the last 13 years the higher seeded team is 1-10-2 ATS.

I'll elaborate more on this year's game once the pairings are known...

Stat Capping For The Bowls...

With the college bowl games now at hand, here's a look at how various teams are entering the games from an ITS (In The Stats) perspective.

Listed below are noteworthy results of how various teams have fared ITS this season…

Alabama – held 8 foes to season low – or 2nd low – yardage
Boise State – won the stats in 11 of its 12 games
Boston College – 3-4 ITS in its final 7 games
Central Michigan – 1-3 ITS in its final 4 games
Connecticut – held final 3 foes to season low – or 2nd low – yardage
Florida - held 3 of final 4 foes to season low – or 2nd low – yardage
Houston – won the stats in each of its final 10 games
Iowa – 1-4 ITS in its final 5 games
Kansas – 1-5 ITS in its final 6 games
Kentucky – 0-5 ITS in its final 5 games
LSU – 0-3 ITS in its final 3 games
La Tech – 0-3 ITS in its final 3 games
Maryland – 4-7 ITS vs lined foes
Memphis – 4-0 ITS in its final 4 games
Miami Fla – 0-3 ITS in its final 3 games
Minnesota - 0-3 ITS in its final 3 games
Mississippi – held final 3 foes to season low yardage
Nebraska – 6-1 ITS in its final 7 games
Nevada – 5-1 ITS in its final 6 games
No Illinois - 1-3 ITS in its final 4 games
No Carolina - 5-7 ITS this season
Northwestern – 1-5 ITS in its final 6 games
Notre Dame – 8-1 ITS in its final 9 games
Oklahoma – held 3 of final 5 foes to season low – or 2nd low – yards
Oklahoma St – 3-5 ITS in its final 8 games
Penn State - held 6 of its 12 foes to season low – or 2nd low – yards
Rice – 5-1 ITS in its final 6 games
So Florida – 1-3 ITS in its final 4 games
So California – held 8 foes to season low yardage
TCU – held 9 foes to season low yardage
Texas - held 5 of its 12 foes to season low – or 2nd low – yards
Troy – 8-0 ITS in its final 8 games
Utah – 3-4 ITS in its final 7 games
Vanderbilt – 3-9 ITS this season
Wake Forest – 5-7 ITS this season
Wisconsin – 6-0 ITS in its final 6 games

Given the fact that teams who outgain their opponent win the game better than 80% of the time, it’s crucial to your success when evaluating a team’s chance of winning the yardage wars.

Just another slant on handicapping the Bowl contests.  Add it to your arsenal and enjoy the games!

PUTTIN' ON THE STATS...

As we head into the College Bowl games, here is the final set of our ‘Puttin’ On The Stats’ teams for this 2008 College Football season. 
Remember, these are teams that have either won all – or all but one – of the stat yards  in games to date.  Remember, we are looking to do is to ‘Play On’ any team as a dog from the ‘Play On’ list in the Bowl games. Here is the list of this year’s best and worst ITS (In The Stats) teams:

Teams who won all – or all but one – of their games ITS this season:
Ball State, Boise State, Houston, Penn State, Southern Cal, TCU, Texas, Troy State and Tulsa.

FYI: No team has won the stats in every game, while Washington the only team that was outstatted in every game this season.

Puttin' On The Stats...

Listed below is an updated version of our ‘Puttin’ On The Stats’ teams on this the final week of the 2008 College Football season.  These are teams that have either won all – or all but one – of the stat yards and conversely teams who have lost all – or all but one – of the stat yards in games to date.  Remember, we are looking to do is to ‘Play On’ any team as a dog from the ‘Play On’ list and to ‘Play Against’ any favorite from the ‘Play Against’ list. Here we go:

(10) Play On dogs: Ball State, Boise State, Houston, Missouri, Penn State, Southern Cal, TCU, Texas, Troy State and Tulsa.

(3) Play Against favorites: Marshall, SMU, and Washington.

Note: there is one ‘Play On’ dog this week: Missouri.

FYI: No team has won the stats in every game, while Washington is the only team that was outstatted in every game this season.

Tough Turkey Days on the Gridiron...

Friday and Saturday's results on the football card were extremely disappointing.  The bottom line is that Thanksgiving week was a HUGE week for chalk and being primarily an underdog lover we stood no chance whatsoever at succeeding.  Even the one favorite we used (LSU) found a way to blow a big lead and lose on an incredible play.  With the College Conference playoffs and the Bowl games just around the corner we'll bounce back with a vengeance, just wait and see!...

PUTTIN' ON THE STATS

With Thanksgiving Day dinner on the table and the 2008 college football season drawing to a conclusion, let’s take a look at the teams that remain on our ‘Puttin’ On The Stats’ list this season.

Listed below is an updated version of our ‘Puttin’ On The Stats’ teams.  These are teams that have either won all – or all but one – of the stat yards and conversely teams who have lost all – or all but one – of the stat yards in games to date.  Remember, we are looking to do is to ‘Play On’ any team as a dog from the ‘Play On’ list and to ‘Play Against’ any favorite from the ‘Play Against’ list. Here we go:

Play On dogs: Ball State, Boise State, Houston, Missouri, Oregon State, Penn State, Southern Cal, TCU, Texas, Troy State and Tulsa.

Play Against favorites: Marshall, SMU, and Washington.

Note: there are no ‘Play On’ dogs or ‘Play Against’ favorites this week.

FYI: No team has won the stats in every game, while Washington is the only team that was outstatted in every game this season.

PUTTIN' ON THE STATS...

With thoughts of Thanksgiving Day dinner just around the corner the 2008 football season is in full stride.

Listed below is an updated version of our ‘Puttin’ On The Stats’ teams.  These are teams that have either won all – or all but one – of the stat yards and conversely teams who have lost all – or all but one – of the stat yards in games to date.  Remember, we are looking to do is to ‘Play On’ any team as a dog from the ‘Play On’ list and to ‘Play Against’ any favorite from the ‘Play Against’ list. Here we go:

Play On dogs: Ball State, Boise State, Houston, Missouri, Oregon State, Penn State, Southern Cal, TCU, Texas, Troy State and Tulsa.

Play Against favorites: Marshall, SMU, Washington and Washington State.

Note: this week’s ‘Play On’ dogs and ‘Play Against’ favorites are underlined. 

FYI: Ball State is the only team to have won the stats in every game, while Washington is the only team that has been outstatted in every game.

PUTTIN' ON THE STATS...

As we wind down the regular season portion of the 2008 College football season it’s more important than ever to focus on teams that are playing well on the playing field.  Dominating performances lead to winning SU and ATS tickets this time of the campaign.

Listed below is an updated version of our ‘Puttin’ On The Stats’ teams.  These are teams that have either won all – or all but one – of the stat yards and conversely teams who have lost all – or all but one – of the stat yards in games to date.  Remember, we are looking to do is to ‘Play On’ any team as a dog from the ‘Play On’ list and to ‘Play Against’ any favorite from the ‘Play Against’ list. Here we go:

Play On dogs: Ball State, Boise State, Florida State, Houston, Missouri, Oregon State, Penn State, South Carolina, Southern Cal, TCU, Texas, Troy State and Tulsa.

Play Against favorites: Central Florida, Marshall, SMU, Utah State, Washington and Washington State.

Note: this week’s ‘Play On’ dogs and ‘Play Against’ favorites are underlined. 

FYI: Ball State and Tulsa are the only teams to have won the stats in every game, while Washington is the only team that has been outstatted in every game.

PUTTIN' ON THE STATS...

It’s official.  November is here and with it a stirring conclusion to another exciting College football season. That’s especially true from a handicapper’s perspective as the combination of stats and angles combine to bring us the best winning edges of the season.

Listed below is an updated version of our ‘Puttin’ On The Stats’ teams.  These are teams that have either won all – or all but one – of the stat yards and conversely teams who have lost all – or all but one – of the stat yards in games to date.  Remember, we are looking to do is to ‘Play On’ any team as a dog from the ‘Play On’ list and to ‘Play Against’ any favorite from the ‘Play Against’ list. Here we go:

Play On dogs: Ball State, Boise State, California, Florida State, Houston, LSU, Missouri, Oregon State, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Cal, TCU, Texas, Troy State and Tulsa.

Play Against favorites: Central Florida, Florida International, Marshall, SMU, Utah State, Washington and Washington State.

FYI: Ball State and Tulsa are the only teams to have won the stats in every game, while Washington is the only team that has been outstatted in every game.

Puttin' On The Stats...

With Halloween now in the rear view mirror, it’s on to the best time of the College Football season – the month of November! That’s because the combination of stats and angles combine to bring us the best winning edges of the year.

Our ‘Puttin’ On The Stats’ theory is a dandy, and it’s simple. What we are looking to do is to ‘Play On’ any team as a dog if they’ve won all – or all but one – of their games ITS (In The Stats) heading into November. Conversely, we will look to ‘Play Against’ any favorite that has lost all – or all but one – of their games ITS.

As we head toward Thanksgiving, here’s our list of ‘Play On’ (as dog) and ‘Play Against’ (as favorite) teams to fatten up on for the balance of the 2008 season:

Play On dogs: Ball State, Oklahoma,Boise State, Boston College, California, Florida, Florida State, Houston, LSU, Missouri,  Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Cal, TCU, Texas, Troy State and Tulsa.

Play Against favorites: Central Florida, Florida International, Marshall, SMU, Temple, Utah State, Washington, Washington State and Wyoming.

There you have it! Pass the gravy and let the feast begin...

Puttin' on The Stats...

PUTTIN’ ON THE STATS…

College Football
Arizona           404-425
Buffalo             320-372
Connecticut    353-294
Iowa                 375-409
La Lafayette    313-335
La Monroe      461-463
Northwestern 451-466
Virginia           275-332

NFL
Baltimore        357-359
Carolina          336-343
Chicago         327-439
Oakland          344-418
St. Louis          325-341            

The following college teams have won the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Ball State, Boston College, Penn State, Texas and Tulsa.

Washington is the only college team to have lost the stats in every game they have played.

No NFL teams have won the stats in every game they’ve played this season.

Cincinnati, Detroit and Kansas City are the three NFL teams that are winless in the stats this season.

Puttin' On The Stats...

As we inch closer to Halloween we continue to examine teams off INSIDE OUT Stat wins (won the game but lost the stats) from the previous week.  Listed below are last week’s INSIDE OUT Stat winners with 100-plus yard differentials in bold. Enjoy…

College Football
Arkansas St        391-396
Central Mich      297-301
Fresno St            443-452
Kansas St           449-544
Louisville         299-481
Michigan St    297-459
Minnesota       312-550
N Carolina       322-472
Ohio St                222-298
Ohio U                379-392
Oklahoma St     402-454
Texas Tech        421-471
Utah                    242-252
W Virginia        268-346

NFL
Arizona              276-374            

The following college teams have won the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Ball State, Boston College, BYU, Missouri, Penn State, South Carolina, Texas and Tulsa.

Washington is the only college team to have lost the stats in every game they have played.

No NFL teams have won the stats in every game they’ve played this season.

Cincinnati, Detroit and Kansas City are the three NFL teams that are winless in the stats this season.   

PUTTIN’ ON THE STATS…

As we enter into mid-October we continue to examine teams off INSIDE OUT Stat wins (won the game but lost the stats) from the previous week.  Listed below are last week’s INSIDE OUT Stat winners with 100-plus yard differentials in bold. Enjoy…

College Football
Akron        301-413
Army            334-486
C Florida        280-376
Florida Intl    347-428
Hawaii            342-522
Memphis        436-455
Michigan St    275-309
Mid Tenn St    323-363
Navy                    233-411
No Carolina  263-378
Ohio St            317-326
Oklahoma St    401-402
Temple            294-303
Utah                337-405
UTEP            382-541

NFL
Atlanta             370-408
Indianapolis    314-391
Minnesota    270-375
Tennessee        210-285            

The following college teams have won the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Arizona, Ball State, Boston College, BYU, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, Penn State, South Carolina, Texas and Tulsa.

The following college teams have lost the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Florida International, Temple, Washington and Wyoming.

The following NFL teams have won the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Baltimore and NY Giants.

The following NFL teams have lost the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Cincinnati, Detroit, and Kansas City.

Puttin' on The Stats...

PUTTIN’ ON THE STATS…

As we enter in to October we continue to examine teams off INSIDE OUT Stat wins (won the game but lost the stats) from the previous week.  Listed below are last week’s INSIDE OUT Stat winners with 100-plus yard differentials in bold. Enjoy…

College Football
California            348-351
Connecticut    279-508
Duke                     258-304
Florida Intl         239-302
Kansas State      470-509
Maryland            295-372
Michigan          268-384
Mississippi     325-443
New Mexico        352-430
North Carolina   299-309
Northwestern     390-407

NFL
Buffalo            277-380
Chicago             256-340
Jacksonville     375-386
Kansas City      370-446
NY Jets              373-468
Pittsburgh        237-243
San Jose St   237-386
San Diego        295-323
Tennessee        275-333   

The following teams have won the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Arizona, Ball State, Boston College, BYU, LSU, Memphis, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Texas, Tulsa and Utah.

The following teams have lost the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Florida International, North Texas, Temple, UCLA, Washington and Wyoming.    

The following NFL teams have won the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Baltimore, New York Giants and Philadelphia. Finally, the following NFL teams have lost the stats in every game they’ve played this season: Cincinnati, Detroit and Kansas City.

Puttin' On The Stats...

Each week throughout the football season I'll share with you valuable ITS (INSIDE THE STATS) information on both the College and NFL cards on this blog.  Our purpose is to ferret out the teams who won a game last week but were outgained in the victory.

Here are the INSIDE OUT Stat teams from teams who won the game but lost the yardage last week.  100-plus yard differentials in bold.   Beginning in October we'll begin to dissect these stats as the season moves on.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Boise St           424-464
Colorado St     422-473
Connecticut     350-377
Florida              243-258
Fresno St       420-598
Marshall          429-431
New Mex St     366-372
Ohio St             309-315
Pittsburgh    259-361
Purdue              344-440
Vanderbilt    202-385
Virginia Tech  268-307

NFL
Denver            369-502

Note: after three weeks of play, NFL teams that have won the stats are 42-5 SU and 39-6-2 ATS this season!

Back next week with more stats…

Puttin' On The Stats...

Each week on this blog I'll share with you valuable ITS (INSIDE THE STATS) information on both the College and NFL cards.  Our primary quest is to ferret out the teams who won a game last week but were outgained in the victory.

Here are the INSIDE OUT Stat teams from teams who won the game but lost the yardage last week.  100-plus yard differentials in bold.   Beginning in October we'll begin to dissect these stats as the season moves on.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Air Force        380-534
C Michigan        431-513
Georgia        252-289
Iowa            244-325
Kentucky        356-383
Marshall        401-462
Maryland        297-461
Minnesota        352-356
New Mexico        335-388
Notre Dame    260-388
Southern Miss    348-447
UNLV            345-373
W Michigan        416-455
Wisconsin        304-343
Wyoming        266-313

Note: Notre Dame is 2-0 SU but 0-2 ITS.  Memphis is 0-3 SU but 3-0 ITS

NFL
Carolina        216-256
Dallas            333-337

Note: after two weeks of play, NFL teams that have won the stats are 27-4 SU and 26-3-2 ATS this season.

Back next week with more stats…