The Sports Observer

The UFC is a busy place nowadays as there seems to be a card every weekend, and this weekend’s event is a free show on Fox, the second of its kind after Junior Dos Santos took the heavyweight title from Cain Velasquez in November. This card doesn’t have a title fight on it, but there are plenty of title implications from the three matches that will be aired.

Rashad Evans (16-1-1) vs. Phil Davis (9-0) – Light Heavyweight

Evans is favored at -180 at Bet Online, and the former champion can get his shot at current champ and former teammate Jon Jones if he can get past Davis, who comes in at +160 in the biggest match of his life. Both fighters have wrestling backgrounds, while Evans has the edge standing up and Davis gets the nod when it comes to jiu-jitsu. The edge here, however, goes to Evans because of his big-match experience, and Davis may struggle with nerves, although his future is still very bright and players that work with pay per head sportsbook services should keep an eye on him.

Chael Sonnen (26-11-1) vs. Michael Bisping (22-3) – Middleweight

In a match that could draw interest even from those playing Superbowl odds next weekend, Sonnen is a huge -450 favorite over England’s Bisping, who is rated at +375. Sonnen came within a couple minutes of defeating champion Anderson Silva and has called out the pound-for-pound king ever since, while Bisping is overrated by some, but underrated by others and it’ll be interesting to see if his excellent takedown defense can withstand the barrage that Sonnen will surely bring because of his wrestling. This isn’t going to be a rout by any means, but look for Sonnen to take a decision win and book another battle with the “Spider”.

Demain Maia (16-3) vs. Chris Weidman (7-0) – Middleweight

ASUMaia was due to fight Bisping, who replaced the injured Mark Munoz in the above match, so in steps Weidman, an up-and-coming prospect who has shown great jiu-jitsu in his last two matches. However, the last thing that he wants to do is get into a BJJ match with the Brazilian Maia; if this was simply a jiu-jitsu competition, Maia would be at the top of the list, or at least in the top two or three. He also has better striking skills than you think, which he showed off in a loss against Munoz. Like Davis, Weidman has never been in a match up like this before and he is taking it on short notice. It’s admirable and will earn him respect in the eyes of president Dana White, but it won’t lead to a win. Look for Maia to earn a submission win in your online betting book.

For the first time in nearly a month, the AP 25 rankings for college basketball betting had a different flavor atop the list, as Kentucky rather then Syracuse found themselves in the top position. The Syracuse Orange still owns the nation’s best record, but in the NCAA, you really are only as good as your last win. With January quickly coming to an end, conference tournaments will begin in short order. Today, we’ll be looking at not only the AP 25 rankings, but also the best gambles of the price per head week you should be taking.

Baylor Bears (6) v Oklahoma Sooners – This game features one of the highest ranked teams in the nation, taking on one of the most underrated teams in the nation. The Baylor Bears have come on strong the last couple of seasons, putting together fantastic runs in the March Madness tournament. This year, the sixth ranked Bears possess a record of 17 wins and two losses through their first 19 games of the season. Conversely, the Oklahoma Sooners own a record of 12 wins and six losses in 18 contests.  With the line set at five and a half in favor of Baylor, fans may be best to place their bookie software money on the Oklahoma Sooners.

Essentially, the Baylor Bears opened the season on a 17 game winning streak, appearing like a team that could go undefeated all season. Unfortunately, things have come crashing down the last two weeks, as Baylor dropped games first to Kansas and then a thrilling weekend loss to Missouri. As a result of the two losses, the Bears dropped from third in the nation to sixth. We like Oklahoma in this game for two reasons, firstly they are nine and one at home this season, and secondly they can knock off ranked opponents, as they beat Kansas State rather convincingly.

San Diego State Aztecs (12) v Wyoming Cowboys – As NBA fans, we like this game, because we can use the revenge betting system. The system requires that we take the underdog in the rematch after a huge defeat. Last season, the San Diego State Aztecs decimated the Wyoming Cowboys, winning the game 85 – 58. This season, SDST is relatively the same as a year ago, while the Cowboys are much improved. Entering the game, the Aztecs are 17 and two having won 10 in a row, while the Cowboys are 16 and three having won two in a row. But, the Cowboys own a record of 12 and one at home, while leading the Mountain West Conference in scoring defense, at 53.1 percent.

Meaning to say, bettors handicapping this game, should take the under, as the Cowboys defense should be able to handle the Aztecs offense. As well, because we are using the revenge betting system, we can bank on the fact that the Cowboys will be up for this game emotionally. In other words, the strong defensive play and the emotions going into the game, should allow the Cowboys to keep the score going under the total. Pick: Wyoming Cowboys.

The college basketball betting season has reached its midway point, and now talk of March Madness can finally start up. After the first 20 games of the season, things are seemingly the way they should be, as the strongest teams of the Power Six Conferences are atop the AP 25 standings. The biggest shock thus far in the year, is top ranked Syracuse sitting at 20 wins and no losses. We’ve always known that Syracuse has been a good price per head wager, but to go undefeated through the first 20 games is a bit surprising. Today, we’ll look at which team has the best shot at a March Madness title.

March Madness, like the playoffs in the big four major sports, is a time of year, in which literally anything can happen. As we saw in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs, the Denver Broncos and New York Giants were just as deserving of their playoff spots as the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers. While it could be suggested that the Broncos dream season was destined to come to an abrupt halt, the New York Giants appear to be the real deal. As it relates to the March Madness tournament, usually one team pulls a Broncos and squeaks into the tournament then overachieves, while another hits their stride right as the bookie software tournament gets under way.

With that in mind, two teams of particular interest to us in the March Madness Tournament will be the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans. For all intents and purposes, we’ll call the Spartans our Denver Broncos, and the Wolverines our New York Giants. That is to say, the Spartans who currently sit 23^rd in the NCAA rankings, are a team that appears to be overachieving. They don’t have one specific star, but their program has been good enough to maintain a high ranking. On the other side of things, Tim Hardaway Jr. who like Eli Manning, has carried his team this season leads the Wolverines.

When looking at both teams, it really depends which of our colleagues you want to agree with, for who should fair better. Firstly, colleagues from Sports Illustrated have the Spartans as a final four pick, with the Wolverines coming in as a dark horse pick if the Spartans should flop. Conversely, at a couple other colleagues early projections, they have the Wolverines and Spartans swapping positions.

In our opinion, the final four will be Ohio State, Kansas, Syracuse and Michigan. Michigan will go head to head with the nation’s best team in Syracuse, while Ohio State will take on Kansas. For Michigan, facing Syracuse in the final four will be eerily similar to facing Duke a season ago, in that many will expect them to be destroyed, but they will take the Orange to the limit. As we noted earlier, Tim Hardaway Jr. who is a freshman and a game changer for the club leads Michigan. For that reason, we really believe Hardaway Jr. can be the difference between losing to Syracuse and pulling off a mammoth of an upset, before beating Kansas for the National Title.

UFC fans will kick off the year in Brazil, where UFC 142 features a co-main event which could either going the distance in both fights, or both could be over in the first round. Here is a look at those tilts.

Anthony Johnson (10-3) vs. Vitor Belfort (20-9) – Middleweight

Johnson is listed at -115, while Belfort comes in at -105 at BetOnline, and these two are extremely powerful and explosive; Belfort gets the edge for hand speed, while Johnson is probably stronger. Johnson is also making his debut at 185 pounds after struggling to cut to 170 pounds, so that should boost his cardio late in the fight. Belfort is coming off a destruction of Yoshihiro Akiyama and has lost just once in his last five fights, but the loss came at the hands (or better yet, the foot) of champion Anderson Silva. Johnson has shown an ability to take people down, and Belfort’s takedown defense isn’t the best in the 185-pound division, so that could be the matchup to watch when it comes to individual skills. Players that use price per head services have seen wrestlers take over the UFC in recent years, and Johnson would do well to use this style because, while his standup is good, it’s not as good as Belfort. Take Anthony Johnson to grind his way to a decision.

Jose Aldo (20-1) vs. Chad Mendes (12-0) – Featherweight (Championship Bout)

Aldo is favored at -245 to defend his title against Mendes, who hasn’t lost yet in his MMA career and has a solid foundation in wrestling, where he was an All-American in college. His standup has improved since moving into mixed martial arts, but those who work with price per head bookie systems would suggest that he stick to wrestling against Aldo, one of the most feared strikers in all of MMA. His leg kicks will stop you in your tracks and he has quick hands, but there are a few questions about “Scarface”. His conditioning hasn’t looked great in wins over Mark Hominick and Kenny Florian, particularly in the later rounds where he has had to hold on for his victories. There have been reports that Aldo has been looking into moving up to 155 pounds because of the weight cut to 145, and even though he has gone the distance, he just hasn’t looked good in the championship rounds and that is when Mendes has his best chance to strike. However, Aldo will ride the adrenaline of fighting in his native country of Brazil and be able to finish Mendes in the fourth round before it gets out of control for him. Wager on the champion to retain his belt in your online betting book.

Sports Betting Overview

When the 2011-2012NHLseason started, the Anaheim Ducks and the Edmonton Oilers had high hopes. The Ducks were coming off an extremely successful season where the team made the playoffs and finished with 99 points in the standings. But with losses of key players and the mysterious decline of goaltender Jonas Hiller, the Ducks have plummeted to the bottom of the Pacific Division. The team fired its coach and brought in Bruce Boudreau and things improved for a couple of weeks. But when the honeymoon was over, the team sunk right back into the tank. Nothing seems to be going right inAnaheim, and there doesn’t appear to be any signs of it getting any better.

The Edmonton Oilers and its fans did not know what to expect this season. The pay per head sportsbook experts placed the Oilers at the bottom of the Western Conference in preseason polls. But the experts were shocked when the Oilers came flying out of the gate and started to rocket to the top of the Western Conference. After about a month, reality set in again and the Oilers started its climb back down the standings.Edmonton is that frustrating mixture of very young and veteran players that cannot seem to gel together. Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin started out with fantastic numbers, but then his performance fell off and the team followed him down the standings.

Anaheim Ducks

The price per head sports experts are wondering what has happened toAnaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller. In 35 games played this year, Hiller is10-17-6. He is facing a lot of shots and that is causing his goals against average to balloon and his save percentage to drop. The Ducks need to put a defense around Hiller or else this season will be lost. There is only so much that Bruce Boudreau, or any coach, can do with a roster that is thin on defense. The Ducks are4-5-1 in the last 10 games, but that does include a three-game winning streak. The team is hoping to extend that streak with this road game. The problem is thatAnaheim is3-10-5 on the road and not playing very good hockey away from home.

Edmonton Oilers

When the Edmonton Oilers crashed this season, it happened on the road. The Oilers are 6-16-1away from home, which means that the World Juniors tournament that caused the Oilers to have to go on an extended road trip really hurt this young team. A sportsbook.com review of the season also shows that the team is missing the production of rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has been injured on and off all season long. The goaltending inEdmonton is failing the team and the Oilers have gone2-7-1 in the last 10 games as a result.

The Bottom Line

The NHL fans inEdmonton support their team no matter what. WhenEdmonton came bursting out of the gate at the beginning of the season, the fans were loving it. The fans did not get to see much of the collapse because it happened on the road.Edmonton is hoping to get its groove back with this home game.

Pick: Edmonton Oilers

The Syracuse Orange set a college basketball betting record yesterday, when they became the first team to receive 60 votes from writers and media, to be named the top seed on the AP 25 poll. Currently, the Orange own a record of 17 wins and no losses, making them an obvious choice for the top seed in the country. However, are the Syracuse Orange really the best team in the nation, or have they been the price per head beneficiaries of a soft schedule? Today we’ll look at Syracuse and a few other teams that deserve top recognition.

As a result of having not only the most wins of any team in the AP 25 polls but also being one of only three remaining undefeated teams, the Syracuse Orange received 60 of a possible 65 first place votes by the AP 25 poll organizers. The other two teams that remain undefeated are the fourth ranked Baylor Bears and the 15^th ranked Murray State Racers. The preseason number one team in the nation, the North Carolina Tar Heels, received the other five first place votes, but ultimately are third in the nation, as the Kentucky Wildcats finished with more votes for second place.

When looking at the top 5 teams in the AP Polls, bookie software makers, can’t be surprised which five teams made the cut, as all five it could be argued are elite programs. But with that being said, you could also make an argument, that four of the top five seeds, could easily be put in the top seed overall. Meaning to say, why did Syracuse win by such a landslide when being nominated to repeat as the top seed for another consecutive week?

On the one hand, some may argue, that the Syracuse Orange are the leading vote receivers, based on the fact the NCAA feels sorry for the program, after they had a scandal earlier in the season. For those unfamiliar with the situation, former Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine was accused of similar crimes against children, that Penn State former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was accused of. As a result, many people believed that the Orange program might be tarnished. Instead, the Orange are the best program in the nation, thus making us wonder, do they really need anyone’s sympathy for such a high ranking in the AP polls?

The other argument, as we alluded to earlier, was that Syracuse might have been the beneficiaries of an easy schedule thus far in their season. For example, in only two of their first 17 games, the Orange faced a ranked opponent. When they faced ninth ranked Florida, Syracuse only won by four points. Then when they faced 20^th ranked Marquette, they only won by seven points. Over the course of the next two months, the Orange will face much tougher competition, as conference play and the conference tournaments get underway. In theory, if Syracuse really is the truth, they will be able to go undefeated the rest of the way, similar to the Ohio State Buckeyes of a year ago, who finished an NBA best 36 and two, despite not winning the National Title.

Sports Betting Overview

There are several reasons why this game is interesting. The first is to see how the formerly high-flying Edmonton Oilers handle a defensive team like the New Jersey Devils when the Oilers do not have star rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the lineup. According to the price per head sports experts,Hopkins was earning his keep in theEdmonton lineup with 35 points prior to his injury. He was out when the Oilers played the Buffalo Sabres and the Sabres squeaked out a 4-3 win overEdmonton. This is also the first home game since December 29 because of the World Junior Championships being played inEdmonton. The Oilers have a horrible record on the road, but they have a winning record at home.

The Devils are over .500 on the road but the team is struggling to score goals. As long as the Devils’ defense holds up, the team can continue to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. The Devils are in ninth place in the conference but the team keeps battling back and forth with the Washington Capitals for the eighth spot. It is a far cry from last season where the Devils dug itself a deep hole by Christmas but still almost managed to dig themselves out. The price per head bookie experts give the Devils +3000 odds to win the Cup this season. But with a team likeNew Jersey, it is hard to predict what will happen.

Edmonton Oilers

After a great start to the season, veteran goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin is starting to fall back into old habits. A sportsbook review of his last five games shows Khabibulin with a1-4-0 record and giving up an average of almost four goals a game. The play of Khabibulin was one of the reasons why the Oilers got off to a great start this year. The play of rookie center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was also a contributing factor to the fast start that the Oilers had. But with Khabibulin struggling and Nugent-Hopkins out with an injury, the Oilers have taken a noticeable downward turn.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils are getting the kind of results one would expect from a consistent hockey team. There is nothing spectacular about the way the Devils play offense, so the goals can sometimes be hard to come by. TheNew Jerseydefense is backstopped by the legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur and keeps the Devils in most games. The problem forNew Jerseyis scoring goals. If the Devils cannot figure out how to score goals more consistently, then the team could miss the playoffs or have an early exit in the first round.

The Bottom Line

The Edmonton Oilers are a young team that is still learning how to win in theNHL. What the fans have seen inEdmonton should give them hope for the future. But that hope will be a little tempered when the Devils come to town.

Pick: New Jersey Devils

While Toronto Blue Jays fans still have one eye on the offseason for player movement, NASCAR fans are also tracking a busy offseason in the Sprint Cup series and there is plenty you should know before the teams head to Daytona for Speedweeks in February.

The big story was the firing of Kurt Busch by Roger Penske, which left the No.22 car open for A.J. Allmendinger, and a Bodog review of “The Dinger” may tell you to take a chance on him when the Sprint Cup futures come out as he had a successful season for the No.43 team last year; he didn’t win race, but he had a career-high 10 top-10s and continues to improve as a Cup driver. Busch, the 2004 series champion, has landed in the No.51 car, which was the No.09 last season with Landon Cassill and it is a serious decline in equipment for Busch, who was let go because of numerous off-the-track issues.

Kasey Kahne finally gets to step into the No.5 car at Hendrick, and everyone knew this was coming as Kahne signed the contract before last year, and spent a season with the No.4 Red Bull team (Red Bull is no longer in Sprint Cup). Those that use pay per head software know that Kahne is one of the most talented and marketable drivers in the Cup series, but he has never had equipment to match his skill now as he joins a team with five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, four-time champ Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver and son of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt. It’ll be interesting to see how Kahne’s odds shake out.

Players that buy pay head systems will also have to check for Clint Bowyer, who moved from the No.33 at Richard Childress Racing to the No.15 at Michael Waltrip Racing, and the No.15 was raced only twice last season, at Daytona and Talladega by owner Michael Waltrip. Bowyer had a win last year at Talladega and finished 13^th in the standings (one spot ahead of Kahne and two in front of Allmendinger), so the talent is there.

And of course, you can’t talk about new Cup drivers without Danica Patrick, who is leaving IndyCar to drive full time in the Nationwide series with Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports, but she’ll also drive in a No.10 car owned by reigning Cup champion Tony Stewart. Patrick will drive in 10 races, beginning with the Daytona 500 in February, and many fans are skeptical on Patrick’s ability to pilot a heavy Cup car, compared to the lighter cars of open-wheel racing that she grew up on. But with her skill, looks and marketing power, Patrick is here to stay, and at tracks with restrictor plates (where literally anyone can win), she’ll be worth a look at sports betting websites.

The beginning of January brings the close of the cupcake season for college basketball betting lines and the beginning of inter-conference play. It is during the start of January, that sharp handicappers, begin to place their wagers, as we find out which teams are actually good and which were the beneficiaries of the first half of their schedules. Today we’ll look at the best teams entering inter-conference month and which teams provide the best value for tonight’s NCAAB price per head action.

Depending on which site you use, you will either see the Syracuse Orange on top and Kentucky Wildcats in second overall, or vice versa. For all intents and purposes, Kentucky is the top seed despite a lower win loss record then Syracuse. The reason for Kentucky’s surge to the top is two fold, as they have the best roster in the country, and they recently destroyed the Louisville Cardinals, to jump ahead in the standings. However, with that in mind, it is important that bookie software agents, do not completely bank on Kentucky, while writing off Syracuse.

From a betting stand point, the Orange provide better value then the Wildcats, as the Orange are 10 – four – one against the spread, while the Wildcats are a miserable three – nine and one overall against the spread, but zero – eight – one in their last nine. Both Kentucky and Syracuse should remain one and two in the AP polls over the next couple weeks, as they face the cellar dwellers of their respective conference.

Looking ahead to tonight’s college basketball games, fans should keep an eye on the sixth ranked Missouri Tigers. Although they have an outstanding overall ranking, the Tigers similar to the Louisville Cardinals, are a bit overrated. In essence, the Tigers are undefeated through 13 games, but actually are five and three against the spread. Last game against Old Dominion, the Tigers big stars struggled against a stingy Old Dominion defense.

Tonight when they face the Oklahoma Sooners, if the Tigers struggle early, they could be looking at their first loss of the season. Oklahoma was projected to be at the bottom of the Big 12 this year, but has shocked many NBA handicapping sites, with their early success, only losing two of their first 15 contests. We believe that the Sooners will pull out their 14^th win tonight against the Tigers.

The 11^th ranked Michigan State Spartans will be looking to build off the momentum of their football contemporaries, as they travel to Wisconsin, to take on the 19^th ranked Badgers tonight. Michigan State kicked off the Big 10 league play last week, by destroying both Indiana and Nebraska. Meanwhile, the Badgers will be looking to rebound after an underwhelming performance against Iowa last week. With the Spartans playing on a whole different level than Wisconsin, we feel the Spartans will win this game as handily as they did against Indiana and Nebraska.

WWE Raw fans are definitely familiar with Brock Lesnar, who was once a superstar and champion in the company, and he has also been successful in his next career in the UFC, where he has been a champion as well. However, Lesnar has been battling health problems and he has a tough task upon returning to the octagon for UFC 141; headline the card and welcome Alistair Overeem to the company.

UFC 141 Betting – Friday, 9:00 PM ET

Lesnar (5-2) has gotten over his second bout of diverticulitis, which is a digestive ailment, and a sportsbook review of his 2011 wouldn’t be very long as he hasn’t fought since October of last year, when he lost the belt to Cain Velasquez. When he is healthy, Lesnar is a wrestling phenom who has taken down everyone he has attempted to, although Velasquez did an excellent job of getting back to his feet and those that use price per head software know that will crucial to Overeem’s chances. However, there are questions about Lesnar’s health, of course, and his ability to take a punch. He was fortunate to survive an onslaught from Shane Carwin, and then he was tagged by Velasquez, who doesn’t have the power of his next opponent.

Overeem (35-11, 1 NC) is well known to hardcore MMA fans (as well as players that buy price per head sports services) as being the only man to hold titles in MMA and kickboxing at the same time as he has owned the Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 belts. His proficiency in K-1 should tell you that Overeem is a striking force and some say he is the best heavyweight in the world when it comes to striking, but you shouldn’t underestimate the rest of his game as the “Demolition Man” has strong takedown defense and he can grapple or submit you if you aren’t careful. He didn’t look great in a decision over Fabricio Werdum in June, but that was due to his opponent (a jiu-jitsu specialist) trying to lure Overeem to the mat.

Overeem comes into this match as a -140 favorite, while Lesnar comes at +120, but Overeem started out at -160, so he has lost some ground. This is a contrast of styles as Overeem wants to turn this into a striking contest, while Lesnar will shoot for a takedown the first chance he gets. If Overeem stuffs one or two early, it’ll be interesting to see how Lesnar reacts and also, how rusty will he be after being out of the octagon for 14 months? With a shot at heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos on the line, take Alistair Overeem in your online sportsbooks.