It was Poker Night on the Slats It was poker night on the Scalawag Slats last Friday. Dan hosted a great evening of cards, assorted adult beverages and, naturally, cigars. All kinds of games were played but playing Dr. Pepper poker (2s, 4s and 10s were wild) meant that anything less than four of a kind and you might as well fold. Hollywood squares poker was a big flop – even with Charlie Weaver in the corner to block.
By the end of the evening most everyone had about broken even or were slightly ahead. Bruce had a solid night as he got a little angel investing for his GO JUMBO kitty. But the big winner was JB. He was behind until he put on his visor. Then the chips started sprinting over to his pile. Fear the JB visor.
Which means, of course, that someone had to be the big loser- and that would be the Doofus. I won maybe two pots all night including the smallest one by far. There’s a reason that I stay mainly to the sportsbook on the GO JUMBO weekends. Cards and me get along about as good as Ike and Tina Turner’s marriage.
The prior Friday, Bruce and I polished off a couple growlers with the help of our various progeny. Nothing like free beer to attract the young ‘uns. And while they were critiquing our selections (why can’t that just appreciate the freeness?) we were cobbling together Bruce’s GO JUMBO itinerary. He and the Sheriff of Malibu are in! It’s shaping up to be another great year.
But before I go over the GO JUMBO weekend slate of games - here are some great highlights from last year to get you in the football mood. Plenty of face time for our favorite teams - Are you ready for some Football!! With a
nice double helping of scUM getting Clownied. Also a couple Spartan cameos.
By the end of the evening most everyone had about broken even or were slightly ahead. Bruce had a solid night as he got a little angel investing for his GO JUMBO kitty. But the big winner was JB. He was behind until he put on his visor. Then the chips started sprinting over to his pile. Fear the JB visor.
Which means, of course, that someone had to be the big loser- and that would be the Doofus. I won maybe two pots all night including the smallest one by far. There’s a reason that I stay mainly to the sportsbook on the GO JUMBO weekends. Cards and me get along about as good as Ike and Tina Turner’s marriage.
The prior Friday, Bruce and I polished off a couple growlers with the help of our various progeny. Nothing like free beer to attract the young ‘uns. And while they were critiquing our selections (why can’t that just appreciate the freeness?) we were cobbling together Bruce’s GO JUMBO itinerary. He and the Sheriff of Malibu are in! It’s shaping up to be another great year.
But before I go over the GO JUMBO weekend slate of games - here are some great highlights from last year to get you in the football mood. Plenty of face time for our favorite teams - Are you ready for some Football!! With a
nice double helping of scUM getting Clownied. Also a couple Spartan cameos.
If you want all Spartans all the time (and who doesn’t?) then check out Spartan Defense
Vegas is just around the corner It’s never too early to take a look at the football slate for the GO JUMBO! Weekend. First, let’s start with the teams that are not playing. No sense wasting your time following teams that aren’t going to be in play
In college football the idle slate consists of:
Syracuse
Indiana
Michigan
Purdue
Wisconsin
Cincinnati
Memphis
East Carolina
Army
Central Michigan
New Mexico
Utah State
Arizona State
Washington State
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Lots of my least favorite teams will be sitting the week out starting with Michigan. Too bad - I enjoy betting against scUM. I guess they need the time to get ready for Michigan State the following week.
Georgia is the South’s version of scUM. Their fan base consists mainly of redneck dropouts sporting their best WalMart Dawg gear. Difference is their pickup trucks are in better shape due to the weather. Florida is off too as these hated rivals get ready for the great big outdoor cocktail party the next weekend.
Arkansas is a perfect 7-0 on GO JUMBO weekends. Looks like their record will continue unblemished. Saves me from having to bet on Bielema. That guy is a pudgy, rude, obnoxious jerk.
The team he left in the lurch – Wisconsin is also idle as they hit the Der Rathskeller over on Lake Mendota.
Dwink’s Army squad will be getting some well deserved R&R over in the Ardennes. And Chris’ Boilermakers will be
recovering from the pounding the will be getting from MSU the previous week.
Over in the NFL the idle teams are
Chicago
Tennessee
Indianapolis
San Diego
Baltimore
Houston
That’s the second year in a row that Chicago is off the betting slate. Last year they were playing on Monday night against the Lions.
San Diego is also missing their second straight GO JUMBO weekend. Joe is upset as, once
again, he can’t bet against the Dolts.
And it’s a good thing that Houston and Baltimore aren’t on the docket. Last year I teased the Ravens to getting 13.0 and they got pounded 43-13. Oooff! Couple of months later they are in the Super Bowl. Who would of thunk it?
Now I’m fired up and that’s over the teams not playing
So let’s get to the teams that are playing!
Thursday night starts with a couple of yawners in college ball with
Marshall No Line @ Middle Tenn St
Kentucky +11.5 @ Mississippi St
The Little Brother Stoops getting a TD and a FG in Starksville sounds a little tempting. But brother hire usually disappoint.
The NFL game that day is a quite a bit more interesting with
Tampa Bay -1.5 @ Carolina
Two divisional rivals that are poles apart. QB Cam Newton started slowly and then caught fire for Carolina in the second half of last year - and is the strength of the Carolina offense. While QB Josh Freeman was horrible for Tampa Bay in the second half of the season and became a huge liability. Meanwhile, TB signed DBs Derrelle Revis and Dashon Goldson so their secondary is now a strength. The Panthers secondary? Pathetic.
Going to have to wait to see how the first half of the season plays out before making a pick but this has the makings of a good game. Maybe the under if Woz doesn’t talk me out of it – you owe me Woz.
On Friday night – while we are at the Ri Ra Irish pub I will be hoisting some Irish, betting slip firmly in hand and following
Boise State +2.0 @ BYU - The Broncos rarely cover at home but are much better on the road. Somehow rooting against the Mormons in an Irish bar sounds right.
Then, as I recover from the first of many hangovers its FFDY!!
Saturday has a ton of interesting games including
NC State +20.0 @ Florida State – NC State has been a thorn in the side of FSU for years
Georgia Tech NL @ Virginia – The Wreck pounded UVA last year and the Sax Man expects more of the same
Northwestern -12.0 @ Iowa – Bruce will be sporting his best purple for this one. Iowa has been going downhill for the last few years but are a tough out in Kinnock Stadium.
Penn State +16.0 @ Ohio State – The Bucknuts are overrated but I still haven’t gotten over PSU’s underage fun in the showers – pass
Texas -2.5 @ TCU – Texas has underperformed for a few years. Horney Toad fans are going to be pumped to have the Horns playing in Amon Carter. Leaning towards the purple getting points.
Louisville -13.0 @ South Florida – I think he Cardinals are going to disappoint this year too. South Florida got rid of L’il Boy Holtz and brought in Wille Taggert from Western Kentucky. Willie was 16-5-1 ATS the last two years.
Tulsa NL @ Tulane – Tulsa typically torches Tulane. The last 5 victory margins have been 35, 28, 28, 24, and 49 points. Might be a chance to lay 20+ points, sit back and collect your winnings
Pittsburgh NL @ Navy – Couple of good running teams – Under?
Toledo NL @ Bowling Green – two of the favorites to win the MAC. These teams could see each other again in Detroit for the MAC championship. Good matchup
Notre Dame -18.0 @ Air Force – Notre Dame will be coming off playing USC the week before – let down?
Fresno State NL @ San Diego State – The Spaztecs almost blew a cover last year by getting a late FG and forcing overtime. Joe is still chuckling over that game. Now they will be playing in a key West Division MWC game. Another heart attack coming my way.
UCLA +20.0 @ Oregon – 20 points sounds a bit much against a good UCLA defense. Excellent cross divisional PAC 12 match up
Stanford -3.0 @ Oregon State – The Beaver started out hot last year but faded down the stretch. Stanford was supposed to regress when Jim Harbaugh left – nope then when Andrew Luck left, nope again. Two solid teams
but if the Cardinal continues strong in 2013 I’ll take the tree
Troy NL @ Western Kentucky – Troy is a perennial SunBelt contender. WKU was in the hunt under former HC Will Taggert. Now they have Bobby Petrino. This one could be tons of fun. Get your motorcycle, grab your
mistress and put down some quatloos
Tennessee +27.0 @ Bama – Every year Pat bets on the Vols and every year he loses as the faded orange are a perfect 0-7 on Vegas weekends. But with Tennessee getting 27 in a rivalry game they just might get off the
schneid. Still, betting against Pat in this game has been very profitable….
Idaho NL @ Mississippi – Idaho is a complete joke. Ole Miss could be looking to bounce back after a tough loss to LSU the prior week and looking at a bye the following week. I might be willing to lay a ton of points on this game.
Of course the big game for the gang will be Michigan State NL @ Illinois – MSU could be looking ahead to the Michigan game. I’ll go money line on the Spartans. They have trouble covering big spreads anyways and this game
should have a healthy spread.
And Joe and I will be closing down the book again this year with a game that starts at midnight eastern time – Colorado State NL @ Hawaii. Two bad teams but who cares – it’s the last chance to bet for the day.
After a short rest I’ll be down early saving seats for the NFL games. The seats fill up fast so we are usually down there around 7 am local.
After missing last year’s GO JUMBO weekend by losing on Monday night the Leos will be hosting Dallas and giving a point. Tough to believe that Detroit would be favored against just about anybody after last year but with Reggie Bush in the backfield the Honolulu and Blue could be in the middle of a great turnaround. Then again it is the Lions.
Miami +7.0 @ New England – the NFL talking heads are picking Miami to challenge for the AFC East. Not with their QB situation.
Buffalo +6.5 @ New Orleans – Buffalo is also QB challenged while the Saints get HC Sean Payton back. Giving less than a TD in the Super Dome– I’ll bite
San Francisco -10.5 @ Jacksonville – the Pat Time Zone Angle is in pay when the Niners travel east for a 1:00 game. As bad as the QBs are for Miami and Buffalo Jax is the worst. Pat – you willing to take 10.5 on the Jags?
Pittsburgh -4.5 @ Oakland – Two old time AFC rivals. These teams used to be the best of the best. Now Pittsburgh is occasionally great while Oakland is just plain bad. Depending on Big Bens health I might lay the points
Washington +6.0 @ Denver – RGIII vs Peyton? I like that matchup. Denver is a solid contender for the Super Bowl. Washington is a dark horse. This line is subject to RGIII’s heath at game time. He might look good at the beginning of the year but is going to take a lot of hits if he comes back at the start of the season.
Atlanta -4.0 @ Arizona – Thankfully, I have another team to root for besides Detroit. Atlanta spiced up their running game by adding Steven Jackson. Now defenses will have to stay honest allowing Julio Jones more time to get open. Arizona collapsed last year and should be in the middle of another one this year.
And the final game of the GO JUMBO weekend is a classic matchup
Green Bay -1.0 @ Minnesota – These teams hate each other and are the favorites for the NFC North. Should be a
dandy.
Looking forward to these games and more
For all the matchups, times, latest spread, prior year score and more check out the following spreadsheet
In college football the idle slate consists of:
Syracuse
Indiana
Michigan
Purdue
Wisconsin
Cincinnati
Memphis
East Carolina
Army
Central Michigan
New Mexico
Utah State
Arizona State
Washington State
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Lots of my least favorite teams will be sitting the week out starting with Michigan. Too bad - I enjoy betting against scUM. I guess they need the time to get ready for Michigan State the following week.
Georgia is the South’s version of scUM. Their fan base consists mainly of redneck dropouts sporting their best WalMart Dawg gear. Difference is their pickup trucks are in better shape due to the weather. Florida is off too as these hated rivals get ready for the great big outdoor cocktail party the next weekend.
Arkansas is a perfect 7-0 on GO JUMBO weekends. Looks like their record will continue unblemished. Saves me from having to bet on Bielema. That guy is a pudgy, rude, obnoxious jerk.
The team he left in the lurch – Wisconsin is also idle as they hit the Der Rathskeller over on Lake Mendota.
Dwink’s Army squad will be getting some well deserved R&R over in the Ardennes. And Chris’ Boilermakers will be
recovering from the pounding the will be getting from MSU the previous week.
Over in the NFL the idle teams are
Chicago
Tennessee
Indianapolis
San Diego
Baltimore
Houston
That’s the second year in a row that Chicago is off the betting slate. Last year they were playing on Monday night against the Lions.
San Diego is also missing their second straight GO JUMBO weekend. Joe is upset as, once
again, he can’t bet against the Dolts.
And it’s a good thing that Houston and Baltimore aren’t on the docket. Last year I teased the Ravens to getting 13.0 and they got pounded 43-13. Oooff! Couple of months later they are in the Super Bowl. Who would of thunk it?
Now I’m fired up and that’s over the teams not playing
So let’s get to the teams that are playing!
Thursday night starts with a couple of yawners in college ball with
Marshall No Line @ Middle Tenn St
Kentucky +11.5 @ Mississippi St
The Little Brother Stoops getting a TD and a FG in Starksville sounds a little tempting. But brother hire usually disappoint.
The NFL game that day is a quite a bit more interesting with
Tampa Bay -1.5 @ Carolina
Two divisional rivals that are poles apart. QB Cam Newton started slowly and then caught fire for Carolina in the second half of last year - and is the strength of the Carolina offense. While QB Josh Freeman was horrible for Tampa Bay in the second half of the season and became a huge liability. Meanwhile, TB signed DBs Derrelle Revis and Dashon Goldson so their secondary is now a strength. The Panthers secondary? Pathetic.
Going to have to wait to see how the first half of the season plays out before making a pick but this has the makings of a good game. Maybe the under if Woz doesn’t talk me out of it – you owe me Woz.
On Friday night – while we are at the Ri Ra Irish pub I will be hoisting some Irish, betting slip firmly in hand and following
Boise State +2.0 @ BYU - The Broncos rarely cover at home but are much better on the road. Somehow rooting against the Mormons in an Irish bar sounds right.
Then, as I recover from the first of many hangovers its FFDY!!
Saturday has a ton of interesting games including
NC State +20.0 @ Florida State – NC State has been a thorn in the side of FSU for years
Georgia Tech NL @ Virginia – The Wreck pounded UVA last year and the Sax Man expects more of the same
Northwestern -12.0 @ Iowa – Bruce will be sporting his best purple for this one. Iowa has been going downhill for the last few years but are a tough out in Kinnock Stadium.
Penn State +16.0 @ Ohio State – The Bucknuts are overrated but I still haven’t gotten over PSU’s underage fun in the showers – pass
Texas -2.5 @ TCU – Texas has underperformed for a few years. Horney Toad fans are going to be pumped to have the Horns playing in Amon Carter. Leaning towards the purple getting points.
Louisville -13.0 @ South Florida – I think he Cardinals are going to disappoint this year too. South Florida got rid of L’il Boy Holtz and brought in Wille Taggert from Western Kentucky. Willie was 16-5-1 ATS the last two years.
Tulsa NL @ Tulane – Tulsa typically torches Tulane. The last 5 victory margins have been 35, 28, 28, 24, and 49 points. Might be a chance to lay 20+ points, sit back and collect your winnings
Pittsburgh NL @ Navy – Couple of good running teams – Under?
Toledo NL @ Bowling Green – two of the favorites to win the MAC. These teams could see each other again in Detroit for the MAC championship. Good matchup
Notre Dame -18.0 @ Air Force – Notre Dame will be coming off playing USC the week before – let down?
Fresno State NL @ San Diego State – The Spaztecs almost blew a cover last year by getting a late FG and forcing overtime. Joe is still chuckling over that game. Now they will be playing in a key West Division MWC game. Another heart attack coming my way.
UCLA +20.0 @ Oregon – 20 points sounds a bit much against a good UCLA defense. Excellent cross divisional PAC 12 match up
Stanford -3.0 @ Oregon State – The Beaver started out hot last year but faded down the stretch. Stanford was supposed to regress when Jim Harbaugh left – nope then when Andrew Luck left, nope again. Two solid teams
but if the Cardinal continues strong in 2013 I’ll take the tree
Troy NL @ Western Kentucky – Troy is a perennial SunBelt contender. WKU was in the hunt under former HC Will Taggert. Now they have Bobby Petrino. This one could be tons of fun. Get your motorcycle, grab your
mistress and put down some quatloos
Tennessee +27.0 @ Bama – Every year Pat bets on the Vols and every year he loses as the faded orange are a perfect 0-7 on Vegas weekends. But with Tennessee getting 27 in a rivalry game they just might get off the
schneid. Still, betting against Pat in this game has been very profitable….
Idaho NL @ Mississippi – Idaho is a complete joke. Ole Miss could be looking to bounce back after a tough loss to LSU the prior week and looking at a bye the following week. I might be willing to lay a ton of points on this game.
Of course the big game for the gang will be Michigan State NL @ Illinois – MSU could be looking ahead to the Michigan game. I’ll go money line on the Spartans. They have trouble covering big spreads anyways and this game
should have a healthy spread.
And Joe and I will be closing down the book again this year with a game that starts at midnight eastern time – Colorado State NL @ Hawaii. Two bad teams but who cares – it’s the last chance to bet for the day.
After a short rest I’ll be down early saving seats for the NFL games. The seats fill up fast so we are usually down there around 7 am local.
After missing last year’s GO JUMBO weekend by losing on Monday night the Leos will be hosting Dallas and giving a point. Tough to believe that Detroit would be favored against just about anybody after last year but with Reggie Bush in the backfield the Honolulu and Blue could be in the middle of a great turnaround. Then again it is the Lions.
Miami +7.0 @ New England – the NFL talking heads are picking Miami to challenge for the AFC East. Not with their QB situation.
Buffalo +6.5 @ New Orleans – Buffalo is also QB challenged while the Saints get HC Sean Payton back. Giving less than a TD in the Super Dome– I’ll bite
San Francisco -10.5 @ Jacksonville – the Pat Time Zone Angle is in pay when the Niners travel east for a 1:00 game. As bad as the QBs are for Miami and Buffalo Jax is the worst. Pat – you willing to take 10.5 on the Jags?
Pittsburgh -4.5 @ Oakland – Two old time AFC rivals. These teams used to be the best of the best. Now Pittsburgh is occasionally great while Oakland is just plain bad. Depending on Big Bens health I might lay the points
Washington +6.0 @ Denver – RGIII vs Peyton? I like that matchup. Denver is a solid contender for the Super Bowl. Washington is a dark horse. This line is subject to RGIII’s heath at game time. He might look good at the beginning of the year but is going to take a lot of hits if he comes back at the start of the season.
Atlanta -4.0 @ Arizona – Thankfully, I have another team to root for besides Detroit. Atlanta spiced up their running game by adding Steven Jackson. Now defenses will have to stay honest allowing Julio Jones more time to get open. Arizona collapsed last year and should be in the middle of another one this year.
And the final game of the GO JUMBO weekend is a classic matchup
Green Bay -1.0 @ Minnesota – These teams hate each other and are the favorites for the NFC North. Should be a
dandy.
Looking forward to these games and more
For all the matchups, times, latest spread, prior year score and more check out the following spreadsheet
| Week 9 Oct 26th |
And if you are going to VEGAS BABY on another weekend (Joe!!) here are every week’s games starting with the first college game on Labor Day weekend through the last NFL in December - Organized by week for your betting
pleasure.
pleasure.
| Week 1 Aug 31st |
| Week 2 Sept 7th |
| Week 3 Sept 14th |
| Week 4 Sept 21st |
| Week 5 Sept 28th |
| Week 6 Oct 5th |
| Week 7 Oct 12th |
| Week 8 Oct 19th |
| Week 10 Nov 2nd |
| Week 11 Nov 9th |
| Week 12 Nov 16th |
| Week 13 Nov 23rd |
| Week 14 Nov 30th |
| Week 15 Dec 7th |
| Week 16 Dec 15th |
| Week 17 Dec 22nd |
| Week 18 Dec 29th |
Remember GO JUMBO is Sat Oct 26th at the LVH Hotel
