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2025 NCAAF Season -- Deep Dive Into Some of the Best Teams

by AAA Sports

Friday, Aug 22, 2025

NFL & College Football Season Is Almost Here College Football starts very soon. In fact, Week 0 is actually this weekend. This gives football fans something to be ecstatic about before the NFL begins, and even more hype to true College Football fans like us. In this article, we’re taking a deep dive into the upcoming NCAAFB season and what to expect right through the end of the year.  AAA's Top 3 Teams and Contenders Penn State Nittany Lions ~ Last season's success gave us lots of hope for Penn State. It continues to grow as a school in the Big Ten Conference and is getting closer and closer to Michigan/Ohio State's level that it doesn't have to be overlooked anymore. The Nittany Lions are our top pick for the coming year, bringing back the majority of their better players from the season before. They have the experience, having been to the playoffs (Semi Final) last year and finding lots of great schemes and techniques to work on for this season. We believe Penn State should be the co-favorite to win, along with Texas/Ohio State. Texas Longhorns ~ All the talk is about Arch Manning and how he'll handle his first season starting at Quarterback for Texas. When Quinn Ewers was injured last year, he did get a few starts. Yet, that was far from sufficient to classify him as an experienced quarterback. With such a strong supporting cast, the Longhorns have a decent chance of becoming a formidable force. The Longhorns are listed among our Top 3 Contenders for this reason. Ohio State Buckeyes ~ The Buckeyes brought back their two most talented players after winning the championship last season. They did lose a great deal, though. More so than Penn State and Texas combined, Ohio State is renowned for its ability to unearth talent. Nevertheless, they are starting Julian Sayin, a quarterback who has only thrown 12 passes in college football. There's a really good chance that Ohio State can fight and win another title this season and repeat as champions. Obviously, It will be difficult, but we have to include the victors from last year as they most likely won't lose a step.  AAA's Bold Takes Penn State Wins Big 10 AND National Championship ~ We talked about Penn State a bit in the last section. We think that it's finally the perfect time to win for the Nittany Lions. Last year was only the start. We can see why head coach James Franklin is so enthusiastic about this season. There is no reason why this offense, which may be the strongest in Division One, can't outperform its statistics from last year. Week 5 ~ at home against Oregon is going to be the game that probably decides whether it can makes the Big 10 Championship Game. If the Nittany Lions can win either that game or Week 10 @ Ohio State, they definitely should be in the running. Alabama Back In Playoffs ~ Compared to the other one, this is less daring. Actually, given that Alabama is expected to do just that, this isn't all that bold. However, we're going to include the Crimson Tide in this segment because they missed the playoffs last year. This season, Alabama will be operated by Ty Simpson, a former five-star quarterback. That gives Ryan Williams an exciting throw and catch partner again this season. Losing games against Vanderbilt (as it did last season) will not be tolerated this year, and we believe the Tide will roll into to the playoffs in 2025-2026.  Top 10 Offensive 'Skill Positioned' Players Of This Year  1. Jeremiah Smith2. Cade Klubnik3. Drew Allar4. Jeremyiah Love5. Garrett Nussmeier 6. Ryan Williams7. Arch Manning8. Sam Leavitt9. Nicolas Singleton10. DJ Lagway Draftkings Odds To Win The Title (Top 10) Texas ~ (+550)Ohio State ~ (+550)Penn State ~ (+700)Georgia ~ (+750)Clemson ~ (+1000)Alabama ~ (+1000)Notre Dame ~ (+1200)Oregon ~ (+1300)LSU ~ (+1400)Michigan ~ (+2800) Our National Champion Penn State Nittany Lions 

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NFL Super Bowl Predictions

by ASA, Inc.

Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Favorite - Philadelphia Eagles (+750)The reigning league champions rolled through the playoffs last season en route to a blowout win in Super Bowl LVIII over the former back to back Kansas City Chiefs. Even after that dominant display, the Eagles still are not unanimous favorites to repeat in the 2025 season. Depending where you look, the Ravens, Bills, and even Chiefs are favored over the Eagles. Only eight teams have ever repeated as Super Bowl champs, but Philly returns their entire core, guiding arguably the best offensive and defensive fronts in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, the Eagles have the number one ranked O-line and number two ranked D-line entering 2025. Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and AJ Brown make up an unfair combination of skill players behind that top ranked line. They proved that games are won in the trenches, and until we see otherwise, it's hard to justify an investment on another elite team with similar odds. The cherry on top is the lack of competition in NFC. The Lions lost both OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, while the 49ers and Packers are already riddled with injuries to their WR rooms, posing issues for the next three best odds of any NFC team. Sleeper - Denver Broncos (+2500)Denver outperformed expectations in 2025, making a surprise appearance in the playoffs, even though they got clobbered by the Bills. Sean Payton seems to have found his groove once again, building up the roster for his preferred brand of football after posting a 8-9 record in 2023. The Broncos seem to be gaining hype this offseason so their value could drop a bit before kickoff on 9/4, yet they currently still have longer odds than teams like the Rams, Vikings, Texans, and Bengals. Right guard and DIII UW-Whitwater product Quinn Meinerz highlights the second ranked O-line in the NFL (per PFF). Bo Nix quietly had a highly efficient rookie season when many doubted he could even be a capable NFL starter. He posted 33 total touchdowns and only 12 interceptions in his rookie season, with additional improvement from Nix making Denver very dangerous. Furthermore, Pat Surtain II and edge rusher Nick Bonitto will look to lead an already elite defense that finished third in points allowed in 2024.  Longshot - Jacksonville Jaguars (+7000)If Trevor Lawrence is ever going to take the next step and prove why he was the number one pick in the 2021 draft, it needs to be this year. So far he has been the definition of mediocre, but in his defense, he has not had much help around him while also dealing with injuries. Additions of offensive guru Liam Coen as head coach and number two overall pick Travis Hunter should provide much needed weaponry for the Jags previously 26th ranked scoring offense. Brian Thomas and Hunter could make up the best WR duo in the league, allowing Coen’s air raid style of offense to flourish. Another positive is that the AFC South is likely the worst division in football with every other team having glaring issues. The Texans have the projected worst o-line in football again, the Colts are starting Daniel Jones at quarterback, and the Titans are fresh off the number draft pick for a reason. Not many teams with longshot odds have the realistic shot to win their division while also having the offensive firepower to hang with the heavyweights in the AFC. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB, CFL, and EPL Previews and Odds - 08/22/2025

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Aug 22, 2025

The Friday sports card features NFLX, MLB, CFL, and EPL action. The NFL preseason continues its Week 3 with four games. The New York Jets host the Philadelphia Eagles at 7:30 p.m. ET as a 1.5-point favorite with the total set at 34.5 (all odds from DraftKings). Two more NFL preseason games kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Dallas Cowboys play at home against the Atlanta Falcons on the NFL Network as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 35.5. The Tennessee Titans are home against the Minnesota Vikings on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 37.5. The Kansas City Chiefs host the Chicago Bears at 8:20 p.m. ET as a -1.5 point favorite with an over/under of 42.5. Major League Baseball has 15 games scheduled. The Pittsburgh Pirates play at home against the Colorado Rockies at 6:40 p.m. ET as a -194 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Philadelphia Phillies are home against the Washington Nationals at 6:45 p.m. ET as a -172 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. ET. The Baltimore Orioles host the Houston Astros as a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The New York Yankees play at home against the Boston Red Sox as a -172 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two MLB games start at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Detroit Tigers are home against the Kansas City Royals on Apple TV+ as a -164 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Miami to play the Marlins as a -157 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The New York Mets play in Atlanta against the Braves on Apple TV+ at 7:15 p.m. ET with both teams priced as -110 money-line favorites, with a total of 8.5. The Tampa Bay Rays host the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:35 p.m. ET as a -132 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Minnesota Twins are in Chicago to take on the White Sox at 7:40 p.m. ET as a -137 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Texas Rangers play at home against the Cleveland Guardians at 8:05 p.m. ET as a -172 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Milwaukee Brewers are home against the San Francisco Giants at 8:10 p.m. ET as a -175 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Chicago Cubs visit the Los Angeles Angels at 9:38 p.m. ET. Two more games begin at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Cincinnati Reds as a -137 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Los Angeles Dodgers play in San Diego against the Padres as a -123 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The Seattle Mariners play at home against the Athletics at 10:10 p.m. ET.Week 12 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The Edmonton Elks are in Ottawa to take on the Redblacks at 7:30 p.m. ET as a 3.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 53.5. Matchweek 2 in the English Premier League season begins with one match. Chelsea travels to West Ham United at 3:00 p.m. ET as a -0.5 goal-line road favorite with a total of 2.5.

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3 CFB Season Win Total Unders I Like

by Kyle Hunter

Thursday, Aug 21, 2025

College football week zero is this Saturday. We have five games to get us ready for the big week one action next weekend. Season win totals are one of my favorite bets, and I’ve been successful in those in the long run. Let’s take a look at three season win total unders that I like. Arkansas State under 5.5 (-140) The Arkansas State Red Wolves won 8 games last year, but they were 126th out of 134 teams in the country in yards per play margin. They were unbeaten in one score games. Arkansas State is a prime regression candidate this year. The Red Wolves are one of the weakest teams in the country in the trenches. It is extremely hard to keep winning when you are at this kind of a deficit and are weak on the offensive and defensive lines. I think they will only be favored in three or possibly four games this season. I think they’ll underperform this year.  Marshall under 5.5 (-175) The juice has gotten much worse in this one in recent weeks, and I prefer the Sun Belt wins under 3.5 that is lower juice if you have that as an option. Still, I think under 5.5 on this one is an excellent wager. Marshall lost nearly everyone including their coaching staff to Southern Miss. The Thundering Herd are very short on talent this season. Marshall has a tough schedule where the easier teams are on the road and the toughest teams are at home in the conference. They no longer have a strong defense to fall back on like they have had in recent seasons.  I see them struggling to top four wins.  UAB under 4.5 (-140) The UAB Blazers tried to make a big splash by hiring Trent Dilfer a few years ago. I can’t blame them for trying an outside the box hire. They expected Dilfer to bring in some big names and the wins to follow. The recruiting hasn’t gone as well as expected, and the  Blazers have a very big problem on the offensive and defensive lines. The Blazers have a good quarterback, but the weapons around him make it tough for him to excel. The UAB defense gives up way too high of a success rate. Dilfer is absolutely on the hot seat, and if this season starts poorly for UAB things could spiral out of control.

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3 CFB Conference Only Win Total Bets

by Kyle Hunter

Thursday, Aug 21, 2025

College football week zero is this Saturday. We have five games to get us ready for the big week one action next weekend. Season win totals are one of my favorite bets, and I’ve been successful in those in the long run. Let’s take a look at three conference only win totals I have bet for this season. James Madison over 5.5 (-110) We need a 6-2 Sun Belt record out of James Madison, and I think they will win at least 7 games in the conference. The depth James Madison has at quarterback is almost unheard of at the Group of 5 level. Matthew Sluka is back with his old coach. Alonza Barnett has proven to be a star at quarterback too. You could argue that James Madison has two quarterbacks better than the starting quarterback on every other Sun Belt team. James Madison will likely be favored in either seven or possibly all eight games in the conference. The Dukes have a terrific trio of running backs as well, and they are going to put up a bunch of points this year. I think they are a level above everyone in the Sun Belt. Nevada under 2.5 (-110) Nevada was able to be competitive last year thanks in large part to a much better than expected secondary. The Wolf Pack lost nearly everything from the secondary, and I expect this defense to be much worse this year. The schedulers did them no favors this year. They host both Boise State and San Jose State (the expected top two teams in the MWC). UNLV is another team they must host and they are expected to be third or fourth. I think Fresno State could be better than expected too with the former North Dakota State coach taking over at Fresno. Nevada is likely to struggle in Mountain West play this season. Maryland under 2.5 (-190) A lot of juice here,  but I think Maryland will be an underdog in every single Big Ten game this season. The Terrapins are notoriously fast starters and slow finishers under Mike Locksley. The team has chemistry question marks heading into the season. They also lost a bunch of defensive guys to the portal, including a couple key linebackers entering the portal last minute. Maryland’s defense kept them competitive most of the time last year, but I expect them to take a big step backward.The Terrapins have a couple talented young quarterbacks, but the offensive line in front of them is likely to be dominated by most of the  Big Ten defensive fronts. I expect Maryland to have a tough season in 2025. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 08/21/2025

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Aug 21, 2025

The Thursday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and CFL action. The NFL preseason kicks off Week 3 with two games. The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Carolina to play the Panthers on the NFL Network at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Steelers are 1-1 in the preseason after a 17-14 loss at home against Tampa Bay as a 3-point underdog on Saturday. The Panthers are winless in the preseason after a 20-3 loss at Houston on Saturday. Pittsburgh is a 4.5-point road favorite with the total set at 35.5 (all odds from DraftKings).The New York Giants host the New England Patriots on Amazon Prime Video at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Giants are unbeaten in the preseason after a 31-12 victory against the New York Jets as a 3.5-point favorite on Saturday. The Patriots have won both their preseason games as well, after their 20-12 upset win at Minnesota as a 1.5-point underdog on Saturday. New York is a 6.5-point favorite with an over/under of 37.5. Major League Baseball has nine games scheduled. The Athletics play in Minnesota against the Twins at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Athletics send out Jack Perkins to pitch against the Twins’ Jose Urena. The Athletics are a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The Kansas City Royals play at home against the Texas Rangers at 2:10 p.m. ET. Michael Lorenzen gets the ball for the Royals to face Patrick Corbin for the Rangers. Kansas City is a -118 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Chicago Cubs are home against the Milwaukee Brewers at 2:20 p.m. ET. The Cubs turn to Shota Imanaga to take on the Brewers’ Quinn Priester. Chicago is a -138 money-line favorite with a total of 7. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in Colorado to challenge the Rockies at 3:10 p.m. ET. Clayton Kershaw gets tapped by the Dodgers to duel against Chase Dollander for the Rockies. Los Angeles is a -271 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 12. The New York Mets visit Washington to play the Nationals at 4:05 p.m/. ET. The Mets give the starting pitcher assignment to Sean Manaea to battle the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore. New York is a -144 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The San Diego Padres host the San Francisco Giants at 4:10 p.m. ET. Dylan Cease takes the hill for the Padres to take on Justin Verlander for the Giants. San Diego is a -172 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch on Fox’s regional coverage at 7:15 p.m. ET. Baltimore plays at home against Houston, with the Orioles turning to Brandon Young to face the Astros’ Jason Alexander. The Orioles are a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 9. New York is home against Boston with Luis Gil getting the ball for the Yankees to challenge the Red Sox’s Lucas Giolito. The Yankees are a -144 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The St. Louis Cardinals play in Tampa Bay against the Rays at 7:35 p.m. ET. The Cardinals tap Sonny Gray to duel against the Rays’ Joe Boyle. St. Louis is a -123 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Week 12 in the Canadian Football League kicks off with one game. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers play in Montreal against the Alouettes on the CBS Sports Network at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Bombers won for the second time in their last three games after their 30-27 victory against Ottawa as a 4-point favorite last Thursday. They are in third place in the West Division, trailing first-place Saskatchewan by three games. The Alouettes lost for the third straight time in a 36-18 loss at British Columbia as a 7.5-point underdog last Saturday. They are in second place in the East Division, trailing Hamilton by a half game. Winnipeg is a 6-point road favorite with an over/under of 37.5.

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UFC 319 Recap -- What Happened?

by AAA Sports

Wednesday, Aug 20, 2025

Last weekend, the UFC took a trip to Chicago, Illinois where UFC 319 took place. It might've been the most highly anticipated main event fight of 2025 and fighting fans from around the world tuned in. Before we jump right into the Kamzhat VS DDP fight, we will look at some of the other significant finishes that happened during this terrific event.  Carlos Prates VS Geoff Neal (Prates W ~ Spinning Back Elbow ~ 0:01 left in Round 1) For the sixth time in his career, a fighter from one of the world's newest, yet incredibly successful, fighting organizations took the octagon in Saturday night's third last bout. Carlos Prates, a Welterweight fighter, was the first 'Fighting Nerds' (the team he is a member of) to suffer defeat in the UFC. That hasn't prevented Prates from being quite confident going into this battle versus Geoff Neal. For some time now, he has been steadily progressing up the rankings, and he knew that winning this bout would put him in an ideal spot for further success. His opponent, Geoff Neal came into this fight as no slouch though. Compared to Prates, he had been in the UFC for a lot longer and had enjoyed numerous victories in the octagon. Neal appeared to be in good shape as the bout began. That said, as the round progressed, the Brazilian ultimately found his range. We were on the verge of a second round of action when Prates carried out the unthinkable and used one of his spinning attacks to send the United Center into shock. With one second remaining, a spinning back elbow hit flush, and the referee immediately stopped the fight. Neal had never been knocked out before in his UFC career. *(We had the Under 2.5 Rounds as our UFC Total Of The Year)  Lerone Murphy VS Aaron Pico (Murphy W ~ Spinning Back Elbow ~ 1:39 left in Round 1) If you thought the fight before this was fun to watch, the Co-Main event on the UFC 319 card might have even one upped it. Prior to the fight, there was lots of talk about Aaron Pico and him being the next big thing in the UFC. Like a lot of fighters these days, Pico was coming from the Bellator fighting association. Before the fight, he was actually the betting favorite and getting a lot of respect for being a complete fighter that was really good at both wrestling and stand up boxing. Lerone Murphy entered the bout with a perfect record -- 16-0 (1 no contest.) Talk about not getting much respect at all. While it was a pretty even fight for the most part through the first couple of minutes, with Pico slightly ahead with the couple of takedowns he was able to land, we could tell that this fight was going to be good. But, seconds later, Murphy landed a spinning back elbow of his own, landing even more direct that Prates' which happened not even 15 minutes prior. Herb Dean stopped it as fast as he could and this was the first time we've ever seen back-to-back spinning back elbows to win fights.  Khamzat Chimaev VS Dricus Du-Plessis (Chimaev W ~ Unanimous Decision)  All signs pointed towards a really good final fight of the night. This was expected to be the fight of 2025 according to a lot of fighting fans. Before this fight, the South African champ had silenced all of the critics. He might have been the most doubted champion in the UFC for a stretch as people just didn't believe that he'd keep winning. The fight at UFC 319 was his third title defense and he was ready for the biggest challenge of his career. But, the Russian wrestling wonderkid had other plans. Like in his other fights, Chimaev would look to take down Du-Plessis early. In fact, he did just that. Against Kamaru Usman, Chimaev faded a bit in the 3rd round, leading to Usman maybe stealing a round off of him. That gave fans of Dricus hope for the final rounds of this bout. But, Khamzat took control early and didn't let up. He took down Du-Plessis 12 times through the whole fight and within the first 40 seconds of each round. It was a domination and in the words of Bruce Buffer, 'And New' was announced loudly at the end of the night. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 08/20/2025

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Aug 20, 2025

The Wednesday sports card features MLB action. Major League Baseball has 14 games scheduled. The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates at 12:35 p.m. ET. The Blue Jays send out Chris Bassitt to pitch against the Pirates’ Johan Oviedo. Toronto is a -150 money-line road favorite with a total of 8 (all odds from DraftKings). The Philadelphia Phillies host the Seattle Mariners at 1:05 p.m. ET. Jesus Luzardo takes the ball for the Phillies to face Luis Castillo for the Mariners. Philadelphia is a -143 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5.The Houston Astros play in Detroit against the Tigers at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Astros turn to Framber Valdez to take on the Tigers’ Charlie Morton. Houston is a -132 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks play at home against the Cleveland Guardians at 3:40 p.m. ET. Brandon Pfaadt takes the mound for the Diamondbacks to challenge Parker Messick for the Guardians. Arizona is a -132 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Miami Marlins are home against the St. Louis Cardinals at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Marlins tap Sandy Alcantara to go against the Cardinals’ Andre Pallante. Miami is a -126 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The New York Mets are in Washington to take on the Nationals at 6:45 p.m. ET. Kodai Senga takes the ball for the Mets to battle Brad Lord for the Nationals. New York is a -187 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.The Atlanta Braves host the Chicago White Sox at 7:15 p.m. ET. The Braves send out Hurston Waldrep to face the White Sox’s Martin Perez. Atlanta is a -187 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Tampa Bay Rays play at home against the New York Yankees at 7:35 p.m. ET. Drew Rasmussen takes the hill for the Rays to pitch against Cam Schlittler for the Yankees. Tampa Bay is a -119 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5.Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:40 p.m. ET. Minnesota is home against the Athletics, with the Twins turning to Bailey Ober to take on the Athletics’ J.T. Ginn as a -131 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Texas visits Kansas City with a starting pitcher yet to be named for the Rangers to challenge Noah Cameron for the Royals. The Rangers are a -126 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Milwaukee Brewers play in Chicago against the Cubs at 8:05 p.m. ET. Jacob Misiorowski gets the ball for the Brewers to face Collin Rea for the Cubs. Milwaukee is a -308 money-line road favorite with a total of 11.5. The Los Angeles Angels host the Cincinnati Reds at 9:38 p.m. ET. The Angels send out Yusei Kikuchi to battle the Reds’ Nick Martinez. Los Angeles is a -126 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The San Diego Padres host the San Francisco Giants at 9:40 p.m. ET. J.P. Sears takes the mound for the Padres to pitch against Landen Roupp for the Giants. San Diego is a -157 money-line favorite with a total of 8. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 08/19/2025

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Aug 19, 2025

The Tuesday sports card features MLB action. Major League Baseball has 16 games scheduled. The Chicago Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers in the opening game of their doubleheader at 2:20 p.m. ET. The Cubs send out Matthew Boyd to pitch against the Brewers’ Chad Patrick. Chicago is a -144 money-line favorite with the total set at 7 (all odds from DraftKings). Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. Toronto travels to Pittsburgh with the Blue Jays tapping Max Scherzer to face the Pirates’ Mitch Keller. The Blue Jays are a -150 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Detroit plays at home against Houston on TBS with Tarik Skubal getting the ball for the Tigers to take on Hunter Brown for the Astros. The Tigers are a -175 money-line favorite with a total of 7. Miami is home against St. Louis with the Marlins giving the ball to Edward Cabrera to challenge the Cardinals’ Michael McGreevy. The Marlins are a -144 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Two MLB games start at 6:45 p.m. ET. New York plays in Washington with David Peterson taking the hill for the Mets to go against Jake Irvin for the Nationals. The Mets are a -208 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. Philadelphia hosts Seattle with the Phillies sending out Cristopher Sanchez to battle the Mariners’ Bryce Miller. The Phillies are a -176 money-line favorite with an over/under of  8. The Boston Red Sox play at home against the Baltimore Orioles at 7:10 p.m. ET. Walker Buehler gets the ball for the Red Sox to face Tomoyuki Sugano for the Orioles. Boston is a -144 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Atlanta Braves are home against the Chicago White Sox at 7:15 p.m.  ET. The Braves turn to Bryce Elder to face the White Sox’s Shane Smith. Atlanta is a -176 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.  The New York Yankees are in Tampa Bay to take on the Rays at 7:35 p.m. ET. Carlos Rodon takes the hill for the Yankees to challenge Shane Baz for the Rays. New York is a -144 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5.  Two MLB games begin at 7:40 p.m. ET. Kansas City hosts Texas with the Royals tapping Seth Lugo to go against the Rangers’ Merrill Kelly. The Royals are a -114 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Minnesota Twins play at home against the Athletics, with Joe Ryan getting the ball for the Twins to face Jacob Lopez for the Athletics. The Twins are a -157 money-line favorite with a total of 8.The Brewers visit the Cubs in the second game of their doubleheader at 8:05 p.m. ET. Milwaukee sends out Brandon Woodruff to battle Chicago’s Jameson Taillon. The Brewers are a -121 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7. The Los Angeles Dodgers play in Colorado against the Rockies at 8:40 p.m. ET. Emmett Sheehan gets the starting assignment for the Dodgers to face Austin Gomber for the Rockies. Los Angeles is a -275 money-line road favorite with a total of 12. The Cincinnati Reds are in Los Angeles to challenge the Angels at 9:38 p.m. ET. The Reds turn to Hunter Greene to duel against the Angels’ Kyle Hendricks. Cincinnati is a -150 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two more games conclude the MLB card at 9:40 p.m. ET. Arizona is home against Cleveland with Eduardo Rodriguez getting the ball for the Diamondbacks to go against Tanner Bibee for the Guardians. The Diamondbacks are a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 9. San Diego hosts San Francisco with the Padres tapping Nick Pivetta to pitch against the Giants’ Kai-Wei Teng. The Padres are a -241 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.

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NFL System of the Week

by Al McMordie

Monday, Aug 18, 2025

The NFL season is underway, and the lone preseason Monday Night Football game will be played tonight.  The Washington Commanders will host the Cincinnati Bengals, and the home team has been installed as a 4-point underdog.Last week, the Commanders suffered the worst defeat, as New England annihilated them, 48-18, as a 6.5-point home favorite.  Cincinnati, meanwhile, also lost, but the score was much more respectable:  a 34-27 upset at the hands of the 5.5-point home dog Eagles.In the preseason, it has often been profitable to back certain teams off blowout losses.  And our System of the Week does just that.  Since 1983, NFL Underdogs of +4 (or more) points, off a loss by more than 21 points, have gone 28-12-1 ATS.  That bodes well for Washington tonight.  As does the fact that Monday Night Underdogs have gone 22-10-3 ATS in the preseason off a straight-up loss.Take a look at Washington on this Monday.Good luck, as always,Al McMordie

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NFL Win Total Swings: What the Market's Telling Us

by Sean Murphy

Monday, Aug 18, 2025

NFL win totals don’t just reflect projections — they reflect psychology. Sportsbooks like DraftKings set their numbers in the spring, but by the time training camps roll around, those lines are anything but static. Injuries, coaching changes, sharp money, and even public buzz can turn a modest opener into a very different picture by late August. The trick is understanding what those moves mean. The New Orleans Saints are one of the clearest examples of the market turning sour. They opened camp at 6.5 wins at some books, but the quarterback situation, not to mention a rookie head coach in Kellen Moore, has left bettors unimpressed. Sharps piled on the under, and DraftKings reacted by moving the total to 5.5 — a full-game swing that shows more than skepticism, it shows conviction. When sportsbooks shade a line that aggressively, they’re not just managing casual money, they’re protecting against sharp exposure. On the flip side, the New England Patriots climbed from 7.5 to 8.5 wins. That’s the psychology of optimism at work. A new coaching staff (led by a proven winner in Patriots alum Mike Vrabel), fresh offensive identity, and a handful of splashy offseason additions convinced bettors that last year’s struggles were an outlier. Markets don’t wait for results; they price in belief. If the narrative is strong enough — and in New England’s case it is — books adjust early to avoid being overrun. The Washington Commanders fall into a different category. They opened with rare optimism at 9/9.5 wins, fueled by Jayden Daniels’ rookie brilliance and offseason upgrades. But bettors cooled once they looked closer at the schedule and defensive flaws. The total hasn’t cratered, but subtle adjustments toward the under tell you something important: sharp money isn’t necessarily buying the hype. When a number lingers in place but the juice shifts, it’s usually a sign the market expects regression without wanting to overreact. Another interesting mover has been the Chicago Bears. They’ve gone from 7.5 to 8/8.5, riding the Caleb Williams wave and the energy around new head coach Ben Johnson. That’s a public-driven move if there ever was one. The Bears are the kind of team casual bettors want to believe in, which inflates the total whether or not the roster is truly ready to contend. For sharp bettors, this kind of climb can present an opportunity: fading hype at its peak, especially with whispers of Williams struggling to run the offense efficiently. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams tell a story of perception flipping in real time. Early in the summer, skepticism about Matthew Stafford’s health and depth concerns drove money to the under. But when they added Davante Adams and doubled down on offense, sentiment shifted. Now the over is favored, and the line reflects renewed belief. That’s psychology at its most transparent — one player move can swing a market when bettors already want a reason to buy in. Of course, Stafford's back remains a concern and should the keys to the offense be handed over to Jimmy Garoppolo, confidence figures to wane. The Minnesota Vikings have been an interesting case study. Despite last year’s success, their total opened at 8.5, only to be bet up heavily before settling out at 9. The uncertainty at quarterback, even with some anointing J.J. McCarthy a future star, has overshadowed what is otherwise a stable roster. The defense is loaded and led by one of the best minds in the business in coordinator Brian Flores but a difficult schedule looms in what figures to be an ultra-competitive NFC North Division. Bettors rarely want to buy into transition years, and the line reflects that reluctance.Betting win totals is less about predicting the standings and more about reading the room. The Saints’ expected collapse, the Patriots’ potential surge, the Commanders’ cooling, the Bears’ climb, the Rams’ reversal, and the Vikings’ promise all tell the same story in different ways: the NFL betting market runs on psychology. Sharps set the tone, the public piles on stories they want to believe, and sportsbooks move the numbers to keep their balance. The best strategy isn’t chasing the move, but understanding why it happened — and deciding if that leaves you value on the other side.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB and EPL Previews and Odds - 08/18/2025

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Aug 18, 2025

The Monday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and EPL action. The NFLX preseason concludes its Week 2 with one game for Monday Night Football. The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Washington to play the Commanders on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET as a 3-point road favorite with the total set at 43.5 (all odds from DraftKings). Major League Baseball has 13 games scheduled. The Chicago Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers in the opening game of their doubleheader at 2:20 p.m. ET. The Cubs send out Cade Horton to pitch against the Brewers' Freddie Peralta. Chicago is a -123 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh plays at home against Toronto, with Paul Skenes taking the ball for the Pirates to take on Kevin Gausman for the Blue Jays. The Pirates are a -122 money-line favorite with a total of 7. Miami is home against St. Louis with the Marlins tapping Eury Perez to face the Cardinals’ Matthew Liberatore. The Marlins are a -137 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Detroit hosts Houston with Jack Flaherty taking the mound for the Tigers to challenge Spencer Arrighetti for the Astros. The Tigers are a -150 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Philadelphia Phillies play at home against the Seattle Mariners at 6:45 p.m. ET. The Phillies turn to Ranger Suarez to pitch against the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert. Philadelphia is a -112 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Boston Red Sox are home against the Baltimore Orioles at 7:10 p.m. ET. Dustin May takes the hill for the Red Sox to battle Trevor Rogers for the Orioles. Boston is a -121 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves host the Chicago White Sox at 7:15 p.m. ET. The Braves send out Spender Strider to take on the White Sox’s Yoendrys Gomez. Atlanta is a -207 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Kansas City Royals play at home against the Texas Rangers at 7:40 p.m. ET. Michael Wacha gets the starting assignment for the Royals to face Jack Leiter for the Rangers. Kansas City is a -132 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Brewers challenge the Cubs in the second game of their doubleheader at 8:05 p.m. ET as a -122 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.The Los Angeles Dodgers play in Colorado against the Rockies at 8:40 p.m. ET. The Dodgers tap Yoshinobu Yamamoto to pitch against Colorado’s Kyle Freeland. Los Angeles is a -282 money-line road favorite with a total of 11. The Cincinnati Reds are in Los Angeles to face the Angels on FS1 at 9:38 p.m.  ET. Brady Singer gets the ball for the Reds to face the Angels’ Victor Mederos. Both teams are priced as a -110 money-line favorites with an over/under of 9. Two games conclude the MLB card at 9:40 p.m. ET. Cleveland visits Arizona with the Guardians turning to Gavin Williams to face a Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher yet to be named as a -123 money-line favorite with a total of 9. San Diego is home against San Francisco with Nestor Cortes taking the mound for the Padres to take on Robbie Ray for the Giants. The Padres are a -144 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5.Matchweek 1 of the English Premier League season concludes with one match. Leeds United hosts Everton on the USA Network at 3:00 p.m. ET as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. 

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