Happy New Year to all our members and congratulations on another winning season.  It’s now 2010 as the Bowl Season continues and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s AllState Sugar Bowl between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Florida Gators.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Florida as 13-point favorites with a total of 62.

Earlier this month, Cincinnati and Florida both were unbeaten and jockying for the chance at a spot in the national championship game.  Now both clubs are in turmoil as two of the nation’s premier coaches in Brian Kelly and Urban Meyer have caused college football chatrooms and ESPN analysts to act like gossip hunters on TMZ.  First the news that Kelly was leaving Cincinnati to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame and then a breaking story that Meyer might not make it to his 46th birthday due to a heart condition.

So then the announcement that Steve Adazzio is now UF’s interim head coach, while Jeff Quinn takes over the reigns for the Bearcats tonight.  To add to the drama, Quinn was just named the new head coach at Buffalo, so he’s bailing n Cincy after the game.  Then you have the story line of new Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones who was hired just days after Kelly announced his departure for South Bend.  Jones has said he plans to retain only one assistant currently on the Bearcats’ staff.  Then you have a story about UF defensive coordinator Charlie Strong being named the new head coach at Louisville and Billy Gonzalez, UF’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, announce he is leaving UF to help out Les Miles at LSU.

Oh the drama which is college football…

Florida’s national championship hopes were crushed in the Georgia Dome earlier this month when Alabama took them to the woodshed with a 32-13 victory as a 5-point dog.  Florida had not given up more than 20 points (Arkansas) all year long and tonight will face a Bearcat offense with some firepower. In addition, the Gators will be without defensive starter in LB A.J. Jones (knee), however DE Carlos “DUI” Dunlap has been reistated for tonight’s game.  The big question on everyone’s mind here inVegas is whether or not Florida will suffer from a SEC Championship hangover. Only time will tell.

Cincinnati (12-0 SU, 6-6 Against The Spread) continued their unbeaten regular season by rallying in the final seconds to beat Pitt, 45-44.  Pitt took a 44-38 lead with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, but Tony Pike threw a touchdown pass in the corner of the endzone to Armon Binns on a double move with 33 seconds remaining.

Pike finished his injury plagued season with a 26/6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and has one of the country’s top wide receivers in Mardy Gilyard.  The NFL scouts will be watching Gilyard a lot tonight as he will be matched up against UF junior CB Joe Haden, another projected early first-round pick.  Gilyard has a team-high 80 receptions for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Now let’s talk trends…Obviously the Bearcats do not have the same strength of schedule the Gators have, but they beat Oregon St., 28-8, as one-point road favorites. Other notable wins included a 49-36 win over Illinois and 28-20 home win over Fresno St.

Florida was a double-digit favorite in every game they played except the Alabama game and ended the regular season with a 6-5 against the spread record.  The Bearcats were underdogs just once in 2009 beating Rutgers 47-15 as 4.5-point ‘dogs in their season opener.  Cincy was 6-6 in their over/under campaign, while the ‘under’ was 8-4 overall for the Gators.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Sugar Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com tonight and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

The 2009 Bowl Season continues tonight, and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s Holiday Bowl between the Arizona Wildcats and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Nebraska as 3-point favorites with a total of 41.5.

Arizona (8-4 SU, 6-6 Against The Spread) won five of its last seven games both SU and Against The Spread, including a 21-17 win at USC as a 7-point road dog in its final game of the regular season. Arizona QB Nick Foles threw for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Trojans. Foles connected on a 36-yard TD pass to Juron Criner with 3:14 left in the 4th quarter that proved to be the game winner for the ‘Cats.

Nebraska (9-4 SU, 8-5 Against The Spread) is coming off a true heartbreaker after losing 13-12 to Texas in the Big 12 Conference Championship. The Cornhuskers celebrated what appeared to be an upset as 14-point dogs when Colt McCoy threw an incomplete pass that hurled out of bounds with no time left on the clock.  But after further review, the official put 1 second back on the clock, allowing Texas kicker Hunter Lawrence to boot a 46-yard field goal as time expired. The 25 total points stayed Under the 45-point closing total.

Nebraska won five consecutive games to end the regular season, but it was just 2-3 against the spread.  The Cornhuskers are 2-1 Against The Spread as single-digit favorites. The Nebraska defense has been the story this year as they are ranked second in the nation behind only Alabama, allowing just 11.2 points per game. Their defensive unit is led by Outland Trophy winner and Heisman finalist Ndamukong Suh, whose power, speed and agility gives opposing offensive lineman all they can handle.

Arizona is 3-2 Against The Spread in their five underdog spots in 2009. The Under is 10-3 overall for Nebraska, 7-5 overall for Arizona.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Holiday Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com tonight and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

The 2009 Bowl Season continues tonight, and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s Champs Sports Bowl between the Miami Hurricanes and the Wisconsin Badgers.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Miami as 3-point favorites with a total of 58.

Wisconsin (9-3 SU, 5-6 Against The Spread) finished up the regular season winning four of its last five games.  Last year after a 7-6 record, the Badgers came to the Champs Sports Bowl to take on Florida State. They got crushed 42-13.

This year the Badgers have improved, but they still are somewhat one dimensional, relying heavily on the running game. Wisconsin is ranked 14th in the country with 31 rushing touchdowns and 206.7 rushing YPG.  In addition, they have the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in John Clay. As the starting RB, Clay has amassed 1,396 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2009.

Miami (9-3 SU, 6-5 Against The Spread) will try to counter the Badger running game with a rush defense that is giving up just 118.3 YPG on the ground, good enough for a 28th rank nationally. And these numbers are against teams with solid running games like Georgia Tech and Oklahoma.

Wisconsin was a lot better this year against the pass, giving up just 219.9 passing YPG, but Miami and Jacory Harris are 27th in the nation throwing the ball with 268.1 YPG. Harris has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 3,164 yards and 23 touchdowns. Miami also has a solid ground game behind a pair of running backs in Craig Cooper and Javarris James.  The duo has combined for 1,157 yards and nine touchdowns.

Now let’s talk trends…In their last ten bowl appearances, Wisconsin is 4-6 Against The Spread, while Miami, is 7-3 Against The Spread in as many. The Badgers are 1-3 Against The Spread versus the ACC. Miami is 2-2 Against The Spread against the Big Ten since 1999.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Champs Sports Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com tonight and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

The 2009 Bowl Season continues tonight and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s Independence Bowl between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Georgia Bulldogs.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Georgia as 6.5-point favorites with a total of 66.5.

Texas A&M (6-6 straight up, 6-5 against the spread) has Quarterback Jerrod Johnson (3,672 total yards, 36 total TDs) who’s running the top ranked offense in the Big 12 and fifth ranked team nationally in total yards (465). Johnson’s offense has averaged 33.9 points per game this year and he was picked just six times in 12 games.

So why are the Aggies just 6-6 this season?  Bad defense!  The Aggies gave up 431 YPG and 32.7 PPG, which ranked dead-last in the Big 12. The Aggies gave up 30-plus points in eight of their 12 games, twice allowing over 40-points and twice giving up 60 (Kansas State and Oklahoma).  The Aggies do boast the nation’s sack leader in junior Von Miller (17 sacks).

Georgia’s (7-5 SU, 4-7 ATS) quarterback Joe Cox (2.426 yards, 22 TDs) isn’t Matthew Stafford, but he has helped Georgia close the year with 38, 31, 27 and 30 points in its final four games.  Georgia’s running game was led by freshman Washaun Ealey (637 yards) and sophomore Caleb King (534 yards, 5 TDs). The wide receiver corps was lead by A.J. Green (47 catches, 6 TDs). Green missed three of Georgia’s last four games this year with a shoulder injury, but is expected to play tonight.

The Dawgs also have have major issues on defense. Georgia’s defense allowed 26.4 PPG this year, which ranked 10th in the SEC and 70th in the nation. Georgia gave up 34 points or more in five games this year, three times giving up 40-plus.  Head coach Mark Richt was pissed and let go of his defensive coordinator and two other staffers after the season.  What’s interesting is that Richt said he’ll be personally creating the defensive schemes against the Aggies. Remember, Richt is a former quarterback and offensive coordinator. This might not be good. Georgia has one of the nation’s worst turnover margins (-17) in 12 games. Only Miami-Ohio (-24) was worse nationally.

National coverage of this game starts at 5:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2 under clear skies and temperatures in the mid-forties.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Independence Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com tonight and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

The pros at FiveStarPick.com are closing out the year in style winning 11 of our last 13 plays against the spread.  Today we will be giving our members two plays on today’s board, but the focus of this preview is tonight’s Sunday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. Las Vegas sportsbooks list the Cowboys as 7-point home favorites with a total of 42.

Dallas (9-5 straight up, 7-7 against the spread) handed New Orleans its first loss of the season last Saturday with a 24-17 victory on the road. What’s amazing about this win is that the Cowboys are notorious for their losses in December.  As a matter of fact, the ‘Boys have gone 18-33 in December since 1996.

While Dallas celebrated in Week 15, the Redskins hung their heads in failure last Monday Night. Washington was handed its worst setback of the season as the N.Y. Giants crushed them 45-12.

Seventy Percent (70%) of the betting public believes Dallas is the play tonight, but gamblers should be weary of a few counter-arguments before laying the 7-points in this game.  Washington (4-10 SU, 7-7 Against The Spread) has lost its 10 games by an average of 5.8 points per game.  Their biggest losing margin was 10 points against Philadelphia.  In addition, this is a divisional matchup and it’s rare to see double-digit losses in back-to-back weeks.

In their last meeting, the Cowboys won 7-6 over the Redskins, but failed to cover the 11-point spread. Unfortunately for the Redskins, kicker Shaun Suisham shtoinked two field-goal attempts in the loss, including a 50-yard miss with 4:52 remaining which would have given Washington a 9-0 lead.  Dallas then proceeded to march the ball down the field and Tony Romo hit paydirt on a 10-yard TD pass to Patrick Crayton.

There are also a few trends to consider tonight.  The Cowboys haven’t swept a regular season series from the Redskins since 2004.  Since that 2004 sweep, Washington has gone 6-2 Against The Spread in heads up play.  Something else to think about…there have been 15 games played on Sunday Night this season and the underdogs are 10-4-1 Against The Spread. 

So who covers the spread in tonight’s Sunday Night NFL game?  It’s very easy to find out.  Try FiveStarPick.com tonight for just ($19.99) and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com