The pros at FiveStarPick.com are looking forward to another winning day in the NFL postseason. Yesterday we gave our members the Jets +3, and today we are hot on the NFC Wildcard game between the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals.  Las Vegas sportsbooks list the Packers as 1.5-point road favorites with a total of 48.

Green Bay (11-5 SU, 11-4-1 Against The Spread) comes into the playoffs winning seven of its eight games and going 7-0-1 against the spread. Last week the Packers came into a meaningless game in Arizona and totally dismantled the Cardinals 33-7 as three-point road underdogs. Aaron Rodgers connected on 21-of-26 throws for 235 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.  What’s interesting is that since the Pack’s loss to the Bucs, Rodgers has a 14/2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. As a matter of fact, he has not been picked off in seven of his last eight games, and has only thrown 7 interceptions all year.

Rodgers has two prime targets in All-Pro wideouts Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. Jennings had 68 receptions for 1,113 and four touchdowns during the regular season, while Driver caught 70 balls for 1,061 yards and six scores. Rodgers also has a veteran in the backfield in RB Ryan Grant. Grant has emerged in 2009 with 1,253 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 4.2 yards-per-carry.

Arizona (10-6 straight up, 9-7 Against The Spread) will look to Kurt Warner today to lead their team back to the promise land.  Warner played just a few series last week, but completed 4-of-6 passes for 31 yards without no touchdowns or interceptions.  Warner made 15 starts this year and threw for 3,758 yards with a 27/14 TD-INT ratio. 

The All-Pro veteran QB will need to step up his game today, because Arizona has been plagued with key injuries. Arizona CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has a knee contusion that limited him in practice this week, but he has been upgraded to “probable.”  Anquan Boldin remains “questionable” and hasn’t practiced all week.  He is considered a game-time decision.

Boldin’s absence would be a big loss for the Cardinal air attack. This year, Boldin accumulated 85 receptions for 1,029 yards and five TDs. His dynamic partner, Larry Fitzgerald, had 97 catches for 1,019 yards and 13 TDs.

Arizona’s ground attack has improved with the addition of Beanie Wells. Wells and Tim Hightower have combined to rush for 1,391 yards and 15 TDs.

So who covers the spread in this NFC Wildcard game?  It’s very easy to find out.  Try FiveStarPick.com tonight for just ($19.99) and see if our talent for picking 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 looking forward to another winning NFL postseason against the spread and today we start with the AFC Wildcard game between the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals.  Las Vegas sportsbooks list the Bengals as 3-point home favorites with a total of 34.

The Jets got into the playoffs by beating the Colts and Bengals in the final two weeks of the season, however both opponents rested many of their starters including Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer.

The Jets were an underdog just five times this season, going 3-2 Against The Spread in those spots, but since Week 5, they have been listed as a ‘dog only twice. Jets’ backers started the season 3-0 Against The Spread, but New York failed to cover in six of its next seven; the lone victory coming at Oakland in a 38-0 shutout. In the final five weeks of the season, the Jets hooked up their backers again by covering four times.

Cincinnati finished the regular season 0-7 Against The Spread as a favorite, but the Bengals did most of their damage against division opponents, finishing 4-2 Against the spread in the AFC North. The Bengals two Spread losses both came against the Browns, including an overtime victory at Cleveland.  The Bengals finished their season going 1-6 Against The Spread in their last seven games.

The catalyst for this Bengals team is Carson Palmer.  Palmer completed his fourth season with at least 3,000 yards passing (3,094), but threw for over 300 yards just once this season, in the 27-21 loss at San Diego. The Bengals running game got a boost this year with running back Cedric Benson who finished the regular season with 1,251 yards and six touchdowns.  And then there is Chad Ochocinco, everyone knows he has talent, but if he could just shut up for 5 minutes.

The Jets will be starting rooking QB Mark Sanchez.  Sanchez is only the third rookie quarterback to start a playoff game since 2000, the others being Atlanta’s Matt Ryan and Baltimore’s Joe Flacco. Ryan fell to Arizona in his debut, while Flacco led the Ravens past the Dolphins, 27-6.  Not only will the Jets be starting a rookie QB, they also have a rookie head coach in Rex Ryan.  Ryan has become the 11th rookie head coach to lead his team to the playoffs since 2000.

Marvin Lewis is making his second career playoff appearance. His first was in the 2005 Wild Card game against the Steelers. The Bengals suffered a 31-17 and Carson Palmer suffered an ACL tear in the first half, ultimately sealing the Bengals fate.

The forecast for today’s game is highs in the 20’s with a slight chance of snow.  Whoever shows up with the best defensive scheme and running attack will win this game.

So who covers the spread in this AFC Wildcard game?  It’s very easy to find out.  Try FiveStarPick.com tonight for just ($19.99) and see if our talent for picking 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 2010 college football season comes to a close tonight for the pros at FiveStarPick.com and I have to say that it’s a very sad day for all of us.  We have been working overtime for our members today to analyze tonight’s BCS Championship Game between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide and we look forward to another spread winner in tonight’s finale.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list  Alabama as 4-point favorites with a total of 45. Early action on Alabama pushed the line to as high as 5.5, but the betting public has since moved the line back down to 4 as more money has come in on the Longhorns.

Alabama (13-0 SU, 8-5 Against The Spread) is coming off an emotional win in the SEC Championship game against Florida.  It was the Tide’s best performance of the season as they crushed the Gators, 32-13, at the Georgia Dome. The Tide took the cash as a 5.5-point ‘dog and money-line backers hit a winner with a plus-170 return (risk $100 to get $170).

Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was the star of the show rushing for 113 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. He also had two catches totalling 76 yards, one of those a 69-yard screen pass in the second quarter.  Junior quarterback Greg McElroy came into his own as well completing 12-of-18 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers. 

McElroy will need to take care of the football tonight if he expects to win a National Title tonight for the Tide.  McElroy has a 17/4 TD-INT ratio and has completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 2,450 yards on the season. Ingram rushed 249 times for 1,542 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 6.2 yards per carry on his season. Through the air, Julio Jones is McElroy’s top target and has 42 catches for 573 yards and four touchdowns against SEC secondaries.

Texas (13-0 straight up, 5-7-1 against the spread) had its hands full against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Longhorns managed a 13-12 win thanks to a 46-yard field goal as time expired. The win didn’t come without drama as Colt McCoy threw an incomplete pass with the clock at double zero.  The Cornhuskers began to rush the field to celebrate the upset, when all of a sudden, a second mysteriously reappeared on the clock. That was all the Longhorns needed. Regardless, Nebraska backers easily cashed as 14 point dogs.

Texas QB Colt McCoy was not on his game that night. He connected on 20-of-36 throws for 186 yards, but threw three interceptions. On the flip side, the Longhorn defense was incredible, limiting Nebraska to 106 yards of total offense.

But we expect McCoy to be back on form tonight.  Barring the Big 12 Championship Game, McCoy has connected on 70.5 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards with a 27/12 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season.  He also has senior wide receiver Jordan Shipley as his #1 target.  Shipley has 106 receptions for 1,363 yards and 11 touchdowns. It won’t be easy for Shipley tonight as he will have to face Alabama’s Javier Arenas, who is one of the SEC premier cover corners.

Now let’s talk trends…During Mac Brown’s tenure in Austin, Texas has been an underdog 16 times and have gone 11-5 against the spread. As for Alabama, it has a 7-1 Against The Spread record in its last eight games as a single-digit favorite. The Tide has seen the ‘under’ go 5-2-1 in its last eight games, while Texas has seen the ‘over’ go 3-1 in the Longhorns’ last four.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the BCS Championship, try FiveStarPick.com and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for 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

After another bowl win last night with Boise State +7, the 2010 Bowl Season continues tonight for the pros at FiveStarPick.com.  We have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s FedEx Orange Bowl between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and we look forward to another spread winner tonight.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list  Georgia Tech as 5-point favorites with a total of 50. Georgia Tech opened in most books as a 3-point favorite back in December, but the betting public has moved the line up to 5.

Georgia Tech (11-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) boasts the second-best rushing attack in the country behind running back Jonathan Dwyer (1,346 yards, 14 TDs) and quarterback Josh Nesbitt (991 yards, 18 TDs). But the Iowa defense is only giving up 122 rushing yards per game and has a very solid secondary.

Iowa (10-2 straight up, 7-3 against the spread) will be rallying behind their quarterback Ricky Stanzi (2,186 yards, 15 TDs, 14 INTs).  Stanzi is back under center after a being out for the last half of the season due to an ankle injury and he will be facing a Georgia Tech defense (24.8 ppg) that was very suspect this year, especially against the pass.  Many Iowa fans believe that if Stanzi didn’t go down with the injury that Iowa may have been Rose Bowl bound.

What bettors want to know is whether or not the Jackets will be overlooking another “lack-luster” team from the Big Ten or will the Tech read-option offensive attack hold up? The Big Ten has gone 4-2 Against The Spread in this year’s bowls and the three losses came by 1, 3 and 10 points. The ACC has gone 3-3 Against The Spread in its six bowl appearances this season.

Last year, Georgia Tech met LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl but the Tigers pounced in a 35-3 victory. The loss extended the Jackets’ losing streak 0-4 in their last 4 bowl games. The Gerogia Tech defense has given up 38, 38, 40 and 35 during this losing stretch.

Last year, Iowa put the hammer down on South Carolina, 31-10, in the Outback Bowl.  In the Hawkeyes last seven bowl appearances, they are 6-1 Against The Spread with the one loss being against USC (38-17) in the 2002 Orange Bowl.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Orange Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com 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 2010 Bowl Season continues on January 4th and the pros at FiveStarPick.com are working overtime to analyze the  Fiesta Bowl between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Boise State Broncos.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list  TCU as 7.5-point favorites with a total of 55.

TCU (12-0 straight up, 8-3 against the spread) believed they would have a shot at the National Title game with a Texas loss, but they fell behind the Bearcats in the final BCS standings.

Boise State (13-0 SU, 8-4 Against The Spread) is looking to pick up its second BCS victory.  The Broncos averaged 42 ppg over their last seven wins this season and covered spreads as high as 30-points twice. The Broncos have an offensive line that has given up the fewest sacks in the nation (5) and their offensive unit leads the FBS in scoring (44.2 points per game). That kind of protection has allowed QB Kellen Moore to complete 65 percent of his passes for 3,325 yards, 39 touchdowns and only three interceptions.  Moore is tops in the nation in quarterback rating (167.4).

Boise State’s O Line doesn’t just prevent sacks, they also provide the blocking for the 20th most productive ground game in the nation (194.5 Rushing YPG). Their two stud running backs help as well.  Jeremy Avery has rushed for 1,131 yards and six scores, while Doug Martin has 723 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Last year these two teams met in the Poinsettia Bowl where TCU came away with a 17-16 win as a 3.5-point favorite. The Broncos were only able to muster 250 yards of total offense in that game, so Boise State will need to watch a lot of film and learn from last year’s mistakes to come away with a win in the Fiesta Bowl.

Texas Christian has one of the elite defenses in the country.  The Horned Frogs are 3rd in the country against the run (80.5 YPG) and 4th in the country defending the pass (152.8 YPG).  Their defensive line is averaging 2.7 sacks per game and TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes leads the nation with 11 ½ sacks.

TCU’s offense has playmakers too.  The Horned Frogs ranked 4th in the country in yards per game (469.1) this year. QB Andy Dalton was the Mountain West Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,484 yards, 22 touchdowns and a passer rating of 159.6.

Dalton also has a good running game behind him.  The TCU rushing unit ranks 5th in the nation (256.5 YPG) on the ground behind 4 running backs.  Joseph Turner leads that crew with 732 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

Now let’s talk trends…The Broncos have been dogs only 7 times in the last 5 years going 2-4-1 Against The Spread in those meetings. TCU is 34-15 Against The Spread as a favorite under Gary Patterson. The Horned Frogs are 5-2 Against The Spread in the postseason since 2002. Boise State is 3-2 Against The Spread in its last five bowls appearances. TCU is 18-9 Against The Spread dating back to 1996 against the WAC, while Boise State is 4-0 Against The Spread in its 4 games as a dog against the Mountain West.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Fiesta Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com 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