6 Tips On How To Pick Football Games

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So I’ve been posting picks on NFL and College Football games on the Fake Sports Bar Facebook page all season, and have had some success (58-41-4, for a success rate of just under 59%) coming out on the right side of sides and totals. A few of the readers of this site have asked if I there is any rhyme or reason to the picks I make, so I decided to audit my picks and see if there were any trends of note. I also thought it might be helpful to pass along a few tips that can apply to NFL/Survivor Pools, office pools or a long weekend in Vegas or (if you’re lucky) Delaware, where you can bet parlays in many bars on the NFL games. If Chris Christie gets his way, sports gambling will come to New Jersey next, and if national trends continue many more states will adopt it as well so that they can tax it like marijuana and casinos.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Virginia vs Virginia Tech Preview

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Photo credit: Jason O. Watson, USA Today Sports

Two up and down seasons converge in Blacksburg tonight as Virginia looks to end a 10 game losing streak to Virginia Tech. There’s no time like the present for the Cavaliers to bust the streak, as Tech enters the game with a losing record and on the verge of missing a bowl game for the first time in 21 seasons. The Hokies are also coming off the low point of their season, a 6-3 OT loss to Wake Forest that went into the overtime period knotted in a scoreless tie. It was the first game since 2005 to go into overtime with goose eggs on the scoreboard. That game also produced this screen-grab of Frank Beamer celebrating a missed Wake field goal that sent the game to OT, which neatly sums up the Hokies season:

Done Too Soon: The Marcus Lattimore Retirement

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Every day, people retire. On November 5th, 2014, at the age of 23, Marcus Lattimore retired from professional football. 

Retirements from professional football at such a young age more often than not aren’t a headline grabber. Typically, very talented yet undersized or under skilled athletes stop getting phone calls from teams offering a practice squad tryout and a guaranteed contract that might last a few weeks. A life spent playing football ends abruptly; the only life these players have known ends in silence. No more phone calls, no more locker rooms, no more pads cracking into moving targets. 

Is This What It’s All About Now? Frank Beamer & Virginia Tech Football

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Frank Beamer stands with his team before taking the field. Photo: Chris Graythen, Getty Images

 

As the Virginia Tech Hokies came out of the tunnel last night for the 2nd half versus the Miami Hurricanes, they found themselves on the wrong side of a disappointing 1st half . Down 24-0, Virginia Tech returned to the field with a sense of urgency, sparked by a 58 yard kickoff return. The Hokies quickly marched to the Miami 3 yard line, as the bourbon fueled, sellout crowd at Lane Stadium regained their bright eyes and full throats.