OddShark Presents Glenny & The Bets

It’s the last gambling blog of 2016! In Matty Math and I’s 4 week run as resident Barstool gambling folk we’ve given out some winners, lots of losers, and wrote a lot of words. Last week I actually had a sweet winner with the Saints/Bucs over. What a game that was. Thought we were gucci at some points, thought we were down and out at some points, but when the clock hit zero there was more than 52.5 points scored and that’s all that mattered. Some Christmas Eve fun at its finest. My other NFL over I gave out was Chargers/Browns over 43.5. I lost a 59.8325/1 parlay on that specific over so in the words of Forrest Gump “That’s all I have to say about that.” Also would like to formally apologize for the Alamo Bowl. Fade my ass in 2016, cause my New Year’s Resolution is to win more money gambling so look out, Ralph.

Now let’s get some game spreads from Matty Math

Alright, so maybe I mixed up Haloti Ngata and Ndamakung Suh last week. Or maybe it was a little pageviews plant to get everybody that jumps straight to the comments to check out a paragraph or two. Average visit time through the roof. Maybe somebody even realized that this isn’t Glenny writing right now. Any other week I would capitalize by writing this whole thing joking about how Mark Ingram is gonna dominate Washington’s front 7 but the matchups are just too marque to get cute with.

As you know if you’ve been in the trenches, bowl season has developed into a bloodbath for favorites with dogs winning outright left and right. I’m thinking this general trend will actually continue through this Power 5 matchup section of the slate but with some favorites cruising to blowouts in the mix as well. For NFL week 17, situational awareness is the name of the game. Pick your spots… 

• Michigan vs. Florida State +7 - Michigan is gonna wax that ass. Everybody at Bristol is blowing smoke about Dalvin Cook praying that the game will be close and the ratings will come in were they want them to be. Every promo they cut is about Dalvin Cook. Dalvin, meet Jabrill. I think Harbaugh will have Peppers just stare at Cook all game and go wherever he goes. Turning to the passing game, both teams have a propensity for getting after the quarterback, but Florida State is dramatically worse at protecting theirs. Look for Deondre Francois to get rocked consistently while looking out at the best secondary in the country. Speight will be hanging out by comparison… Pick: Michigan -7
• Alabama vs Washington +14 - This final four is three knights in shining armor going up against Saban’s dragon. Washington is clearly the least equipped knight of the bunch. Browning is talented and all but this jump in competition is like going from paddle-boarding in calm water to surfing 10 foot waves. The sharp money looks to be on Washington, but sometimes the public side remains the right side. I think Washington will hang around in the first half until Alabama’s junior NFL defense helps them pull away. If you want every chance you can get to slay Saban’s dragon then hit Washington, but I’m a cynical prick here. Pick: Alabama -14
• Ohio State vs Clemson +3 - Ohio State is young, and that matters. Clemson has had what is generally perceived to be a down year. Troy and NC State played them real close, and Pitt got the best of them with some ref help. Yet, bowl season has reiterated to me that this was something of an up year across the board in the ACC, and Clemson survived. Defensively, I see OSU and Clemson as close to even, with OSU having a clear edge in pass defense and a slight edge in rush defense. Offensively, the edge is pretty visible for me. Watson is somehow underrated in terms of throwing accuracy. His talent options at WR of Mike Williams, Deon Cain, and Artavis Scott are filthy enough to burn Ohio State’s formidable secondary. Urban Meyer is a legend of the game but Dabo is building something special down there and his squad has the experience. Pick: Clemson +3 (I also like Clemson +600 to win it all) If they beat Ohio State you can hedge with a moneyline play on Alabama to win what you risked and sit back and enjoy the championship.
• Western Michigan vs Wisconsin -8 – Wisconsin will dominate on the interior but Penn State showed that they are beatable in the secondary. Western Michigan is talented enough to take advantage and cover the 8. Pick: Western Michigan +8                 
• Texans @ Titans -3- The Texans are in the playoffs with nothing to play for this week and the Titans are out of the playoffs also with what looks like nothing to play for this week. Sneaky they are playing for something though: to finish with their first winning record in a long ass time. Both defenses are stout against the run, but without Lamar Miller the Titan’s rushing attack is far superior than that of the Texans. Tom Savage is conservative in his approach and I think they go quietly here. Pick: Titans -3
• Packers @ Lions +3.5- This should be a beauty… Primetime defacto NFC North championship. A look at recent form, where the Lions have dropped three straight at the spread and Green Bay has covered 4 of their last 5 sends me to the public side. Aaron Rodgers is just playing too well to fade in the spot. I think his calf and what not will actually experience a positive shift from going inside. Pick: Packers -3.5

  Picks record 10-4. Wrapped it up 4-2 last week including the fun Browns pick… Didn’t love going so many days in advance so I don’t know if I will again going forward. These picks are my favorite plays on the board each week, “mortal locks” of sorts. Meanwhile, I’m losing left and right behind the scenes when I bet the whole board. Don’t blind trail me or anybody else, read the logic and make your own calls. Good luck… @mathguy500 for chirps and questions

Balls’ Last overs of 2016 on deck!

• Playoff Bowls
  • I made the quickest snap judgement I ever have right as I saw both of these playoff games. Love ‘em both real hard which is good cause it’s fun to have action on New Year’s Eve. I’ve been pretty convinced Bama is going to have their with Washington since the seeding dropped so I’m hoping we’re gonna get like a 45-17 final there. The night game is great as well. I think Clemson can definitely score on Ohio State and there’s no Baker Mayfield in the game to fuck my life up this year. 59 as a total means 29.5 points a half which I am a huuuuge fan of.
• Citrus Bowl over 59.5
  • First off, I just want the record to show that I love LSU here, but Oddshark doesn’t pay me the big bucks to pick game spreads. I’ve rode Louisville overs all year and don’t expect to put a halt on that in the Cardinals’ final game of the season. 11am…sweet appetizer for the playoffs on NYE.
• Saints at Falcons over 56.5
  • In my 3 years or so of gambling I think this is the highest NFL total I’ve seen? Tweet me and tell me I’m dumb if not, but we’re gonna talk like it is. If it’s the highest total you have to take it. Little New Year’s Day action. The top 2 scoring offenses in the league in a dome, saddle up.

And that’s it for 2016 from Matty Math and Glenny Balls. Bigger and better things on the horizon for 2017. As always, feel free to tweet me with any questions, comments, concerns, or fuck-ups like forgetting Suh was on the Dolphins last week. @glenny_balls and @mathguy500 are the handles. May your New Year’s Eve and New Years Day be filled with health, happiness, family, and lots of points. Happy New Year’s Everyone!