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The Alabama Crimson Tide will make their fifth National Championship Game appearance in the College Football Playoff Era. Ohio State will only make their second, but the Buckeyes have been in the semifinal four times. They’ve only been in the title game once and that was a win over Oregon in the first CFP NCG for the 2014 season.

Alabama is favored by 8.5 points with a total of 75 at <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betonline">BetOnline Sportsbook</a>. You’ll find 75.5 across most of the global markets, but we have seen some interest in the under over the last couple of days. You can bet that it’s not public money on that total, so there are some sharper investors with respected opinions that have sided with the under, at least for now.

Tons of money will come in on this game on Monday to impact the side and total at the absolute highest limits. We’ll also see more involvement on the prop betting side as more and more of those options get posted in the betting markets.

Let’s take a look at the penultimate college football game of this weird and wonky 2020 season and see if we can find something to play.
<h3>Ohio State Buckeyes</h3>
Dabo Swinney didn’t want the smoke. He didn’t want the Buckeyes, a team that outplayed his Clemson Tigers in last season’s Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff Semifinal. So, he voted them 11th in the coaches poll. He lobbied against them as a team that “only played six games”. He then watched as his team got crushed 49-28.

There is a horse racing comparison to apply here. A lot of pony players won’t come back on a horse after his best run ever or his top performance in a long time. Both teams were motivated for the Sugar Bowl, but Ohio State took it to another level. They looked like the more focused team. The team that actually made adjustments from the previous game. The team that played its best game of the season at the right time.

It was a game that Ohio State put a lot of energy and emphasis into winning. Now the Buckeyes have to come back 10 days later with an injured quarterback and find a way to beat a juggernaut Alabama team that some have called the best ever because of how they’ve performed relative to expectation. It is an unenviable spot for the Buckeyes to be in.

But when you look at Ohio State, there was no question that this was a top-four team in the nation. Justin Fields could very well be the second quarterback taken in the NFL Draft. He just outshined the one that will go first. Ohio State recruits at an elite level that really only teams like Alabama and Georgia can compete with these days. From a talent standpoint, the Buckeyes are a playoff-worthy team and one that could very well win the title.

Was it a title-worthy schedule for this Ohio State squad? Not at all. The Big Ten was terrible. In a lot of ways, the SEC didn’t stack up either and the Crimson Tide were taken to the brink by Florida. They beat a Georgia team that hadn’t figured out JT Daniels was the best option and did hammer a Texas A&amp;M team that wound up being quite good.

Nobody should question how much Ohio State deserves to be here. Fields proved what kind of prospect he is by raining down six touchdown passes and 385 yards on Clemson’s defense. Trey Sermon fell seven yards short of 200 with 31 carries. The Buckeyes dominated the game. It did a lot to ease fears with Fields, who struggled badly in the Big Ten Championship Game against Northwestern.

Big play receiver Chris Olave had two touchdowns and 132 receiving yards. The Buckeyes found their tight ends in the red zone in Luke Farrell and Jeremy Ruckert. It was a different plan of attack from Ryan Day. The Buckeyes pulled a lot of tricks out of their bag that elevated the profile of the team.

To top it off, the Ohio State defense had a spectacular showing. Trevor Lawrence threw for 400 yards, mostly on volume, as the Tigers only had 12.1 yards per reception. Travis Etienne did nothing in the run game and Clemson became one-dimensional. Shaun Wade, who will draw the unfortunate matchup of Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith in this game, struggled badly, but most of the rest of the Buckeyes played well.

Kerry Coombs had a great gameplan and Clemson played right into it. The prep window for Alabama is much shorter and Ohio State doesn’t have recent head-to-head film to rely on. The Buckeyes offense will get theirs. How the defense plays could very well define the winner, both against the spread and outright.
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<h3>Alabama Crimson Tide</h3>
Nick Saban is the GOAT. He’s the best college football coach of all-time. And don’t sit here and say it’s because he’s had the best players. That’s a right that you earn by winning and by winning a lot on the big stage.

Here’s the thing, though. Since the College Football Playoff began with the 2014 season, Saban is 0-4 ATS in the National Championship Game. The Tide lost as a favorite to Ohio State in the semifinal back in 2014. The Tide failed to cover against Clemson in the 45-40 win in the 2015 title game and then lost twice to Clemson.

In the BCS era, that wasn’t the case. That was when Saban and his support staff had one game to plan for and a month to do it. Now, even after advancing from the semifinal, there is another game to play and one with a shorter turnaround. So, we’ll see if Alabama can fare better in that department this time around.

The Tide certainly have the personnel to do it. The offense didn’t lose a beat with Mac Jones instead of Tua Tagovailoa. In fact, Jones outperformed Tua’s junior season. Jones completed 77% of his passes with a 36/4 TD/INT ratio. Tua completed 71.4% with a 33/3 TD/INT ratio. A remarkable group of weapons has helped Jones tremendously, as Devonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy with 1,641 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.

Smith isn’t the only one. John Metchie was a big-play guy with 835 yards on 47 catches. Najee Harris ran for 1,387 yards and 24 touchdowns. Now it looks as though Jones will also embrace the return of Jaylen Waddle, who could very well be the best wide receiver on the team. Waddle had 25 catches for 557 yards before suffering an ankle injury on the opening kickoff against Tennessee.

Matchup nightmare Jahleel Billingsley is listed as a sophomore tight end, but he’s 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds with length and good speed. This is an embarrassment of riches for Jones against an Ohio State defense that has been picked apart through the air at times.

Evaluating Alabama defensively is a challenge. When they were good, they were great. When they weren’t great, it was what separated their full-season numbers from “elite” and “exceptional”. Teams like Ole Miss and Florida did move the ball with great success against Alabama. On the other hand, it was a struggle for a lot of other SEC offenses and Notre Dame didn’t have a ton of success in the Rose Bowl with just 4.7 yards per play.
<h3>Pick &amp; Analysis</h3>
There really is a lot to look at with a game of this magnitude. Both rosters are littered with four-star and five-star talent. Even the three-star players have been elevated by being part of programs this strong. Each individual matchup can be put under a microscope.

It is very interesting that this line opened 7 or 7.5, the same place Ohio State was for the most part against Clemson. I don’t anybody believes Alabama and Clemson are a pick ‘em on a neutral, but it does seem Ohio State may have gotten too much love for that victory over the Tigers. The line moved up to 8.5 and in some cases 9 and that seems fairer to me.

Stepping in front of these two offenses to take an under sounds hard to do, even with a historically high 75 number. Five of the six National Championship games have seen a team get to the 40s, but only one would have gone over this year’s total.

There probably won’t be many stops in this game, so which offense do you trust more? For me, that’s Alabama. Ohio State takes some deep shots and has run the ball really well with Sermon, but Fields is less than 100% and Alabama has more weapons.

Player props are the way to attack this game, but the pick is Alabama -8.5
<h4>Pick: Alabama -8.5</h4>
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Ohio State vs. Alabama College Football Playoff National Championship Game Free Pick & Prediction 1/11/21

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Planning on watching today's Avalanche and Capitals game? Catch the action at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, as the Capitals hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The Avalanche come into this non-conference matchup favored by -1.5 goals. The over/under line currently sits at 6 goals.<h3>COLORADO AVALANCHE VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Washington Capitals +1.5This game will be played at Capital One Arena at 7:00 ET on Tuesday, February 13th.<h3>WHY BET THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS:</h3><ul><li>Even though they are 1.5 goal underdogs, we see the Capitals winning this game by a score of 4-3.</li><li>We like the Capitals on the moneyline (+138)</li><li>The Capitals are also our pick on the spread at +1.5</li></ul><h3>Can Colorado Lock in a Road Win?</h3>Heading into today's game, the Colorado Avalanche have an overall record of 32-17-4, which has them in 3rd place in the Western Conference and 2nd place in the Central Division. Over their last ten games, the Avalanche have gone just 4-6 and have dropped three straight games.

On the road this season, Colorado has gone 12-12-4, and they have lost three straight games away from home. As the favorite, the Avalanche have gone 29-12-4 this season.On the road this season, the Avalanche have gone just 9-19 against the puck line and are at 25-28 overall. So far, they have 24 wins by multiple goals and have gone 22-23 against the puck line when favored.

Colorado's average scoring differential this year is +.5 goals per game, and they have dropped their last four games against the puck line. In their last 10 road games, the Avalanche have gone just 4-6 vs. the puck line. For the season, Colorado's games have finished with an average of 6.9 goals per game. Their average over/under line for the season is 6.3. Overall, the Avalanche have an over/under record of 31-20-2.In their last three games away from home, the Avalanche have a straight up record of 0-3 while going 0-3 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 1 goals per game in these contests.When looking at their offense, the Avalanche have an average of 3.7 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 2nd in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 3rd in the league. Looking at how the Avalanche's offense is performing during power plays, they are 3rd in power play goals and 8th in shorthanded goals.Colorado's current leading scorer is Nathan MacKinnon. This season, he has 32 goals, which puts him 5th in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 53 assists so far.The Capitals defense is currently 18th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 30.4 shots per game against Washington. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 8th with 4 shutouts.Goalie Alexandar Georgiev gets the start and has made 43 starts this season. His record at this point is 27-13, and his save percentage is 0.99%.<h3>Will the Washington Defense Show Up at Home?</h3>As the 11th ranked team in the Eastern Conference, the Capitals have struggled mightily of late, going just 3-7 in their last ten games. Over the course of the season, Washington has gone 23-21-8, including a 13-9-5 record at home. In games against other Eastern Conference teams, the Capitals have gone 13-15.

For the season, Washington has been the underdog in 36 of their 52 games, going 12-19-6 in those games. Over their last five games, the Capitals are just 1-4, and they have dropped their last two games at home.At home, the Capitals are 12-14 against the puck line this season, and they have an average scoring margin of -0.4 goals per game. So far, Washington has been the underdog in 36 of their games, and their puck line record as the underdog is 19-17.

Overall, the team's puck line record is 23-28, and they have 13 losses by more than one goal. In their last ten games at home, the Capitals are 5-5 against the puck line, and their average scoring margin as the underdog this year is -1.2 goals per contest. On average, Washington's games have finished with 5.5 goals per game. The season's average over/under line stands at 6. In total, the Capitals come in with an over/under record of 20-29-2.In their last three games away from home, the Avalanche have a straight up record of 0-3 while going 0-3 vs. the spread. The team averaged 1 goals per game in this stretch.In terms of their offensive performance, the Capitals are averaging 2.4 goals per game this season, putting them in the 30th spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 29th in the league. This season, the Capitals are 8-7 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 15-14 record.Washington's current leading scorer is Dylan Strome. This season, he has 20 goals, which puts him 40th in the NHL. Strome also comes into the game with 15 assists.The Capitals defense is currently 18th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 30.4 shots per game against Washington. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 8th with 4 shutouts.Goalie Charlie Lindgren gets the start and has made 22 starts this season. His record at this point is 10-7, and his save percentage is 0.654%.

Colorado Avalanche vs Washington Capitals Betting Pick & Prediction 2/13/24

The 2021 NHL Playoffs started with a good helping of drama. It took exactly one game to get our first playoff overtime. The Washington Capitals beat the Boston Bruins 3-2. Hopefully the high stakes and the high intensity from that game are a sign of things to come in the other first-round playoff series as well.
Three more playoff series get underway on Sunday, including Game 1 of the Sunshine State Rivalry between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers. The Bolts are on the road, but are still a small favorite for Sunday’s matchup with a total of 5.5 at Bookmaker <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/us/">Sportsbook</a>.
NBC Sports Network will carry the coverage of this one and we’ll carry some coverage with a betting preview for the game.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Teams never want to be playing poorly going into the playoffs, but you do have to wonder how much it will affect the Lightning. Tampa Bay dropped three straight to end the regular season, including consecutive losses to the Panthers by a combined score of 9-1. Those four points and two wins are the reasons why Tampa Bay will begin on the road here.
The Bolts had won six of seven prior to the three-game losing streak, so we’ll have to see if they can flip the switch and get back on track now that the stakes have been raised with the start of the playoffs. Florida won five of eight meetings during the regular season and two of the losses were in overtime, so the Panthers clearly had the upper hand in the season series.
Despite that, Tampa Bay is still the road favorite here and the favorite to advance in the playoffs. A big reason why is Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy actually played both games against Florida to end the regular season and struggled, but still wound up with a 31-10-1 record, a 2.21 GAA, and a .925 SV%.
Tampa Bay actually had some tough times later in the season at 5-v-5. There were some injury concerns, but the Bolts finished just +14 in goal differential at 5-v-5. They’ll have to change that in the playoffs, but the task at hand could be easier with the returns of Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov at just the right times.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers do have questions in net, which has a lot to do with where this line is currently sitting. As the season wore on, there was a little bit of controversy in net. If the Sunrise/Fort Lauderdale/Miami market was a bit bigger for hokey, it probably would have dominated the headlines.
Sergei Bobrovsky should get the first opportunity in net, but that may have more to do with the massive contract than his actual play. Bobrovsky finished up the regular season at 19-8-2, but with a GAA approaching 3.00 and a SV% of just .906. Chris Driedger was 14-6-3 with a 2.07 GAA and a .927 SV%. One would have to think that the Panthers would be quick to make a change if Bob struggles. And that could very well be the case.
Florida was +24 in 5-v-5 goal differential for the regular season and even did well late in the year without the services of Aaron Ekblad, who was having a huge season but suffered a devastating leg injury. The Panthers are not just a one-trick pony with a potent offense and a lot of scoring threats. They also allowed the third-fewest scoring chances in the league 5-v-5.
Six straight wins to round out the regular season were good enough to put Florida just one point behind Carolina in the Central Division standings. Contrary to Tampa Bay, Florida is playing well going into the playoffs, but both teams will wipe the slate clean and see what happens in Game 1.
Lightning vs. Panthers Free Pick
The Lightning and Panthers were neck-and-neck throughout the regular season, but Florida managed to amass 12 points in the eight head-to-head meetings. The Panthers may simply match up pretty well with the Lightning. However, the edge in net is clear. Tampa Bay is getting back two players with top-end potential in Stamkos and Kucherov. That looks like too much to overlook here.
Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning vs. Panthers Game 1 Free Pick  - 05/16/21

Medina Spirit went wire-to-wire to win the Kentucky Derby, and while that has happened 24 times, it has only happened three times in the last 30 years.

Getting to the front is what this horse wants to do, and he will have every opportunity to do that on Saturday at the Preakness Stakes.

Unless, of course, Bob Baffert's OTHER horse does it.

<a href="http://bangthebook.com/s/betonline/"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-700668 size-full" src="http://bangthebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/preakness.jpg" alt="preakness" width="750" height="389" /></a>That makes for some of the drama <a href="https://record.commissionkings.ag/_SwFIINNFoTmu11z-n_bVh2Nd7ZgqdRLk/1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://record.commissionkings.ag/_SwFIINNFoTmu11z-n_bVh2Nd7ZgqdRLk/1/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621114247453000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEoZhVWs6SpIbtkZIDt4C_iMUP2Bw">BetOnline </a>customers can enjoy as they watch the festivities at Pimlico. Post time for the Preakness is 6:48 PM ET, and they will go a mile and three sixteenths.

Of course, some of the other drama involved whether Medina Spirit would even be able to run, but that didn't last long, as Baffert was able to come to an agreement for testing that allowed his Derby winner to get the start, as they await the results of a second test for banned substances. If he fails that, he could be disqualified.

Let's look at each of the ten horses in this race, by post position (BetOnline odds listed in parentheses):

1 - RAM  (+3300) -- First we should note that the sire is American Pharoah, the Triple Crown winner, and the trainer is D. Wayne Lukas, who has been a master of this race in the past, having won it five times. But this horse has never been in a stakes race. And it took seven unsuccessful attempts before he finally broke maiden. There are obviously a lot of other places we can look.

2 - KEEPMEINMIND (+2000) -- It's almost like this horse has had TWO careers. One of them took place as a two-year-old, with a win in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and third place in the Breeders Cup Juvenile. That should have marked him a prime contender in the Triple Crown races, but his three-year-old campaign has been disastrous, with three out-of-the-money finishes, including the Derby (seventh). He has been in with stiff competition all the way, but is succumbing to it.

3 - MEDINA SPIRIT (+175) -- Well, there have been three starts where he has been on the lead - those efforts led to wins. And there were three where he was just off the lead, and those led to second-place finishes. It may be a different situation here, since Baffert trains both this horse and the other one that could be setting the early pace (Concert Tour). So there's likely a strategy in place. Five of Baffert's six Derby winners have turned around and won the Preakness. If something beats him, it could be possible fatigue from coming back after just two weeks.

4 - CROWDED TRADE (+1200) -- This is one of two horses Chad Brown is sending out. And this may be the one with more upside. Only three starts, but lost by just a nose in the Gotham Stakes and then came on strong in the Wood Memorial and faded just before the finish. We may not have seen the best this horse has to offer.

5 - MIDNIGHT BOURBON (+600) -- A successful horse who has faced some very strong competition, if Midnight Bourbon can settle in just behind Medina Spirit and Concert Tour,he'll have a chance to make some kind of move before they make the final turn. Throw out the sixth-place finish in the Derby, where he got bumped early on. Remember that the trainer is Steve Asmussen, who has won the Praakness twice.

6 - ROMBAUER (+1400) -- Trainer Michael McCarthy sends out his first Preakness hopeful. Has won on turf and the synthetic, and then in a debut on dirt finished a close second in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes. Observers like his works. And they also like his chances to be in the money. But skeptics doubt that the pace is going to allow for him to run late effectively, which is what he'll seek to do.

7 - FRANCE GO DE INA (+2500) -- Comes over from Japan. First race in the U.S. May be aiming for the Belmont. Credentials lacking.

8 - UNBRIDLED HONOR (+2200) -- This is another would-be closer, and Todd Fletcher's hope to win his first Preakness. But he's been competing in the minor leagues. Lowest money winner in the field ($78,550).

9 - RISK TAKING (+1200) -- Chad Brown's other horse. And he should have no problem making it this distance. Won the Withers Stakes after Brown put the blinkers on, but was very disappointing in the Wood Memorial. If you're willing to throw that out, you may find this to be a "risk" well worth "taking."

10 -- CONCERT TOUR (+275) -- This is the other horse Baffert has, and in the minds of many, the second best horse in this race, at the very least. It was the express purpose of owner Gary West - who, if you recall, owned Maximum Security as well - to skip the Kentucky Derby and aim for this race. This is the son of Street Sense, the 2007 Derby winner. And West has not entered his horse to be a "sidekick" to another win for Medina Spirit.

Here's something to add some spice to the race - something you can't get, even if you go to the track:

Enter the $10,000 Preakness Stakes Matchups Contest and win a piece of the $10K prize. Just hit the head-to-head matchups and you're all the way home!...... And don't forget there are a host of props available in the <a href="https://record.commissionkings.ag/_SwFIINNFoTmu11z-n_bVh2Nd7ZgqdRLk/1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://record.commissionkings.ag/_SwFIINNFoTmu11z-n_bVh2Nd7ZgqdRLk/1/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621114247453000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEoZhVWs6SpIbtkZIDt4C_iMUP2Bw">BetOnline </a>sportsbook, and of course dynamic action in the racebook...... You need to bet at least $10 in real-money wagers on the Preakness, so open an account using every conceivable payment method, including Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies!

Preakness Stakes Picks - Can We Beat Favored Medina Spirit, Or Will He Beat Himself?

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