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With the 2023 college football season set to crank up this weekend, now is the right time to start making some futures bets. There are going to be many different options to look at when making a futures wager, but picking a conference champion is always going to be a good option.



There are three of the Power 5 Conferences that should be extremely interesting this year, and those will also provide some great betting options. Here are the three teams that will win the ACC, Big 12, and Big Ten Conference titles.



<a href="https://www.bangthebook.com/s/bookmaker/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Check out the full 2023/24 college football season odds over on Bookmaker</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-anyone-beat-clemson">Can Anyone Beat Clemson?</h2>



The Atlantic Coast Conference feels like it has been controlled by Clemson for the past decade, but this is also a league that has seen a number of teams get better. All you have to do is look at the betting odds to see this taking place, and the Tigers aren’t winning the ACC this season.



Clemson is the betting favorite at +105 to win the ACC, and it’s the Florida State Seminoles right behind them at +175. There is a pretty big dropoff in terms of the odds after Clemson and Florida State, but there are still some solid teams.



The Tigers are no longer a lock to reach the College Football Playoff, and they will be on upset alert throughout the 2023 season. That is going to open the door for another team to sneak in, and the Seminoles are ready.



Jordan Travis is a superstar at the quarterback position, and Florida State will win the ACC at +175.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-way-race-in-big-ten">Two-Way Race in Big Ten</h2>



The Big Ten Conference is going to look much different next season as a handful of teams from the Pac-12 Conference are set to join the league. That is going to make the football in this conference even better, and that should create more competition for the top spot.



With apologies to any team in the Big Ten West Division, this is really going to come down to one game at the end of the season. The matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines will determine the East Division winner, and that team will then win the title.



Ohio State is the current betting favorite at +160, while the Michigan Wolverines are next at +175. Michigan has dominated this rivalry of late, and there is no reason to believe that things will change this season.



The Wolverines will have a perfect regular season and win the Big Ten with odds set at +175.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-12-will-be-a-battle">Big 12 Will Be a Battle</h2>



The futures betting odds in the Big 12 Conference suggest that the Texas Longhorns are going to run away from the pack, but that never happens in this league. Texas still has to prove that they know how to win big games, and they are going to get tested all season long.



With the Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners leaving the conference to join the SEC at the end of the year, every team in the league will be looking to knock them off. Last year, it was TCU that made a surprising run, and the same thing could happen in 2023.



Texas is the big favorite at -110 to win the Big 12 Conference, and Oklahoma is next on the list at +460. It’s actually going to be Kansas State that is the team to watch this year, though, as the Wildcats are loaded with talent.



This is a chance to get a nice win on a futures bet, and taking the Kansas State Wildcats to win the Big 12 at +700 is the way to go.



<a href="/s/bookmaker/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bet on the NCAAF 2023/24 at Bookmaker!</a>

Three Conference Champion Futures Bets to Make

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The Buffalo Bulls are on the road this week, facing off against the Akron Zips at InfoCision Stadium Akron. Kick-off is set for 12:00 ET, with CBSS handling the broadcast. Buffalo enters the game with a 4-4 record, while Akron is 2-6 on the season. The Bulls are the slight -1.5-point favorites, and the over/under line is currently at 47.5 points.<h3>BUFFALO BULLS VS AKRON ZIPS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Buffalo Bulls -1.5This game will be played at InfoCision Stadium at 12:00 ET on Saturday, November 2nd.<h3>WHY BET THE BUFFALO BULLS:</h3><ul><li>We have the Buffalo Bulls winning this one by a score of 28 to 22</li><li>Not only do we have the Buffalo Bulls winning straight-up, we have them covering the spread at -1.5</li><li>Look for this game to go over the line of 47.5 points</li></ul><h3>Will The Buffalo Bulls Pick Up A Win On The Road?</h3>Buffalo enters Week 10 with a 4-4 record, facing Akron on the road. They are 2-1 at home but have struggled away, going 0-3. Ranked 117th in our power rankings, the Bulls have an 85.6% chance of becoming bowl-eligible, according to projections. Buffalo’s ATS record stands at 2-4, with a 2-1 mark at home and 0-3 on the road. They’ve been favored in just one game this season, and their average scoring margin is -6.8 points per game. The over/under line for this week is 47.5 points. Buffalo’s games have averaged 51 points, and their over/under record is 4-2, with their average line set at 46.5 points.Buffalo’s offense is averaging 22.1 points per game heading into week 10, placing them 77th in the nation. They are ranked 114th in our offensive power rankings. Their third-down conversion rate is 31.5%, and they are averaging 169.8 passing yards per game. C.J. Ogbonna has thrown for 1,317 yards this season, with a passer rating of 85. He has eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Buffalo is 28th in rushing attempts, averaging 152.1 yards per game. Al-Jay Henderson leads the team with 455 rushing yards and averages 5 yards per carry. Victor Snow has 375 receiving yards and three touchdowns.Buffalo's defense has struggled this season, allowing 28.9 points per game. In their recent game against Ohio, they gave up 47 points and 489 total yards, including 258 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. Ohio also threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, though Buffalo did manage to force one interception.Opponents have averaged 164.4 rushing yards per game against Buffalo, while quarterbacks have posted a 90.9 passer rating, completing 63.6% of their passes for an average of 240.1 yards per game, ranking Buffalo 122nd nationally in passing yards allowed.<h3>Will The Akron Zips Win At Home Over The Buffalo Bulls?</h3>Akron enters Week 10 with a 2-6 record and a 126th-place ranking in our CFB power rankings. They have just a 1.2% chance of becoming bowl-eligible. The Zips are 1-1 at home this season and will host Buffalo this week. Akron has been the underdog in all eight games this season, going 1-6 in those matchups. Their average scoring margin is -17.9 points per game, and they are 3-4 against the spread, covering both times at home. The over/under line for this week is 47.5 points. Akron’s games have averaged 52.9 points, with their over/under record at 4-3 and an average line of 47.6 points this season.Heading into week 10, Akron’s offense is averaging 17.5 points per game, placing them 94th in the nation. They are ranked 115th in our offensive power rankings. Their third-down conversion rate is low, at 31.4%, and they are 119th in rushing, with 89.5 yards per game. Ben Finley has thrown for 1,578 yards, and Akron is 26th in passing completions, averaging 20.8 per game. Finley has eight touchdowns and eight interceptions, with a passer rating of 76. Adrian Norton leads the team with 570 receiving yards and four touchdowns.Akron's defense has struggled this season, allowing 35.4 points per game. In their recent game against Eastern Michigan, they gave up 21 points but still managed to secure a 25-21 win. The defense allowed 488 total yards, including 367 passing yards. Opponents are averaging 241.1 passing yards per game against Akron, completing 65.5% of their passes. On the ground, Akron is giving up 186.9 rushing yards per game on 39 attempts per contest.

Buffalo Bulls vs Akron Zips Betting Pick & Prediction 11/2/24

Looking to win big? The Maple Leafs and Bruins face off at 8:00 ET on TBS. The Bruins are hosting the game at TD Garden in Boston, MA. The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 5.5 goals and the Bruins are the -1.5 favorite to win at home vs. the Maple Leafs.<h3>TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS VS BOSTON BRUINS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Boston Bruins -1.5This game will be played at TD Garden at 8:00 ET on Saturday, April 20th.<h3>WHY BET THE BOSTON BRUINS:</h3><ul><li>With the Bruins being favored by 1.5, our NHL analytics models has this one playing out 4-3 in favor of the Bruins.</li><li>Take the Bruins on the moneyline</li><li>On the spread, we like Maple Leafs (+1.5)</li></ul><h3>Can the Maple Leafs Pull Off a Road Win?</h3>On the season, the Maple Leafs are 46-26-10 and sit in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division. In the Eastern Conference, Toronto is 5th and has gone 22-28 against conference opponents. Over their last ten games, the Maple Leafs are 5-5 and have dropped their last two games.

When playing on the road this season, Toronto has gone 24-11-6, and they are 7-8-2 when listed as the underdog. In games against other teams from the Eastern Conference, the Maple Leafs have gone 11-15 this year. So far this season, Toronto has been the favorite in 65 of their 82 games.On the road this season, the Maple Leafs have a puck line record of 18-23, and their average scoring margin away from home is +.6 goals per game. So far, Toronto has been the underdog in 17 games, and their puck line record as the underdog is 11-6.

When looking at their last ten games, the Leafs have gone just 4-6 against the puck line, and their puck line record for the season is 32-50. In their last three games, Toronto's puck line record is 0-3, and they have 27 wins this season by multiple goals. On average, Toronto's games have finished with 6.9 goals per game. The season's average over/under line stands at 6.5. In total, the Maple Leafs come in with an over/under record of 45-35-2.Although Toronto has a straight up record of 1-2 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 1-2. The team averaged 3 goals per game in these games.For their offensive performance, the Maple Leafs come in averaging 3.6 goals per game this season, which is 2nd in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 7th in the league. Looking at how the Maple Leafs' offense is performing during power plays, they are 12th in power play goals and 23rd in shorthanded goals.Toronto's current leading scorer is Auston Matthews. This season, he has 69 goals, which puts him 1st in the NHL. Matthews also comes into the game with 38 assists.Defensively, the Bruins are currently 10th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 30.4 shots per game against Boston. They also are 11th in shutouts, coming in with 5 shutouts.Heading into this matchup vs. Boston, goalie Ilya Samsonov has started 40 games in this season. His current record is 23-7, and his save percentage stands at 0.707%.<h3>Can the Bruins Pull Out the Win as Home Favorites?</h3>At home this season, the Bruins have gone 24-11-6 and have been favored in 67 of their 82 games. Against Eastern Conference opponents, Boston has gone 30-20 and is in 4th place in the conference standings. Over their last ten games, the Bruins have gone 6-4 and have lost two straight games as the favorite.

Overall, Boston has gone 47-20-15 this season and is in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division. Against teams from their division, the Bruins have gone 18-8 this year. Over their last five games, Boston has gone 2-3, and they have lost two straight games at home.When favored, the Bruins have gone 26-41 against the puck line this season. Overall, they have a puck line record of 39-43, including going 19-22 at home. So far, Boston has 31 wins by multiple goals and 16 wins by a single goal.

Coming into the game, the Bruins have dropped their last two games against the puck line and have gone just 1-4 against the puck line in their previous five games. In their last ten home games, the team has a puck line record of 4-6. This season, Boston's games have an average of 6 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 5.9. The Bruins come in with an over/under performance of 37-44-1.Through their last three road contests, the Maple Leafs offense has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing an average of 4. Toronto posted an overall record of 1-2 while going 1-2 ATS.Offensively, the Bruins come into the game at 3.2 goals per contest placing 14th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are in 21st position in the league. Boston's offense comes into the game ranked 15th in power play goals. And in terms of shorthanded goals, they are 13th in the NHL.The leading scorer for Boston's offense is David Pastrnak. Coming into the game he has 47 goals, ranking 7th in the NHL. Pastrnak also comes into the game with 63 assists.Boston defense takes on the Maple Leafs ranked 10th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are averaging 30.4 shots per game against Boston. They also are 11th in shutouts, with 5 shutouts.Goalie Jeremy Swayman comes into the game having made 43 starts this season. So far, his record is 25-10 and he has a save percentage of 0.776%.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Boston Bruins Betting Pick & Prediction 4/20/24

At 8:30 ET, the Utah Jazz will travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks. Dallas is currently favored by 13.5 points and has won two straight games. The over/under line for this Western Conference matchup is set at 238.5.

This game will be played at the American Airlines Center and can be seen on KJZZ. The Jazz are currently 12th in the Western Conference with a record of 29-40. They have lost three straight games. The Mavericks are 7th in the West and have a record of 40-29.<h3>UTAH JAZZ VS DALLAS MAVERICKS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Utah Jazz +13.5This game will be played at American Airlines Center at 8:30 ET on Thursday, March 21st.<h3>WHY BET THE UTAH JAZZ:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 118-109 in favor of the Mavericks.</li><li>Our projections have Luka Doncic finishing with Luka Doncic points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists.</li><li>From the field, we have the Mavericks finishing with a field goal percentage of 49.1% and knocking down 16 threes.</li></ul><h3>Will Utah Shock Everyone at American Airlines Center?</h3>The Jazz have lost three straight games as the underdog and are 16-35 as the underdog this season. Today, they are 13.5-point underdogs vs. the Mavericks. In the Western Conference, the Jazz are in 12th place and have an overall record of 29-40.

Utah's ATS record for the season is 37-32, including a 15-19 mark on the road. They have covered the spread in their last two games as the underdog and are 25-26 ATS as the underdog this season.

In their most recent game, the Jazz lost to the Thunder by a score of 119-107. The O/U line for that game was 232 points, and Utah covered the spread as 15.5-point underdogs.

This season, the Jazz have an O/U record of 37-30-2, and the under has hit in their last three games. Today's O/U line is set at 238.5, and Utah's games have averaged 237.7 points per game.This season, the Jazz have been one of the most efficient offenses in the league, ranking 10th in scoring at 117 points per game. However, their scoring has been slightly lower on the road, averaging 112.4 points per game.

Utah is a team that likes to push the pace, ranking 10th in the league in pace at 99.8 possessions per game. In terms of field goal percentage, the Jazz are 18th in the league at 47%.

When it comes to three-point shooting, the Jazz are 11th in the league in made threes at 13.2 per game. However, their three-point shooting percentage is just 35%, which is 19th in the NBA.Coming into today's game, the Jazz's defense is giving up an average of 120.6 points per contest. Inside the arc, the Jazz defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 54.6% and 39.5% from three-point territory.<h3>Will the Mavericks Live Up to Expectations at Home?</h3>The Mavericks have won three straight games at home and are looking to extend that streak today against the Jazz. In their last game, they defeated the Spurs by a score of 113-107. The O/U line for that game was 236 points.

This season, the Mavericks have an average scoring differential of +3.4 points per game at home. On the road, their scoring differential is -0.8 points per game. Against the spread at home, they are 17-19 this season.

Dallas has been favored in 41 of their 69 games this season and are favored by 13.5 points today. As the favorite, they have a scoring differential of +6.4 points per game. Their ATS record as the favorite is 25-16.

The Mavericks' O/U record for the season is 34-35, and their last two games have gone under the betting line. On average, their games have finished with 236.1 points, which is lower than today's O/U line of 238.5.

In the Western Conference standings, the Mavericks are currently in 7th place with a record of 40-29. Against Western Conference teams, they are 24-19 compared to 16-10 against the East.At home, the Mavericks are averaging 119.4 points per game, which is 8th in the NBA. Overall, they are 6th in the league at 118.7 points per game. In terms of pace, Dallas is 11th at 99.7 possessions per game.

When it comes to three-point shooting, the Mavericks are one of the most prolific teams in the NBA. They are 3rd in made threes at 14.6 per game and 2nd in three-point attempts at 39.5 per contest. However, their three-point shooting percentage is just 13th in the league.

So far this season, the Mavericks have outscored the NBA scoring average in 60.9% of their games. In terms of field goal percentage, Dallas is 12th in the league at 48%. In terms of assists, the Mavericks are 22nd in the NBA.On defense, the Mavericks come into the game ranked 21st in the league in points allowed at 117.3 per game. Over their last three games, the team is allowing 112.7 points per contest (18th). When it comes to forced turnovers, the Mavericks are forcing 11.9 per game, which is 6th in the league. They also come into the game sitting 22nd in blocked shots at 4.7 per game.

Utah Jazz vs Dallas Mavericks Betting Pick & Prediction 3/21/24

Betting on today's Lightning and Hurricanes game? Catch the action at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC, as the Hurricanes hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The over/under for this Eastern conference contest is set at 6 goals, with the Hurricanes being favored by -1.5 goals at home against the Lightning.<h3>TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS CAROLINA HURRICANES BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5This game will be played at Lenovo Center at 7:00 ET on Friday, October 11th.<h3>WHY BET THE CAROLINA HURRICANES:</h3><ul><li>With a 1.5-goal advantage on the spread, our projections favor the Hurricanes to secure a 4-3 victory.</li><li>Take the Hurricanes on the moneyline</li><li>On the spread, we like Lightning (+1.5)</li></ul><h3>Will Tampa Bay Win on the Road?</h3>The Lightning finished last season with a 45-29-8 record, placing 6th in the Eastern Conference with a 26-24 mark in those games. In Atlantic Division matchups, they were 12-14, landing 4th. At home, Tampa Bay went 25-11-5, while on the road, they posted a 20-18-3 record. As favorites, the Lightning were 31-17-3, but their puck line record was 23-28. As underdogs, they went 12-12-5 straight-up and 11-20 against the puck line. Their over/under record was 39-37-6, with their games averaging 6.8 goals.Last season, the Lightning had one of the NHL's top offenses, finishing 5th in scoring with 3.5 goals per game. They were especially strong on the power play, leading the league in power play goals.

Interestingly, they ranked 22nd in shots on goal per game, averaging 29.2. They were 9th in shorthanded goals and 15th in giveaways.Last season, the Lightning allowed 3.1 goals per game, placing them 20th in the NHL. They faced 29.5 shots on goal per game, which also ranked 20th. Despite this, they recorded four shutouts, the 5th most in the league. Tampa Bay was 19th in takeaways but ranked 8th in defensive hits.<h3>Can the Hurricanes Live Up to the Hype at Home?</h3>The Lightning finished last season with a 52-23-7 record, placing 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a 35-15 mark in those games. They also ranked 2nd in the Metropolitan Division, going 16-10. At home, Tampa Bay went 27-10-4, while their road record was 25-13-3. Against the puck line, the Lightning were 35-47, with 17 of their wins coming by one goal and 35 by multiple goals. Their over/under record was 33-47-2, and their games averaged 6 goals per game.Carolina had a strong offensive season, finishing 8th in the NHL with an average of 3.4 goals per game. They were 6th in assists. The Hurricanes were 3rd in the league for shots on goal, averaging 33.3 per game.

Carolina was effective in shorthanded situations, ranking 3rd in shorthanded goals. They also excelled on the power play, finishing 3rd in the NHL.Carolina boasted one of the NHL’s top defensive units last season, allowing just 2.4 goals per game, which ranked 3rd in the league. They were also 3rd in shots on goal allowed per game, limiting opponents to 25.5. The Hurricanes recorded 8 shutouts, the most in the NHL.

Despite finishing 32nd in defensive hits, Carolina ranked 11th in takeaways last season.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Carolina Hurricanes Betting Pick & Prediction 10/11/24

The National Hockey League (NHL) is one of the four biggest professional sports in the United States, and it’s usually fourth in terms of popularity. That doesn’t mean that this sport doesn’t have a massive following though, and it’s a sport that leads to some great betting options.

The NHL was founded all the way back in 1917, and the league has seen plenty of growth since that first year. There were only six teams when the league first began playing, but that number has now grown all the way up to 32.

25 of the teams are from the United States while there are also seven teams from Canada. The NHL season typically runs from October through April, with the NHL Stanley Cup Finals taking place during the month of June.

NHL teams play 82 regular season games, and that leads to plenty of NHL betting opportunities. Here is a look at some of the best NHL sportsbooks as well as how to bet on NHL.
<h2 id="h-where-to-bet-on-the-nhl" class="wp-block-heading">WHERE TO BET ON THE NHL</h2>
Knowing where to bet on the NHL is going to be extremely important if you are planning on betting on this league. With that in mind, here are six of the best NHL sportsbooks that you can find.

Best NHL Betting Sites & Sportsbooks

The Giants (74-70, 42-31 home) will host the Guardians (68-77, 32-41 away) in game two of this interleague series. Starting for the Giants is Sean Manaea, while the Guardians are giving the ball to Cal Quantrill. Read on to see my pick for this showdown between San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Guardians.<h3>CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: San Francisco Giants -136This game will be played at Oracle Park at 9:45 ET on Tuesday, September 12th.<h3>WHY BET THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS:</h3><ul><li>The Guardians have gone just 3-7 in their last ten games.</li><li>San Francisco is on a four game winning streak when favored on the moneyline.</li><li>The Guardians are just 1-2 in Cal Quantrill's last five starts.</li></ul><h3>CLEVELAND GUARDIANS SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD</h3>The Guardians enter today's game with an overall record of 68-77 which includes going 35-40 against teams with above .500 records. As of today, they are 2nd in the AL Central. Across their 46 series, Cleveland is 19-23-4 and have records of 32-41 and 36-36 on the road and at home, respectively.Cleveland's Cal Quantrill is looking to make it three straight games of six-plus innings pitched today. Through 2021, the starter has an ERA of 5.70 and record of 2-6, with 46 strikeouts to his name. Opposing batters have a .404 slugging percentage against him and he has a WHIP of 1.46 and WOBA allowed of .323.Cal Quantrill earned a no-decision in his most recent start, going six innings and allowing no runs. Despite the quality outing, the Guardians were defeated by the Angels 3-2.As of late, Cleveland's offense is just 23rd in runs per game over their last ten games. Collectively, the Guardians have a batting average of .248 (11th) and have gone deep a total of 110 times, putting them 26th in baseball. Cleveland draws an average of 2.9 free passes per game compared to 7 strikeouts.Josh Naylor has been a major contributor to the Guardians' offensive success this season, leading the team in home runs with 17 over the course of the year. In their last ten games, Naylor has hit two homers and boasts an impressive .307 batting average.<h3>WILL THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?</h3>On a record of 74-70, the Giants come into today's game 3rd in the NL West. When playing at home, they are 42-31 and 32-39 on the road. San Francisco has played in 47 series thus far, and have gone 20-25-2. Sean Manaea takes the mound with a 5-5 record and 5.00 ERA. On the road, he has posted a 3-1 record and 7.03 ERA in 17 appearances. At home, Manaea has gone 2-4 with an ERA of 3.95. His season WHIP stands at 1.32, while opponents have hit .232 against him with a slugging percentage of .406.Sean Manaea was only able to pitch three innings in his most recent start, allowing two runs in the process. Despite his efforts, the Giants were unable to overcome the Cubs, losing 8-2.For the season, the Giants are 16th in batting average, hitting a combined .240. Over their last five games, they have hit .331 which is 1st in that span. San Francisco's average of 4.3 runs per game puts them 21st in the league. In terms of home runs, they have gone deep 158 times and have a team slugging percentage of .392.Thairo Estrada has been a major contributor to the Giants' offense this season, leading the team in home runs over their last five games with two. For the season, he's gone deep 12 times and holds a batting average of .273.

Cleveland Guardians vs San Francisco Giants Betting Pick & Prediction 9/12/23

Happy March! Despite all the fuss over teenagers and 20somethings the NBA continues to get better and better. The Lakers and Clippers gave us a taste of what to expect in the Western Conference finals. Giannis is out a few games with a knee sprain. Will the Bucks shut him down for the rest of the regular season? The Heat, Raptors, and the Celtics are preparing for the playoffs and the Pacers &amp; 76ers have about six weeks to get healthy and find an identity if they want to meet their preseason expectations. Meanwhile the Grizzlies are watching their lead for the eighth seed tighten as the Pelicans look terrifying and the Kings, yes, the Sacramento Kings, are playing great basketball. As Kevin Garnett said, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!”, but for now, here’s some data and thoughts on the week to come. Below you’ll find each team’s pace and net ratings (total, home, &amp; away) for the season in total, the last ten games, and then my own ratings. Pace shows us how many possessions are averaged per 48 minutes and net rating shows us the difference in offensive &amp; defensive efficiency for each team. The season totals give a larger sample size, last 10 games a look at current form, and finally are Noops’s Numbers, my own view of things. I take the first 2 sets of data along with other cuts of time, other points of data, and adjustments for opponents faced. Without further ado, here’s my ranking of teams for the upcoming week:

[caption id="attachment_690398" align="alignnone" width="2560"]<a href="http://bangthebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Power-Rankings-Table-3-9-20-scaled.jpg"><img class="zoooom wp-image-690398 size-full" src="http://bangthebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Power-Rankings-Table-3-9-20-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1058" /></a> (click to enlarge)[/caption]

To be clear, these are specifically how I’m ranking teams for the next week. The NBA season is long and always changing so it’s important to make adjustments regularly. This is a reference tool you can use throughout the week to value teams. The arrows help us see which teams are trending above or below their season averages. I look for discrepancies in lines and my rankings. For example, if the Houston Rockets were visiting the Los Angeles Lakers season long data would set the Lakers as favorites, but I would love to take the Rockets in that spot. On to the week ahead:

Memphis Grizzlies

Everyone, even me, has been talking about the Pelicans and Kings. Will Zion be able to lead New Orleans to even one win in the first round? Can the Kings complete the miracle playoff run to end the longest active playoff drought? Screw all that. The Grizzlies have a four game lead on the final playoff spot and Jaren Jackson Jr. &amp; Branbon Clarke should be back this week. On top of the improving roster, Memphis has been playing good ball after bad five game losing streak which makes the L10 data little murky. The lost to the Kings, Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and Kings again before beating the Lakers, then going 2-1 on a three game roadie against Atlanta, Brooklyn, and Dallas finishing up the week with a second victory over the Hawks. They are beating the teams they should soundly and losing to some of the league’s best teams and the Kings. I think we have a chance to buy low here. The host Orlando Tuesday and then visit Portland and Utah to finish a short week. I’m going to be looking to bet the Grizzlies in all three games, especially if both Jackson Jr. &amp; Clarke return.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors have overachieved all season in my opinion and I think things are starting to cool off just a little bit. They’re still winning games, but the margins are shrinking and a loss at home to Charlotte is embarrassing. Some injuries are starting to creep in again and Lowry looks like he’s feeling the 36 minutes a night for 51 games. Toronto is 5-4 in their last nine games after winning almost 75% of their games to start the year. Now could be the time to start fading the Raptors, but they have a bizarre schedule this week. They visit Utah Monday night and then don’t play until Saturday when they host the Pistons. I’m betting on the Jazz Monday night. This is the last game of a five game road trip for Toronto and a back to back so the Jazz have a big rest advantage. Lay the points with Utah Monday. As for Saturday, maybe a Pistons first half bet? I’ve covered the tanking Pistons, but maybe the Raptors are rusty off the long break after a long road trip. Tanking teams tend to play well to start and fade in the second half so look at the first quarter or first half and avoid betting Detroit full game.

Boston Celtics

My numbers are down on the Celtics, but this is a perfect example of needing to put context around what data is telling you. Their numbers are down and they lost four of their last fives games, but are we sure the Celtics are actually any worse? Looking at their four losses I’m actually not too concerned going forward. They lost overtime games against Houston &amp; Brooklyn and very close games to Utah &amp; OKC. They shot 40% from the field and 31% from 3 in those games despite shooting 46% and 34% respectively for the entire season. I think this stretch was more regression to the mean after an 11-2 run than an indication to be concerned going forward. They visit Indiana then it’s onto Milwaukee where they may miss Giannis with the week ending against Washington &amp; Chicago. I’m not going to be afraid to bet Boston early in the week and selling points at the week’s end could be a great idea.

San Antonio Spurs

Did you notice earlier how I missed them when talking about the race for the final playoff spot in the West? I did it twice. They’re five games out now behind three other teams after a 4-10 run. Demar DeRozan is back and that is not a good thing. The Spurs’ net rating improves 3.9 points with Demar off the court. The offense steps back 3.5 points, but defense gets a whopping 7.4 points without him. His younger replacements are much better suited to defend in today’s NBA. If DeRozan continues to get minutes we should look to fade San Antonio. They host Dallas, Denver, and Minnesota this week. I’m ready to bet on Dallas, Denver, and maybe even Minnesota this week. Ok, probably not Minnesota, but we’ll see.

Denver Nuggets

This team is perplexing. At certain points Jokic looks like an MVP candidate and they beat the Bucks in Milwaukee by a dozen. Then, just last Tuesday, they lost by 16 to Golden State at home. It really fries my noodle and the numbers lead me to believe they are more mediocre than they are good. They have a stroke of luck on Monday as they host the Bucks sans Giannis, but then they head on the road where they’ve been downright awful this season. They visit Dallas, San Antonio, and the Lakers. I already mentioned the spot in San Antonio and despite what I just said, they should be able to take care of business. The other two games are great spots to bet against Denver. The game in Dallas is particularly enticing. The Mavericks should be focused on moving up in the seeds to avoid a Los Angeles team and ready to avenge a loss to Denver in Dallas earlier this season. Look to fade the Nuggets against good teams until further notice.

Tanking Update

Fade the Pistons. I’ve covered this enough the past few weeks. They stink and they’re only incentivized to stink even worse.

Golden State with Curry is going to be funky. They lost, but were competitive when he played against Toronto and actually beat the 76ers without him. They have the worst record in the league by a few games, so they could win a game or two for the season ticket holders if they want. Be careful here.

San Antonio, Portland, Sacramento, and New Orleans are all competing for the playoffs so there is no tank in sight.

That leaves us Phoenix, Minnesota, Washington, Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Cleveland, and Atlanta. All of these teams for various reasons, good, bad, or otherwise, continue to compete every night. I would actively be trying to lose games if I were these teams. Giving it your best is always admirable, but pride is often foolish. It’s time to extend injury recovery times, test out young players &amp; free agents to see what you’ve got, and maybe do your best to use all your timeouts before the end of the game. I can’t condone blindly fading these teams yet.

Thanks for reading! You can reach me on Twitter <a href="https://www.twitter.com_noops">@_Noops</a> with any thoughts or questions. Feel free to let me know what I could be doing better or what else you might be interested to know. Have a great week and good luck!

NBA Power Rankings for the Week of March 9-15, 2020

Major League Baseball (MLB) might not be the most popular sport in the world to wager on, but it still presents a really good betting option. MLB betting comes in many different forms, and this is a season that presents plenty of betting opportunities as well.

Major League Baseball was founded all the way back in 1876, but the league has obviously gone through some major changes since that time. Most of the major rules are still in place, but the way that the game is played is now much different.

There are currently 30 teams in MLB, and every team plays 162 games during the regular season. MLB games typically start at the end of March, or early April, and the World Series wraps up during the first week of November.

MLB teams are split up into leagues and divisions, but there is now more crossover games than ever before. The American League and National League now operate under the same basic rules, and that keeps things similar regardless of what league you are looking at.

Knowing the best MLB betting sites &amp; sportsbooks is also important if you plan to bet on MLB, and this article will explore that as well. By the time you are done reading this article, you should be ready to bet on baseball.
<h2 id="h-where-to-bet-on-major-league-baseball" class="wp-block-heading">WHERE TO BET ON MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL</h2>
Here is a look at some of the best MLB sportsbooks that are out there in the industry:

Best MLB Betting Sites & Sportsbooks

Planning on watching today's Canucks and Blackhawks game? Catch the action at United Center in Chicago, IL, as the Blackhawks hosts this showdown at 8:30 ET on NBCS. The Canucks are the -1.5 goal favorite in this Western conference matchup against Blackhawks. The over/under for the game is set at 6 goals.<h3>VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Chicago Blackhawks +1.5This game will be played at United Center at 8:30 ET on Tuesday, February 13th.<h3>WHY BET THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS:</h3><ul><li>Even though they are 1.5 goal underdogs, we see the Blackhawks winning this game by a score of 4-3.</li><li>We like the Blackhawks on the moneyline (+220)</li><li>The Blackhawks are also our pick on the spread at +1.5</li></ul><h3>Can the Canucks Pull Out the Win as Road Favorites?</h3>Heading into tonight's game, the Vancouver Canucks are in first place in the Western Conference standings with 76 points and a record of 35-13-6. In their last ten games, the Canucks have gone 6-4, and over their last five games, they have gone 3-2. On the road this season, Vancouver has a record of 17-8-4.

For the season, the Canucks have been favored in 32 of their 54 games and have gone 22-7-3 in those games. Against other teams in the Western Conference, Vancouver has gone 18-9 on the year.On the season, the Canucks have a puck line record of 33-20, including going 17-12 against the puck line on the road. Their average scoring margin on the road this year sits at +.6 goals per game.

So far, Vancouver has been favored in 32 games and has a puck line record of 16-16 in those contests. Overall, the team has 23 wins by multiple goals and has gone 3-7 against the puck line in their last ten games. On average, Vancouver's games have finished with 6.3 goals per game. The season's average over/under line stands at 6.4. In total, the Canucks come in with an over/under record of 30-20-3.Through their last three road games, Vancouver has an puck line record of just 0-3. However, their overall record was 1-2 while averaging 2 goals per game.In terms of their offensive performance, the Canucks are averaging 3.7 goals per game this season, putting them in the 1st spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 25th in the league. This season, the Canucks are 15-5 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 19-7 record.Vancouver's current leading scorer is Brock Boeser. This season, he has 30 goals, which puts him 8th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Boeser has 24 assists this season.Defensively, the Blackhawks come into the season ranked 5th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 32.1 shots per game against Chicago. For the season, they are ranked 26th in shutouts, coming in with 1 shutouts.Heading into this matchup vs. Chicago, goalie Thatcher Demko has started 38 games in this season. His current record is 28-9, and his save percentage stands at 0.981%.<h3>Will the Chicago Defense Show Up at Home?</h3>At 14-35-3, the Blackhawks are in 8th place in the Central Division and 16th in the Western Conference. They have lost five straight games and have gone 0-5 in their last five games and 2-8 in their last ten.

Chicago has been an underdog in 50 of their 52 games and have gone 13-34-3 in those contests. At home, the Blackhawks are 10-12-2 this season and have gone 3-14 against division opponents.Chicago comes into this game with a puck line record of 24-28 and an average scoring margin of -1.4 goals per game. So far, the Blackhawks have dropped 27 games by more than one goal.

As the underdog, the Blackhawks have a puck line record of 24-26, including going 3-0 in their last three games. At home, Chicago has a puck line record of 15-9 and an average scoring margin of -.5 goals per game. Games involving Chicago have an average of 5.6 goals per game this season. Their average over/under line is 6.2. In terms of their over/under performance, the Blackhawks come in with a record of 20-30-2.Although Vancouver has a straight up record of 1-2 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 0-3. The team averaged 2 goals per game in these games.On the offensive side, the Blackhawks are scoring an 2.1 goals per game this season, ranking 31st in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 30th in the league. Chicago's offense is currently ranked 32nd in power play goals. When it comes to shorthanded goals, they are 19th in the league.Chicago's leading scorer is Jason Dickinson. So far, he has 16 goals which is 78th in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 10 assists so far.Defensively, the Blackhawks come into the season ranked 5th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 32.1 shots per game against Chicago. For the season, they are ranked 26th in shutouts, coming in with 1 shutouts.Entering the game, goalie Petr Mrazek has started 34 games this season. His current record stands at 12-20, and his save percentage is 0.952%.

Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks Betting Pick & Prediction 2/13/24

BetDSI

Bookmaker

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Bovada