Betting the Big 12: Week 1

It is a free-for-all for sports betting, so you might as well latch on to this weekly column of greatness. Over the course of the season we will go through each game with a Big 12 team and tell you which lines to look at, which ones to stay away from, and what matchups you should borrow all of your 401(k) monies to make more dough.

A few housekeeping items, to not confuse nor dissuade anyone with their degenerate offshore websites, we will utilize the Vegas Insider Consensus – as our way to choose lines consistently on Sundays/Mondays. Also I will CHALK up my three best SHARP bets, as well as a few to stay away from each week.

I will tell you all my brief background when it comes to sports betting. As a young college graduate I was all about quantity over quality, and it burned me in bets (as well with the females). But as any young lad will tell you, you start to mature and although I’ll mention all games, I WILL FOCUS on the ones that I feel you as a sports fan (and gamblers anonymous) should truly keep an eye on.

Of course this week we have a multitude of NO LINES available, mostly due to lack of statistical information or intestinal fortitude laid down upon our Vegas brethren, (I choose the latter). Either way, we won’t let it stop us from betting against “No LINE”. Enjoy

Missouri State @ Oklahoma State | Thursday August 30^th @ 7:00 P.M. on FS1 | No LINE

Mike Gundy is back for his annual ass-kicking in the non-conference cake-walk schedule that nobody ever talks about with Okie State. They lost quite a few chess pieces from a year ago, but the Man With the Mullet will be fine. It doesn’t matter if the line is -25 or -50, I will take the Pokes running away with this one.

Florida Atlantic University @ #7 OKLAHOMA | Saturday September 1^st @ 11:00 A.M on FOX | Oklahoma -21

Lane Kiffin vs. Lincoln Riley. I think both are a bit overrated myself, but Riley was handed all of his talent on a silver spoon by Bobby Stoops, while Kiffin has had to scratch and claw, and completely change the academic standards to get his recruits to FAU. On a weeknight, the man they call “Joey Freshwater” will aimlessly attempt to hit on Riley’s wife at a local Norman, OK bar, only to be battered and bruised by legendary linebacker Brian Bosworth.

Same goes for the game. Take Oklahoma and the points

Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

Southern U @ #16 TCU | 11:00 A.M. on (NO TV, You can listen to this on the old fashioned AM Radio) | NO LINE

I have no idea who Southern University is, other than they are located somewhere in the South, I would suppose. The Horned Frogs are fresh out of the Kenny Hill era and are having a quarterback conundrum of their own. Its okay, becuase both of their signal-callers will get plenty of snaps in this one.

Take TCU in the victory and MINUS any and all points given by “No Line.”

Nicholls State at Kansas | 6:00 P.M. on ESPN PLUS | NO LINE

Seeing that KU has very few chances to win any games on the schedule, I’m sure Mascot Colonel Tillou (what a fantastic name by the way) from power-house mid-major Nicholls State will give it their best shot to make sure the Jayhawks go o-fer on the year. Give me Nicholls State in the victory here

Abilene Christian @ Baylor | 7:00 P.M. (not on TV) | NO LINE

Baylor’s dumpster fire of a program reeks so bad that their coach mistakenly leaked out his candidacy for the Indianapolis Colts coaching position. Baylor is a wreck right now, and although Abilene Christian was 2-9 a year ago, it wouldn’t surprise me if they keep this one close.

Baylor in a close victory

South Dakota at Kansas State | 6:00 P.M. on ESPN 3 | NO LINE

USD is one of those teams that is all offense and no defense. They are respectable in the Missouri Valley Conference, but will hit a stone wall against K-State’s fundamentally-sound defense. I predict the bend-but-don’t-break-scheme implemented by the late great Bill Snyder will allow South Dakota to break the record for most passing yards (643) without a touchdown through the air (0). Snyder’s red zone defense ala Gandalf the Grey simply won’t allow it.

Take K-State and the “No Points”

SDSU at Iowa State | 7:00 on Cyclones.TV (click here for log-in info for Jamie Pollard’s account) | NO LINE

In years past I would be a bit worried about a top-3 FCS team coming into Ames and making their mark. Something is different with this team. Matt Campbell and company have been too good at making sick videos on YouTube and crazy designs for their jerseys to let their fans down.

The Jackrabbits of SDSU are a one-dimensional attack, where they too love to put up all the points on the scoreboard, whether it be for them or the opponent. (They are truly are team players.) I see defensive coordinator Jon Heacock implementing the 1-man front, as Ray Lima engulfs all five blockers on his own allowing the remainder of the defense to roam free in the passing lanes. It is a success, and Lima becomes front-runner for not only the Heisman, but also the coveted Polynesian Player of the Year.

The Cyclones beat “No Line” for their biggest win thus far on the Season.

Chalk It Up for the SHARP’s Best Bets of The Week!

#23 Texas @ MARYLAND | 11:00 A.M. on FS1 | Texas -13

Maryland = Woof

Texas = Overrated (but aren’t they always?)

Both statements are true, but at the end of the day Texas has far too much firepower and athletic talent to lose this one. A year ago, the Longhorns lost in a shootout 51-41, but I see a much different story playing out, as Texas has one of the conference’s stingiest defenses. Maryland is falling apart at the seams, after allegations of over-working players and even a death to a student-athlete due to heat stroke. It is utter mess, and I foresee Tom Herman running up the score giving even Rudy Ruettiger playing time.

Take Texas and the POINTS.

Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech | (Game Played in Houston, TX) | 11:00 A.M. on ESPN | TTU -2.5

Put up or shut up time here for Ryan Gosling, er Kliff Kingsbury. Momma’s favorite ball coach has a hot seat the temperature of Donald Trump’s tanning bed, and is in for a tough matchup. Ole Miss has a new coach in internal hire Matt Luke. It doesn’t matter, the SEC talent in Oxford, MS far outweighs that of Lubbock, Tx. This game will be played at a neutral site, and should be a close one, but I take Ole Miss with the points and the outright win.

#17 West Virginia vs Tennessee | (Game played in Charlotte, NC) | 2:30 P.M. on CBS | WVU -10

Oh Rocky Top. Rebuilding time yet again. You should take a page out of the Mountaineer playbook and learn how to drink moonshine redbulls with Coach Dana Holgerson. This guy can coach a little too. Tennessee has way too many question marks with a new coach and changing of the guard. While I see our couch-burning brethren winning the game, I will take the Volunteers in the spread.

After thinking about it more, and a bit of peer pressure from our readers, we have decided to start a running tally based upon my free $1MM donated to me in Monopoly money. We will give you a breakdown of how we are doing as the year goes on....

$200k on Texas -13. If it were -14 I would be betting way less, but that line sucks me right in

$150k on OLE MISS +2.5. Basically saying they’re going to win. If there was a ML bet I’d be all over it like stink on manure

$50k on Tennessee +10. The post Butch Jones era has begun…