Money Bet of the Century | Week 5 | 2-2

Money Betters-

I'm sitting in a small hostel in Stockholm, Sweden putting the finishing touches on the blog this week. After an extremely delayed flight and aircraft change, I arrived in Stockholm at 3am in the morning. But the staff stepped up and put the pieces together in my absence.  

Last week left us with a shocking loss.  But as you can tell from the top of the page, readers, we've done a new logo for the first time in three years. Nothing to break out of a 2 game cooler like doing a creative refresh. It's got gold, it's got an embossed 'money bet' football, it's got our name in lights---in short, it shouts 'Success'....Big Shout out to Chief Creative Officer at the MBOC, Scott Wood, and his company Wood Design Studios for stepping up in a pinch---stop by his site, check out his portfolio, spend a little time getting to know Jackson Hole, Wyoming's best graphic Designer. Scott is one of a few elite athletes in the world to complete 'The Picnic'---more on that coming soon.

The staff is  still reeling from such a close game between University of Southern California and Southern Utah. USC pulled out a win, but as the game got closer to nearing the end, and the call looked to be souring, I couldn’t help but cheer for Southern Utah. What a win for their program that would have been.

Nevertheless, it was not meant to be. USC has showed us what kind of program they aspire to be. It must have been a pretty silent locker room after the game, knowing that their program lost to Washington State the week before and nearly had just lost to Southern Utah. USC might want to think about asking their opponents to ‘slip on a trojan’ to protect them for a very long and---what they hope will be---forgettable season.

I hear you right now saying “Noreen, stop with the dumb jokes. You lost your pick, just give us the LinkedIn Babe of the Week and get on with it”. Strong call MBOC reader, that’s what I’d be saying as well. Why make excuses when you can be looking at LinkedIn babe instead.

The LBOW comes to us from a reader named Antonio in the United Kingdom. That’s right readers, because the Money Bet of the Century is so global, it is not uncommon for us to get recommendations from readers on different continents. This week's LinkedIn Babe lives in Miami and her name is Lauren. She is a fashion and beauty account executive for the Patton Group--and goes as far as to let everyone know that she is a vice president.  Lauren also claims to have done a short stint at the Salomon Smith Barney, but that was before she was harassed by a shit load of male stock traders and she brought down the firm. Congrats Lauren, you're  the MBOC's babe of the week. I would immediately write home and tell the family of this latest accomplishment.

http://is.gd/2QPVSt

This week’s matchup is a perennial Big 10 showdown that I look forward to each year---a battle for the heartland. While these two teams aren’t bitter rivals, their teams really pack the fans in. One stadium, Camp Randall, has a seating capacity of 80,321 people. The other team can put 102,319 fans in Ohio Stadium. It’s worth noting that neither stadium can claim to put 107, 282 in Beaver Stadium in State College, PA (The MBOC is flying the entire staff from London out to the Penn State vs. Michigan game on October 12th)



This Wisconsin girl selects the 'Two-Handed Hammer'
technique for beer bonging! :)

Let’s break the teams down. Wisconsin is up to their old tricks, fairly solid (yet untested) quarterback in Joel Stave with his six touchdowns this season. As you would expect, Wisconsin is up to its same ‘Ground and Pound’ offense that it churns out every year.  Wisconsin’s Defense is off to a menacing start this year, only allowing an average of 10 points in 4 games, with two of those being shutouts.

At running back, Melvin Gordon has driven in 7 touchdowns for 624 yards of offense, chewing up some astroturf in his first few outings.

As we’d expect, Wisconsin is looking pretty weak in the air, which means Ohio States corners will be able to anticipate a rush. Jered Abbrederis of Wisconsin is their leading receiver with 365 yards for 3 touchdowns, but he should be pretty effectively neutralized against a strong and quick backfield at Ohio State. All in all, Wisconsin is a pretty decent team.

Are these the shortest jorts known to man?

But-----(you knew it was coming) Ohio State is playing this conference home-opener in the Shoe. Columbus is going to be jacked. (even though Game Day will not be at this location this week, opting for the LSU vs. Georgia game down in Athens). OSU QB Kenny Guiton has 13 touchdowns already this season for 664 yards and has a great go to RB in his man, Jordan Hall, who has rushed for 422 yards and 8 TDs already this season.  Guiton also has a pair of reliable receivers in Devin Smith and Corey Brown. Ohio State is currently putting up 52.5 points a game, which is good for 4^th in the country.

Wisconsin already lost a heart breaker to Arizona State (30-32) in Tempe in week 3, but they’ll be looking to play the spoiler at Ohio State for a season which is looking at shaping up as a good one for the Buckeyes.

The line in this game is Ohio State -7 over Wisconsin, but the Buckeyes get it done at home, and stuff the Badgers by 14.

Our early stumbles out of the way, Look to be at 3-2 next week.
_________________________________________________________________
Now- For all of you English Football fans, pay attention. Joe is heating up, and is the long tail master of all of those teams you've never heard of. Thinly traded games equal fat payouts if you are paying attention. It's like the penny stock your grandpa keeps telling you about.

Back on track with another 2/3 week so everyone with a Trixie bet took home $45 keeping us in profit for the season but we’re yet to have that big money week we love to see here at MDOTC!!

This week we’ll see all 4 leagues in play and we’ve got some fantastic odds for you as usual picking the holes the bookies have missed. The Premier League this week has no obvious gaps so we’ll be picking from beneath the top flight.

The 3 Team Banker – Matchweek 4: 28/09/2013

LEEDS to beat MILWALL (Away Win)

This is a HUGE game. One of the most bitter rivalries in global football and that’s why it’s up here at the top. Forget the Tottenham vs Chelsea match, that is not historic, if you’re not sure what this is about, take a look http://bit.ly/19HX3am.  This is a game no form can predict and it’s going to come down to heart. Leeds are a team on the rise and though it’s taken a few years it’s their year this year. Leeds to win a bitter battle 1-0.

Q.P.R. to beat MIDDLESBOROUGH (Home Win)

I still can’t believe the bookies are offering such poorly weighted odds against the undefeated Championship league leaders. They have only conceded 2 goals all season and against a Middlesborough team with one win all season this is a banker. Q.P.R are owed some goals so we predict a 3-0 win for Q.P.R.

PORTSMOUTH to beat YORK (Away win)

What a fall from grace it’s been for the Portsmouth team. 5 years ago they won the FA Cup from the Premier League and now they sit mid-table in League Two. Well this week we’re behind the boys. The odds are cracking on a side who have scored 12 goals against a York side who are leaking at the back recently. The odds are great and I’ll predict 2-1 win for Portsmouth.

Potential returns for a $10 bet:                        $126.00USD

A $20 Trixie (4 bets of $5) yields:                    $145.70USD

N.B. Prices taken from www.ladrbokes.com

VOTE IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER!!!!!

 

The Money Bet of the Century | Week 3 | 2-1

Money Betters-

Ouch.

Let me say that again: Ouch.

Last week was painful both professionally and personally. Professionally speaking, the Money Bet of the Century lost it's first game of the year. I knew there was something off about that Colonel Sanders' Chicken Linked In Babe of the Week. Bad luck.

Personally, my beloved Penn State. Central Florida? At home? How am I supposed to board the plane in London on October 10th thumping my chest, AMPED for a game against Michigan, when we are losing to Central Florida at home. This is the type of game that --had I been going to school there---would have caused me to drink my self into an oblivion in Joe Molinelli's back yard. Kind of like the Iowa loss my 2nd year of grad school (That was Andy Duffett's back yard).

But---like any other week, we can't contiously beat ourselves up over a past poor performance. We'll move on and take the MBOC to 3-1 next week. 

After last week's bad luck on the Linked in Babe of the Week, we're going down to Texas to find this week's LBOW (Linked in Babe of the Week, for you new readers).

Brought to our attention by Matt C. of the United Kingdom, Corinne spent her days as a student at Concordia University (Canada)  and Austin Community College in the 'Austin, Texas Area'. In her current roll, she 'takes calls, writes down warranties, and keeps a spread sheet of all jobs in the current year with all of the info on the job". Nice work Corinne, we're thinking other employers are going to be impressed with your LinkedIn profile. The good news is that Corinne is working as a model for 'Silvertown', a modeling agency out of Vancouver, Washington. She must be tele-commuting if she truly is still in the Austin Area. She also had a brief stint as a model for Playboy Enterprises, which makes us think that she might have been their Babe of the month for September (she listed that she only worked there one month). I'll have to go back to the subscription and check September 2009 to see if we can find.

http://is.gd/7PqRfI

On to the pick of the week.

USC Girls. What a great school...

This week, we're going going, back back to Cali. The showdown this week between Utah State and USC is just too tasty to turn down. Sure, we know what you'll say. USC lost to the Cougs just two weeks ago. I agree, USC must be pretty week to lose to the Cougs at home. that hadn't happened in a decade. But--the very next week they shook off the loss to the Cougs and put the hurt down on Boston College in a 35-7 route (at home). USC's defense is currently ranked 8th in the country, and a small school like Utah State is going to have hard times putting up points against a tough Defense.

Cody Kessler looks like a decent quarterback and he just needs time to adjust. So far this season he's put up 373 yards for 3 touchdowns, which isn't a lot, but he's just getting used to his roll. Tre Madden and Justin David have been getting it done on the ground putting together a combined 534 yards for 3 touchdowns so far this year.

Utah State - I'm very pleasantly surprised to find this photo!

Utah State has been rallying behind the consistent arm of Chuckie Keeton. Chuckie has been throwing touchdowns like a beast and has already put up 923 yards for 12 TDs. Joey DeMartino has been his man on the ground, taking the ball to the house 4 times, whereas receiving duty has been split pretty evenly across about 5 primary receivers. 

What the staff sees in this pick is a pretty consistent stream of mediocre receivers and a throwing quarterback, that have been picking apart the defenses of schools like Air Force and Weber State. Air Force? They are 106th in Points against out of 121 schools, everyone is throwing the ball on them. Weber State is in a division below and doesn't even get the courtesy of being ranked 121st, which they easily would be. "They might want to just stick to the sky conference...or whatever conference it is that they are in" (Obscure Washington State reciever quote from Nakoa McElrath after beating Boise State, September 8th, 2001).

The line in this matchup is USC by -6.5...but the odds makers have this one wrong. USC goes on to win by 17 points in this pretty routine defeat in the Coliseum

.

**update- we found Corinne's work that she did for playboy. Located Here

Money Bet of the Century | Week 3 | 2-0

Money Betters-

The MBOC is off to another fantastic start in the 2013-2014 season. We hate to use the phrase "we told you so", but last week was another one of those types of weeks.

We knew Notre Dame was not going to be as sharp as the national media paints them out to be (per the usual), and playing against Michigan in the Big House under the lights is never going to be an easy outing. But that's why we are here year in and year out.....finding those lines that let media sensation influence lines. Notre Dame is a great team to pick on.....consistently getting much more credit then they deserve. Years ago, it used to be Florida State and Miami, but that problem has taken care of itself in recent years. ND ended up losing to Michigan by 11, although we had predicted it would be 14. Easy enough to cover the paltry -4 line they were given.

Thanks again for your Linked In Babe of the Week suggestions. The staff always seems to enjoy pouring over the submissions. We had to setup some rules last year as it seemed they had started spending more time on the babes, rather than a football.

Focus, gentlemen. Focus.

The Good 'Ol Colonel with signature bow tie

This week's LBOW comes to us from another reader submission. Ty R. lives in Charlotte and stumbled upon Misty Arnold. Although my first impression of Misty Arnold is that she is dressed like Colonel Sanders, I'm gonna let it slide....(and I'm also going to leave out the tasteless finger licking good joke.....wait, I guess I just didn't). Misty lives in North Carolina and recently worked for  Halogen TV and was a production manager on a ton of different television shows. That's pretty cool. But in 2013, she flew the coup and went solo --doing her own Freelance work as a production manager. I like your style, Misty. Tell the man no and do it yourself! We wondered what type of college football fan Misty was, because if it's North Carolina or Duke....you're going to be waiting a while for a championship. But regardless of where your allegiance falls, we salute you as this week's Linked in Babe of the Week! It's an elite group---and your eligible for all the rights and privileges reserved for that fraternity....which would be.....hmmm, bragging rights?!

http://is.gd/IypwMI

On to this week's game. This one was a clear cut easy call for me this week, because this line is so misplaced that one of my eye's nearly dropped out of my head when I saw it. Penn State is off to a good start---but they haven't played anyone yet. Being an Alum of Penn State, of course I'm biased towards the program, but the first 3 games of the year are a layup by anyone's standards. After the loss of Joe Paterno, we found the right man for the job. Facing enormous headwinds in scholarship reductions, bowl eligibility, and transfer rights--Bill O'Brien has proven unflappable. Losing both a high quality running back (we won't mention his name, he's injured---and his team just lost to Washington State last week!) and kicker proved devastating to Penn State last year. But through it all, the team still went 8-4. Take back those first two games where Sam Ficken was learning how to kick, and we would have finished 10-2. And Bill O'Brien can win on the


road--Nebraska and Virginia were his only two road losses in his tenure. And what about that OT win versus Wisconsin last year, what a way to finish the season.

Penn State Girls. Yes.....

This year Penn State is back, and looking okay to start the season. The first game versus Syracuse in the opener was not a triumphant win, but we'll take the W. Last week's win was a strong one, but the Eastern Michigan Eagles ain't much. It's the nice type of soft launch that we needed to get going, however, and Hackenburg is settling in---putting up 589 yards and 3TDs in the first two games. Hackenburg has found a steady target in Allen Robinson, hauling in 2 td grabs for 262 yards already this season. Bill Belton looks solid with the ball, dropping 127 yards in the first two games for 2 tds. He'll need to step up this year if Penn State wants to do well.

University of Central Florida is off to a good start. Blake Bortles, hailing from Oviedo, Florida, is a solid 6-4, 230 pound Junior. He's had a great career at UCF, and it isn't his first rodeo--he through for 3000 yards last year while helping the team put up a 10 win season (10-4) culminating with a win over Ball State in the Beef O Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida. He has a reliable target in Storm Johnson, where he's gone for 30 points this season already-----but that type of Storm ain't gonna blow so hard in Happy Valley.

The line on this game is a jaw dropping -5.5 for Penn State. I think Penn State struggles early on in this matchup, and the defenses prevail for the first half. Penn State will prove too much for UCF in the second half, and Penn State will go on to win by 13.

An unsurprising amount of babes 'rep' UCF. Here's one.

Last week, Joe Clarke brought you the first ever British Bantam Betting on English Premier Soccer. He damn near nailed that parlay as well, with 2 of the teams hitting and the third ending in a shameful tie (that's why we don't end games in ties in America. :)    )

Regardless, Joe's picks have been very spot on, and you have to remember he's playing for a 3 team parlay---so if it hits, you're going to be rich, and he's recommending you drop just small bets until his sage advice pays off. Sounds good to us, so he's back again this week.

The 3 Team Banker – 13/09/2013

 

FULHAM to beat WEST BROM (Home Win)

The first week back after the transfer window closes can be a tricky one but after muted spending they’ll surely want to give the home fans something to cheer for. The Midfield will benefit from the experience of ex-International Scott Parker both suring up the back and danger coming forwards. Great odds on a team who play their best football at home against a shaky away side.

 

TRANMERE to beat BRENTFORD (Home win)

With their first choice goalkeeper suspended and a thrashing on the road last weekend Brentford are there for the taking. Tranmere is a tough ground to visit and after a rough start to the season taking on some of the big boys they’ll be looking to build on recent performances and take 3 points from Brentford.

 

PETERBOROUGH to beat BRISTOL CITY (Away Win)

Call me crazy but I’m calling it again. Peterborough will win on the road this weekend. A club famed for scoring with some serious fire power we can expect them to take on one of the league favourites and try to make up for what was lost last week. Expect high scores in this game with defense taking a back seat to both teams looking simply to score more than the other (shocking).

 

 

Potential returns for a $10 bet:         $196.88USD

A $20 Trixie (4 bets of $5) yields:             $210.94USD

 

N.B. Prices taken from www.ladrbokes.com

The Money Bet of the Century | Week 2 | 1-0....and introducing....

Money Betters-

GUESS WHICH BLOG IS OFF TO A 1-0 START AFTER WEEK ONE?

It's a rhetorical question, you really don't have to reply and say "The Money Bet of the Century". But you could if you wanted to. I love the attention. And just when you are releasing that contemptuous snicker into the coffee you are sipping, left hand on your Friday donut, ---we have an extra treat for you this week, so get ready for a multinational surprise this week. Keep reading.

Last week the MBOC was almost exactly spot on, as Alabama went on to beat Virginia Tech in a rout 35-10. (25 points, our staff said 24 points. *DING* WINNER). Only a few minutes after the game started (and this was an 8:30 PM shotgun(beer) start time), my Dutch roommate Birgit was asking if I could help explain how American Football worked. "No Problem", I said, "You are going to be an American Football knowledge factory by the end of the season. We'll start with this play". Well, that "play" happened to be a 72 yard Christion Jones run back as Alabama took first possession of the ball.  I went ballistic, knowing that the MBOC was well on it's way to a starting win of the season. Birgit, clearly didn't understand what was happening, but I was screaming at her "MONEY BET!!!!! MONEY BET'S COMIN' THROUGH THIS WEEK, BIATCHES!!! WOOO! Now---self-Admittedly, I probably just delivered the most confusing (but most important) first lesson in college football. Go ape shit because you can!!!!

It was a special night for Christion Jones and Alabama, as Christion Jones became the first Alabama player to have two runbacks (for touchdowns) in the same night since at least the 1940's.

I want to thank the readers for continuing to forward their favorite LBOWs. This week the staff compiled 28 submissions from all over the globe. We poured through all of them, really took our time carefully considering the candidates (some of the staff took a creepy amount of time considering the candidates). Some of the submissions came in from as far as Australia, but also the good ol' US of A. The winner this week, as picked by the MBOC staff, comes to us from Alexander B. of Stockholm, Sweden. Malin does more than sell the deal of the day in her career at Groupon, she is the deal of the day.

She started her career at 'The Dollar Store' as a 'Buyer'. Ha. Let me guess what your upper limit on the price you will be pay for inventory for the store when you are a buyer for the Dollar Store. But if you are about to 'discount' her---you shouldn't--- she will roll your ass up with some multilingual skills in Swedish, English or Chinese. Thank you Alexander. Here's her deets:

http://is.gd/hrTvzX

On to the pick of the week ----- > This week we are starting to get into some good games. A quick look down the MBOCs official line list (Thanks to MBOC staffer Adam Smith for recommending: Vegas Insider) shows some pretty good games. I almost went after Oregon vs. Virginia game. I think Oregon has a shot at the National Championship this year. Last week was a joke against Nichols State, and the line was 59 and they still covered. Firing on all cylinders. We know MBOC reader Sherry Rogers, the Ultimate Duck Fan, is out there somewhere drinking a Pendleton whiskey, and very happy at her National Championship hopes thus far.  The Clemson vs. South Carolina State game is another opportunity to win. You're telling me Clemson --fresh of their Georgia win last week-- can't beat SC State by -10?. And Georgia by -3.5 at home versus 'Head Ball Coach' and the Gamecocks. That's a bold call, I could see South Carolina walking away with that one.

But those aren't the bests we're going with. We're going with a time-honored rivalry game that's being played early in the season. I love this match up. The match up this week is Notre Dame vs. Michigan in the Big House. Why? Did anyone see Michigan play last week? Yes I know it was the Central Michigan Chippewas, but it was Michigan's best home opener in 100 years, and they always play cream puffs. Not only that, but the D was nasty---they broke the QB's clavicle and a Running Back's ankle. Brutal opener for the Chips. And this week??? A night game vs. Notre Dame under the lights of the 3rd biggest sporting stadium in the world, the Big House. it's an early test for Michigan, and they'll be ready--firing on all cylinders. The line is -4.....but the Wolverines make the Irish not so lucky, beating them by 14 before an electric crowd. 1am start time for me here in London, so I'll be watching Live!!!

What do you think---Don't forget to comment below or vote in the upper right hand corner!

Now, the staff promised you something exciting, because the Money Bet of the Century is global.  Please allow me to introduce you to Joe Clarke----a gambling resource we hooked up with as soon as the MBOC plane wheels hit the ground in London. Joe is from Yorkshire in North England, so you have to read this next part with a proper Yorkshire accent. If you don't know, look it up. He'll be giving you the inside scoop on some English Football from time to time. So take advantage of the think market in the US and make yourself some money there. Without further ado---our international office has put together 'British Bantam Betting'--

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From a very rainy Friday in London England let me extend a thoroughly warm welcome and a good morning readers in the United States of America.

Let’s get a couple of things straight from the get go, I am British and I will not be pandering to Yankee sensibilities so let’s clarify something, we’re talking about football. The game was established in 1519 over 250 years before the declaration of independence so let’s have no mention of soccer here. And I don't do the LinkedIn Babe of the Week (LBOW), I give you singing babes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2RZXeQc5HU

This column will offer those in search of better returns a parlay of 3 teams to really rake in the big bucks. Case and point, tonight the glorious nation of England are all but guaranteed by Vegas to take down Moldova, where is the fun in 5% returns?

For the most part you can expect my tips to cover all 4 football leagues from the dizzy heights of the Barclays Premier League to the trap door at the foot of the SkyBet League 2.  With a bookie on each corner, the aim of the game here is finding those killer odds for the cash return we love here at Money Bet of the Century.

The 3 Team Banker – 07/09/2013

BRADFORD CITY to beat BRENTFORD @ 2.84

With the league’s top striker Nahki Wells on top form having just won league player of the month and 3 other transfers fighter for a place in the squad you can expect goals a plenty from the home side. The Bradford City defence hasn’t conceded once at home this season and these odds are a steal!!

PETERBOROUGH to beat CREWE ALEXANDRA @ 1.90

With Wolves and Leyton Orient topping the table but without a game this weekend it’s in the hands of Peterborough to go top. Assombalonga is the league’s second top scorer and a club famed for having the least no-score draws in the football league you know there will be goals.

AFC WIMBLEDON to beat YORK CITY @ 3.00

This price is absolutely insane as Wimbledon sit beneath two giants who face off together making that automatic promotion slot totally available tomorrow. York striker Jarvis is in fine form but without a win since the opening day of the season and with Wimbledon winning 3 of the last 4 games this bet is on the odds alone, a spectacular price!

Potential returns for a $10 bet: $143.18USD