Bobbalfe.com Podcast

Episode 177  : Boston College +23.5 fails to cover after leading Duke at the half.  Heartbreaking loss sends us to 10-2 in our last 12 basketball picks.  We are on the Wichita State Shockers -5 tonight.  The month of February is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball7:00 PM ESTRotation #801-802Wichita State -5 over ECUBoth Wichita State and East Carolina have a lot of new faces on their roster this year and have not mastered the art of winning on the road.  Both teams are in a rebuilding year, but the Shockers have the superior program.  ECU came into this season having to replace a lot of rebounders and rim protectors.  Wichita State replaced just about everyone.  Gregg Marshall is an outstanding coach and Markus McDuffie will be the best player on the court tonight.  This is a perfect chance for this club to get a win on the road.  I believe the Shockers are a more mentally tough basketball team and should win and cover this spread.  Take Wichita State.

Episode 176  :  Louisville +4.5 cashed our Monday Ticket.  We are now 10 of our last 11 in Hoops.  The month of February is FREE at BobBalfe.com7:00 PM ESTRotation #607-608Boston College +23.5 over DukeLast year Boston College upset Duke behind a huge shooting night by Jerome Robinson.  Robinson is gone, but a most of the team remains.  This team is not going to win tonight, but I question this huge line.  This is a Duke team made up of freshman who didn’t experience that loss, but they do have Virginia on the schedule next this Saturday on the road.  Could this Duke team be looking ahead to that monster of a game?  Boston College doesn’t have much talent, but they do have experience and they do have tremendous size.  I believe it will be harder for the Duke big men to bully their way to the basket.  Look for Boston College to hang tough for a good majority of the first half and to keep this game relatively close.  Take Boston College. 

Episode 175 :  Rams and the Over both fail to cash the ticket going 0-2 in the Super Bowl.  February Basketball is FREE at BobBalfe.com

SUPER BOWL LIII6:30 PM EST  (Sunday)Rotation #101-102Rams +2.5 over PatriotsRams/Patriots Over 56There is no need for me to point out how incredible Tom Brady is.  I would be pointing out something you already know.  I look at the entire body of work in the NFL Season and see a Patriots team that should not be favored on the road.  This team could be playing the Arizona Cardinals and still shouldn’t be a favorite.  The Patriots have stunk on the road this year.  Let’s just be honest about it.  This team lost the Jags, Lions, Titans, Dolphins and Steelers this year on the road.  How many of those teams made the playoffs?  This dynasty has been the most impressive run in all of sports history, but it’s coming to a close and these current Patriots are not an elite team outside of Foxboro.  I also want to point out that no QB has ever won a Super Bowl in their 40’s.  Brady is 41.  Offensively, this Patriots team has all the tools to win this game.  The Defense is the major concern I have with them.  This is a bel

NFL Football4:25 PM ESTRotation #327-328Chargers -6.5 over BroncosThe Chargers moved the ball up and down the field against the Broncos earlier in the season and lost on a last second field goal.  The Broncos have the home crowd, but with the playoffs out of sight and a coaching change on the way you wonder how motivated they will be.  This Broncos Offense is so limited and now with Phillip Lindsay out they don’t really have any weapons.  This is such a big game for the Chargers who need to win this game.  There is still an outside slim chance the Chargers get the #1 seed in the AFC.  This team has more talent right now and should take advantage of a banged up Denver team that are in no hurry to get dressed for this game.  Take the Chargers.

NFL Football1:00 PM ESTRotation #119-120Browns -10 over BengalsThe Cleveland Browns were eliminated from the playoffs last night so you would think that would kill their energy, but what this team has done this year is greater than making the playoffs.  This is an actual football city again.  The Browns are not going to lay and egg now with this young team.  Veteran teams do the tanking when they just miss the playoffs.  As long as Hue Jackson is on that opposing sideline this team is looking to win by 40 points.  The Bengals have no healthy receivers and a backup QB.  The run game is a bright spot for the Bengals, but this is a Cleveland team that is fast in the trenches and should put pressure on the QB and make tackles at the line of scrimmage.  Cleveland playing in their last home game of the year are going to give their fans a show.  This is the first time the Browns have been double digit favorites since 1999.  The Bengals are the worst defense in the league.  This is a statement game for the Browns.  T

NFL1:00 PM ESTRotation #315-316Lions +3 over BillsThe Lions have their flaws.  This team put a few guys on IR this week and they are missing a few key running backs.  Matthew Stafford is not at 100 percent, but he is one of the tougher guys in the NFL.  The key to this game is the Buffalo running game with McCoy most likely missing todays contest and Chris Ivory being iffy as well.  You can’t as a football team rely on Josh Allen to be a running QB all day.  Sooner or later this guy is going to get hurt.  The Lions have the linebackers and the secondary to keep Allen in check and I don’t think he has the accuracy to beat them either.   The Bills FG kicker has also missed practice all week because of a blind side hit last week.   Detroit could lay an egg with all the preseason expectations, but with a brand new coaching staff I don’t think they will.  The Detroit defense played great last week.  I look for them to extend that momentum into today.  Take the Lions.

 NFL4:25 PM ESTRotation #129-130Cowboys -3 over EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles Secondary is as banged up of a unit you will ever see in one calendar year.  The Giants for some reason didn’t attack and the Redskins QB broke his leg early in the game last week so they could not attack.  Dallas is going to attack these guys that don’t belong in the NFL.  You never want to be mean about it because these guys are still 10 times better athletes then any of us sitting on the couch, but it’s the truth.  Dallas has the best defense in the NFC and are coming off a signature Saints win.  This game will probably decide the NFC East and right now the Cowboys are a better football team in all phases of the game not to mention they are in their home building.  This is as easy as it will ever get for Dallas to knock of the Eagles.   Take the Cowboys.

NFL Football1:00 PM ESTRotation #369-370Cardinals +13.5 over PackersAaron Rodgers has not looked like himself this year.   For starters, he is dealing with a nagging injury that won’t fully heal until the offseason.  Rodgers has been working with a lot of new receivers and guys like Randall Cobb have been out a lot.  Today’s game will be in the snow which I always think helps the offense, but the wind is what hurts an offense.  The Forecast calls for 20mph high winds.  I also wanted to play the OVER, but it had to be scratched due to the wind.  Arizona is not a great football team, but they do have a great running back in David Johnson who went to college in this very type of weather in the Missouri Valley.  I also like that the Cardinals are stacked with talent in the secondary.  Great coverage gets even better in windy conditions.  The Packers are very thin in the secondary today as both starting safeties are out of this game and a few corners are banged up as well.  With Mike Daniels and Nick Perry now on

NCAA Football3:30 PM ESTRotation #309-310UCF -3 over MemphisNot having QB McKenzie Milton is a huge loss for UCF, but they have one of the nations best turnover margins and they have pure electric speed from their running backs. Memphis has played bad defense against mobile QB's. UCF might be starting a young guy in Darriel Mack, but he has wheels. Memphis QB Brady White is only about 50% with his completions and turns the ball over too much for my liking. This Memphis team has the running game to win this game, but will the coaching abandon it like the have in many games this year? UCF has not lost in 2 years and will be playing for their QB today. Never underestimate the power of emotion when dealing with 22 year old players. I can't get over some of the losses Memphis suffered to really weak teams this year. Take UCF.

NFL Football4:25 PM ESTRotation #265-266Dolphins +9 over ColtsThe Colts have been impressive as Andrew Luck has not been sacked in 5 straight games. Last week nobody on the Titans even touched him, but that impressive offensive line took a hit this week with Center Ryan Kelly not dressing today. Miami will get Ryan Tannehill back this afternoon. I am not sure if it’s a huge boost right now, but it will reenergize the offense. Lost in the shuffle of everything is the Colts Defense which is young and inexperienced. The Colts Offense has overshadowed them the last few weeks with the hot play of Andrew Luck, but this is not a team that should be favored by this much. Miami has a capable running game and good receivers to keep this game close. Take the Dolphins.

NCAA Football12:00 PM ESTRotation #161-162Ohio State +4.5 over MichiganWrite up coming

NFL1:00 PM ESTRotation #455-456Ravens -6.5 over BengalsRavens/Bengals over 44The Bengals took care of Baltimore in Week 2 as AJ Green went off for 3 touchdowns in the first half.  Green is out of this game, but still 6.5 points is a lot with Flacco out of this game and Lamar Jackson making his first start.  The key to this game is the Bengals linebackers who are all banged up in this game.  Young QB’s that can run the ball give this Bengals team fits as they just are not fast enough to keep up.  Baltimore will run all over this Bengals team today.  The Bengals still have Andy Dalton who can get the ball to a Tyler Boyd or a John Ross.  I expect this team to score some points which is why I also like the Over in this game.  When the second half rolls around this Bengals Defense will be tired and that is when I expect to see that long drive or huge 60 yard run to finish this team off for good.  Could it be payback time for being knocked out of the playoffs last year on the final play?  Take the Ravens and the O

NCAA Football3:30 PM ESTRotation #325-326Purdue -3.5 over WisconsinEvery team is entitled to that one game of the year in which you throw out the game tape.  Purdue played that game last week against Minnesota as they were beat up by a young team who just fired their defensive coordinator and then went on to have their best defensive game of the season.  Purdue looked awful.  Wisconsin is a more talented football team than Minnesota, but Purdue plays a lot better behind their home crowd.  Wisconsin always has a great defense, but they don’t have as much talent up front this year and the secondary is young.  Purdue has so many talented offensive weapons that should get back on track this afternoon.  The real story today is QB Jack Coan who will probably get the start for the Badgers today with Alex Hornibrook still suffering from a concussion.  In my opinion Coan is not ready to hit the road and grab a victory for his team.  The Boilermakers obviously will be all focus this afternoon after last week.  Take Pur

 NFL Football4:05 PM ESTRotation #269-270Chargers/Raiders Over 50.5The Raiders Defense is bad because they keep trading away their best players and they can’t get after the QB.  Phillip Rivers should dice this team up today and Melvin Gordon should have a huge game running the ball.  If the Raiders would just throw the ball down the field they would be as good an offense as any team in the league.  This offensive unit for Oakland, even after trading Cooper, has a lot of talent that is not being used correctly.  Dinking and dunking doesn’t work in the NFL anymore.  You must take your deep shots. The Chargers secondary has quite a few injuries to their corners this year so I do believe Oakland matches up well with their receivers.  Jon Gruden is losing confidence from his fans fast.  This Oakland team is clearly in tank mode, but you have to give the fans a show along the way.  Look for the Raiders to have a decent day on offense and for this to be a high scoring game.  Take the Over.

NCAA Football3:30 PM ESTRotation #119-120Pittsburgh -3.5 over Virginia TechPitt is playing today to get bowl eligible.  This is a team that is playing with a purpose not just for their team, but their entire city.  Virginia Tech has not been the same team we have seen in years past.  This Bud Foster Defense just does not have the talent or the experience this year needed to win the games they typically win.  Pitt has more talent on both sides of the football and should chew up yards today with both of their reliable senior running backs.  This is a good Panthers Football team that has not turned the ball over in over a month.  Take Pittsburgh.

NFL Football4:05 PM ESTRotation #467-468Chargers +1.5 over SeahawksToday’s game showcases two teams that are flying under the radar.  Seattle has strung together a few impressive wins as their offensive line has looked a lot better.  The Chargers have been quietly taking care of business at have tremendous talent on both sides of the ball.  The Chargers in my opinion have more talent.  The Seahawks still have a new defense and I believe the Chargers match up very well in this game going against it.  I don’t know if the Seahawks will be able to cover the tight ends and the running backs coming out of the backfield today.  This is a tough building to play in, but without the elite defense of the past teams can and have proven they can win here. Phillip Rivers and the passing game will be a little bit too much for Seattle to handle.  Take the Chargers.

NCAA Football3:45 PM ESTRotation #345-346Boston College -2 over Virginia TechVirginia Tech has always been a rock solid defensive football team with Bud Foster leading the defense, but that is just not the case this year.  This is a defensive unit that is low on talent and short on experience.  Teams that are capable of running the football run all over this team.  The strength of Boston College is running the football.  The Eagles have a huge offensive line and a Heisman type running back in AJ Dillon.  Virginia Tech is without their starting QB for the rest of the year with a leg injury and they just don’t have the bodies to be competitive on offense. Boston College on defense leads the ACC in sacks and interceptions and should continue their winning ways today.  Take Boston College.

NCAA Football7:00 PM ESTRotation #403-404Mississippi State +6.5 over LSULSU at night is almost a guaranteed loss for any team coming in.  I am really shocked Vegas kept this line just under a touchdown.  I think the wagering action will be all over LSU, but the public fails to remember this Mississippi State team dominated them last year and have all the tools to keep this game close.  This staff for the Bulldogs is going to do great things in the next few years.  I love how Mississippi State is playing in the trenches on both sides of the football and Nick Fitzgerald is a great at moving the chains with his feet.  This team is tough.  LSU has injuries on both sides of their offensive and defensive line and I believe this game could really send the Bulldogs on their way as a legit program in college football.  This is going to be a great game.  Take Mississippi State.