MARC LAWERENCE PLAYBOOK = 13-16
INTERNATIONAL BOWL
Rogers Centre • Toronto, Canada
Connecticut over Buffalo by 8
Buffalo’s Turner Gill may not want to be the current face of black head
coaches in the FBS but his success with the Bulls has turned a lot of eyes in his
direction. Not all the attention has been positive. After Gill interviewed for
the vacant Auburn job and lost out to Iowa State’s Gene Chizik, outspoken
former Tiger alum Charles Barkley declared the decision as nothing more
than blatant racism. How else could you explain passing over a coach who
inherited a team that had won only 8 games in the 5 seasons before his
arrival and led that squad to its fi rst-ever conference championship and
Bowl appearance in just 3 years – especially when Chizik’s two seasons with
the Cyclones resulted in a 5-19 failure? Regardless of the politics involved,
Gill talked to several other schools but will stay put in Buffalo for at least
another year after signing a contract extension. His fi rst task will be to stop
the nation’s leading rusher in UConn’s Donald Brown, the Big East Player
of the Year who accounted for 1822 ground yards and 17 TDs. To their
credit, the Bulls’ defense did force 32 fumbles this year (21 in the last 7
games) but Buffalo was outgained by over 200 yards in its MAC title win
over Ball State and looks to be facing a major talent gap against Randy
Edsall’s Huskies. Edsall stands 18-6 ATS off a SU and ATS loss (beaten by
Pitt in season fi nale), numbers that sweeten to 11-2 ATS when squaring
off with a non-conference foe. UConn also went 5-1 In The Stats against
the 6 Bowlers it played this season and the Sled Dogs held 3 opponents
to season low – or 2nd low – yardage. By contrast, the Bulls were just 1-4
SU and 0-5 ITS versus the 5 Bowlers they faced in ’08. Former 1-AA foes
that met frequently on the playing fi eld, the last game between Buffalo
and Connecticut took place before Gill’s arrival in 2005 and resulted in a
38-0 smackdown by the Huskies. Much has changed since then, of course,
but asking the ‘bowl virgin’ Bulls to take on a Big East power with just a
handful of points could be too tall an order. Yes, we’re aware coach Gill is a
perfect 10-0 ATS as a dog when his team is .444 or better and that the close
proximity of the Toronto site to Buffalo’s upstate New York campus will be
a big plus in terms of fan support. However, one team looks trapped by a
case of ‘too much, too soon’ in the glare of the postseason spotlight and
that’s Buffalo. UConn makes amends for last year’s disappointing Bowl loss
to Wake Forest by running over the Bulls here.
Saturday, January 3rd
ARIZONA over Atlanta by 1
For the fi rst time in NFL history all four home teams in the Wild Card games
will be dressed as dogs. Not that it’s a bad thing, considering the success
of playoff home dogs over the years (16-6 ATS since 1980 but just 1-3 ATS the
last four years). The Cardinals fi nally awoke from their pre-Thanksgiving Day
slumber, shaking a 1-4 SU and ATS run with a season-ending 34-21 win over
Seattle. How excited are fans in Arizona about this game, you ask? Aside from
clinching its fi rst division title since 1975, Big Red will be hosting a playoff
game for the fi rst time since 1947. That’s a mighty long time between drinks
of playoff water. The Cardinals did most of their damage against weak sisters
this season going 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS against sub .333 opponents but just
2-7 SU and 3-6 ATS versus .333 or greater teams. Atlanta surprised everyone
behind rookie head coach Mike Smith and fi rst-year quarterback Matt Ryan
while returning to the postseason for the fi rst time since 2004. The Falcons
bring an undesirable 3-11 SU and 1-13 ATS mark in games off back-to-back
wins into this contest, including 0-4 ATS this season. Look for Kurt Warner’s
experience to win out over Ryan and the upstart Falcons.
Saturday, January 3rd
Indianapolis over SAN DIEGO by 1
If teams with hot hands hold an advantage heading into the postseason then
these two teams fi gure to benefi t more than any of the other ten playoff
combatants. And much to their chagrin, they face one another in the opening
round of the Wild Card games on Saturday. This will mark the 6th meeting in
fi ve years between these two AFC rivals. In fact, the last twenty meetings in
this series has seen the visiting team go 14-6 SU and 17-3 ATS, including last
year’s 28-24 Divisional Round playoff win as 10.5-point dogs by the Chargers
in Indianapolis. Like last year when the Chargers entered the postseason on a
6-0 SU and ATS streak (and went 3-0 ATS in the playoffs), they are hot and on a
roll once again. And Norv Turner’s 5-0 ATS career mark in playoff games must
be respected. However, the Colts bring the league’s largest win streak into the
playoffs, having won nine straight games. The key to this contest is Indy QB
Peyton Manning. He’s healthy and he’s murder on the non-division road off a
win of more than 7 points, going 14-2 SU and 13-3 ATS. Our main reservation
is the lack of success of dome teams playing outdoors in the playoffs where
these teams are just 8-28 SU and 11-23-1 ATS. Tough call.
INTERNATIONAL BOWL
Rogers Centre • Toronto, Canada
Connecticut over Buffalo by 8
Buffalo’s Turner Gill may not want to be the current face of black head
coaches in the FBS but his success with the Bulls has turned a lot of eyes in his
direction. Not all the attention has been positive. After Gill interviewed for
the vacant Auburn job and lost out to Iowa State’s Gene Chizik, outspoken
former Tiger alum Charles Barkley declared the decision as nothing more
than blatant racism. How else could you explain passing over a coach who
inherited a team that had won only 8 games in the 5 seasons before his
arrival and led that squad to its fi rst-ever conference championship and
Bowl appearance in just 3 years – especially when Chizik’s two seasons with
the Cyclones resulted in a 5-19 failure? Regardless of the politics involved,
Gill talked to several other schools but will stay put in Buffalo for at least
another year after signing a contract extension. His fi rst task will be to stop
the nation’s leading rusher in UConn’s Donald Brown, the Big East Player
of the Year who accounted for 1822 ground yards and 17 TDs. To their
credit, the Bulls’ defense did force 32 fumbles this year (21 in the last 7
games) but Buffalo was outgained by over 200 yards in its MAC title win
over Ball State and looks to be facing a major talent gap against Randy
Edsall’s Huskies. Edsall stands 18-6 ATS off a SU and ATS loss (beaten by
Pitt in season fi nale), numbers that sweeten to 11-2 ATS when squaring
off with a non-conference foe. UConn also went 5-1 In The Stats against
the 6 Bowlers it played this season and the Sled Dogs held 3 opponents
to season low – or 2nd low – yardage. By contrast, the Bulls were just 1-4
SU and 0-5 ITS versus the 5 Bowlers they faced in ’08. Former 1-AA foes
that met frequently on the playing fi eld, the last game between Buffalo
and Connecticut took place before Gill’s arrival in 2005 and resulted in a
38-0 smackdown by the Huskies. Much has changed since then, of course,
but asking the ‘bowl virgin’ Bulls to take on a Big East power with just a
handful of points could be too tall an order. Yes, we’re aware coach Gill is a
perfect 10-0 ATS as a dog when his team is .444 or better and that the close
proximity of the Toronto site to Buffalo’s upstate New York campus will be
a big plus in terms of fan support. However, one team looks trapped by a
case of ‘too much, too soon’ in the glare of the postseason spotlight and
that’s Buffalo. UConn makes amends for last year’s disappointing Bowl loss
to Wake Forest by running over the Bulls here.
Saturday, January 3rd
ARIZONA over Atlanta by 1
For the fi rst time in NFL history all four home teams in the Wild Card games
will be dressed as dogs. Not that it’s a bad thing, considering the success
of playoff home dogs over the years (16-6 ATS since 1980 but just 1-3 ATS the
last four years). The Cardinals fi nally awoke from their pre-Thanksgiving Day
slumber, shaking a 1-4 SU and ATS run with a season-ending 34-21 win over
Seattle. How excited are fans in Arizona about this game, you ask? Aside from
clinching its fi rst division title since 1975, Big Red will be hosting a playoff
game for the fi rst time since 1947. That’s a mighty long time between drinks
of playoff water. The Cardinals did most of their damage against weak sisters
this season going 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS against sub .333 opponents but just
2-7 SU and 3-6 ATS versus .333 or greater teams. Atlanta surprised everyone
behind rookie head coach Mike Smith and fi rst-year quarterback Matt Ryan
while returning to the postseason for the fi rst time since 2004. The Falcons
bring an undesirable 3-11 SU and 1-13 ATS mark in games off back-to-back
wins into this contest, including 0-4 ATS this season. Look for Kurt Warner’s
experience to win out over Ryan and the upstart Falcons.
Saturday, January 3rd
Indianapolis over SAN DIEGO by 1
If teams with hot hands hold an advantage heading into the postseason then
these two teams fi gure to benefi t more than any of the other ten playoff
combatants. And much to their chagrin, they face one another in the opening
round of the Wild Card games on Saturday. This will mark the 6th meeting in
fi ve years between these two AFC rivals. In fact, the last twenty meetings in
this series has seen the visiting team go 14-6 SU and 17-3 ATS, including last
year’s 28-24 Divisional Round playoff win as 10.5-point dogs by the Chargers
in Indianapolis. Like last year when the Chargers entered the postseason on a
6-0 SU and ATS streak (and went 3-0 ATS in the playoffs), they are hot and on a
roll once again. And Norv Turner’s 5-0 ATS career mark in playoff games must
be respected. However, the Colts bring the league’s largest win streak into the
playoffs, having won nine straight games. The key to this contest is Indy QB
Peyton Manning. He’s healthy and he’s murder on the non-division road off a
win of more than 7 points, going 14-2 SU and 13-3 ATS. Our main reservation
is the lack of success of dome teams playing outdoors in the playoffs where
these teams are just 8-28 SU and 11-23-1 ATS. Tough call.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Consensus Group Guaranteed Selections
Date: Saturday, January 03, 2009
$29.00 Guaranteed: We have EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT!!! THE WINNER of the INTERNATIONAL BOWL between BUFFALO and CONNECTICUT! ALL FIVE of our College Football Handiacppers are making this 9000* BOWL SELECTION a BEST BET and the Computer Game Simulator gives our play an 88% chance of covering for us! If you were EVER to play on of our games today would be the day! Get this GUARANTEED WINNER NOW for just $29! 1/3/2009
9000* INTERNATIONAL BOWL WINNER
262 Connecticut -6.5 12 NOON EST
The Consensus Group Guaranteed Selections
Date: Saturday, January 03, 2009
$29.00 Guaranteed: We have EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT!!! THE WINNER of the INTERNATIONAL BOWL between BUFFALO and CONNECTICUT! ALL FIVE of our College Football Handiacppers are making this 9000* BOWL SELECTION a BEST BET and the Computer Game Simulator gives our play an 88% chance of covering for us! If you were EVER to play on of our games today would be the day! Get this GUARANTEED WINNER NOW for just $29! 1/3/2009
9000* INTERNATIONAL BOWL WINNER
262 Connecticut -6.5 12 NOON EST
