Jim Feist Articles
Article Topics: View All Articles By Jim Feist | NFL | College Football | NBA | College Basketball | MLB | WNBA | NHL
Date added: 01.22.12
Jim Feist
Super Bowl Countdown!
In the world of eleven to ten, there's nothing quite like Super Bowl week. In this case, it's two weeks, as the teams have two weeks to prepare for the Big Game. It's also one of the most creative weeks of the sports betting season. While there's only one game left on the football calendar, there are still ample opportunities for betting with ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 12.25.11
Jim Feist
Bowl Bonanza
As 2010 draws to a close, we find ourselves smack in the middle of the bowls. You shouldn't be bowled-out, either, as they build to the crescendo that is the LSU/Alabama showdown for the national title.Belk Bowl (Tues., Dec. 27): A pair of teams that started slow and finished strong. Louisville rebounded from a 2-4 start to finish 7-5 under second-year ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 12.18.11
Jim Feist
The Best Time for Bowling
As 2011 draws to a close, we find ourselves smack in the middle of the bowls. You shouldn't be bowled-out, either, as the bowls slowly build to the crescendo that is the Alabama/LSU showdown.Poinsettia Bowl (Wed., Dec. 21): A pair of teams with great passing offenses – but only one plays defense. Louisiana Tech (8-4 SU, 7-3 ATS) is on a tear, ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 12.11.11
Jim Feist
NFL Juggernauts and Fading Has Beens
Looking at NFL in 2011, it's clear that, despite the unbeaten Packers, parity has returned. Look at teams that were recent doormats who are playing well: Lions, Bills, Bengals, Texans, 49ers and Broncos. Even the Panthers and Dolphins have been competitive, with shots at respectable seasons after bad starts. The season is also littered with flops. ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 12.04.11
Jim Feist
The NFL Quarterback Shuffle
2011…The Year of the Quarterback? Are you kidding? While the numbers that Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are putting up are on pace to both break Dan Marino’s single season passing record, 2011 has been the Year of the Quarterback Shuffle. It started back in September when the Jaguars decided to cut veteran starter David Garrard for rookie ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 11.27.11
Jim Feist
The Overlooked Edge: Football Depth
Depth is such an essential element of success in pro and college football, and one that is easily overlooked. Big college programs have this as a huge advantage over smaller programs. The Florida Gators got off to a strong 4-0 start this season, but then a serious injury against Alabama to starting QB John Brantley changed everything. They lost 4 in ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 11.20.11
Jim Feist
Turkeys, Turnovers and Rivalry Tilts!
It's Thanksgiving week, which means the middle of the NFL campaign while winding down the college football regular season. Late season college football means heated races for conference titles and bowl berths, plus rivalries that span decades. These games can have far more importance for players than September/October clashes. Oklahoma/Ok-State, USC/UCLA, ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 10.30.11
Jim Feist
NFL's Home vs. Road Disparity
How about those Baltimore Ravens? In back to back games they looked like world beaters, shutting down the Jets (34-17) and the Texans (29-14), covering both with ease. That put them at 3-0 Su/ATS at home this season, including that opening day shellacking of the Steelers, 35-7. Then again, a different Baltimore team can show up on the road, as we ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 10.23.11
Jim Feist
Winning Football "D" Comes Before "O"
So what do you prefer: offense or defense? Most casual bettors examining NFL picks like offense, which is why Monday night football games often take more action on the over. There have been some terrific offensive football teams that last few years, such as USC and Texas in 2005, and pro passing attacks like the Rams, Colts, Dick Vermeil's Chiefs, ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 10.10.11
Jim Feist
Turnovers Can Turn the Tide
Last week the Baltimore Ravens had just 267 total yards in a Sunday night showdown with the Jets and were a measily 6 of 18 on third down. In addition, they averaged 2.8 yards per rush. What a terrible offensive performance! Oh, and by the way the Ravens won the game, 34-17. Say what? The difference was turnovers, with the Jets coughing it up 4 times ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 10.03.11
Jim Feist
Beware of Early Season Phonies
So…are we all set for the Lions/Bills Super Bowl? Because after three weeks, those were two of the remaining three undefeated teams in the NFL, along with the Packers. To put that in perspective, before the season started the Lions were 40-to-1 to win the Super Bowl, the Packers 5-to-1 and the Bills, fresh off a 4-12 season, were 100-to-1. ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 09.25.11
Jim Feist
September Football Upset City!
There's a reason they play the games. Teams don't always play the way stats and power rankings suggest they are supposed to. That's often evident early in the pro and college football seasons because some teams are very different from year to year. In Week 1 of the NFL season, the Bears, Bengals, Bills, Lions and Redskins all won straight up as dog, ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 09.19.11
Jim Feist
Sandwiches and Scheduling
College and pro football offer a variety of great match-ups every weekend. A good handicapper, though, doesn't just look at individual and team match-ups. There are other factors surrounding a game that can be equally important to identifying a winning spread cover, such as scheduling and road travel. For instance, both Iowa and Iowa State opened ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 09.12.11
Jim Feist
Read Between the Lines
The best time of the sports calendar is here, the opening week of the pro football campaign! There are mountains of stats and angles available for sports bettors to digest from this season and years past. Information certainly is a huge key when analyzing games and point spreads. Sometimes it can seem that there is too much info, but it's essential ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 09.05.11
Jim Feist
The Best of the NFL
The pro football season kicks off this week when the Saints travel to the defending champion Packers, a battle of the last two champs. Despite the fact that the NFC has won two in a row, the AFC has won 9 of the last 14 Super Bowls. Here is a look at some of the best of the NFL.NY Jets: The Jets do a lot of talking, but when are they going to get to ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 08.29.11
Jim Feist
2011 College Football's Top 20
The countdown continues! Last week we looked at my Top 21-40, this week is my Top 20. The college football season kicks off September 1st and here's a look at college football's best!20. Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles (8-5 SU/6-6 ATS in 2010) have an uptempo attack under Coach Larry Fedora, with a strong offense (36.8 ppg) and a below average defense ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 08.22.11
Jim Feist
2011 College Football Rankings 40 to 21
It’s time to kick off a new football season. College football begins Thursday, September 1st and here’s a look at the top teams, starting with my top 21-40.40. Oregon State: The Beavers failed to make a bowl because of injuries and the offense went south. For 2011 they return senior QB Ryan Katz (17 TDs, 11 picks) and WR James Rodgers was ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 08.15.11
Jim Feist
College Football Difference Maker: Depth!
The college football season gets underway in two weeks. An area of college football dynamics that's important to understand early in the season is depth. This doesn't refer to how many star players a team has, but whether a team is stocked or thin with above-average players at a lot of positions. Large schools with a long tradition of winning football ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 08.08.11
Jim Feist
NFL Preseason Pointers
The pro football preseason kicks off this weekend (and it's about time)! Remember that each season is different, with players changing teams, new coaches and assistants coming aboard, and star college players joining the pros as highly touted rookies. August football offers fans their first peak at all the new additions. This weekend, the defending ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.26.11
Jim Feist
College Football Teams with Something to Prove
Frustration and failure can prove excellent motivating factors in sports. We see quality teams get beaten badly all the time, then bounce back the next game with a terrific performance with an easy win. This can also take place with teams that are off disappointing seasons. Last season Notre Dame had a new coach, a tough schedule and a ton of ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.19.11
Jim Feist
New Coaches Hope to Upgrade College Programs
Football head coaches get all the glory, but top assistants can be extremely important in a team's success or failure. Offensive and defensive coordinators have great influence on game plans and a unit's effectiveness. There was no better example than former NY Giants' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, now with the Rams. He came over from the ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.13.11
Jim Feist
MLB: Second Half Surges
The first half of the 2011 baseball season is in the books. There were surprising winners, such as the Indians, Marlins, Reds and Brewers, a lack of hitting league-wide, and some surprises such as the defending champion Giants playing close to .500 baseball. With the surprises out of the way, here's a look at some teams that might be active at the ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.04.11
Jim Feist
MLB: First Half Roundup
162 games is a long season. Every year teams sprint out of the gate in April and May with October dreams, only to come back to the pack by July. It's not a sprint, of course, but a marathon, where a strong balance of pitching, defense and offense carries the best teams into the postseason. Injuries, too, are key, as well as trades made before the July ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.27.11
Jim Feist
Injured Players Returning + Trades
So who is ready to win the World Series? Well, relax , folks, it is only the end of June and baseball is a marathon. Patience and consistency are keys to being the best in baseball, the same two qualities that are necessary in the world of sports wagering. After all, it is not the hot teams in May and June that win the World Series, it is the team ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.20.11
Jim Feist
The Bull(Pen) By the Horns!
Starting pitchers in baseball get much of the attention (and money) thrown their way. The average starter is asked to go 6-7 innings, while aces are expected to give 7-8 quality innings. Many games are decided in the last three innings, however, making relief pitchers an extremely important, and often overlooked, element. The use of effective relievers ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.14.11
Jim Feist
Hot and Cold Streaks
Baseball is a game of stats and streaks. The Red Sox started this season 2-10 and had all kinds of problems with pitching, injuries and an ice cold offense. However, they made some minor adjustments, got their starting staff straightened out and have been playing great baseball the last two months, back in the pennant race. Three years ago the ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.06.11
Jim Feist
NBA Finals: Heat vs. Mavericks
The NBA Finals shift this week from South Beach to the deep in the heart of Texas, as the Heat head to Dallas for Game 3, 4 and 5. But is it that big of a deal this year? The Mavs and Heat were the top two teams in the NBA on the road (28-13) this season. Many fans find this odd, as all the previous series are in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, but then the Finals ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.30.11
Jim Feist
NBA Finals Fever
Say, what happened to the Celtics, Lakers and Spurs? 2011 was supposed to be the year when all the old fogies advanced in the NBA playoffs. Instead, young teams from Memphis, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta and Oklahoma City pulled many surprises, so this postseason appears to be “The Year That the Torch was Passed.” Unless you’re a Dallas ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.23.11
Jim Feist
Lean Toward Big Dogs More than Big Chalk
April and May means that many novice sports bettors may look at the matchups and lean toward ace pitchers and lay the big price. But let me say four words to you: Do not do it. Baseball is unique from football and basketball in that there is no point spread. Instead you bet merely on which team will win the game and this translates into a money-line ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.16.11
Jim Feist
NBA Playoffs: Beware of Blowouts
The NBA playoffs are in full swing, which means overall the better teams are battling each other. This is different from the regular season when many nights great teams are playing bad teams and bad teams are playing worse one. Astute sports bettors should pay very careful attention to blowouts. For instance, after losing Game 1 114-101 at home, the ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
