As far as Week Ones go, the 2019 NFL kickoff weekend will forever live in my memory at least. When you have two separate money line parlays (a 4-teamer and a 6-teamer) riding to the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football and the entire enchilada (just short of $5000 — $4911 to be exact, see tickets) rides on a 58-yard field goal on the last play of the game, well…. that’s entertainment!
Of course the kick was good and we went to the Cashier’s Window yet again. That’s what we do week in, week out, season in, season out at Kent Elola Sports. The Saints win (we had them closing two winning 6-point teaser — one with Dallas and one with New England) left our NFL record at a sparkling 10-5 ATS (against the spread) going to Week 2. In college football we continued to dominate, with an 8-4 week leaving us at 22-9-1 ATS (71%) on the season.
And as impressive as those numbers are, I like this upcoming weekend’s games best of all so far in this young season! Congratulations to those of you who took advantage of last week’s offer and cashed in big with us. This week I’m going to give a FREE winner in both College and the NFL to any and all who text me direct at 1-510-209-0730. You can choose the game you want me to pick for you (send me your line and total in the text) or you can ask for one of my actual client released winners for the coming weekend.
I’m also offering a full week of winners for HALF PRICE if you mentioned you read the offer in this article. Just call/text 1-510-209-0730 or message the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kentelolasports to get the best winning information you need all football season long!
Of course football isn’t all my clients will be focusing on this weekend. The England Premier League soccer season is back after a 2-week International Break. We have been crushing it on the pitch all season long, including a current 9-1-1 Premier League run! So wake up early and watch the goals flow in across the pond before our American Football takes center stage.
Which gets us what we learned from a wild and highly entertaining NFL Week 1:
*The Cleveland Browns’ disappointing opener has been the buzz of the national media much of this week. I didn’t have a pick on the Browns-Titans game either way for my clients last weekend. I’m taking a wait-and-see approach to the Baker Bunch and I knew Tennessee would prevent a great challenge to the Browns. The very physical Titans (look out for them in the AFC South) pulled away in the second half for a blowout win in Cleveland.
*The Oakland Raiders might not be as bad as we thought they would be. Maybe losing Antonio Brown will be addition by subtraction. Maybe the game hasn’t passed Jon Gruden by. Maybe that offensive line and overall defensive performance Monday Night against Denver were signs of a total reversal of fortunes this year.
Or maybe the Broncos were just a dud of a team and the Raiders will come back down to Earth with a thump. We’ll find out a lot more about the Raiders this Sunday when they face the explosive Kansas City Chiefs in Oakland. Early indications are the gamblers are believing strongly in the Silver & Black. After opening as 9.5-point underdogs, the Raiders are all the way down to +7.5 or even +7 at some spots by Wednesday afternoon.
*The Patriots and the Chiefs might be who we thought they are. The two AFC powerhouses combined for 73 points and won by a combined 44 points. Kansas City won by two touchdowns on the road against a supposed-to-be respectable Jacksonville team, while the Patriots kicked the crap out of the Steelers, 33-3, on Sunday Night Football.
Please DO NOT listen to those endless gambling outlets (VSIN and Action Network online, plenty more on TV) that keep trying to tell you “sharp” bettors only take underdogs. That’s absolute garbage. You keep taking the Miami Dolphins plus points this year and watch your bankroll dissipate before Thanksgiving.
New England has been the best long-term bet ATS for over a decade despite usually being a big favorite. Top 5 teams ATS in 2018? Chicago (12-5), Seattle (10-5-2), New England (12-7), Cleveland (10-6) and Kansas City (10-7-1). Four of those five teams made the playoffs. So don’t buy into that “sharp guys only bet dogs” baloney. Sure a live underdog is fun to brag about when it hits (like our Green Bay Packers selection over the favored Bears on Opening Night last Thursday), but over the long run we make a profit every single season by backing the better teams in the right spots, not by blindly betting underdogs and hoping for the best (looking at you, SVP).
*College Football looks awfully familiar. Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida, Michigan. That’s the latest AP Top 10. Three SEC teams in the top four and five in the top nine. Then throw in old standbys Clemson, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and the Big Ten two: Ohio State and Michigan.
I could have told you that was the top 10 for any of the past five seasons and you wouldn’t have thought twice about it. Because, for the most part, it’s the same teams occupying the top spots every single season lately. You know who we DON’T see high up in the rankings? Anybody west of Oklahoma.
The entire West Coast has become irrelevant when it comes to college football, and that’s a shame. While the Southeast may enjoy Clemson-Alabama Part XII or whatever it’s going to be come January, an entire half of the country has almost no realistic chance at even making the 4-team college football playoffs, and that’s a joke. Oregon’s choke job against Auburn probably sealed the deal for the Pac-12 when we were still in AUGUST.
Until college football expands to at least an 8-team playoff (I’ve been proposing a 16-team format since my junior high social studies teacher made us write a letter to a Congressman about an issue we wanted changed), it will remain a regional sport that is quickly losing interest on the national level.
Of course Kent Elola Sports’ clients will continue to have great interest, as we have been making money off it week after week for the past 11 years now! Speaking of which, it’s time to put this article to the presses and go lock in on the weekend games at optimal early line value.
Again, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this weekend’s card. With a huge bankroll after the dominant Week 1 we had (thanks again Will Lutz for that 58-yard laser of a kick to vault the Saints — and us — to victory!) we’re ready to attack Week 2. I invite you to join us. Call or text me now at 1-510-209-0730 or hit me up on Facebook and we’ll get started on crushing your book together! Good luck and good gamblin’ everybody!
By Kent Elola