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Watch as Shaun Hess, Zack Cimini, and John Cranton discuss the Ravens vs Steelers Wild Card matchup for the first round of the AFC Playoffs. The current line is Pittsburgh -3. See what sides all three believe action should be placed on in this game.

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All future wagers for the NFL should be placed this week. If you’re going to wait until after week 17 and before the wild card round, you’re going to lose odds value. Case in point, the Green Bay Packers in 2010 dropped to 20-1 after week 17. The New York Giants in 2011 dropped from 40-1 to 20-1 in 2011.

Get value while you can. Most people are going to run to the book and go for the slight payouts on the Seahawks, Broncos, Patriots, or Packers. I like to find value and go for the hot December teams. These are the teams that typically make a solid playoff run in the NFL.

NFC Champs: Dallas Cowboys +585
Dallas has had a couple of poor losses on national television (Eagles Thanksgiving and Redskins MNF). But besides those losses they have looked the part all season long(Scratching Weeden’s start against the Cardinals from memory). In the post season they will likely have to clear past the Seahawks but who says they can’t do it again? Dallas’s offensive line is one of the few that have given the Seahawks defensive line problems. And lets not forget about Dez Bryant at wide receiver who made Seattle’s secondary look like the Bears.

AFC Champs: Pittsburgh Steelers +700-+800
Their defense may not be the greatest but what team has shown the capability to slow down the Steelers offense? They’ve been rolling the past six weeks since they decided to balance the pass/run more. That Jets loss seems like the distant past and I love the look this team has heading into the postseason.

Super Bowl Champs: Pittsburgh Steelers +2450
I mentioned a little bit above I like the Steelers to win the AFC. The Super Bowl would not be in their favor against the Seahawks, but I’m predicting Dallas to get there. It’s all about matchups in the Super Bowl and I believe Pittsburgh will continue the theme we’ve seen all year. Repeat champions of the 2000’s. UConn in college hoops, Spurs in the NBA, Giants in MLB, and Bubba Watson in golf.

Paired Odds: Dallas vs Pittsburgh 88-1. Oddly enough these two have met in the Super Bowl in the 70’s(1976 and 1979) and in the 90’s (1995 in Arizona). Lets keep the every two decades theme going!

Have fun with your futures selections and don’t wait until next Friday night to get your team’s selected.

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Watch as Hollis Barnhart, Zack Cimini, and John Cranton discuss NFL value on futures post week nine.

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The word “trend” is tossed around by a sports handicapper as habitually as a person texts “LOL” on a daily basis. It’s an embedded research tool that some handicappers base their top picks and situational games off of. I’m shocked to see that there has not been any coverage on the obvious trend of 2014.

It’s been a year of champions being crowned champions again. The UConn Huskies won their fourth NCAA title in men’s basketball. They won it in 1999, 2004, 2011, and 2014. The women’s team won yet again and added to their illustrious domination of college women’s basketball.

In golf, Bubba Watson won the Master’s tournament again. Over in the NBA the Spurs knocked down the Miami Heat to finish what they thought they had done the year prior. And now in baseball the San Francisco Giants are four games a way from winning their third title in five years.

I’ve glorified this trend on twitter before but now it’s time to get out in front for the NFL this season.

Will it be the 3-3 New York Giants that stave off their injuries and personnel issues to make another title run for Tom Coughlin? It sounds preposterous now but should it be laughed about that hard? Probably not. At 125-1 odds, the Giants may be worth a stab from my wallet. After all the NFC East has been a division notorious for 9-7 division winners. Philadelphia has won some games by playing an ugly style and Dallas is starting to look like an elite team. But knock out Tony Romo with his bad back or DeMarco Murray and what happens in Dallas? Their offense doesn’t control the game anymore which puts their susceptible defense back onto the field for longer durations.

The Baltimore Ravens are 26-1 before week seven’s game against the Falcons. They’re not being discussed as a top team just yet but have the formula to get back in the winner’s circle. Their defense is flying after the ball again, and their ace quarterback has found his 2012 rhythm again. Veteran additions such as Steve Smith are paying dividends and the big driver no one can forget is the team is playing with ammo after the Ray Rice incident. The bottom line is they’re playing great football in a division that might be the best in football.

An even larger Super Bowl odd are the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’re 130-1. At 3-3 and with their history this seems awfully odd. Big Ben has won two Super Bowls and the first was with a team that barely snuck into the playoffs. Coach Mike Tomlin has his hands full but this team is not a 130-1 type of team to me. In fact their team reminds me of the Ravens team of two years ago. Their defense has a lot of aging players like the Ravens did with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. But the offense may be in position to outscore opponents and aide their aging defense.

Last but not least are the New England Patriots. The media beaten down team of just three games ago has silenced their critics with three straight wins. This is the team that fits the mold the best of comparable other sports teams like the Spurs and San Francisco Giants. At 13-1 right now could value be any higher on a team led by Bill Belicheck? Does the coach and his quarterback Tom Brady have one last ride in them?

I don’t about you but I’ll be spreading some wagers across all four of these teams. The Seahawks, Broncos, Cowboys, 49ers, Packers, and other people’s spur of the moment teams can have their shine right now. When it’s all said and done we will have another repeat champion crowned.

Watch a week seven ATS preview of the Saints vs Lions game. If interested in weekend premium plays click under “Today’s Pick’s” to gain access to Saturday and Sunday’s plays.