Farbror the Guru

The Guru will soon start to deliver his picks for the football season.  Get the picks delivered by email or even as a text message.

What can you expect? Solid picks! I bet all my picks myself and have made a small profit most of my betting seasons. Does that sound meager? Well, If you shop for illusions you will have to shop elsewhere. Read more »

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY  FEBRUARY 7

SAINTS +4 1/2  OVER  COLTS

Billy Idle

NFL FOOTBALL  Sunday,   January 24

NFC Playoff          .           .  6:40 pm Eastern

MINN VIKINGS +3 1/2 OVER New Orleans Saints at home

Saints final regular season games:

week 15   Dallas 24    Saints 17

week 16   Tampa 20  Saints 17

week 17   Saints 10   Carolina 23

Playoff       Saints 45   Arizona  14

MATCH UP IN COMMENTS BELOW.

Think there was a lot of media hype about Romo and the Cowboys.  The tired old routine about Minnesota getting too much rest.  They won’t be sharp.   Please.  I actually felt sorry for Romo.  Dallas received their welcome to the Hubert Humphrey Dome, where Favre has played often.

Vikings had 100 plus yards on the ground.  Their running game (with all three backs) was there when they needed it.  Favre and Rice are having a good year.  Announcers were saying the Vikings tight end was 11 of 12 touchdowns inside the red zone in the regular season.  They used him once and he got another touchdown today.

No doubt the Vikings played as a team, winning  34-3.  Truth is every team has some bad games.  It is tough to have one in a playoff situation.  Meanwhile it was the media talking about all the trouble Farve has had in playoff games the last half dozen years.  Pass protection from the Vikings front four made a big difference.  Certainly Cowboy fans were shocked by that score.  Minnesota was only a 2 1/2 point favorite.  It just seems the media gave the Vikings only grudging credit for being in the playoffs at all.  It was “Watch out for Romo and the Cowboys.  They always score on their first possession.”  Favre was all but washed up.  Dallas was on a run.

We might expect an Indianapolis – Minnesota Superbowl.  I think the Dallas – Minnesota score would indicate a Viking victory against the Saints.  As good as Drew Brees and New Orleans are they showed a couple of  really poor efforts in the regular season.  So there is a way to stop New Orleans on the drawing board.  Should be a pretty good game though.  Naturally Drew Brees would like to prove something against Bret Favre.  He will give his best effort.  Question is can the Saints defense stop Sidney Rice? (who had three TDs and 141 yards on long receptions today).  He almost caught a fourth touchdown in the end zone.  Had the chance to one hand it.

Should be an entertaining match up.  Brees is one of the best players around, but what about his supporting cast?  If the Cowboys thought it would be easy today they got things wrong.  Rice was waiting for a quarterback like Favre to arrive in Minneapolis.  Now people can see how good Sidney Rice really is.  As good as any Saints receiver.  He made an impression on a lot of NFL football fans in that game who had never seen him play.  So long as Sidney Rice and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe keep getting open, no team is going to beat the Vikings.

Seriously doubt that Favre will be carried off from the Saints game on a stretcher.  Farve was having fun.  He played like he was 30 and not 40 years old.  He gets more pass protection with Minnesota than he did in New York.  He threw for 33 touchdowns this season – one of six times in his career he has passed for 30 or more.

I’m guessing  Bret was the football Messiah in the locker room after the Dallas game.  Moses leading the Vikings out of captivity and into the Promised Land.   All the Vikings are believers now.  They kept the faith.  The Vikings knew all along how good Favre was.  They played against him often enough to know.

.                      .  Billy Idle

NCAA BASKETBALL   Saturday,  January 16   12 noon

At Home Teams *

CLEMSON -4 OVER N Carolina State*    (Lost)

MISSOURI  -3 1/2  OVER Oklahoma*     (Lost)

KENTUCKY -10 1/2 OVER Auburn U*     (Lost)

WICHITA STATE +1 OVER Creighton*    (Push)

Billy Idle

NCAA BASKETBALL  Friday,  January 15

At Home Teams*

ILL CHICAGO* -1  OVER  Loyola U    (Lost)

ST PETER’S +6 1/2  OVER Rider U*    (WON)

LOYOLA MD* -14  OVER Marist Col    (Lost)

N COLORADO -2 OVER Portland St*    (Lost)

Billy Idle

NCAA BASKETBALL   Thursday,  January 14

At Home Teams *

DENVER (+2) OVER Louisiana Lafayette*    (Lost)

TENNESSEE TECH  -2 OVER Tenn Martin*   (WON)

EASTERN KY* (-9)  OVER  Eastern Illinois    (lost)

LOYOLA M.M.* (-6)  OVER San Francisco    (Lost)

Billy Idle

NCAA BASKETBALL  Wednesday,  January 13

At Home Teams *

N CAROLINA +5  OVER Clemson Univ*    (lost)

CINCINNATI ( PK ) OVER  Saint Johns*    (Lost)

U OF TEXAS -7 1/2  OVER Iowa State*    (Lost)

BYU -15 1/2 OVER Air Force Academy*    (WON)

Billy Idle

NCAA BASKETBALL   Tuesday,  January 12

At Home Teams *

FLORIDA STATE* -9 1/2 OVER NC State    (Lost)

MIZZOURI STATE -5 OVER  Drake Univ*    (Lost)

KENT STATE UNIV +2 OVER Miami Ohio*    (Push)

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY -4 OVER Colorado*    (Lost)

Billy Idle

NCAA BASKETBALL    Monday,  January 11

At Home Teams *

MURRAY STATE* (-18)  OVER Eastern Ill    (Lost)

SIENA COLLEGE* -15 1/2 OVER Canisius    (Lost)

OKLAHOMA ST  ( PK )  OVER Oklahoma*    (Lost)

LOUISIANA TECH -3 1/2 OVER Boise St*    (WON)

Billy Idle

NCAA BASKETBALL   Sunday,  January 10  ( 3 pm)

At Home Teams *

DENVER* (+1)  OVER  Western Ky    (WON)

KANSAS -5 1/2  OVER Tennessee*    (Lost)

ST MARY’S -13 OVER Santa Clara*    (Lost)

WASHINGTON  -2  OVER  Arizona*    (Lost)

Billy Idle