Those checking out NHL scores this weekend have three intriguing games to watch while the rest of the world focuses on NFL playoff betting, and here are some trends to check for before heading to your sportsbook.

Canucks Capitals Betting – Friday, 7:00 PM ET

The Capitals will likely be favored at home against the Canucks, who currently lead the NHL in points. The Canucks were last in Washington in 2008, and they’re 3-2 SU in their five trips to the nation’s capital, with three of those games going over the posted total. The line won’t likely be that high, given Washington’s inconsistency this season, coming with nine wins in their last 10 for Vancouver ahead of a road game against the Rangers on Thursday.

Penguins Bruins Betting – Saturday, 7:00 PM ET

The Bruins should be favored at home in this contest against the Penguins, who are 2-3 SU in their last five visits to Beantown. Three of those five games have gone under the posted total, with a push and an over as well. The Penguins are still missing Sidney Crosby, which should push the lines more in Boston’s direction.

Flyers Rangers Betting – Sunday, 7:00 PM ET

It’s tough to say who will be favored in this Atlantic Division clash, as the Flyers are tied with Detroit for the most road wins in the NHL. The Rangers are 4-1 SU in their last five meetings at Madison Square Garden against the Flyers, with three games going under the posted total. Despite the Rangers’ record at home over Philadelphia, the Flyers had won four straight as of Thursday, so don’t expect the Rangers to be heavy favorites if you’re betting online.

Super Bowl betting is about to get serious as the league kicks off their postseason on Saturday, so with no delay, here is a look at the playoff picture.

The Favorites

New England (+130) and Pittsburgh (+500) are ahead of the back with Atlanta (+500) and the defending champs from New Orleans (+800), along with Chicago (+900). Everyone is looking for a Patriots-Steelers AFC title game, while Atlanta would love another crack at New Orleans, the only team to win at the Georgia Dome. Don’t count out the Bears if Jay Cutler can manage to not throw picks.

The Second Tier

Green Bay (+1000), Philadelphia (+1200), Baltimore (+1400) and Indianapolis (+1600) are in the next group, but at least one will be out after the Packers head to Philly this weekend. Baltimore and Indy are favored in their first-round games, but both have their flaws. The Packers look like the best bet to make some noise out of this group, as they’re strong on both sides of the ball.

The Darkhorses

The New York Jets (+2200) are offering some great value, and if Rex Ryan can finally get past Peyton Manning and the Colts this weekend, they could be a force. Kansas City (+4000) is a very young team, and we don’t think they’ll handle the pressure of the playoffs against Baltimore. As for Seattle (+12500), the Seahawks are the first team in the playoffs with a losing record, and they’re probably not worth an online sports bet to go all the way.

For the first time in seven years, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City will host a playoff game on the NFL schedule. It’s a shame that a place so cold, so loud with so much history has been denied an elimination contest for so long, but the wait is over for the home of the Chiefs, winners of the AFC West division in the NFL standings. As fans snuggle into their long red parkas marked with the same logos that once adorned the helmets of Dawson and Thomas, as beers spill down to become ice in the upper bowl, two teams will take the frozen field with their breath and pain visible to compete for passage to the next round.

The opposition for the hometown Chiefs will be the Baltimore Ravens, led by their ruthless middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Lewis is at once relentless, violent and inspired – a force of nature with a philosophical focus. This combination of terror and concentration is what makes the Baltimore defense the perennial power it is, the driving force of the team the league’s best unit. Lewis’ men relish the opportunity to play in the winter months, where hits get harder and the stakes grow higher, but the Chiefs present an interesting challenge. K.C. quarterback Matt Cassel enjoyed a good if unspectacular season, throwing for 3,116 yards and 27 scores against only 7 interceptions. Cassel was able to limit his mistakes on account of his offensive line, which played brilliantly all season long. The line is powered by its bedrock left side; tackle Brandon Albert and guard Brian Waters. Albert, in his third season, displayed the consistency and athleticism at 6’5 315 lbs that made him a first round pick in 2008, using his improved footwork to protect Cassel’s blindside. Waters, an eleven year veteran, again proved his worth as a mobile, driving run blocker who can pull to either side and create massive holes with his impactful collisions. Another beneficiary of the line’s play has been running back Jamaal Charles, who enjoyed a superb 1,467 yard season, averaging a remarkable 6.4 yards per carry. Though statistics and divisional success might spur the Chiefs to great aspirations, the Ravens’ defense has seen many an upstart offense during their tenure as the league’s premier bad asses and they have chewed them up and spat them out all the same. Albert should expect a 60 minute battle with linebacker Terrell Suggs, who was among the league leaders with 11 sacks. Suggs is a devastating pass rusher who will use his speed and quickness initially and then will have no problem triggering his strength to grapple with opposing linemen. Waters will need to be quick out of his stance to handle the interior presence of Haloti Ngata, a dominant defensive lineman who has outstanding athletic ability for a man with his 6’4 350 lb frame. Cassel’s awareness of the locations of Lewis and safety Ed Reed will be paramount. Reed has been Lewis’ right hand man during the defense’s tyrannous reign, a playmaker with the talent and instincts to snatch the ball from the offense at any moment and return it to their house.

It seems that every season now Lewis will be asked if he’s slowing down, if he feels like he’s slowing down. True to form, the linebacker scoffs at such doubts, exuding the prevailing confidence that makes him such an authoritative leader for his team. Lewis is not stupid, he is aware of his humanity, aware of the fact that one day he will be unable to chase down ball carriers like a predator in a stampede, to stand tough like a fortress on fourth and inches, to strike fear with a stare. He knows his limitations tomorrow and that is what makes him so strong today – he feels that he must inflict his power now. Arrowhead will be the ideal setting for Lewis to grow his monstrous legend; a cold field with hordes of enthused Chiefs supporters cheering against him, an old school stage for an old soul gladiator.

Key Matchup: Bears’ Front Seven vs. Jets’ Offensive Line

Chicago is giving up just under 90 yards per game on the ground, good for third best in the league, while the Jets are 6^th in the NFL with 141 rushing yards per game. The Bears have an athletic front line, led by ends Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije, big players who have the speed to chase ball carriers on the edge and the strength to break through the line to blow up running plays. Chicago also has a pair of pro bowl linebackers in Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher who will relentlessly pursue running backs and plug any holes that might appear. The interior of the New York offensive line has been spectacular this year in opening spaces for backs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. Guards Brandon Moore and Matt Slauson are powerful downfield blockers who can use their athleticism to pull to the outside or continue blocks downfield. The two large men flank center Nick Mangold, who is widely considered among the league’s best at that crucial position. Left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson has fantastic footwork for a 6’6 310 lb man and he will need to quick on his feet to take care of Peppers who is a nightmare matchup in the trenches.

Most Important Player: Mark Sanchez

Sanchez responded to the backlash that followed consecutive poor performances against New England and Miami with a gutsy win on the road at Pittsburgh. Much of the criticism that was aimed at the second year starter concerned his inability to win games in cold weather, after playing his entire high school and college career in California. Sanchez proved capable, if unspectacular against the Steelers in frigid conditions and will have the chance to win another icy road game against the Bears at Soldier Field. The Jets have a fantastic defense and a strong running game, so when Sanchez is playing well they are nearly unstoppable. The Bears play a cover 2 zone defense and do so with some of the best personnel in the league, so nothing will come
easy. If Sanchez can hold on to the football and find receivers Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards for key gains andscores when they are needed, the Jets should earn their eleventh win and sit in prime position in the NFL standings.

Need To Know: Rex Ryan’s Foot Fetish

The Jets Head Coach usually has a lot to say in the buildup to his team’s next game on theNFL schedule , but this week Rex has been exceptionally quiet. That can be attributed to the discovery that Ryan and his wife have been posting foot fetish videos on the internet, with Ryan’s wife as the star and the corpulent coach as cameraman. Ryan has deemed the videos “a personal matter” that he will not discuss, and while that is completely fair, the news is just another controversy added to the already complex Jets season. Whether or not the coach’s sexual interests become a distraction is yet to be seen, but the Bears will certainly be loaded with plenty of trash-talk material for Sunday’s game.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ 2009-10 season was harshly ended by back-to-back defeats at the hands of their arch-rival; the Dallas Cowboys. In the inaugural year of Jerry Jones’ colossal masterpiece Texas Stadium, the Eagles were beaten into the home turf, being shutout in the final game of the regular season then blown out 34-14 in the wildcard playoff game. The embarrassing defeats meant the end of Donovan McNabb’s lengthy tenure as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback and the start of something so spectacular, so beyond prediction, that it would have seemed laughable as the Eagles’ green jerseys mutedly filed out of the NFL’s version of the Death Star. With the NFL schedule now entering its final month and the Cowboys long eliminated from the playoff picture, Philadelphia has a chance to solidify themselves as a Super Bowl contender and deliver a vengeful blow to Dallas.

If the Cowboys knew that chasing after and hammering McNabb so effectively would have ushered in the Michael Vick era in Philadelphia they surely would have lightened their pursuit. Vick has not only replaced McNabb, he’s done so with the kind of explosive success Donovan had not experienced in years.Vick has returned from his prison sentence and exile as a dog fighting pariah to lead one of the league’s most explosive offenses. The electric pivot is using his rifle left-arm and fleet feet to produce an excessive number of scores for the Eagles while limiting the mistakes and turnovers that hampered him in the early part of his career. Vick instantly elevated the Eagles to the top of the NFC East in the NFL standings with his play and could be rewarded with the league’s MVP award at season’s end.The quarterback’s fantastic play has energized the franchise and city and at the same time has dominated the national sports conversation. The Cowboys have also come up frequently in discussion, for less desirable reasons. Dallas has floundered away a season in which they were meant to compete for the Super Bowl at their home Texas Stadium. Head Coach Wade Phillips has been fired and although interim Coach Jason Garrett has prompted the ‘Boys to two straight victories, the team has lost quarterback Tony Romo and rookie sensation Dez Bryant to season-ending injuries. In short; this has been the season from hell for Dallas.

With several divisional games left on the NFL schedule, the Cowboys have a chance to play spoiler to their Eastern rivals. The top of that “hate list” would be Philly, who seem to represent the antithesis of Dallas football; liberal, creative and consistent. Dallas felt as if they had finally wrestled the division crown when they obliterated the Eagles last year, but now they find themselves again looking up to a potent Philly squad and their All-pro quarterback, albeit a new, All-pro quarterback. The ‘Boys will be in tough against the Eagles, who are being inspired by Head Coach Andy Reid to play their best football down the stretch. Jon Kitna, who has been forced to start in place of Romo, will have the blitzing Eagles defense breathing down his neck all game long, so don’t be surprised to see the veteran make more than a few errors. On defense, DeMarcus Ware and the rest of the Cowboys will have trouble, like the rest of the league, halting Vick and his blazing receivers; DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Expect Eagles’ running back LeSean McCoy to be the most productive player on the field however – McCoy has quietly been one of the NFL’s top running backs this season. When two teams that hate one another meet with opposite records, things can get ugly. Reid hasn’t forgotten the laughing faces of Jones and George W. Bush looking down from a Texas Stadium box and now he’s back with a brand new weapon. Revenge is a beautiful thing.

Two of the best teams in America butt heads on Saturday in a contest that could help either Utah or TCU become a rare non-BCS entry in the NCAA title game. The 2010-11 college football season has seen a host of non-BCS schools dominate the weekly polls, and the Utes and the Horned Frogs represent some of the best that the smaller conferences have to offer. While TCU is largely considered the better team heading into Saturday’s matchup, the Frogs will have to account for a raucous partisan crowd in Salt Lake City as well as some discouraging history: TCU has yet to record a victory in the school’s three trips to Utah.

Both teams are undefeated and sport identical 5-0 records in Mountain West play. However, neither team has faced more than one ranked squad this season. TCU beat then 24^th-ranked Oregon State in their season opener, while Utah won against then-15^th Pittsburgh in overtime in their opener as well. Neither squad has faced a significant challenge since their first games, so Saturday will be a good test to see if their place in the college football standings actually warrants their current rankings.

TCU is coming off a 48-8 drubbing of UNLV, in which quarterback Andy Dalton threw for a pair of scores en route to 252 total yards. Dalton has been quietly spectacular for the Frogs in his senior season, compiling a 158.67 passer rating and improving in nearly all statistical categories. Against Baylor earlier in the year, Dalton completed 21 out of 23 passes, setting a TCU single-game record for completion percentage at 91 percent. However, TCU’s offence is hardly what has allowed them to win 22 straight regular season games. The Frog’s defence has been exceptional by any standards this season; they lead the nation in points allowed with a ridiculous 8.7 on average.

TCU might have a much more difficult time stopping Utah from piling up a double-digit football score, as the Utes have been averaging an astounding 45.3 points per game, third best in the nation. The Frogs’ offensive efficiency can be credited largely to quarterback Jordan Wynn’s improvements in his sophomore season-the 20-year-old is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes this season, en route to a 162.41 passer rating. However, Utah’s running back duo of Matt Asiata and Eddie Wide have placed pressure on opposing run defences all year, sharing the carrying load for 15 total touchdowns between the two players.

In a clash of opposing strengths, it will be interesting to see which team makes the bigger adjustments. If Utah can score early against the Frogs’vaunted defence and ride the momentum of the crowd, TCU will have to battle to stay afloat. For both teams, Saturday’s game is the biggest of the season, but is also a chance to prove to the BCS schools and organizers that teams from the smaller conferences deserve their fair share of national attention. Whichever team prevails this weekend could end up having a legitimate shot at the BCS national title game in Glendale, Arizona.

NCAA football betting players are heading into Week 9 of the season, and these Heisman candidates have pulled away from the field.

Cam Newton, Auburn

Newton has already set the SEC record for rushing yards by a quarterback, and he still has four games left. He can also pass better than you think as he ranks third in the nation in quarterback rating. And for those who said Newton didn’t do much against a good defense, he saved his best showing of the season for LSU, romping for 217 yards. If the Tigers win the national title, he’ll win this running away, literally.

LaMichael James, Oregon

The shifty running back is at the heart of the nation’s most explosive offense, and he ranks fifth in the country in rushing. The problem with James is that he may be overshadowed in an offense with a lot of weapons, although he has bounced back admirably from a troubled offseason.

Kellen Moore, Boise State

Moore edges out Michigan’s Denard Robinson because his team has a better record, and we’re also willing to bet that Boise State would be Michigan straight up. Moore leads the country in passer rating, and he has 18 touchdowns to two picks. However, like his Broncos, Moore faces skeptical voters who say Boise State hasn’t played anyone, therefore, padding his stats. Moore’s success is tied to his team’s fortunes, because we think Newton can still win even if Auburn doesn’t win it all. Moore is still worth a darkhorse bet, though.

This year’s Super Bowl odds are focused around the two quarterbacks of the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Manning won the MVP race, but is he really the better quarterback?

Manning won his record fourth MVP award during the regular season, and he may have had his best season ever after a slew of changes. His favorite target, Marvin Harrison, was let go by the team, Tony Dungy left and Jim Caldwell took over as the coach, Anthony Gonzalez got hurt in the first game of the season, and the Colts haven’t got a ground game to speak of. Manning took control of the team and led them to 14 straight wins before the starters were rested, and then two more in the playoffs.

Brees finished second to Manning in the MVP race, but he was the highest-rated passer during the regular season and the Saints had the best offense in the league. Brees isn’t a physical specimen like Manning as he’s very small for an NFL quarterback, but his offensive line is great at giving Brees lanes to see downfield, and he’s as accurate as any quarterback in the NFL.

The Colts are 4.5-point favorites in this contest, and you have to give the edge to Manning, if not for anything else but his experience. Manning has been here before, leading the Colts to the Super Bowl and winning the game’s MVP award four years ago, also in Miami. Brees may struggle under the bright lights of his team’s first appearance in the Super Bowl, so we’ll be wearing the No.18 Indianapolis jersey on Sunday.

Super Bowl prop betting is one of the most exciting things about the big game, and the biggest prop may be the MVP award. This year’s favorites are no surprise as the two quarterbacks lead the way.

Indy’s Peyton Manning is the favorite at -250, and the four-time regular-season MVP also won the Super Bowl MVP when the Colts won four years ago. He beat out New Orleans’ Drew Brees for the regular-season MVP, and the Saints’ pivot is listed at +300. These are two of the most explosive offenses in the league, and Manning and Brees will be at the center of everything that happens on Sunday. Gameplans are being formulated to stop them, and tape is being watched to figure out how to get pressure on them. The difference is experience, and Manning has been here before. He also sees his chance to move up into the upper echelon of all-time quarterbacks, if he isn’t there already. Manning has more control of his offense than anyone in the NFL, and that’s not to say that Brees doesn’t have control of the Saints. But it would be a bigger difference if you took Manning away from the Colts, and he’s the reason they’ll win this game.

Super Bowl MVP pick: Peyton Manning -250

Super Bowl odds are about to take over, and this year’s game should be a great excuse to get together with friends, make a feast and watch the two best teams in the NFL go at it as Indianapolis and New Orleans prepare to take to the field in Miami.

Saints vs Colts odds – Sunday, February 7, 6:20 PM ET

The Saints were the top seed in the NFC, and they’re led by Drew Brees, the top-rated passer who finished a distant second to Indy’s Peyton Manning in the NFL’s MVP race. The x-factor may be the versatile Reggie Bush (who you may know as Mr. Kim Kardashian), who was the key in a rout of Arizona two weeks ago.

The Colts have Manning, the four-time MVP who also won the Super Bowl MVP when Indy won it all four years ago. Manning has complete control of this offense, and the defense is very underrated, and they have the speed to keep up with a fast New Orleans offense.

The Colts are 5.5-point favorites in this contest, and they have yet to lose a game in which they were at 100% (their two losses late in the season came when they decided to rest their starters). The Saints showed some holes in their armor against the Vikings, and the Colts will capitalize.

NFL picks: Colts -5.5