The Hunch Bunch
NOW OPEN FOR 2008. SEND 'EM IN!
hunch8@powerratings.com

NO NFL PRESEASON GAMES
FOOTBALL ONLY
NO TEASERS, PARLAYS, HALVES, ETC.
SIDES & TOTALS ONLY
PLEASE READ OUR RULES AND LIMITS!

We form some opinions based on what we call "hunches". These picks are made out of thin air using series history, current momentum, personal like/dislike for certain coaches/teams/players, etc.

Here are the rules for 2008 at the Hunch Bunch:

  • 1) Each player is limited to 10 picks per week. This is because it is major work to monitor 35 picks in a week for one player. We're looking out for #1, if you know what I mean. 10 picks, make them good ones! Of course, you need not make 10 picks. Some weeks are not so ripe with good ones.

  • 2) YOU ARE LIMITED TO A TOTAL OF 30 STARS EACH WEEK!  BE SURE YOU READ THIS ONE!!!
  • 3) You are granted 10,000 units FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON, if you make your first picks by September 30th. After that, you will be granted only 9,000 units. This prevents some late player from swooping in on December 18th and winning the whole thing on 5 bets.

  • 4) You may rate each bet from 1 to 5 stars. 1 Star = bet 110 units to win 100. 2 Stars = bet 220 to win 200, etc. Many of you have requested the ability to rate your plays. This is yet another reason why we limit you to 10 plays per week. Also, we only monitor pointspread (no halftime stuff) and over/unders. No parlays or other exotic bets. Keep it simple.

  • 5) Please use only those lines from cswstats.com OR from Pinnacle for your picks. I personally use Pinnacle. Over the course of an entire season, we see some questionable lines used by some players. We all know that lines change frequently, so please check with cswstats.com or Pinnacle for the latest lines for College and NFL. We grade all picks at -110, so you will notice that Pinnacle often offers better lines than anyone in the world. Yep, -105 all over the place. But we use -110 for grading here. You can easily check Pinnacle lines HERE.
  • 6) If you would like to become an OFFICIAL Hunch Bunch forecaster, you must post picks for three consecutive weeks here. Remember, if you begin after October 1st, you are granted 9000 Units instead of 10000 Units for ranking purposes. Minimum 50 picks to be ranked at the end of the season.

  • 7) Have fun. And have a terrific season.

  • 8) If you have any questions, please contact me at: gsh@powerratings.com

  • 9) This is strictly for fun. If you have a website and wish us to link your name to that site, let us know. Oh, no preseason NFL please.

  • 10) Please send your STAR RATED picks to: hunch8@powerratings.com. This address is CURRENT for 2008.

THE HUNCH BUNCH WEEK RUNS
FROM TUESDAY THRU MONDAY.

HUNCH BUNCH WEEK #20:
4-2, +920
We have a little winning week.

HUNCH BUNCH for the 2008 Season:
1077-965-28, +15770

BC Won Week #20
BC went 3-1, +950

Our Hunches: TW: 1-0, +300
2008 Season: 103-88-4, +1770
Our 2008 Bank: 11770 Units

cs.jpg (11110 bytes)

bam.gif (12459 bytes)
...
Our Picks for 2008
cross1.gif (927 bytes)

1. 3stars.gif (1242 bytes) nflshield35.gif (1277 bytes) Arizona** +7 over Pittsburgh
winner.gif (1138 bytes)Our power ratings put this game at Pittsburgh by 4 points. Most power ratings systems out there probably have similar findings on Super Bowl XLIII. We all know that power ratings are an integral part of oddsmaking. So why is the line at -7? Simple. Public perception is that Pittsburgh is clearly the superior team and sports the NFL's #1 defense. History has shown us that public perception is often wrong. Last year, the public perception was that there was basically no chance that the Giants could win. The line was inflated to accomodate that perception. Wrong. This year, we see a good matchup for Arizona. Why? First of all, Pittsburgh had the top ranked defense largely because of their ability to stop the run. Arizona does not run to any significant degree. The Cardinals feature a brilliant QB in Warner. You can't blitz the guy. He virtually never gets sacked when opposing defenses blitz him. Instead, he tends to find one of his three top receivers for big gains. Warner has one of the quickest releases since Dan Marino. 1, 2, 3 steps, gone, baby. Complete, first down. So ... the Steelers are likely to drop seven into coverage. So what! No one in this league can defend Fitzgerald. No one. This guy is not only the best receiver in the league at this time. He may be the best receiver the league has ever seen. Sorry, Jerry. His hands are special and his moves are magical. Boldin is a great receiver and Breaston is extremely capable. Arizona can score on any defense. We have doubted the Cardinals three times in the playoffs and have paid for our mistakes. No more. Take the dog. Pittsburgh is not all that healthy. WR Ward will play with a knee brace and he is a key element of the Steeler attack. Pass protection has been a problem all year for the Steelers as Roethlisberger spends a lot of time on his back and that back hurts. It takes a great team to beat these Steelers. Arizona is that team.

TOTAL =  3 Stars

* Home Team
** Neutral Field

Give us your top picks against the spread and we'll post them for all to enjoy. Develop your own following! Feel free to make comments justifying your thinking. Check here often to see what our visitors recommend each week.

Our Hunches are usually posted by THURSDAY.

Yes, we have a special email address for The Hunch Bunch
hunch8@powerratings.com

PLEASE READ OUR POLICY

Notice: Any picks sent on Saturday or Sunday will no longer be posted. We cannot get them posted before the games are played, so they are not read by anyone until after the games ... So, please get them in by Friday night! Thanks for your understanding!

We would also like to take the time to THANK all of our great Hunch Bunch selectors. Without your dedication, this page could not exist and we enjoy doing it immensely. THANKS!!!

2007 RANKINGS
THE TOP SIX
(Minimum 50 plays)
Note: We do not monitor parlays or teasers, but you are welcome to mention them.
*Vig = 10% of losses. check1.gif (525 bytes) = Weekly winner

Player Plays Won Lost Pushed Units Season
Net		 Win
Percentage
BC from Cape Cod
check1.gif (525 bytes)check1.gif (525 bytes)check1.gif (525 bytes)check1.gif (525 bytes)check1.gif (525 bytes)check1.gif (525 bytes)		 122 65 53 4 +4040 14040 55.08%
Redgee
check1.gif (525 bytes)check1.gif (525 bytes)check1.gif (525 bytes)		 73 41 31 1 +3850 13850 56.94%
Gordo the Greek
check1.gif (525 bytes) check1.gif (525 bytes)		 76 41 35 0 +1250 11250 53.95%
Carolina Blue
...		 167 84 77 6 +560 10560 52.17%
DONROJAS
...		 79 42 35 2 +250 10250 54.55%
PowerRatings.com
check1.gif (525 bytes)check1.gif (525 bytes)check1.gif (525 bytes)		 116 92 82 5 +140 10140 52.87%
Total - Season
(All picks)		 1708 847 823 38 -18090 -8090 50.72%
The results for the 2007 were fairly average, following two winning seasons for the group here. That's right, for thousands of bets played here for two seasons (2005-2006), we had a winning record. Truly remarkable. Last year, we lost a moderate amount, despite picking more winners than losers. That's what the juice will do to you.  Hunch Bunchers collectively picked 50.7% winners, not enough to beat the spread for the entire season. Over the previous two seasons we made over 3600 picks with a net profit of +9500. Pretty remarkable, considering all bets were graded at -110/100.
Win Percentage ignores all pushes.

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Updated Sunday, February 1, 2009
Contents © 2009 Gary Hawley · Denver, CO
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