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NFL week 9 - Five Alive

The rankings have officially moved from a liquid to an aqueous state. For all you non-chemists out there that means the position of the 32 teams is starting to solidify and that there will be fewer teams each week moving up or down more than five to six spots in the standings. We also have a clearer view on what the Super Bowl is likely to look like come February '09.

Photo by theSuperStar on flickr.com Super Bowl XLIII will be hosted in Tampa Bay, and the team that plays there during the regular season has a pretty good shot at earning a spot to play. It would be the first time in history for a team to have home field advantage in the big game.

Why are the teams ranked in the top five important? Eight of the previous twelve (67%) Super Bowl champions have been ranked in the top 5 going into week 9. The only Super Bowl champion over that span to be ranked outside the top 10 was the 2001 Patriots, who were ranked 11th.

After NFL week 4 was completed, we blogged on who is going to the Super Bowl, and we are still liking our NFC pick. Next week will essentially mark the half way point of the season, and we will have a full report on which two teams are the mid-season favorites to play in the big game.

Big movers this week: Miami (+9), Baltimore (+9), NY Giants (+6), Dallas (+6), San Diego (-7), Atlanta (-7)

It has been a rough stretch for the Pick Six, but that doesn't mean we aren't optimistic about its future chances of pulling in profit. The core strength of the system remains strong, with our straight up picks being 73-43, which is good enough to beat 10 of the 12 ESPN analysts. We have no doubts we will catch those other 2. If you don't have a membership it's not too late to pick up a weekly or season subscription. The weekly subscriptions are getting still being offered for great values, so don't miss out on another winning week with ITN! See the results for last week's Pick Six


NFL week 9 rankings

(all logos are official trademarks of the NFL)

RK Team ITN-CB Record WG RP Notes
1 Tennessee 1.73 7-0 55 (1)  103 (6)  Tennessee finally sneaks into our #1 spot. Some may point out that their running game was held in check by a bad Colts run D, gaining only 88 yards. How about 8 of their first downs and all 3 of their touchdowns coming on the ground? Flashy no, effective yes. Much like every other part of this team.
2 NY Giants 1.68 6-1 49.2 (2)  119 (4)  Not the prettiest win, but certainly one of the biggest W's any team has netted in '08. Their stats are still very easy on the eye, as they have the overall #1 rated offense and overall #5 rated defense. How long will those numbers last against 8 straight opponents with winning records?
3 Washington 1.62 6-2 46.6 (3)  140.7 (1)  A decent road win, even if it was against the lowly lions. There is only one thing that worries us about this team. Washington has been winning games, but few of them have come easy. Campbell has not thrown an interception yet in '08, but that is going to change eventually. Will the W's change as well?
4 Carolina 1.12 6-2 41.9 (4)  118.6 (5)  Held off a very tough Arizona team to remain perfect at home. They now have a bye week to rest up and get ready to go on the road, as 3 of their next 4 will be played away from Bank of America stadium. With all the other big teams winning and their bye, Carolina will likely remain comfortably under the radar for some time.
5 Tampa Bay 1.11 5-3 37.1 (7)  136.4 (2)  Some the fans in Tampa labeled the loss as 'demoralizing.' We wouldn't go nearly as far as that as everyone had over-demoted Dallas into a puppet team, something they certainly aren't. Tampa still has all the pieces to be a force come playoff time, and also has plenty of opportunities to fix some of their road woes.
6 Dallas 0.75 5-3 31.3 (13)  128.8 (3)  You can knock the offense for a lack of yards and points, but they did something they have needed to do all season: commit zero turnovers. When the offense does that, it sets the stage for all the talent on their roster to make big plays that lead to even bigger W's.
7 Buffalo 0.67 5-2 37.9 (5)  85.5 (10)  The offense is shooting the defense in the foot in road games. They have committed 8 turnovers in their last 2 away games, something you cannot do and expect to win. If the offense can eliminate those big mistakes on the road, the defense has shown it can lead the rest of the team to a win.
8 Pittsburgh 0.67 5-2 35.7 (10)  92.5 (7)  No matter how you dissect the game, the final word is that Pittsburgh let a big one get away. On a more positive note, they showed that they indeed do have the #1 defense in the league, and also that Moore can be expected to produce and give time for Parker to fully heal.
9 New England 0.42 5-2 35.2 (11)  76.6 (14)  Given the injuries and that Cassell has thrown at least one pick in 4 of his last 5 starts, New England has to be happy they are now tied for the lead in the AFC East. It helps when you get Moss involved too.
10 Philadelphia 0.37 4-3 36 (9)  70.9 (16)  How good is Philadelphia? If we had to pick a surprise team to make a big move in the second half of the season it would be them. They have the #4 rated offense and #8 rated defense in the league, plus a +7 turnover margin. If Westbrook stays healthy winning their division is not out of the question.
11 Miami 0.32 3-4 28.9 (17)  90.4 (8)  The Dolphins have been all over our rankings this season, and this is the second time they have ventured near the top 10. The team has gained a decent amount of yards but doesn't have the points to show for it. Being more efficient in their opponents' territory will not only help them win road games, but contend for a playoff spot.
12 Chicago 0.30 4-3 37.4 (6)  61 (23)  The Bears will ease back into their schedule when the Lions come to visit, and will have an opportunity to get Forte back into sync (Lions run defense ranked #31) and to shore up their troubles stopping the pass (Lions passing offense ranked #22). 
13 Arizona 0.25 4-3 29.4 (15)  83.8 (12)  Arizona isn't as bad of a road team as everyone thinks. They played both Washington and Carolina tough before falling behind late in each game. They now travel to division rival St. Louis where they will have a chance to use their high powered offense to silence the critics.
14 Atlanta 0.20 4-3 29.4 (16)  80.6 (13)  The game against Philadelphia was closer than the final score indicated, and outside of two very costly turnovers was a much better road performance for them. Atlanta's second half schedule is workable, especially if they can continue to dominate at home.
15 Baltimore 0.07 4-3 32.4 (12)  61.3 (22)  Consecutive games without a turnover from Flacco means consecutive wins for Baltimore. The defense is that good. Their running game isn't too shabby either and can be leaned on to do a large part of the work on offense.
16 Denver 0.07 4-3 25.2 (21)  85.1 (11)  Fans have taken the bye week as an opportunity to steam over the lack of defense, which is understandable considering Denver has the overall #3 offense but the overall #30 defense. Still, the offense has to take the blame for the -9 turnover margin, which is as responsible as anything for some of the losses.
17 Green Bay -0.04 4-3 36.9 (8)  39.4 (25)  As of this morning (10/29) the Green Bay injury report was blank. This is definitely a good thing because they will need as healthy of a defense as possible in their trip down south. So far Rodgers has done more than an adequate job, but how long will he be able to keep that up if the run attack continues to struggle?
18 St. Louis -0.11 2-5 20.1 (27)  89.1 (9)  They couldn't quite pull out the win at New England, but in the process they proved that their win at Washington was no fluke. The defense continues to improve under Haslett, and if Jackson can stay healthy, we think it's still too early to count St. Louis out of the NFC West race.
19 New Orleans -0.15 4-4 29.7 (14)  63.5 (20)  New Orleans should be better than a .500 team. We keep coming back to their struggling run game, which we think is the biggest cause of their inconsistency. Relying on the pass to win games has worked against teams like Oakland and San Diego, but it already has a history of failing against the NFC South.
20 Jacksonville -0.19 3-4 26.8 (19)  61.9 (21)  We have to agree with the fans that if Jacksonville wants to make the playoffs, they have to win their next two road games. Fortunately those games are against the only teams left in the NFL without a win. 
21 Cleveland -0.20 3-4 24.1 (22)  70.2 (17)  We can feel Cleveland gaining momentum. They have struggled to stop the run at times, but have done a more than adequate job keeping their opposition out of the end zone. Now if the offense could just start finding the end zone consistently this team could still have an outside shot at a playoff spot.
22 NY Jets -0.22 4-3 27.4 (18)  57.9 (24)  The fact that the NY Jets lead the league in interceptions thrown but still have a winning record says something about this team. They are probably better than 22nd, but consistent turnovers will cost them wins on the road against any team and at home against better teams than Kansas City.
23 Minnesota -0.23 3-4 24 (23)  68.2 (18)  One might wonder how a team with the 2nd best run defense and the 8th best run attack is not only being outscored, but also has a losing record. It's easy to blame the passing game, but we think it's beyond that. Minnesota is 21st for return yards allowed, 32nd for punt return yards allowed, and 30th in penalties.
24 Indianapolis -0.30 3-4 21.3 (26)  72.2 (15)  Barring a miracle, their will be no division championship to celebrate. Looking at their schedule, it might take a miracle for them to just make the playoffs.
25 San Diego -0.31 3-5 25.8 (20)  65.2 (19)  The pass defense is now firmly ranked 32nd in the league. Being worse than both Kansas City and Detroit at something is definitely a cause for concern. Still, anything is possible in the worst division in the NFL.
26 Oakland -0.95 2-5 22.2 (25)  23.8 (27)  Word on the street is that Russell is improving. We aren't seeing it and nor are we buying it. The only time Oakland has had more than 200 net yards passing was against San Diego, who has the worst pass defense in the league.
27 Houston -0.99 3-4 22.8 (24)  18.9 (28)  What will it take for Houston to earn some respect? A road win would be a good start. Here is an interesting thought: are the Texans the second best team in the AFC South?
28 Seattle -1.14 2-5 17.6 (29)  25.8 (26)  So there is till life in Seattle after all. Or maybe San Francisco is just a lot worse than we thought.
29 San Francisco -1.29 2-6 18.5 (28)  14.1 (30)  Hill has now officially taken over at QB. All he needs to do is not throw the football to the other team and make frequent hand offs to Gore and San Francisco is instantly a better team.
30 Kansas City -1.48 1-6 13.5 (30)  15.2 (29)  A lot of experts and fans are praising Kansas City for a hard fought game on the road. We aren't. They were gifted a +3 turnover margin and still couldn't take advantage for a win. Not a good sign at all.
31 Cincinnati -1.87 0-8 3.3 (31)  1.3 (31)  We didn't even know this was possible. Cincinnati is being outscored by more points than they score. Huh? Cincy is scoring a mere 13 points a game, while their opponents are scoring over 27. How you turn that into a win is beyond us.
32 Detroit -1.87 0-7 3.2 (32)  1.3 (32)  We think Detroit should start rooting for Green Bay to run away with the Division and lock up a playoff spot early. Playing against the Packers' second string in week 17 might be their best shot left at getting a victory in '08.

Pick Six Betting Details for NFL week 5

NFL Picks for Week 6 - Buy Now ($9.99)

Bet to make On odds of Probability of being correct Result Winnings Invested Net Winnings
ML - Baltimore to win 100 87.0% loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
ML - Buffalo to win 120 81.0% loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
ML - San Francisco to win 150 79.0% loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
ML - Miami to win 210 77.0% Win $310.00 $100.00 $210.00
AS - NY Giants to cover spread -110 63.0% Win $190.91 $100.00 $90.91
Under - IND @ HOU -110 64.0% loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
$500.91 $600.00 $99.09

ROI for NFL week 3: -15%
ROI Year to Date: 14.3%

(ROI: Return on Investment)


Pick Six Betting Details for NFL week 4

NFL Picks for Week 6 - Buy Now ($9.99)

Bet to make On odds of Probability of being correct Result Winnings Invested Net Winnings
ML - Carolina to win -300 89.0% Win $133.33 $100.00 $33.33
ML - NY Jets to win -115 81.0% Win $186.96 $100.00 $86.96
ML - Tennessee to win -170 80.0% Win $158.82 $100.00 $58.82
ML - Cleveland to win 100 57.0% Win $200.00 $100.00 $100.00
AS - Oakland to cover spread -110 71.0% Loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
Under - ARI @ NYJ -110 60.0% Loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
$679.11 $600.00 $79.11

ROI for NFL week 3: 13.2%
ROI Year to Date: 22.0%

(ROI: Return on Investment)


Pick Six Betting Details for NFL week 3

We had hyped up week 3 pre-season as a good week to bet on, and right before the Pick Six came out we downgraded it to a neutral week for betting. This is the strength of the dual ranking system, as it knows when volatility and the current NFL schedule are going to clash and make for some messy results. The week indeed was a tough one, but the Pick Six never wavered and pulled out a 4-2 record, moving it to 13-5 (72%) on the year. Here are the results for NFL week 3.

NFL Picks for Week 6 - Buy Now ($9.99)

Bet to make On odds of Probability of being correct Result Winnings Invested Net Winnings
ML - Green Bay to win 145 79.0% loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
ML - Baltimore to win -135 78.0% Win $174.07 $100.00 $74.07
ML - Minnesota to win -200 81.0% Win $150.00 $100.00 $50.00
ML - Atlanta to win -250 78.0% Win $140.00 $100.00 $40.00
AS - Green Bay to cover spread -110 82.0% loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
Over - OAK @ BUF -110 58.0% Win $190.91 $100.00 $90.91
$654.98 $600.00 $54.98

ROI for NFL week 3: 9.2%
ROI Year to Date: 24.9%

(ROI: Return on Investment)

Pick Six Betting Details for NFL week 2

Sweetness. When we saw the odds come out last Monday evening we knew our Pick Six for NFL week 2 was going to have a great chance at pulling in a profit. The public misconception on the Oakland and Tennessee games was blatant to our system and we made sure the Pick Six took advantage of it. The 3-0 result from those 2 games alone was enough to guarantee profit for the week.

Looking ahead to NFL week 3 we don't want to get overly excited over the results of this week. Normally week 3 is one of the better early season weeks to bet on, but as always we will have to see how the odds-makers and public view things before we will know for sure. We are working hard to get our picks out early on Tuesday this week, so that our Members can make full use of any early in the week odds. If you want to read up on odds and how public opinion can swing games, we suggest you read through the posts on our affiliated blog, 'A bettor wager'.

NFL Picks for Week 6 - Buy Now ($9.99)

Bet to make On odds of Probability of being correct Result Winnings Invested Net Winnings
ML - Oakland to win 160 88.0% Win $260.00 $100.00 $160.00
ML - Tennessee to win 100 91.0% Win $200.00 $100.00 $100.00
ML - Arizona to win -280 86.0% Win $135.71 $100.00 $35.71
ML - Denver to win -120 86.0% Win $183.33 $100.00 $83.33
AS - Oakland to cover spread -110 92.0% Win $190.91 $100.00 $90.91
Over - ATL @ TB -110 58.0% Loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
$969.96 $600.00 $369.96

ROI for NFL week 2: 61.7%
ROI Year to Date: 32.8%

(ROI: Return on Investment)

Pick Six Betting Details for NFL week 1

As we expected, week 1 was going to be a tough week to figure out. Overall on our 48 predictions we went a straight .500, 24-24. But the power of the system already shows up in the Pick Six, where we went a nice 4-2 and picked up profit to start the season. From here on out the picks will only get better as each team gets more games under their belt. We hope you have been doing your reading on how to make it a winning season in 2008! If not we suggest you look at A bettor wager and at our article NFL picks transformed into winning bets.

Bet to make On odds of Probability of being correct Result Winnings Invested Net Winnings
ML - Green Bay to win -135 80.0% Win $174.07 $100.00 $74.07
ML - Dallas to win -280 75.0% Win $135.71 $100.00 $35.71
ML - Philadelphia to win -425 80.0% Win $123.53 $100.00 $23.53
ML - Washington to win 180 60.0% Loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
AS - Green Bay to cover spread -110 60.0% Win $190.91 $100.00 $90.91
Under - HOU @ PIT -110 58.5% Loss $0.00 $100.00 $100.00
$624.23 $600.00 $24.23

ROI for NFL week 1: 4.0%
ROI Year to Date: 4.0%

(ROI: Return on Investment)