madpicks

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/ncaaf/report-florida-gators-football-player-snitched-cops-got-teammates-suspended/

REPORT: Florida Gators Football Player Snitched To Cops & Got Teammates Suspended

This upcoming weekend will provide us with a slew of College football games as it’s that time of the year again and one of biggest games going down will happen at AT&T Stadium when the #11 ranked Michigan Wolverines take on the #7 ranked Florida Gators.

Florida’s roster is a bit depleted as at least ten players are currently serving suspensions for breaking team rules. The biggest names on that huge list is wide out Antonio Callaway and running back Jordan Scarlett.

Jordan Scarlett really has it bad as he is accused of misusing school funds, and according to My News 13, a teammate on the squad snitched him out to the police.

“Spectrum Sports has learned that a Florida Gators player implicated running back Jordan Scarlett and wide receiver Rick Wells into an ongoing investigation of a misuse of school issued funds.

According to a source, the Gators player named both Scarlett and Wells to the University of Florida Police Department.

The source says that their involvement in the alleged misconduct is the reason both will be suspended for Saturday’s season opener against Michigan. Head coach Jim McElwain confirmed Wednesday the two players will not travel to Arlington, Texas, but did not specifically address the reason for their suspension. McElwain says he wasn’t made aware of Scarlett and Wells involvement until Wednesday afternoon.

Scarlett led UF in rushing last year, totaling 889 yards and six touchdowns. He was expected to start this week.

The Gators will now be without 10 players for Saturday’s opener. On August 13, seven players, including top wide receiver Antonio Callaway were suspended. Multiple reports link the seven suspensions to a misuse of school issued funds.”

#CFB #Florida Gators #Gators #Jordan Scarlett #NCAAF

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/ncaaf/tulsa-vs-oklahoma-state-live-stream-time-tv-schedule-watch-online/

Tulsa vs. Oklahoma State live stream: Time, TV schedule, and how to watch online

Oklahoma State and Tulsa will kick off their 2017 seasons against each other on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

The Cowboys are 17-point favorites at home, as they start a year with lots of promise. They’ve got quarterback Mason Rudolph and receiver James Washington back, giving them arguably the best returning QB-WR tandem in the country. They might be the most fun team in the country, for reasons both good and bad. The Rudolph and Washington-led offense should light it up, but it’s unclear if OSU will make enough defensive stops to break through an Oklahoma wall at the top of the Big 12.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: FS1

Streaming: Fox Sports Go

Odds: Oklahoma State is a 17-point favorite.

The Golden Hurricane are coming off a 10-3 2016, and they could win the AAC this year. They’ve lost a lot on offense, though, so their success might come down to whether coach Philip Montgomery’s offense is truly plug-and-play. If it is, most of the defenses in their league will be powerless to stop them later in the year.

Oklahoma State should be fine on Thursday. S&P+ gives the Pokes an 85 percent chance to win. They’re far more talented than Tulsa, and if Rudolph and Washington are doing their usual thing, there’s no secondary in the Group of 5 that can do anything about it. (Washington had some medical hiccups during fall camp, but he was apparently ready to go a few weeks ago.) Add in that the game’s in Stillwater, and it doesn’t seem hard for the Pokes to pull through in their first game.

But Tulsa might be tricky. Oklahoma State’s defense was no better than OK last season, when it ceded 26.5 points per game (51st nationally) and was 67th in Defensive S&P+. The Golden Hurricane had a top-six scoring offense (35th in S&P+), and they might have enough firepower to put up a big number on the road. If that happens and Oklahoma State’s offense has some first-game warts, we’ll have a ballgame. I’m not sure how likely it is that both will occur, but the possibility is real.

But the OSU offense isn’t going to sleep for long. If Tulsa’s going to pull off the upset, it’ll happen because Oklahoma State’s offense took just long enough to get going that the Hurricane were able to stockpile enough points to hold on. If the Tulsa defense can hold the fort for a couple of drives in the first half, it’ll go a long way toward the cause.

Mike Gundy has probably drilled into his team the importance of not starting dreadfully. He knows too well what it’s like to lose an early-season home game to a mid-major in the most crushing fashion possible. He’s not eager to have that happen again, and the Pokes probably won’t come out flat.

#CFB #Oklahoma State #Tulsa #NCAAF

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/ncaaf/full-college-football-schedule-guide-2017-week-1-tv-streaming-watch/

Full college football schedule guide, 2017 Week 1: TV, streaming, and what to watch

College football’s 2017 opening weekend (technically, its second weekend, after a handful of games on Aug. 26 and such) is here, stretching from Thursday night all the way through Labor Day.

Below, the full TV schedule, with times and streaming info, and all sorted according to watchability in each time slot. This should help steer you toward the best games at each time.

This Week 1 might not look quite as huge as last year’s, but it’s still pretty well-stocked with good games and has one big trump card over every other opening week ever: the biggest opening game of all time, per the rankings. Alabama-Florida State in the new Atlanta stadium that’ll host this season’s National Championship is gonna be a spectacle.

So here come five straight nights of college football, with only three days off until a loaded Week 2 starts. Let’s have a pretty good 2017.

Thursday, Aug. 31 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It’s football 6 FIU at UCF CBSSN, CBSSports.com 6:30 Presbyterian at Wake Forest ACC Network, WatchESPN 7 Buffalo at Minnesota BTN, BTN2Go Austin Peay at Cincinnati WatchESPN Rhode Island at CMU WatchESPN Tenn. State at Georgia State WatchESPN Elon at Toledo WatchESPN 7:30 Tulsa at Oklahoma State FS1, Fox Sports Go Holy Cross at UConn WatchESPN 8 Ohio State at Indiana ESPN, WatchESPN FAMU at Arkansas SEC Network, WatchESPN 9 Sac. State at Idaho WatchESPN ULM at Memphis CBSSN, CBSSports.com 10:30 NMSU at Arizona State Pac-12 Networks

For most people, this will count as 2017’s Opening Night.

College GameDay is at Indiana for the season’s first Power 5 conference game, with Kevin Wilson as Ohio State’s OC against his old team. OSU’s right behind Bama on the Playoff favorites list, but this could be a fun test.

Not much is happening otherwise, other than P.J. Fleck doing something GIF-worthy in his Minnesota debut or Tulsa-Oklahoma State trying to crack 100 points by halftime.

Friday, Sept. 1 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It’s football 6 Fordham at Army CBSSN, CBSSports.com 6:30 Charlotte at EMU WatchESPN 7 Cent. Conn. at Syracuse ACC Network, WatchESPN 8 Colorado vs. Colorado State Pac-12 Networks Navy at FAU ESPNU, WatchESPN Washington at Rutgers FS1, Fox Sports Go 9 Utah State at Wisconsin ESPN, WatchESPN 9:30 Boston College at NIU CBSSN, CBSSports.com

In most years, Colorado-CSU is a MAYBE game, but both teams are good now! CU is the reigning Pac-12 South champ, even though it’s taking a step back, and CSU could win the Mountain West. Also, they hate each other!

The undercard on this day: bizarre meetings. Lane Kiffin stumbles into yet another head coaching job while taking on the stately Ken Niumatalolo, and Washington has to go from Playoff glory to the depths of Rutgers.

Saturday, Sept. 2 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It’s football Noon Wyoming at Iowa BTN, BTN2Go Missouri State at Missouri SEC Network, WatchESPN Maryland at Texas FS1, Fox Sports Go Ball State at Illinois BTN, BTN2Go Bowling Green at Michigan State ESPNU, WatchESPN Akron at Penn State ABC, WatchESPN Kent State at Clemson ESPN, WatchESPN 12:20 Cal at North Carolina ACC Network, WatchESPN 12:30 Bethune-Cookman at Miami ACC Network, WatchESPN 1 YSU at Pitt ACC Network, WatchESPN 2 Portland State at Oregon State Pac-12 Networks VMI at Air Force WatchESPN 3 NC State vs. South Carolina ESPN, WatchESPN 3:30 Florida vs. Michigan ABC, WatchESPN Temple at Notre Dame NBC, NBCSports.com UTEP at Oklahoma Fox, Fox Sports Go Nevada at Northwestern BTN, BTN2Go William & Mary at Virginia ACC Network, WatchESPN 3:45 Troy at Boise State ESPNU, WatchESPN 4 Kentucky at Southern Miss CBSSN, CBSSports.com Stony Brook at USF WatchESPN EWU at Texas Tech FSN, Fox Sports Go Charleston S. at Mississippi State SEC Network, WatchESPN 5:15 WMU at USC Pac-12 Networks 6 JMU at ECU WatchESPN NC Central at Duke ACC Network, WatchESPN Albany at Old Dominion WatchESPN 6:15 Appalachian State at Georgia ESPN, WatchESPN 7 Liberty at Baylor FS2, Fox Sports Go Hampton at Ohio WatchESPN SE Louisiana at UL-Lafayette WatchESPN Houston Baptist at Texas State WatchESPN SE Missouri State at Kansas JTV Stephen F. Austin at SMU WatchESPN UMass at Coastal Carolina WatchESPN 7:10 Central Ark. at Kansas State K-statehd.tv 7:30 Georgia Southern at Auburn SEC Network, WatchESPN South Alabama at Ole Miss ESPNU, WatchESPN Louisville vs. Purdue Fox, Fox Sports Go 8 Alabama vs. Florida State ABC, WatchESPN Arkansas State at Nebraska BTN, BTN2Go Jackson State at TCU Fox, Fox Sports Go Vanderbilt at MTSU CBSSN, CBSSports.com Northern Iowa at Iowa State Cyclones.tv Grambling at Tulane WatchESPN 8:15 Southern Utah at Oregon Pac-12 Networks 9:30 BYU vs. LSU ESPN, WatchESPN 10:30 Mont. St. at Washington State FS1, Fox Sports Go 11 NAU at Arizona Pac-12 Networks

OH HELL YEAH WE’RE BACK

Things start slow, as is custom, and Cal-UNC should be on your radar just because it’s gonna go way wrong.

Florida-Michigan in JerryWorld is the season’s first actual big game. It might not have postseason ramifications, but it’ll teach us a lot about each team’s offense. And now one new story line: how many Gators will be suspended?

After that, one of the year’s biggest, loudest, most talent-packed, and best games is the easiest MUST-WATCHer on the board. Six things to know about the tactics in Bama-FSU, and why the Noles have a shot.

BYU-LSU in New Orleans should be a great closeout game, just thumping everyone off to bed.

Sunday, Sept. 3 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It’s football 1:30 SC State at Southern ESPN2, WatchESPN 6:30 Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia ABC, WatchESPN Texas A&M at UCLA Fox, Fox Sports Go

The rule of the schedule grid: only one WATCH THIS game at a time. I’m picking the Black Diamond Trophy rivalry over A&M-UCLA. For one thing, it’s a ranked vs. ranked rivalry. For another, it should have a much hotter crowd than the L.A. game, with rowdy VT and WVU fan bases both nearby.

Labor Day college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It’s football 8 Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee ESPN, WatchESPN

Like Bama-FSU, this is at Atlanta’s new origami bomb of a stadium. It’ll be full, loud, and contentious, with GT striving to hit a 4-0 streak against the SEC East and UT trying to keep Butch Jones from getting fired. What fun!

#CFB #college football #NCAAF

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/nba/follow-2017-eurobasket/

Follow the 2017 EuroBasket

The 40th edition of EuroBasket, the biggest international basketball competition in Europe, begins Thursday with games spread across four countries. The 24-team competition will run through Sept. 17, with the results factoring into who will qualify for the FIBA World Cup in 2019.

Finland, Israel, Romania, and Turkey are playing hosts for the 2017 EuroBasket, which opens with a round robin preliminary stage over the next week. The teams are split into four groups of six, with the top four finishers in each group advancing to a 16-team knockout stage starting on Sept. 9.

Teams participating in the tournament include the four host countries, nine countries that played in the 2016 Olympics or the 2016 Olympic qualifying tournament, and 11 countries that earned spots through qualification that occurred in the fall of last year.

Romania is appearing in EuroBasket for the first time since 1987 as a result of being a host. The team’s last appearance was rough as it went 0-7 to finish 12th out of 12 teams.

The defending champion in the tournament is Spain, which has won gold in three of the past four EuroBaskets. The only time it didn’t was in 2013, when Tony Parker and France pulled off the victory in the gold medal final, forcing Spain to settle for silver.

Pau and Marc Gasol may no longer be in their 20s, but Spain remains the No. 2 team in the FIBA World Rankings behind the United States. Those two will be playing in this tournament along with fellow NBA players Ricky Rubio, Willy Hernangomez, Alex Abrines, and Juancho Hernangomez. Other familiar faces for those who have followed international hoops include longtime guards Sergio Rodriguez and Juan Carlos Navarro.

It’ll be tough to take down Spain, but teams like France, Serbia, Lithuania, and Croatia should be worth keeping an eye on.

The French team is highlighted by Magic guard Evan Fournier, Jazz forward Boris Diaw, Spurs forward Joffrey Lauvergne, and former NBA players Kevin Seraphin and Nando De Colo. Serbia has Kings sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic and 7’3 Pistons big man Boban Marjanovic. Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas will lead Lithuania, and Croatia is also very interesting given its talented young duo of Dario Saric and Dragan Bender.

So there’s going to be a lot of NBA talent on hand, and it should be a blast to follow.

Eurobasket format

The 24 teams are split into four groups of six, with each team playing the other five in its group via a round robin structure. The top four finishers in each group will advance to the 16-team knockout stage, which operates like your usual bracket with winners advancing to the next round and losers eliminated. The gold medal game and third-place games are set for Sept. 17 in Istanbul.

Eurobasket teams

Finland (host) Israel (host) Romania (host) Turkey (host) Spain Lithuania France Serbia Greece Italy Czech Republic Latvia Croatia Belgium Germany Russia Poland Slovenia Georgia Hungary Iceland Ukraine Montenegro Great Britain

Eurobasket streaming and television information

All games will be available to stream in the United States through WatchESPN with a cable or satellite subscription. For those looking to tune in outside of the U.S., you can check out LiveBasketball.tv for more information.

Eurobasket preliminary round schedule

(All times Eastern)

Group A

Aug. 31 Slovenia vs. Poland, 6:45 a.m. Iceland vs. Greece, 9:30 a.m. France vs. Finland, 1 p.m.

Sept. 2 Poland vs. Iceland, 6:45 a.m. Greece vs. France, 9:30 a.m. Finland vs. Slovenia, 1 p.m.

Sept. 3 France vs. Iceland, 6:45 a.m. Slovenia vs. Greece, 9:30 a.m. Finland vs. Poland, 1 p.m.

Sept. 5 Iceland vs. Slovenia, 6:45 a.m. Poland vs. France, 9:30 a.m. Greece vs. Finland, 1 p.m.

Sept. 6 Slovenia vs. France, 6:45 a.m. Greece vs. Poland, 9:30 a.m. Finland vs. Iceland, 1 p.m.

Group B

Aug. 31 Germany vs. Ukraine, 8:45 a.m. Lithuania vs. Georgia, 11:30 a.m. Italy vs. Israel, 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 2 Georgia vs. Germany, 8:45 a.m. Ukraine vs. Italy, 11:30 a.m. Israel vs. Lithuania, 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 3 Georgia vs. Ukraine, 8:45 a.m. Lithuania vs. Italy, 11:30 a.m. Germany vs. Israel, 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 5 Ukraine vs. Lithuania, 8:45 a.m. Italy vs. Germany, 11:30 a.m. Israel vs. Georgia, 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 6 Germany vs. Lithuania, 8:45 a.m. Georgia vs. Italy, 11:30 a.m. Israel vs. Ukraine, 2:30 p.m.

Group C

Sept. 1 Hungary vs. Croatia, 8 a.m. Spain vs. Montenegro, 10:45 a.m. Romania vs. Czech Republic, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 2 Montenegro vs. Hungary, 8 a.m. Czech Republic vs. Spain, 10:45 a.m. Croatia vs. Romania, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 4 Hungary vs. Czech Republic, 8 a.m. Montenegro vs. Croatia, 10:45 a.m. Spain vs. Romania, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 5 Czech Republic vs. Montenegro, 8 a.m. Croatia vs. Spain, 10:45 a.m. Romania vs. Hungary, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 Czech Republic vs. Croatia, 8 a.m. Hungary vs. Spain, 10:45 a.m. Montenegro vs. Romania, 1:30 p.m.

Group D

Sept. 1 Belgium vs. Great Britain, 7:15 a.m. Serbia vs. Latvia, 10 a.m. Turkey vs. Russia, 1 p.m.

Sept. 2 Latvia vs. Belgium, 7:15 a.m. Russia vs. Serbia, 10 a.m. Great Britain vs. Turkey, 1 p.m.

Sept. 4 Latvia vs. Great Britain, 7:15 a.m. Belgium vs. Russia, 10 a.m. Serbia vs. Turkey, 1 p.m.

Sept. 5 Russia vs. Latvia, 7:15 a.m. Great Britain vs. Serbia, 10 a.m. Turkey vs. Belgium, 1 p.m.

Sept. 7 Russia vs. Great Britain, 7:15 a.m. Belgium vs. Serbia, 10 a.m. Latvia vs. Turkey, 1 p.m.

#EuroBasket #NBA

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports-betting/predicting-winner-every-week-1-college-football-game/

Predicting the winner of every Week 1 college football game

After last week’s brief walkthrough, it’s time for the actual start of the 2017 college football season. Thanks to the pervasiveness of early-season tune-ups against FCS opponents, there are a whopping 86 games on the FBS schedule. Let’s predict all of them.

Below are picks and projections using 2017 S&P+ projections. See the bottom of the post for more detail about these.

The spread (listed in parentheses) is shown next to S&P+’s pick for each game. When S&P+ predicts a push (a tie with Vegas, basically), I’m listing the pick on the side that S&P+ would’ve picked, if teams could score in decimals. This document breaks games out into their decimal glory.

Ranked vs. ranked

No. 1 Alabama 30 (-7), No. 3 Florida State 23 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, ABC)

No. 11 Michigan 24, No. 17 Florida (+5.5) 22 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ABC)

No. 21 Virginia Tech (-4) 32, No. 22 West Virginia 22 (Sunday, 7:30 PM ET, ABC)

Here’s a good time to mention that S&P+ is intentionally obtuse. There are no adjustments for suspensions, injuries, etc., from week to week. It does account for preseason dismissals, but brief suspensions are out of its realm. So while it projects Florida to stay slightly closer to Michigan than the line would suggest, it hasn’t taken into account the suspensions that have shaken up the Gators’ two-deep.

The Florida-Michigan line has also jumped by about two points in 24 hours.

Running back Lamical Perine is poised to start for Florida due to Jordan Scarlett’s suspension.

Other ranked teams in action

No spread picks for FBS vs. FCS games, which typically don’t have lines.

No. 2 Ohio State 34, Indiana (+20.5) 17 (Thursday, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 4 USC 42, Western Michigan (+27) 15 (Saturday, 5:15 PM ET, Pac-12)

No. 5 Clemson (-39.5) 46, Kent State 6 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 6 Penn State (-30.5) 51, Akron 12 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, ABC)

No. 7 Oklahoma 55, UTEP (+43) 13 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, Fox)

No. 8 Washington 38, Rutgers (+27.5) 14 (Friday, 8:00 PM ET, FS1)

No. 9 Wisconsin 38, Utah State (+28.5) 14 (Friday, 9:00 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 10 Oklahoma State 42 (-18), Tulsa 23 (Thursday, 7:30 PM ET, FS1)

No. 12 Auburn 43, Georgia Southern (+34.5) 11 (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET, SECN)

No. 13 LSU 36 (-16.5), BYU 17 (Saturday, 9:30 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 15 Georgia 33, Appalachian State (+14.5) 20 (Saturday, 6:15 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 16 Louisville (-25) 42, Purdue 16 (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET, Fox)

No. 18 Miami-FL 48, Bethune-Cookman 7 (Saturday, 12:30 PM ET, ACCN)

No. 19 South Florida 46, Stony Brook 21 (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

No. 20 Kansas State 43, Central Arkansas 18 (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN3)

No. 23 Texas 38, Maryland (+18.5) 20 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, FS1)

No. 24 Washington State 45, Montana State 18 (Saturday, 10:30 PM ET, FS1)

No. 25 Tennessee 31, Georgia Tech (+3) 29 (Monday, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN)

For the most part, S&P+ takes the underdog’s side when the lines are huge. You never know where the line will be drawn in a blowout, when the winning team will call off the dogs, and how much the winning team will keep scoring afterward.

There are some challenging lines here, by the way. S&P+ and Vegas almost completely agree on USC-WMU, Clemson-Kent State, OU-UTEP, OSU-Tulsa, Louisville-Purdue, Texas-Maryland, and Tennessee-Georgia Tech.

Sam Darnold and USC should win comfortably against WMU.

Power 5 vs. Power 5

North Carolina 35, California (+11.5) 28 (Saturday, 12:20 PM ET, ACCN)

NC State 29, South Carolina (+5) 25 (Saturday, 3:00 PM ET, ESPN)

Texas A&M (+3.5) 30, UCLA 27 (Sunday, 7:30 PM ET, Fox)

S&P+ also doesn’t take body clocks into account. Having Cal kick off at 9 a.m. California time might be worth a couple of extra points for UNC.

Demetris Robertson and Cal will have their #bodyclocks tested.

FBS vs. FBS

UCF 34, Florida International (+17) 23 (Thursday, 6:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

Minnesota 37, Buffalo (+26) 12 (Thursday, 7:00 PM ET, BTN)

Memphis 44, UL-Monroe (+26) 23 (Thursday, 9:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

Arizona State 44, New Mexico State (+22.5) 25 (Thursday, 10:30 PM ET, Pac-12)

Eastern Michigan (-14) 39, Charlotte 24 (Friday, 6:30 PM ET, ESPN3)

Colorado State (+5.5) 33, Colorado 33 (Friday, 8:00 PM ET, Pac-12)

Navy 36, Florida Atlantic (+9.5) 33 (Friday, 8:00 PM ET, ESPNU)

Northern Illinois 26 (+2.5), Boston College 25 (Friday, 9:30 PM ET, CBSSN)

Illinois 32, Ball State (+6.5) 26 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, BTN)

Iowa 31, Wyoming (+11.5) 22 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, BTN)

Michigan State 36, Bowling Green (+17) 22 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, ESPNU)

Northwestern 39, Nevada (+24.5) 17 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, BTN)

Notre Dame 35, Temple (+18.5) 19 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, NBC)

Boise State (-11) 37, Troy 25 (Saturday, 3:45 PM ET, ESPNU)

Kentucky 35, Southern Miss (+10) 27 (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

Marshall 28, Miami (Ohio) (+2.5) 27 (Saturday, 6:30 PM ET, Stadium)

Coastal Carolina (+2.5) 32, Massachusetts 29 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Ole Miss 44 (-24), South Alabama 17 (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET, ESPNU)

Nebraska 33, Arkansas State (+16) 18 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, BTN)

Vanderbilt (-3) 36, Middle Tennessee 29 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

There are no significant differences between S&P+ and Vegas here, but one game stands out. Defending Pac-12 South champion Colorado obliterated in-state rival CSU last year on the way to its first 10-win season in 15 years.

This year, the line is within a touchdown, and S&P+ thinks it’s a virtual tossup. Can the Rams follow up on last week’s easy win over Oregon State and move to 2-0 in the Pac-12 with a revenge victory?

Michael Gallup and the CSU offense might be among the best Colorado faces this year.

FBS vs. FCS

Wake Forest 41, Presbyterian 13 (Thursday, 6:30 PM ET, ACCN)

Cincinnati 45, Austin Peay 11 (Thursday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Central Michigan 38, Rhode Island 21 (Thursday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Georgia State 33, Tennessee State 21 (Thursday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Toledo 48, Elon 19 (Thursday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Connecticut 32, Holy Cross 23 (Thursday, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN3)

Utah 42, North Dakota 18 (Thursday, 7:30 PM ET, Pac-12)

Arkansas 51, Florida A&M 10 (Thursday, 8:00 PM ET, SECN)

Idaho 38, Sacramento State 25 (Thursday, 9:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Army 33, Fordham 23 (Friday, 6:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

Syracuse 45, Central Connecticut 16 (Friday, 7:00 PM ET, ACCN)

Missouri 45, Missouri State 20 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, SECN)

Pittsburgh 45, Youngstown State 20 (Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, ACCN)

Oregon State 41, Portland State 17 (Saturday, 2:00 PM ET, Pac-12)

Air Force 39, VMI 27 (Saturday, 2:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

UAB 31, Alabama A&M 25 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, Stadium)

Virginia 39, William & Mary 18 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ACCN)

Mississippi State 45, Charleston S’ern 19 (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, SECN)

Texas Tech 44, Eastern Washington 26 (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, FSN affiliates)

Old Dominion 35, Albany 24 (Saturday, 6:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

East Carolina 35, James Madison 26 (Saturday, 6:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Duke 42, NC Central 18 (Saturday, 6:00 PM ET, ACCN)

Western Kentucky 46, Eastern Kentucky 16 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, $FloTV)

Ohio 34, Hampton 19 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Texas State 30, Houston Baptist 28 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

North Texas 33, Lamar 23 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Baylor 44, Liberty 16 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, FS2)

Louisiana Tech 44, Northwestern State 22 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Kansas 34, SE Missouri State 25 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

UL-Lafayette 31, SE Louisiana 22 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

SMU 40, Stephen F. Austin 22 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

San Jose State 33, Cal Poly 25 (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET)

New Mexico 42, Abilene Christian 28 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET)

Tulane 32, Grambling 21 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

TCU 54, Jackson State 7 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, FSN affiliates)

Iowa State 42, Northern Iowa 22 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, Cyclones.tv)

Oregon 46, Southern Utah 19 (Saturday, 8:15 PM ET, Pac-12)

San Diego State 42, UC Davis 16 (Saturday, 8:30 PM ET, Stadium)

UNLV 43, Howard 22 (Saturday, 9:00 PM ET, MWC Video)

Fresno State 36, Incarnate Word 22 (Saturday, 10:00 PM ET)

Arizona 41, Northern Arizona 21 (Saturday, 11:00 PM ET, Pac-12)

Hawaii 38, Western Carolina 25 (Saturday, midnight ET, MWC Video)

Your best FCS upset opportunities: Houston Baptist is projected to have a 45 percent chance of beating a rebuilding Texas State, Alabama A&M has a 35 percent chance against the unprojectable UAB Blazers, Cal Poly has a 32 percent chance against San Jose State, SEMO has a 30 percent chance against Kansas, and Southeastern Louisiana has a 29 percent chance against UL-Lafayette.

Former MSU quarterback Damian Williams hopes to guide Texas State to a better 2017 campaign.

Each year at Football Study Hall, I have posted weekly S&P+ picks as a way of affirming the ratings’ validity. I use my S&P+ system as a complement to most of my analysis, and the picks are a way of showing it generally knows what it’s talking about.

S&P+ tends to hit between 50 (meh) and 54 percent (great) against the spread from year to year. It isn’t always the single best performer, but it holds its own. And beyond picks, it goes deeper than any other set of college football analytics on the market. You can go into granular detail regarding team strengths and weaknesses in a way that no other set of ratings allows. (See the annual team statistical profiles as proof.)

This year, I will be posting the weekly S&P+ picks at SB Nation instead of FSH.

Because I like to experiment, however, I won’t just be posting the official S&P+ picks. Go to this Google doc, and you will find three sets of picks: S&P+, F/+ (combined ratings from S&P+ and Brian Fremeau’s FEI), and what I’m calling an adjusted S&P+ pick, in which I attempt to account for two additional factors: week of play and type of game.

Week of play: I’m finding that there are cycles to scoring averages throughout a given season. Week 1 typically falls below the season scoring average, while the final weeks of the season tend to perk up in the scoring department. This adjusted projection will take this into account.

Game type: It shouldn’t be surprising to learn that the standard deviation of possible results in a game against FCS competition, for instance, is different than that of a conference game. This projection will also adjust for different types of games. This will mean some pretty extreme projections (Arkansas by 63 over FAMU, for example), but we’ll see how it performs.

In the abbreviated Week 0.5 action last week, all three sets of picks performed well, but the adjusted picks performed far better. We’ll see if that remains the case with this week’s ridiculously large set of games.

#CFB #college football #NCAAF #Sports Betting

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/tech/netflix/jerry-seinfeld-trailer-gives-glimpse-comedian-fame/

'Jerry Before Seinfeld' trailer gives a glimpse at the comedian before fame

Wouldn’t it be great to travel back to a simpler time right about now? Jerry Seinfeld will take you there.

The trailer for the comedian’s upcoming Neflix special, Jerry Before Seinfeld, has dropped and he’s ready to show fans what his life looked like for the star before fame.

Seinfeld shares home movies, takes a trip back to his childhood house, and even lets us in on the iconic go-to-joke that somehow got him where he is today.

The special is set to stream on Sept. 19, but until then enjoy this comedy-packed teaser.

#Comedy #Jerry Before Seinfeld #Jerry Seinfeld #Seinfeld #Netflix #TV

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/nba/kyrie-irving-trade-celtics-finalized-boston-adding-2020-second-round-pick/

Kyrie Irving trade to Celtics finalized with Boston adding 2020 second-round pick

The Kyrie Irving trade for Isaiah Thomas is now official. The sides renegotiated the original offer after the former Celtic failed his physical in Cleveland on Aug. 25. In addition to Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Boston’s 2018 first-round pick, the Cavaliers also receive the Miami Heat’s 2020 second-round pick — arguably the least valuable asset that Boston could have parted with.

Thomas’ hip injury was known in advance of Cleveland accepting the deal, but the Cavs opinion of its severity changed. Thomas himself said the injury won’t be a long-term one, but Cleveland was able to use the margin of doubt to earn a more lucrative offer.

What even happened?

On Aug. 22, the Cavs and Celtics made a blockbuster trade involving the aforementioned players out of nowhere. Irving was known to be on the move, but the Celtics hadn’t come to the forefront as a likely suitor until mere hours before the deal was complete. Things were chaotic for 72 hours, then exploded when Thomas failed his physical in Cleveland. The trade was in danger of being voided.

What was Thomas’ injury again?

Thomas hurt his hip in a game in March when Karl Anthony-Towns landed on him. That caused him to miss the two next regular season games. He then tweaked it again in Game 6 of the conference semifinals against the Wizards, though he continued to play through it.

Thomas hurt himself again in Game 2 of the conference finals against the Cavs, running into a Kevin Love screen. He was shut down for the remainder of the playoffs.

He wasn’t required to have surgery during the offseason, and he and the team instead opted for a rehab process.

Here’s video of the injury:

Did both teams know about Thomas’ injury?

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge admitted that Thomas’ hip situation played at least “some” role in his decision to deal him. Ainge also said his hip might delay his start to the season, and Thomas hinted much of the same.

In every NBA trade call, health information for every player is given, “including any factors that could affect a player’s ability to play basketball at any point in his career,” according to Larry Coon’s FAQ. So yes, the Cavs knew everything.

The Cavaliers initially weren’t worried at all about the injury, though, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. This changed after Thomas flew in for his physical.

Did the Celtics get in trouble for Thomas’ inability to pass his physical?

Nope. The only damage was the extra asset Boston had to throw Cleveland’s way.

Was there any doubt this trade would eventually get done?

Not really. The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach reported that the sides had planned in advance in case Thomas’ physical went poorly. Renegotiations were always in order. This trade became too real for either side to pull back on.

As it turned out, the Celtics wouldn’t budge and the Cavaliers couldn’t come out of the negotiations empty handed after drawing a line in the sand. A second-round pick that won’t be delivered for three years is a compromise for both sides.

#Cavs #Celtics #Isaiah Thomas #IT4 #Kyrie Irving #NBA

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/mlb/stephen-strasburg-rare-home-run-shutout-combo-beat-marlins/

Stephen Strasburg has rare home run & shutout combo to beat Marlins

Stephen Strasburg had quite a day for the Washington Nationals on Wednesday afternoon. Not only did the right-hander pitch a shutout, but also hit a home run to beat the Miami Marlins, 5-0.

Strasburg is just the 24th pitcher in the last 38 seasons to hit a home run and pitch a shutout of at least nine innings, and the first since Madison Bumgarner did so for the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 16, 2015.

That list of pitchers includes all-time greats like Hall of Famers Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Phil Niekro, and Clayton Kershaw, but there are also some journeymen who accomplished the feat as well, like Floyd Youmans, Jeff D`Amico and Jordan Lyles.

The home run came leading off the fifth inning against Marlins starter Adam Conley for the first run of the game.

https://twitter.com/Nationals/status/903011243493134346

Strasburg, for good measure, also singled in the seventh.

After the game, the Nationals were pretty exuberant about their pitcher’s performance on Wednesday, especially since the scorching-hot Giancarlo Stanton — with 30 home runs in July and August combined — was 0-for-4 against Strasburg.

https://twitter.com/Nationals/status/903025708875833346

The win completed a three-game sweep for the Nationals, who have won four straight and own a 15-game lead over Miami in the National League East, with just 30 games to play.

Straburg has been been stellar since his return from the disabled list, missing four weeks with a nerve impingement in his right elbow. In three starts in August, the right-hander has allowed just two runs in 21 innings — an 0.86 ERA — with 23 strikeouts and just three walks.

#marlins #Nationals #Stephen Strasburg #Strasburg #MLB

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/tech/apple/apple-iphone-x-apple-iphone-8-rumors-news/

Apple iPhone X / Apple iPhone 8 rumors and news

The Apple iPhone X, Apple iPhone 8, or whatever the 10th-anniversary iPhone ends up being called, is expected to arrive in late 2017, and legions of fans are feverishly speculating about it. Rumors suggest the iPhone 8/iPhone X may be announced alongside the iPhone 7S and the 7S Plus. It’s likely to be an expensive, technical showcase phone released as a celebratory model.

The iPhone 7S and 7S Plus are expected to be very different. A lot of the information on the iPhone X is up in the air, but what we’re hearing sure keeps us interested. Very interested. Here’s what we’ve learned so far about the iPhone X.

Design

According to a Bloomberg report, the iPhone 8 will have a crisper screen that takes up almost the entire front. Overall, the device will have slim bezels and the home button will also be replaced by gesture controls. On the bottom, there is a thin software bar that runs across instead which users can drag up to the middle of the screen to open the phone. Apple also plans to have a taller screen with rounded corners along with a stainless steel band around the entire phone which curves into the glass. Previous reports claimed the iPhone 8 would have a notch area at the top and Bloomberg confirms it will as well. The notch will include the facial-recognition sensor, earpiece, and selfie camera, shown in the image below.

Bloomberg

If the iPhone X is made to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, it’s logical to expect Apple to make it look special. Over the last months, the overall design of the phone has been revealed in a series of consistent leaks. It’s not certain the device’s look is final, or even if it’s the version Apple will choose to put on sale. According to well-placed sources within Apple’s supply chain, the upcoming iPhone looks “more like an iPhone 7 with glass,” and key features we’ve seen several times include a vertically orientated rear camera and a thinner bezel on the Y axis.

On top of that, recent repots note that the iPhone 8 will come in three colors — black, silver, and gold.

Before that, a leak was posted on Twitter by mobile reporter Evan Blass, showing the iPhone 8 in a protective case — and the render corroborates a lot of the past design rumors. The 5.8-inch iPhone in this image has an edge-to-edge display without the physical Home button, as well as a notch at the top of the phone with an infrared sensor, camera, and speaker. But since the phone is encased in Urban Armor Gear, this means it could be a mock-up from the company and not from Apple. Benjamin Geskin — another mobile reporter — replied to the tweet by Blass claiming the image is not new — and they were taken from him by UAG to create an image for the phone case.

Apple is even involved in the leaks. The company seeded a build of the software for its HomePod speaker a little early and discovered it was a graphic of a bezel-less phone, which matches leaked images seen before. At the same time, a user guide documentthat will supposedly come inside the iPhone X/iPhone 8’s box was leaked out. It depicts the same style of phone in the HomePod software with an almost bezel-less screen and a SIM tray on the center right-hand side of the device. The screen itself still has a speaker and front camera cutout at the top, around which the screen appears to curve, much like the Essential PH1.

iPhone 8 SIM removal instructions

iPhone 8 graphic found in HomePod software

The HomePod software also contained hints regarding the use of a face unlock system called BiometricKit, using infrared technology. The code, posted on Twitter by developer Steve Troughton-Smith, contains several references to BKFaceDetect, or BiometricKit Face Detect, which may utilize custom cameras and sensors on the front of the phone. This ties in with previous rumors, including a report from Barron’s,stating Apple is apparently struggling to place a fingerprint sensor under the glass of the iPhone X. Facial recognition also comes with challenges related to Apple Pay.

Developer Guilherme Rambo replied to Troughton-Smith’s tweet, with a photo of new references to facial detection. Facial references included “mouthclose,” “mouthsmile,” and “mouthdimple,” among others supporting facial recognition on the iPhone 8 is highly likely. Another tweet by Rambo indicates “attention detection” in the code — meaning notifications could potentially stay silent if your eyes are already on the screen.

On July 17, renders were published of what’s said to be an entirely accurate depiction of the iPhone 8/iPhone X, based around CAD designs used by case manufacturer Nodus to mock-up products for the future device. We think it looks great, retaining the familiar iPhone look while adding very modern design elements. It reflects many of the details we’ve already seen, including a bezel-less screen, a vertical camera array, multiple front cameras, and a large power button. It’s speculated this may contain the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, much like a Sony smartphone, which indicates Apple has solved issues around its placement.

Forbes/Nodus

Published by Forbes with permission from Nodus, the report says it’s the final design for the phone. However, it’s still not official, despite the mounting evidence this is what the phone will look like. It comes after various concept videos have been released over the last months, each giving us a better idea of what the iPhone X may look like. The most recent, still based on rumors and speculation, is perhaps the most detailed yet. However, remember that it’s not an official look, and should be treated only as a fan-made concept. Just like all the other videos.

You can see the resemblance of the device in the video and other leaks, in particular the parts pictured below. The photos also show a rear panel with a cutout for a vertical dual camera, which is pretty much in line with other leaks we have seen over the past few months. The leak comes from a Reddit user, and also seem to show what could be the iPhone 7S, which is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 8.

It is possible the iPhone X could sport a fingerprint sensor on its back — much like many other Android phones out there. That’s not the best news for those hoping for advances in technology and suggests that Apple could be having some issues with implementing the Touch ID in the display. The leak comes from iPhoneros and can be seen below.

The iPhone X might be a lot “heftier” than the iPhone 7. That’s according to iDrop News, citing “factory workers with intimate knowledge” of Apple’s plans. According to the publication, the iPhone X will measure 143.59 by 70.49 by 7.57 mm versus the iPhone 7 at 138.3 by 67.1 by 7.1 mm. It will reportedly be thicker than the iPhone 7 Plus, which measures 158.2 by 77.9 by 7.3 mm, but have a smaller overall footprint.

Additionally, the TSMC source mentioned that the rear camera would be flanked by several infrared sensors designed to improve the phone’s augmented reality functions.

In late May, a video gave us a quick spin around a prototype device that was claimed to be the iPhone X, and it matches the look we’ve seen before.

Before this, a report from market research firm Cowen and Company suggested the iPhone X’s earpiece, FaceTime camera, and Touch ID fingerprint sensor would be embedded into the screen, allowing for a seamless edge-to-edge front panel. It said Apple may switch to Synaptic’s optical-based fingerprint reader for the new Touch ID, citing it as “currently the only workable solution” for detecting a fingerprint through a smartphone screen. But the designs are posing a challenge for Apple’s suppliers. According to Apple Insider, yields of the under-screen Touch ID sensor are low — so low that Apple may consider alternative designs if the production problems can’t be solved.

In the latest report by Mac Otakara, the chances of in-display Touch ID are low but haven’t been eliminated completely. Other rumors suggest the Touch ID will be replaced by facial recognition instead. Judging by images of the screen protectors below, this could be highly likely — with a few new front-facing sensors that hint at being 3D sensors for facial recognition. The FaceTime camera might also be moved to the right side of the device instead.

Release date, name, and price

According to the most recent report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple will unveil its iPhone its 2017 iPhone lineup at a product event on September 12. This corroborates previous rumors suggesting the same date. The company will reportedly introduce the iPhone 8 along with the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus.

Another rumor published by French site Mac4Ever, also said the iPhone X (or iPhone 8) will be revealed at an event on September 12. This will be followed by the phone going on sale September 22, says the report, quoting industry sources. The report explicitly mentions the iPhone X alongside the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus, and a new Apple Watch, suggesting the launch will be packed with products.

Most reports over the past months have claimed a September launch date is most likely, including Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and analysts at JPMorgan. However, both these sources also say that while the iPhone 7S is already in production, supply of the iPhone 8 will be limited in the first month or so after the device’s launch.

This is said to be due to technical challenges and component shortages. Another report, from Apple Insider, notes Apple may produce 25 million units in September and 60 million during the holiday season. Previously, a report from Mac Otakara stated the iPhone 8 will be delayed past September and won’t ship until sometime in October or November. Pre-orders will open at launch, according to a research note for investment banking firm Drexel Hamilton obtained by MacRumors, but delivery wouldn’t happen until several weeks later.

Earlier in the rumor cycle, predictions from Economic Daily News said the new iPhone X won’t be delivered until October or November, and it was even possible Apple would announce it this year and start shipping to customers in 2018, according to a report from Business Insider. Components including memory chips and the OLED screen are causing the delays, say Digitimes, and the Economic Daily News.

Even the name is still unknown. It’s possible the device will be called the iPhone X, the iPhone 8, or even the iPhone Decade Edition, as a leaked screen protector, and Finisar, a laser manufacturer that’s expected to supply the iPhone’s depth-sensing camera component, claim.

Whatever it’s called, it’s probably going to be expensive, with many suggesting it may cost in excess of $1,000. Goldman Sachs analyst Simona Jankowski has a slightly more precise prediction, suggesting that the 128GB version of the device will come at $999, while the 256GB version will sit in at $1,099, according to a report from Business Insider. It’s also rumored the phone may come bundled with Apple AirPods wireless earphones, according to JPMorgan.

Wireless and fast charging

Apple lags behind the Android competition when it comes to charging, but that may change in 2017 with at least one of the new iPhone models. The company may introduce a new power adapter that supplies 10W of power, compared to the 2.5W from its current bundled iPhone charger. It may replace the full-size USB connection with a USB Type-C connector, that will use the Power Delivery fast charging system. This is the same technology used on the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro. Charging time would be drastically reduced compared to the tablet, due to the iPhone’s smaller-capacity battery.

This follows previous rumors. The Wall Street Journal said in February that Apple is in favor of USB Type-C, the industry standard connector for smartphones, laptops, and chargers. KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo most recently predicted the iPhone will have a Lightning Port and an embedded USB-C power delivery IC resulting in higher charging efficiency.

Wired charging may be accompanied by a wireless charging option. According to a note from JPMorgan that was picked up by CNBC, Broadcom will supply the chips for wireless charging — which is somewhat surprising considering previous rumors that Apple was building its own wireless charging tech. It’s possible that Broadcom will simply manufacture chips that will be designed by Apple.

Just because Apple suggested it would use its own tech doesn’t mean third parties won’t develop wireless charging accessories for the iPhone. RAVPower, known for its portable power banks and other power charging solutions, announced a wireless fast charging pad on its site. Citing it as “One charger to power them all,” this device will be compatible with “next-gen Apple and Android smartphones” including the “Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S7,  and all Qi-enabled devices for Apple and Android.”

Further solidifying the announcement, RAVPower told Mashable that “mass production has already begun.” RAVPower’s general manager Allen Fung sent Mashable this statement: “Our sources tell us the next iPhones have special technology for wireless charging that we have in this charger. Our wireless charger will wirelessly charge the next iPhones at full speed, as well as being able to charge other mobile devices wirelessly.”

The Next Web also cited the statement from Fung, counting him as one of two independent sources confirming the wireless rumors. The other source chose not to go on record, TNW reported.

Neither the RAVPower site nor Fung went into detail of which Apple devices will be compatible, but MacRumors reported in July that Kuo predicted the iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and the iPhone 7s Plus will all have wireless charging functionality.

After Apple joined the Wireless Power Consortium, popular wireless charger manufacturer Powermat said it will work to support whatever wireless charging standard the new iPhone uses. Some reports suggest the device will support Qi charging, while others indicate it may use a modified version that won’t work with standard Qi chargers. Reuters reports that Apple has at least five different groupsworking on wireless charging technology.

A separate report by Kuo claimed the iPhone X will have a more expensive logic board design, allowing for longer battery life, according to MacRumors. The new logic-board design would allow for the OLED iPhone to have dimensions similar to a 4.7-inch iPhone, but it could offer comparable battery life to a 5.5-inch iPhone.

Kuo also expects the iPhone X to have a 2,700mAh L-shaped two-cell battery pack. The OLED display could allow the device to be more energy efficient, meaning it could have better battery life than previous 5.5-inch iPhones.

The most recent hint in terms of the battery, comes from Developer Guilherme Rambo. He posted a tweet noting the battery widget will use a different icon for the iPhone 8 — suggesting a different charging mechanism.

Rear dual camera setup and ‘revolutionary’ 3D front camera

The camera has always been a strong feature on the iPhone, so what have we heard about the iPhone X? This front-camera may also be used to power iris-sensor technology, like Samsung’s Galaxy S8. But the latest rumors relate to the phone’s video recording capabilities.

According to a report from Brazilian-language iHelp BR, the next-gen iPhone may be capable of capturing video at 4K resolution and 60 frames-per-second through both its front and rear cameras. The site says it discovered code referring to the feature while parsing through leaked firmware. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus can already record 4K video, but only at 30 frames per second, and only through the shooter on the back.

Rumors have also suggested the iPhone X will have a thing or two in common with Microsoft’s depth-sensing Kinect sensor. According to a report published by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the upcoming iPhone’s front camera boasts a “revolutionary” infrared sensor that can sense the three-dimensional space in front of it. That report has been corroborated by Apple’s 3D camera supplier, Largan Precision, which says it’s on track to deliver 3D sensors for the phone for iris and facial recognition.

It’s also said to be aimed at taking selfies. According to Kuo, the front sensor merges depth information with 2D images for features like facial recognition . It could be used to replace a video game character’s head with that of the user or to generate a 3D selfie that would integrate seamlessly with virtual reality applications.  The technology is being developed by PrimeSense, the company behind Microsoft’s Kinect; and Apple is likely to open these 3D scanning capabilities to third-party developers.

For the front camera, Apple’s testing dual lenses. That’s according to Bloomberg, which reports that the company using camera components from Sony.

A dual-lens rear camera is expected on the rear, a la the iPhone 7, but it may shift orientation to a vertical layout. This has been seen in several schematics based on rumor, and according to MacOtakara. In a later rumor, the site says the cameras are likely to have similar functionality to the existing iPhone 7 Plus, but adds the vertical layout may be to enable better use inside a virtual reality headset.

According to a report from The Korea Economic Daily, Apple is collaborating with LG to create a dual-camera module that would allow for 3D photography. While Apple previously patented 3D-object and gesture recognition, it’s unclear whether the upcoming iPhone will bring these patents to life.

Better water resistance, and glass, ceramic, steel?

Last year’s iPhone 7 added a new finish option — Jet Black — which offered a polished, reflective look compared to the typical matte aluminum found in the product line over the previous several years. While very striking (we still think the 7 Plus is the best smartphone), the almost ultraglossy surface is a magnet for fingerprints and scratches. It seems Apple is looking to go even further with one of the options for the iPhone X.

Kuo previously reported that Apple may employ glass, ceramic, or plastic for the back of the iPhone X. Meanwhile, others have suggested Apple may go with a stainless steel frame instead. If a report from DigiTimes is true, it would mark a return to stainless steel for Apple —  which was last used in the iPhone 4S.

Subsequently, a stainless steel chassis with glass front and rear was rumored by MacOtakara, quoting anonymous sources familiar with the project. The metal used may be an evolution of the metal used on the Apple Watch.

The latest report from Mac Otakara, suggests the iPhone 8 may only be released in black. The rumor surfaced after the site’s sources saw a front display panel component in the same color.

The iPhone 7 was the first device in the iPhone family that could be submerged up to a meter underwater for 30 minutes. Naturally, rumor has it that Apple’s going to take it a step further with the next iPhones, ramping up the IP rating from IP67 to IP68 and putting it on par with the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy S8. That rumor comes from the Korea Herald, which cites “multiple sources.” Most people will hardly notice a difference, to be fair. The IP68-rating allows submersion up to about 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, a minor improvement over the 1-meter depth for IP67-certified devices.

How many iPhones will there be?

There has been some disagreement over whether there will indeed be a total of three iPhone models released this year. A rumor posted on April 20 by Chinese tech blog Micgadget.com claims there will be just two handsets released this year. “Rumors say that Apple will release two iPhone 7s and one iPhone 8 (or iPhone Edition) models,” the blog post reads. “Today we can tell you, that it’s not true. This fall, we can see only two models with new technology. Very interesting that rumors leaked new iPhone 8 and big iPhone 8 Plus will have similar dual cameras.”

Take this with a grain of salt, however. Micgadget.com has an inconsistent track record when it comes to Apple and its plans, and this singular report certainly flies in the face of the majority of other reports.

That said, there is another report suggesting we may not see three iPhones this year, though this one claims that it’s the iPhone X that will be late to the party. According to unsubstantiated gossip from iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, Apple won’t be able to release the iPhone X in 2017. Apparently, the leak from within Foxconn claims that Apple has only ordered the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, though packaging material for those handsets are said to arrive in factories as early as June.

Kuo recently predicted that Apple will roll out three iPhone models including an all-new design 5.2-inch or 5.8-inch OLED iPhone and LCD models including 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. “For optimized promotional effect, we think Apple may unveil the three models simultaneously in September, though the launch date of the OLED version may trail that of LCD models, and supply tightness may not improve before 1H18,” StreetInsider reported.

OLED technology

One rumor that constantly crops up is the possible use of an Organic LED (OLED) screen on the iPhone 8. OLED screens can offer deeper blacks and are often thinner than LCDs, and Apple has used this technology before with the Apple Watch. AMOLED is a different type of OLED, and Samsung (as well as many other manufacturers) has been using it on Android smartphones for years.

A recent report from Bloomberg corroborates past rumors about including an OLED screen. It will apparently blend in almost perfectly with the phone’s notch and thin black edges.

Nikkei Asia, citing “two industry sources,” reports that Apple is planning to use advanced OLED displays in iPhone models from the second half of 2018. But it says that the iPhone maker’s suppliers might not be able to meet demand if Apple opts to use the new displays across its new iPhone lineup. (Taipei-based Yuanta Investment Consulting said shipments of new iPhone models in the second half of 2017 will reach 90 million, half of which will be OLED handsets).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Samsung is shaping up to be the biggest supplier of OLED displays for the upcoming iPhone. A report from DigiTimes notes that the company is on track to deliver 80 million OLED screens for the phone before the end of the year. DigiTimes argues that Apple will likely only ship around 50 million units before the end of the year, but that does not mean Apple won’t have stocked up on supply for 2018.

While Samsung is considered to be the top manufacturer of the iPhone’s OLED displays, LG seems to be gunning for second place. LG Display is planning on investing a hefty $3.56 billion into constructing new production lines for OLED displays in 2018 — and its focus will largely be on displays for smartphones, not TVs. The report, which comes from ETNews, notes that the investment could be an attempt to become a major supplier for the iPhone.

A rumor regarding the production of 3D Touch components for OLED displays solidifies the chance that the iPhone X’s panel will employ the technology. Apple has once again partnered with TPK to develop the 3D Touch solution for the new flagship iPhone, according to Patently Apple, by way of China’s Economic Daily News. TPK has worked on the 3D Touch setup in previous iPhones, and reportedly quoted a price of $7 to $9 per phone to build it into every iPhone 7.

For the iPhone 8, however, the fragility of OLED displays has required TPK to go back to the drawing board. The company will have to bond glass covers to both sides of the iPhone X’s display before attaching the sensors, and this is purported to raise the cost of production quite significantly, up to $18 to $22 per device.

Furthermore, April reports from Nikkei and Bloomberg claimed Apple placed an order for between 70 million and 100 million OLED panels from Samsung. According to the publication, the South Korean company will be the sole producer of screens for the device. Nikkei attributes the news to one of Apple’s suppliers and said Samsung could produce as many as 95 million panels for the new iPhone before the end of 2017. Still, Apple was reported to be testing both OLED and LCD panels, curved and flat, as recently as the beginning of March.

Not only could the display be OLED, but it could also be True Tone, according to a report from MacRumors citing Barclays bank. The only Apple device with a True Tone display is the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. True Tone basically changes the white balance of the display depending on the ambient light. If you’re in a room with an orange light bulb, the screen will change a little to match the scene. It’s very similar to Night Shift, which adjusts the color to cut out blue light at night. Apple’s Touch ID technology could also be revamped to complement the bezel-less device, in that it may be replaced by a facial recognition system. As there are a lot of technical challenges to the technology, the company may use a combination of fingerprint and facial recognition technology.

If the iPhone X does come with an OLED screen, it’ll likely be expensive, possibly beyond $1,000. The Wall Street Journal reports the displays are costly to produce. However, the same report notes that Apple could decide against the OLED model altogether. There’s precedent for such a 180: Last year, a global shortage of sapphire glass forced Apple to abandon the material for the iPhone 7.

Screen

For some time now, we’ve been hearing rumors the iPhone X will have a curved edge-to-edge or bezel-less screen, potentially with OLED technology. And in late June 2017, new evidence emerged in the form of an iOS 11 icon.

The most recent report from Bloomberg claims the iPhone 8 screen is noticeably taller than the iPhone 7 Plus. It will include rounded corners, with a longer power button on the right side that is longer and easier to press while holding the device. With a longer screen, it can show more of a web page or additional text messages and will show 24 icons on each page — still with six vertical rows of apps. The dock which includes the apps at the bottom will be redesigned with a new interface that looks similar to the iPad on iOS 11.

With the notch in place, there will be a definitive cutout at the top of the apps without black backgrounds. Users will notice the cutout at the top of the screen when using apps. The status bar — which shows cellular reception, battery life, and the time — will be split into left and right sides of the screen. In images of recent test devices, Bloomberg reports the left side shows the time and the right side of the notch shows cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity along with battery life. The status bar could change based on the task.

After dragging the software button up to open the phone, a similar gesture starts multitasking when inside an app. Users can continue to flick up to close the app and go back to the home screen. It’s still unclear if gesturing is limited to on-screen or if Apple will also include in-air gesturing. In June, one of the earlier promotional videos suggested ‘gesture recognition’ as part of 3D sensing technology, Patently Apple reports. While the technology is there for Apple to introduce, it’s still unclear whether it will be included in this year’s launch.

Apple Insider spotted a new icon while attempting to activate the Do Not Disturb When Driving feature on an iPhone 7 Plus. A different Siri “please wait” graphic appeared in the bottom-center screen, accented with a pulsing icon the same physical size as the iPhone’s home button.

However, this may have changed following the completion of the iPhone X’s early developmental stages.

In reference to recent predictions by Kuo, OLED iPhone will adopt full-screen design — with a screen-to-body ratio that’s the highest of any smartphone currently available worldwide.

A report from JPMorgan by way of 9to5Mac, speculated that the iPhone X will receive an edge-to-edge display somewhat similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S8. The top and bottom bezels would still be fairly prominent, but the screen would wrap around the sides of the device. A sketch provided with the report shows the fingerprint sensor mounted within the display, though an associated spec sheet leaves it as an unknown with a literal question mark.

JPMorgan’s track record when it comes to rumors is spotty at best. Last week, the company claimed out of nowhere that Apple was planning to unveil the iPhone 8 at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. That would be an unprecedented and shocking move considering all the supposed production troubles the phone has run into, and the threat that it might actually be delayed until next year. Keeping that in mind, it would be wise not to take these rumors at face value.

However, if JPMorgan’s report holds true, it would mean Apple has retired its plan of a display covering the entire front of the device. In April, Bloomberg reported the company was testing a screen that measured out to be larger than that of the iPhone 7 Plus, but could be contained in a body the size of an iPhone 7.

Having tested various models, Apple decided to adopt a flat OLED screen on the iPhone X, according to anonymous sources talking to MacOtakara. The screen will be underneath a 2.5D piece of glass, and mounted inside a stainless steel chassis, with another piece of glass on the rear.

It might be curved. Bloomberg reports that Apple is testing prototypes with glass that slightly slopes on the front and back (the new OLED screen itself is flat, while the cover glass curves into a steel frame).

The screen may or may not be curved, but it’s likely to still be bezel-less. An image created by designer Benjamin Geskin on Twitter shows how the phone may look with a full-length screen and is based on sketches apparently made by a factory employee with knowledge of the iPhone X’s design. The screen stretches all the way to the bottom of the phone’s front panel, and a bezel at the top contains several sensors and a dual-lens front camera. On the rear is another dual-lens camera, but this time it’s mounted vertically.

Many reports suggested Apple is still finalizing the design for the new iPhone, such as this one from Mac Otakara which states that while there was a prototype built without a home button, it may not end up being a part of the final design. The site subsequently published another rumor on this subject, indicating Apple has chosen the designs which will move forward to the next stage of development.

A patent discovered by Apple Insider suggests that Apple has considered moving the front-facing sensors to underneath the display. For a closer look, you can check out U.S. patent No. 9,466,653, titled “Electronic devices with display-integrated light sensors.” These reports corroborate rumors brought to light by Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, who was among the first to say the iPhone X also may not have a single bezel — that plays well with the idea of a single sheet of glass. The entire front of the device could be one giant display, and the Touch ID sensor would be embedded in the screen itself. This has been reiterated in The New York Times, which sourced two anonymous Apple employees.

The Wall Street Journal corroborated other rumblings about the iPhone X’s display, home button, and more. The iPhone 8 will reportedly feature a curved OLED screen similar to those on Samsung’s Galaxy S8 devices and it will also do away with the physical home button. And it will launch alongside two other smartphones. Analyst Ming-Chi Kou agreed, saying the iPhone X could see the elimination of the iconic home button and Touch ID sensor in favor of “virtual buttons” at the bottom of the screen. MacOtakara’s sources have also said the iPhone X will have a software home button, inside a so-called function area along the bottom of the phone.

Samsung is increasing manufacturing volumes on seven separate OLED production lines specifically for the panels for the iPhone X. The panels are described as flexible — meaning the type of screen required for an edge-to-edge display — which corroborates past rumors about the iPhone X screen. According to industries, Samsung Display finished inspecting seven its lines that produce OLEDS for iPhones this month and will now operate them full scale. Production capacity of panels for iPhones will increase from 15,000 per month from last year to 105,000 panels per month this year, ETNews reports.

Developer Guilhereme Rambo posted a tweet confirming the death of the home button — replacing it with a virtual one instead. There was some speculation that it was still possible the model would have a fingerprint sensor under the display. Troughton-Smith went on to explain that there is no evidence of any new kind of Touch ID — which is required if the iPhone would operate the same or similarly as the current Touch ID.

The screen size of the new iPhone has been the subject of some debate, but it seems as though most reports agree to the size of 5.8 inches (like the Galaxy S8). Previously, Nikkei Asian Review suggested that the display would instead be 5 inches, however, the outlet, which is known for iPhone leaks, has since changed its tune in a revised report.

Kuo reports that the virtual buttons will take up part of the iPhone X’s screen, a rumored 5.8-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2,800 × 1,242 pixels — a figure now agreed upon by Nikkei. And he believes the phone “will come with other biometric technologies that replace the current fingerprint recognition technology.” Kuo notes the overall footprint would be comparable to the 4.7-inch TFT-LED iPhone, though with a measurably larger display size and battery life.

Although going back to glass may seem like an odd retro move for Apple, it would also open up possibilities like wireless charging, which is nearly impossible to achieve with an all-metal device. Moreover, Kuo suggests that higher-end models of future iPhones will likely use stainless steel in their cases — so look out, world. We’re about to get real fancy.

A recent tweet by Troughton-Smith also claims the iPhone might support the ‘tap to wake’ feature, similar to the ones on Windows Phones and Lumias.

No gigabit LTE?

The next iPhone may miss out on the faster gigabit LTE speeds coming soon to many carriers in the United States, according to a report from Bloomberg. Despite its legal battles with Qualcomm, Apple is still using the company’s modems in its hardware. However, in an effort to lessen its dependence on the chip manufacturer, the iPhone maker has also partnered with Intel as a second supplier.

Right now, Qualcomm’s modems are the only ones on the market capable of supporting data transfers up to gigabit speed. But sources tell Bloomberg that Apple doesn’t want to create a discrepancy between similar products, so it will intentionally disable that feature in Qualcomm-powered iPhones to achieve parity with the ones sporting Intel modems.

If this approach sounds familiar, it is more or less what Qualcomm suggested in its countersuit against Apple. The iPhone 7 also featured both Qualcomm and Intel modems — a first for the brand — and Qualcomm believes Apple deliberately capped the performance of its chipsets so they wouldn’t be superior to Intel’s.

Gigabit LTE hasn’t arrived on American carriers yet, but they’re all experimenting with the technology. Many of the newest flagship phones on the market, like Samsung’s Galaxy S8, feature Qualcomm’s X16 modem, enabling them to take advantage of the upgraded infrastructure when it finally rolls out as it is expected to later this year.

A11 processor

Every year, Apple upgrades the processor in its new iPhone. The iPhone X, like the 7S and 7S Plus, will likely get the new A11 chip. DigiTimes reports the chip will use a 10-nanometer manufacturing process, like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 and Samsung’s Exynos 8895. The chip should be even faster than the A10 Fusion processor, which has been heralded by critics as the best mobile phone processor.

New reports indicate that the new A11 chip is set to soon enter production, according to Economic Daily News, which notes that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will begin production of the new A11 chip in April, and will aim to produce 50 million chips before July. Not only that, but the firm will reportedly produce 100 million chips before the end of 2017. iPhone sales, in fact, are estimated to hit astronomical numbers of 220 to 230 million units. And in order to supply this demand, ADI, Broadcom, Cirrus Logic, Cypress, NXP, Qualcomm, STMicroelectronics, and TI are reported to be making Apple’s chips.

According to Chinese research firm Trendforce, the upcoming iPhone’s will have plenty of internal storage as they may come in 64GB and 256GB configurations.

Apple is also looking to build its own graphics processor for the iPhone, though we may not see this technology until later models.

Update: iPhone 8 will reportedly include new gesture controls, a taller screen with rounded corners, and no home button.

#Iphone #Iphone 8 #Iphone X #Apple

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/nfl/the-colts-titans-and-vikings-got-in-twitter-spat-then-the-dictionary-owned-them-all/

The Colts, Titans and Vikings got in Twitter spat. Then the dictionary owned them all.

The Indianapolis Colts trotted out a brand new slogan Monday, but it devolved into a Twitter fight with the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings who both said they thought of it first.

Then the dictionary came along and roasted all three of them.

The slogan #ColtsForged wasn’t met with rave reviews, but the team promised it’d give some context soon to explain what it means.

https://twitter.com/Colts/status/902318181825556480

But even if plenty of people were confused about what the Colts’ slogan even means, the Tennessee Titans wanted to make sure everyone knew that they thought of it first — tweeting out screenshots that showed the slogan “Forge Ahead” was used by the Titans in July.

https://twitter.com/Titans/status/902566164936757256

The Titans were then one-upped up by the Minnesota Vikings, who pointed out they were using “Forge Ahead” way back in January 2016.

https://twitter.com/Vikings/status/902571722020233216

But who really cares? The word forge isn’t new.

Let’s check the dictionary.

https://twitter.com/Colts/status/902582803879124992

The Colts make a great point, but it’s never the best idea to get the dictionary involved on Twitter. Merriam-Webster is notorious for sassy tweets and didn’t hesitate to hit all three teams with a burn.

https://twitter.com/MerriamWebster/status/902890112257843201

Well that settles that.

The Colts, Titans and Vikings all have losing records against the Patriots during the Tom Brady era, and there’s really no shame in that because so does just about everybody else. Only the Broncos have a winning record against the future Hall of Famer.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary was founded and is still headquartered in Massachusetts, so maybe next time leave them out of it.

#Colts #Titans #Vikings #LOL #NFL

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/mma/jose-aldo-wants-pursue-boxing-career-watching-mcgregor-get-30m/

Jose Aldo Wants To Pursue Boxing Career After Watching McGregor Get $30M

After watching the UFC Lightweight Champion net over $30M in just under 30 minutes after being TKO’d by Floyd Mayweather on Saturday, the Brazilian fighter, who has spent time training in California, definitely wants to pursue a career in boxing, according to his coach Andre Pederneiras.

“He’s training boxing because he has this dream of competing in professional boxing,” Pederneiras said, according to MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz. “If it was up to him, he’d fight all of his UFC fights (left on the contract) in three months and go box. He wants to box professionally.”

Pederneiras stated Aldo wants to pursue boxing as soon as possible, but has at least four more bouts on his UFC contract.

“He doesn’t want to stay inactive for a long time,” Pederneiras said, “and there’s both sides; he definitely wants to finish the contract.”

Aldo’s next opponent is rumored to be Cub Swanson.

“We’re waiting for the UFC,” Pederneiras said. “We’re trying to get this fight done, against Cub Swanson or someone else. He wants to fight (against) someone well ranked, and wait for an opportunity to fight for the belt.”

  Jose Aldo famously and embarrassingly lost to Conor McGregor in just 15 seconds back in 2015.

#Aldo #Conor McGregor #Jose Aldo #McGregor #MMA #UFC #Boxing

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/boxing/listen-oscar-de-la-hoya-explain-thinks-mayweather-vs-mcgregor-fight-fraud/

Listen to Oscar De La Hoya explain why he thinks Mayweather vs. McGregor fight was a ‘fraud’

Boxing legend and promoter Oscar De La Hoya hasn’t been shy about sharing his negative feelings on the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor. He was critical before the bout on Saturday, and called it a “fraud” while discussing it with reporters on Monday.

https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status/902274414623973376

“I was defending my sport,” De La Hoya said of his profane pre-fight tweet. “I love boxing and boxing gave me everything I have. I’m a promoter for many years to come and I just thought that it was a fraud.”

De La Hoya has criticized the decision to book Mayweather against McGregor since it was first announced earlier in the year. In May, he said the sport of boxing “might not recover” from the fight. Just days before the big pay-per-view event, he sent out a profanity-filled tweet saying Mayweather-McGregor was “disrespecting” boxing, which led to an aggressive response from UFC president Dana White.

The fight went down Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where Mayweather earned a technical knockout of McGregor in the 10th round to improve his career record to 50-0. The more experienced Mayweather coasted early on in the fight before aggressively going after a seemingly fatigued McGregor in the later rounds.

“The fact that some news broke today, this morning, that Mayweather bet on himself, in the 10th round, ironically,” De La Hoya said while explaining his mistrust of the event. “What does that tell you? It’s like Mayweather doesn’t throw a single punch or does nothing in the first four, five rounds. And then when he wants to turn it up, he turns it up and knocks him out, stops him in 10 rounds.”

De La Hoya, the founder of Golden Boy Promotions, endorsed a fight of his own while talking down the Mayweather-McGregor bout. Canelo Alvarez, who has had a close relationship with De La Hoya, and Gennady Golovkin are scheduled to fight under his banner on Sept. 16.

#De La Hoya #Mayweather #McGregor #Boxing

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/nba/cavaliers-trail-celtics-initial-nba-win-total-odds-2017-18-season/

Cavaliers trail Celtics in initial NBA win total odds for 2017-18 season

The first NBA 2017-18 regular season over/under odds are out, and the Boston Celtics are one of four teams expected to finish the regular season with a higher win total than the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Golden State Warriors, unsurprisingly, lead the pack of Westgate Sportsbook’s odds with 67.5 wins, followed by the Celtics (56.5), Houston Rockets (55.5), San Antonio Spurs (54.5), then the Cavaliers (53.5). Vegas is surely showing the impact the Kyrie Irving trade for Isaiah Thomas could make if it does end up going through.

A second-place finish overall is a high, and maybe an unfair, expectation for the Celtics, though. They will try to mesh two new superstars with Al Horford, and will rely on big minutes from a rookie in Jayson Tatum and second-year forward Jaylen Brown. Boston surprised many by topping the Cavs in the East last season, but expecting Irving, Horford, and Gordon Hayward to click from the start is a lot to ask.

The Warriors also have the highest price ever placed on a favorite to make the playoffs with 1-1,000 odds, Westgate assistant manager Jeff Sherman told ESPN, and that should surprise no one. The team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green on it is probably going to be very good again.

Other high-risers include the Minnesota Timberwolves (48.5) and Philadelphia 76ers (42.5), who won just 28 games last season. The T-Wolves added Jimmy Butler in the offseason, and the Sixers will finally (hopefully) embrace a healthy starting lineup with two fresh faces including No. 1 picks Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons.

Here is a complete list of the Westgate Sportsbook’s odds, per Sherman:

Atlanta Hawks (25.5)

Boston Celtics (56.5)

Brooklyn Nets (28.5)

Charlotte Hornets (42.5)

Chicago Bulls (21.5)

Cleveland Cavalers (53.5)

Dallas Mavericks (35.5)

Denver Nuggets (45.5)

Detroit Pistons (38.5)

Golden State Warriors (67.5)

Houston Rockets (55.5)

Indiana Pacers (31.5)

Los Angeles Clippers (43.5)

Los Angeles Lakers (33.5)

Memphis Grizzlies (37.5)

Miami Heat (43.5)

Milwaukee Bucks (47.5)

Minnesota Timberwolves (48.5)

New Orleans Pelicans (39.5)

New York Knicks (30.5)

Oklahoma City Thunder (51.5)

Philadelphia 76ers (42.5)

Phoenix Suns (28.5)

Portland Trail Blazers (42.5)

Sacramento Kings (28.5)

San Antonio Spurs (54.5)

Toronto Raptors (48.5)

Utah Jazz (40.5)

Washington Wizards (47.5)

#Cavaliers #Celtics #NBA Win Totals #Westgate #NBA #Sports Betting

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/mlb/porn-legend-kendra-lust-calls-bs-royals-gms-assessment-porn-bad-mlb-players/

Porn Legend Kendra Lust Calls BS on Royals GMs Assessment That Porn Is Bad For MLB Players

Following the DUI arrest of pitcher Danny Duffy outside a Burger King drive thru, Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore held a press conference, where he was asked if there were “educational protocols” in place to help keep other players out of trouble. 

“We talk about pornography and the effects of what that does to the minds of players and the distractions … And how that leads to abuse of — domestic abuse — to abuse of women.”

AVN’s reigning “MILF Performer of the Year” award winner, Kendra Lust, calls BS on that nonsense. She wants to see direct evidence that backs his claim that porn can lead to domestic violence.

“In all honesty, I think that porn helps keep people’s relationships healthy,” Lust says. 

“It helps keep [people] safe from maybe going out and being unfaithful to their spouse … it helped my life a lot.”

#Kendra Lust #Royals #MLB

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/soccer/transfer-deadline-day-tracker-rumors-signings/

Transfer deadline day tracker: All the rumors and signings

Transfer deadline day is here, and this might be one of the most action-packed ones of this decade. A lot of teams have plenty of money and holes to fill, with more deals going down to the wire than last year.

Many eyes will be on Barcelona, who have a ton of money to spend after selling Neymar for a world record €222 million. Ousmane Dembele and Paulinho have already arrived, but the Blaugrana have space for one more world class attack-minded player. Their top target is reportedly Philippe Coutinho, but given Liverpool’s insistence that he isn’t leaving, they probably have a backup plan. That backup plan has yet to be made public.

Considered much more likely to make a move is Alexis Sanchez, who has one year left on his Arsenal contract and could be seen visibly sulking during his team’s loss last weekend. Manchester City had a bid rejected on Wednesday, but they’re expected to come back in for him.

There will be plenty of eyes on Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham as well. All of them have holes to fill and money to burn. Paris Saint-Germain still has some outstanding business to do too. The likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Juventus appear to be done for the summer, but they still have time to make things happen.

Here’s everything you need to know about transfer deadline day, plus a live tracker that will update constantly.

What time does the transfer window close?

In the U.K., the window closes at 11 p.m. BST, which is 6 p.m. ET. That’s also the time that the window shuts in France and Italy. But if your club is in Germany or doing business with a German club, they’ll need to get things sorted out a bit earlier. That window shuts six hours earlier.

Things are a bit different in Spain, which means we might not have a definitive resolution on rumors regarding Coutinho or other players that Barcelona are pursuing. The Spanish transfer window shuts a full 25 hours later than the other big countries, closing at 7 p.m. ET on Friday.

Transfer deadline day done deals

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is moving to Liverpool.

Benedikt Höwedes has signed for Juventus on a loan-to-buy.

Young Argentine defender Juan Foyth is a Tottenham player.

Jeremy Toljan has signed for Borussia Dortmund.

West Brom has added both Kieran Gibbs and Gregorz Krychowiak.

Patrik Schick is AS Roma’s final signing of the window.

The biggest deadline day transfer rumors

Despite Liverpool’s objections, Coutinho is reportedly still Barca’s top target.

Arsenal want Raheem Sterling in an Alexis Sanchez deal, but City says no.

And City expects to secure center back Jonny Evans.

Liverpool is reportedly negotiating for Thomas Lemar.

Chelsea and Atléti are trying to finalize a move for Diego Costa.

And the Blues might replace him with Fernando Llorente.

Everton is holding out for more than £25m for Ross Barkley.

Deadline day transfer tracker: Live timeline (all times ET)

6 p.m. — Arsenal is looking to sign Julian Draxler as a replacement for Alexis Sanchez.

5:38 p.m. — Wolfsburg is reportedly willing to pay a £6m fee to get Divock Origi on loan.

5:25 p.m. — Despite grumblings from super agent Mino Raiola, Napoli will not sell Lorenzo Insigne to Barcelona.

5:24 p.m. — Inter would like to sign Eliaquim Mangala from Man City.

5:10 p.m. — Spurs and West Ham are apparently in a bidding war for Barca midfielder Andre Gomes.

4:59 p.m. — Leicester have reportedly rejected a bid from Spurs for Demarai Gray.

#Premier League #Transfer Deadline #Soccer

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/nfl/hard-knocks-recap-bucs-montell-jordan-sing-along/

‘Hard Knocks’ recap: Bucs have a Montell Jordan sing-along

I’ve seen a few perfect episodes of various television shows in my lifetime. The very first episode of The Walking Dead was gripping. “The Lion and the Rose” was a flawless episode of Game of Thrones, mainly because bye, Joffrey. And Episode 4 of this season of Hard Knocks with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was perfect, too, for one reason.

It opened with Buccaneers players dancing to Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It.”

Chris Baker is sitting on a bench with some little kid, and they’re both singing along. DeSean Jackson is dancing on the practice field. Everyone is having a great time, because as Gerald McCoy points out, it’s impossible to be in a bad mood when that song is on.

And Jameis Winston made up his own lyrics.

“‘If you know what I’m sayin’, Austin Johnson’s gonna be playin’.” Well done, Jameis.

It was a great intro to a great episode. The Bucs finally got to enjoy their new locker room, defensive coordinator Mike Smith said his guys couldn’t stop a marching band, and a bunch of players looked surprised when the cannons fired in Raymond James, even though they do it for every score.

Here are the rest of the best moments of Episode 4.

1. Gerald McCoy is the best thing about this show, period.

Early in the episode, head coach Dirk Koetter tells Gerald McCoy that there’s a little girl dancing in the crowd watching practice. He encourages McCoy to go see if she’ll come dance with him. McCoy, because he is nothing short of a delight in every possible way, does exactly that. And this little kid’s dad was AMPED about it.

I want to be best friends with Gerald McCoy.

https://twitter.com/NFLFilms/status/902714039561629696

He and Chris Baker also did some kung fu, complete with sound effects.

And the episode closes with McCoy watching the Game of Thrones finale. McCoy had the same reaction to the very end as the rest of us.

2. Jameis Winston has a very good dog

This is Tootsie Roll. She’s blurry because she’s having too much fun running around trying to catch a frisbee Winston is throwing for her.

She is a great dog.

3. Doug Martin’s mom is surprised Ryan Fitzpatrick has so many kids

When backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick enters the game, his family cheers loudly. And while they’re not quite the Philip Rivers family, Fitzpatrick and his wife do have five kids.

Doug Martin’s mom is a little taken aback by how many of them there are.

“Oh, that’s the Fitzpatrick family,” she says. “That’s a lot of Fitzpatricks.”

4. Rookie talent show time

Poor Mark Duffner. The rookies did a pretty good impression of the Bucs’ linebackers coach, including a big fake belly for believability.

Duffner wasn’t a fan at first.

“Get the flip out of here,” Duffner said. “I’m not buying that belly. That’s for damn sure.”

But when the rookies were done, he had to admit that “it was funnier than shit.”

5. Chris Godwin’s girlfriend roasted his ass

Rookie Chris Godwin, a third-round pick out of Penn State, has played well this preseason and performed in camp. Part of that is due to the fact that his girlfriend, Mariah, is kind of a badass and helps him train. But the best part of this look into the happy couple’s relationship was the moment she unintentionally roasted the hell out of her boyfriend.

The two started dating when they were in college, and her father had been Godwin’s high school coach, so Godwin knew the family. But he’s shy, apparently, and he didn’t make the best impression on Mariah’s mother.

“And he came over and he would just, like, sit at the kitchen table with his headphones on, and my mom was like, ‘This kid sucks. He doesn’t talk to anyone,’” Mariah said.

6. DeSean Jackson turned down more money elsewhere to come and play with Jameis

General manager Jason Licht says Winston is “the best leader I’ve ever been around,” and that Winston was instrumental in bringing DeSean Jackson to Tampa Bay.

Winston had some character concerns coming out of college, which I will not belabor. But Licht said that once the team completed its investigation and vetting process before the draft, and then they drafted, him, he literally cried.

“I closed the door, and I just lost it,” Licht says.

7. Cuts are coming

It’s the worst part of Hard Knocks every season. Fringe players fighting for roster spots will have their NFL dreams crushed to pieces, and it’s happening next week in the finale.

Riley Bullough, LB: Bullough is probably not going to make it, even though the coaching staff loves how competitive he is. Mike Smith pretty much said it out loud this week.

“We can see why Riley’s not gonna — you know,” Smith said.

Cameron Lynch, LB: Lynch might have the dubious distinction of getting cut on Hard Knocks two years in a row. He spent last preseason with the Los Angeles Rams and didn’t make it through their final cuts. He got yelled at this week by Duffner, who said he was on Lynch’s ass because he wanted him to actually make the team.

Jeremy McNichols, RB: The coaching staff likes him and he earned some praise from Koetter for his play on special teams, but he makes rookie mistakes and missed a key block in the game against the Browns. I wouldn’t put money on him making the squad.

Donteea Dye, WR: This guy has great hands and made some big plays even though he was coming off a bone bruise. He’s made an impression on Mike Evans and Winston with his work ethic. Fun fact: He also got confused in last week’s episode about the eclipse, asking if they happen every few years. He was actually thinking of cicadas.

The finale airs next week at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.

#Buccaneers #Bucs #Hard Knocks #HBO #NFL

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/nhl/kings-just-roasted-flyers-twitter-brutal-taylor-swift-meme/

The Kings just roasted the Flyers on Twitter with a brutal Taylor Swift meme

It’s been a while since we’ve had some sass from the NHL’s main Twitter accounts. The Vegas Golden Knights are doing a great job as the league’s newcomers, but for a while the kings of the business were, appropriately, the Los Angeles Kings.

There have been some incredible NHL Twitter moments in the past, but the Kings have gotten back into the mix with a bit of Taylor Swift. Jumping on the bandwagon of memes since Swift’s new song dropped last week, the Kings posted this mostly innocent tweet about Jeff Carter.

We’re sorry, but the old Jeff Carter can’t come to the phone right now… Why? Oh, ‘cause he’s dead. pic.twitter.com/ayoxAJOEJW

— #LAKings (@LAKings) August 30, 2017

Carter, if you remember, was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers way back in 2011. A year after being moved to Columbus, Carter was traded to the Kings and helped Los Angeles win a Stanley Cup that same season and then again in 2014.

The Flyers, ever vigilant on Twitter, of course decided to respond to the Kings on this midday August afternoon.

pic.twitter.com/EyY76W7nrE

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) August 30, 2017

The Kings then followed that tweet up with one of the best clap-backs of all time, featuring a reference even we here at SB Nation must make.

pic.twitter.com/VRdkfbe65m

— #LAKings (@LAKings) August 30, 2017

Honestly, using Taylor Swift and Kanye West’s infamous moment from 2009 was a perfect, full-circle end to the Kings’ original tweet. Bravo, Kings social media, you win this round. Next time, Flyers, you might want to be excluded from that narrative.

#Flyers #Kings #Taylor Swift #NHL