College Football Preview's

KOOPSTAKNICCA · Jun 29, 2009

I've never purchased a College Football Preview but this year I think that it could help me get a better understanding of each team. Does anybody have a preview in particular that they feel is worth while. I've heard of cappers buying Phil Steele's and I know that Statsfox has a Football Preview also. Every year gambling gets more serious for me and I feel like I've been walking through the dark in the past. I'll admit it...I sometimes will blindly follow if I see a big play by GoSooners, CoachLT, Box, Randiz, ect. So, this year I want to stand on my own and put in the work. I've gathered a TON of info just today on several forums. SoonerBS has some great writeup's I might add! All input is welcome, good or bad. Thanks for everybody's help. That is what this place is for. Gl to all this season

Koopsta :toast:

CoachCB · Jun 29, 2009

Phil Steele's is the only one worth buying....

russ1945 · Jun 29, 2009

CoachCB said:
Phil Steele's is the only one worth buying....

Without question Steele. But there is one you can get for free. If you go on goldsheet.com you can download their preview for free. (2) 8 1/2" X 11" sheets on each team. I have found it to be a great compliment to the Steele publication but Steel's has more stats and factor ratings than anyone. Also you can google "NCAA Football Statistics" and have access to archives going back to 2002 for every individual and team statistics and rankings there is. Remarkable resource and again, absolutely free.

BigdaddyQH · Jun 30, 2009

It all depends on what you are looking for. Many people like Steele, but remember, they (Steele is actually retired and has nothing to do with the mag) are more interested in promoting their pbone business, so you will see a lot of wild predictions, like Oregon not being a Top 50 team, and UCLA finishing 3rd in the Pac 10. Part of their secret is that they use so many different "power ratings" ( I believe 9 in all) that they have a lot of outs. If a team does suprisingly well, they can say that they had their offensive leftside of the line rated high on one of their power ratings. They are experts at the CYA aspect of this. Steele, and Northcoast have perfected the art of the pbone line. With over 21 choices to choose from, one is going to be right for a few weeks, and that is the one that they will advertise.

Lindy's has nothing to do with pushing phone services or any other kind of services. I find that their information is rather accurate,concise,and easy to read and follow. It is a good companion to Steele's mag.

Mark Lawrences playbook is strictly for the technical end of handicapping. He gives you 10 year histories of every college and NFL team, and all kinds of angles and trends. Very little player info is in his mag. If you are a serious 'capper, you should have this mag as well as the other two.

KOOPSTAKNICCA · Jul 1, 2009

Great stuff guys. Thanks for all the input. Its easy to get lost with all the information that one can find on the internet. Nice to have a place to chime in and get some good advice from. Well, time to do some research while I'm on some down time at the car lot. I've got to find a job with Saturdays off. Cant wait till College Football season!!!! :toast:

Koopsta

iamnomad · Jul 1, 2009

Phil Steele? c'mon! Steele has more useless information than any other annual. read him carefully, and you'll find that as much as 50% of his "information" on individual teams is no more than a recap of what that team did 2 OR 3 YEARS AGO! He could shorten his book by half and still give you all the info you really need about a team's CURRENT situation. That said, he has some good insights, and is not afraid to make a prediction here and there that goes against the grain.

doubledeuce22 · Jul 1, 2009

iamnomad said:
Phil Steele? c'mon! Steele has more useless information than any other annual. read him carefully, and you'll find that as much as 50% of his "information" on individual teams is no more than a recap of what that team did 2 OR 3 YEARS AGO! He could shorten his book by half and still give you all the info you really need about a team's CURRENT situation. That said, he has some good insights, and is not afraid to make a prediction here and there that goes against the grain.

agreed, especially the part about half the book being about what happened 3-4 years ago with guys/coaches who aren't on the team anymore.

i think steele's book very overrated, and I think I only end up buying it out of habit.

blue ribbon the best by far.... very disappointed that it isnt being published this season.