Handicapping Professional Sports and College Sports are very similar in many ways, but in some ways they are totally different and distinguishing between the two can be good for your bankroll. While I have not reached Senior Citizen Status just yet, I have been around the block a few times and I certainly have grown as an individual along the way. I still have a way to go before I grow up and of course I would like to keep it that way. However, there are certain things in my life that are much more stable now than when I was a young brash college athlete of 18 years old.

Distractions
When I was growing up, we did not have this fancy texting device that we have now. All we had was a home phone, and of course a CB Radio. Today’s kids have got it all, with texting, internet chat, and video games galore. And let’s not forget about those IPods. These are clearly distractions to everyday life and in fact they are everyday life. Young Girls today can also be a huge distraction to a young man trying to grow up, and although it is a nice distraction to have, they can deter one from doing and concentrating on things that are most important.

What Does This Mean?
It means that College Age Athletes have a lot more to deal with. They don’t come home everyday to the same routine, and in some cases, they don’t come home at all. Emotionally, they can be a Rollercoaster and Physically, they can be a disaster sometimes unless they are watched over carefully. They tend to wear everything on their sleeve and that makes them less predictable in how they will perform in a game situation. Or does it? I like to refer to college athletes as Unpredictably Predictable. That means that there are certain situations where we can most likely expect them to act accordingly. They simply have more highs and more lows and know when that is going to happen is paramount to betting success with College Sports.

Let’s Put This to Use
Last night the Kentucky Wildcats hosted a team that gave them their first loss of the season. They were flying high at the time of that first meeting, doing a lot of texting, playing a lot of video games, and getting plenty of “Comfort” from their girlfriends as the made their trip to Columbia, South Carolina. They were simply unfocused and certainly felt like they were unstoppable. As a 7 point favorite, they got their ass handed to them. Last night, they were focused in a Big Way, and they returned the favor. I have seen this scenerio time and time again and spotting this behavior gives you a great advantage. West Virginia for instance has had unfocused and focused behavior this year as well, most recently losing at UConn to a very focused Husky Squad. I can look at most every quality team’s record this year game for game and see letdowns, and also see moments of greatness. There are more and better opportunities to spot this behavior in College Sports because of the Highly Emotional and Highly Unstableness of those that play at these ages. Let’s always remember that going forward.