Columnist Jeff Haney: 'Root' for these bowl selections to come in

Jeff Haney's sports betting column appears Monday. Reach him at 259-4041 or [email protected]

He works part time as a motivational speaker, so it's no surprise Wayne Root sounds enthusiastic as he talks about his latest ventures.

But by anyone's standards, Root, a veteran high-profile professional sports handicapper, has plenty to be excited about these days -- and not only because it's college bowl season.

Consider:

"My company has signed a letter of intent to merge into a listed publicly traded company," Root said. "We are going public in order to have access to the capital markets necessary to help us acquire other companies that will enable us to grow rapidly and expand internationally."

One item on the drawing board is a plan to begin handicapping soccer, cricket and rugby matches in Europe by next summer.

He already films his weekly TV show, "eSportsEdge," at the Aladdin. The show airs on the PAX network.

"I would hazard a guess I had the best bowl record in the country the last two years," Root said. "Last year my bowl selections were 16-7 overall, and I hit 11 of my top 13."

Root said his bowl game record in 1998 and '99 combined was 31-13. He said his picks are tracked and verified by The Sports Monitor of Oklahoma City.

"I have to laugh when I hear people say handicappers are secretive, they don't want the public to know what they're up to," said Root, who majored in history and political science at Columbia. "There may be some like that, but not me.

"This is my business; this is what I'm good at. I've been predicting sporting events since I was 16 years old."

In that spirit of openness, Root has agreed to share his college bowl selections with the Sun this year.

Root's service has been on a roll all season. The "best bets" given out by Root and his stable of handicappers on the weekly TV show are hitting 63 percent (38-22-5).

"That's free, on the air, for everyone to see," Root said. "It's provable as well; I have original copies of all 16 shows."

Root said his $100-per-call 900 line, called the "Millionaire's Club," has a 12-4 record this season.

And with bowl season set to kick off today, Root has strong opinions on 15 of this year's 25 bowl games. Here they are:

Mobile Bowl, today: TCU opened a 6-point favorite over Southern Mississippi, but the line appears to have settled in at 7. Root says grab those 7 points, as he likes Southern Miss.

Las Vegas Bowl, Thursday: Wagering on this game is not permitted in Nevada, but for those with access to offshore accounts, Root likes UNLV, a 1-point favorite at most books, over Arkansas.

Oahu Bowl, Sunday: Money on underdog Virginia has pushed the number down to 9 1/2 at many local books, but a 10 can still be found at some casinos. Root says take Virginia and the points over Georgia.

Humanitarian Bowl, Dec. 28: Oddsmakers are predicting a shootout (the total on the game is 68 points); Root predicts UTEP will cover a 6-point number against Boise State.

Music City Bowl, Dec. 28: Root says take West Virginia and 4 points against Mississippi.

Insight.com Bowl, Dec. 28: Root likes Iowa State, a 1-point underdog against Pitt.

Liberty Bowl, Dec. 29: Root likes Louisville, a 2-point underdog against Colorado State.

Sun Bowl, Dec. 29: Root likes UCLA, a 4 1/2-point underdog against Wisconsin.

Peach Bowl, Dec. 29: Root likes LSU plus 8 1/2 against Georgia Tech.

Holiday Bowl, Dec. 29: Root likes Oregon plus 7 against Texas.

Silicon Valley Bowl, Dec. 31: Root likes Fresno State in a pick 'em against Air Force.

Cotton Bowl, Jan. 1: Root likes Tennessee plus 4 against Kansas State.

Gator Bowl, Jan. 1: Root likes Clemson plus 6 1/2 against Virginia Tech.

Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 1: Root likes Oregon State minus 3 over Notre Dame.

Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2: Root likes Florida plus 6 over Miami.

"There may be more," Root said, "but at this time I am undecided or neutral on the rest."

We'll revisit Root's bowl predictions in this space in early January to see how he fared. He's online at www.esportse.com.

Three contestants split the $15,000 prize this past week in the Stardust's free All-American football contest. ...

The final matchup of the $10,000 Stardust Invitational takes place at 9 p.m. Friday and pits local handicapper Dave Cokin against blackjack expert Stanford Wong. Cokin went 5-2 this past week to advance past Ken White (4-3).

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