Now Joe is sure all his readers fly to Las Vegas to wager legally, versus calling some guy whose phone number changes every week.

Regardless of how or why you wager, Joe knows there are many aspiring handicappers reading. So to please the gambling crowd, Joe has turned to superpicker Bob Fox. A writer for various sports publications over the years, Fox flashed his stellar picking skills back in 2008 on JoeBucsFan.com, when Joe had a contest here among sports media members.

Fox will be here to give you a few games every week. Last week, Fox was 3-1.

By BOB FOX
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

Iowa Hawkeyes 20, Arizona Wildcats 17

The No. 9 Hawkeyes travel to Arizona to face the No. 24 Wildcats. The Hawkeyes beat the Wildcats 27-17 last year in Iowa. This game, like so many others, could come down to quarterback play. Iowa is led by senior QB Ricky Stanzi, who can run hot and cold, but usually produces a big play in every game. Iowa also has a very solid running game, led by Adam Robinson. But the calling card of the Hawkeyes is all about their stingy defense. Arizona is led by QB Nick Foles, who will have to be elusive versus the Iowa pass rush. The running game is led by Nic Grigsby, who is off to a fast start. Iowa will definitely key on him. I see Stanzi and the Hawkeye defense making enough big plays to beat the Wildcats in a close game in the desert.

Baltimore Ravens 24, Cincinnati Bengals 20

The Bengals were embarrassed last week in New England, as they got off to a horrible start, before scoring some garbage points. The Ravens meanwhile, showed a national audience on Monday Night Football how the game of defense should be played, as the New York Jets’ offense looked absolutely amateurish. I look for the Bengals to bounce back, but not enough to get a key win against their division rivals. The Ravens are working with a short week, but they also have revenge on their mind, as the Bengals swept the season series between the two teams last year. I see QB Carson Palmer having a pretty good day, but he will be forced into a mistake or two. Joe Flacco has the best weaponry he has ever had at WR, and between that and RB Ray Rice, the Ravens will win a close one on the road.

New England Patriots 20, New York Jets 14

The Jets showed a lot of bluster this summer with their HBO show Hard Knocks, and with all the boisterous comments by head coach Rex Ryan. All that confidence led to the Jets’ offense being embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens’ defense Monday. The Patriots got off to a fast start last week against the Bengals at home in their convincing victory. The Jets are on a short week, plus have second-year QB Mark Sanchez and fumble prone Shonne Green behind him at RB, who is also in his second year. I’ll take QB Tom Brady and his assortment of weapons any day over what the youthful Jets have to offer on offense. The Jets’ defense is very solid, and will keep the Jets in the game, but I see the Pats making more big plays and forcing more mistakes in their victory.

Indianapolis Colts 27, New York Giants 23

Are the wheels finally coming off the Peyton Manning express in Indianapolis? Uh, no. The Colts’ offense is just fine, thank you, but the Colts’ defense has sprung a big leak, evidenced by the 231 yards and 3 TDs it gave up to RB Arian Foster last week in their loss to the Texans in Houston. The Giants meanwhile pulled away from the Carolina Panthers, who made some youthful mistakes in the game. It makes sense, however, as the Panthers are the youngest team in the NFL right now, followed by the Bucs. Anyway, I see Peyton and the Colts being able to withstand the running game prowess of both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw with a close victory at home.