Picking Strategies
Employing a picking strategy is sort of like rowing a boat with a pitchfork. You won't get very far, and other boaters will make fun of you. That said, here are the common ones I've run across in my dozen or so years of picking...
The Dartboard Strategy
Indistinguishable from pure chance... because that's basically what it is. You don't have a freaking clue what these teams might do, so you guess. The results are the same if you just pulled them out of a hat. Or your ass.
The Wife Strategy
Actually, this isn't a self-chosen strategy as much as a brand your poolmates lay on you after you go 2-14 ("You let your wife pick for you?"). A bit of a misnomer as well, as actual wives (and girlfriends) frequently pick better than their Lesser Halves.
The Costanza Strategy
Named for a certain short, bald-headed member of the Seinfeld cast who decided his life would go better if he made his choice - and then did the opposite. Try to do this without second guessing. And don't take your laptop into the bathroom.
The Statistical Probability Strategy
A favorite amongst anal-retentive number-crunchers (like me). Analyze the two teams' records, records versus the spread, home records, road records, historical records, vinyl records, and medical records, add them all up, divide by the drag coefficient of the stadium, then blow it out your ass. It may work for a while, but eventually your world will come crashing down and you'll wind up resorting to the next one.
The Better Uniform Strategy
Wives' and girlfriends' real football acumen aside, I have seen them engage in this age-old strategy of picking the team with the better uniform. Oddly and infuriatingly effective.