 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
Another title would put Ohio St in elite companyNCAA Football Betting Lines08/11/2010 - COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -There's a spot in the history books awaiting the 2010 Ohio State Buckeyes. Thing is, their coach doesn't want them to give it a second thought. Only Woody Hayes' powerhouse Ohio State squads of 1972-77 ever captured all or a piece of six straight conference titles. The Buckeyes, winners of three outright and two shared titles in the last five years, could do it again this fall. Coach Jim Tressel, entering his 10th year on the job, is wary of using a Buckeye Six-Pack as motivation. ``It might mean something to that guy who's been here four or five years,'' he said. Then he added, ``If that becomes a focal point at all, I'm sure that's not the way any of us should be thinking.'' To Tressel, looking ahead spells doom. The Buckeyes are stacked with talent, with nine starters back on offense and five on defense. The schedule isn't a killer, despite the dangerous Miami Hurricanes coming to Columbus in Week 2, along with road tests against conference bullies Iowa and Wisconsin. But Tressel says it's far too early to start comparing his current Buckeyes with those legendary teams from the '70s that included Archie Griffin, Pete Johnson, Cornelius Greene, Tom Cousineau and Tim Fox. ``You have those discussions about streaks and accomplishments and all those kinds of things when seasons are over, and hopefully not during them,'' he said. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor, coming off an MVP performance in the Rose Bowl, believes he and his teammates not only have the talent but the togetherness to make it six in a row. ``If you're willing to make that play for the guy next to you, that's the biggest thing,'' said the junior. ``We compete like crazy here and we're all willing to get better. Guys are always out after the workouts, doing extra lifting and doing extra running and just getting their technique down. Stuff like that. Working on their hands, guys catching 500 balls a week.'' Pryor had an up-and-down 2009 season, stepping into the background to hand off to running backs Brandon Saine and Dan Herron after injuring a knee late in the campaign. Arthroscopic surgery in February cleaned up the knee and has him bristling to get going this fall. ``It's night-and-day from last year until now,'' he said. ``It's amazing to me and I'm just getting anxious.'' Pryor became the first Ohio State quarterback to lead the team in rushing since the school started keeping records back in the '40s. He also completed 57 percent of his passes for 161 yards a game, for 18 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He may be the triggerman but he has lots surrounding him. His favorite receivers are both back. DeVier Posey had 60 catches for 838 yards and eight touchdowns with Dane Sanzenbacher adding 36 receptions for 570 yards (15.8 per catch) and six scores. Saine (739 yards, 5.1 per carry) and Herron (600 yards, 3.9 per) are both back. So is fullback Zach Boren, linemen J.B. Shugarts, Bryant Browning, Mike Brewster and Zach's big brother, Justin Boren. That leaves just one spot on the line, the one filled last year by left tackle Jim Cordle, and the tight end spot vacated by Jake Ballard, to be filled. There are more losses on defense, but the core players return. Cameron Heyward will anchor the line from his end spot, from which he had 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for minus yardage in last year's 11-2 season. Mobile and active Ross Homan and Brian Rolle are back for their senior seasons at linebacker. Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence once again hold down the corner positions. Tressel will rely on promising but unproven young players such as John Simon, Solomon Thomas and Nathan Williams up front, Etienne Sabino in the linebacker spot held by the graduated Austin Spitler, and Jermale Hines and Orhian Johnson, among others, plugging the holes at safety. ``As excited as I am about the older group, the younger guys are an unknown,'' said Tressel, 94-21 overall and 59-13 in the Big Ten during his Ohio State tenure. ``I think they're talented. I think our biggest concern is still figuring out who we are as a whole. I think we know who we are from a core, but who are we as a whole group?'' After a Thursday night opener against Marshall on Sept. 2, the Buckeyes host those 'Canes in the first of a home-and-home series on Sept. 11. They open Big Ten play against Illinois and Indiana before a big test at Wisconsin and reigning Big Ten offensive player of the year John Clay. Purdue, which stunned the Buckeyes in West Lafayette, Ind., last year, comes next, this time at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State closes out the year with home games against Penn State and Michigan, with a major showdown at Iowa in between. This is the last go-round for the 11-team Big Ten, with Nebraska joining the fold in 2011. This is also the final year before divisional play and a conference championship game. Even though he hopes his team doesn't dwell on extending its string of Big Ten titles, Tressel knows that the rest of the conference is tired of watching the Buckeyes walk off with the biggest trophy. ``We're very aware that the Big Ten is anxious to have someone else be the champion,'' he said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Iowa's Johnson-Koulianos a mystery man for Hawks
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -Iowa wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos has pledged to reveal his thoughts to the world as soon as the 2010 season is over.Until then, the man known as ``DJK'' will likely remain a mystery.Johnson-Koulianos enters his seni
<< Sheets expected to need year of recovery time following surgery
<< Cubs rough up Lincecum in win over Giants
<< Haren solid as Angels down Royals
<< Ludwick powers Padres over Pirates
Former Bucs great Brooks announces retirement from NFL >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker and 11- time Pro Bowl selection Derrick Brooks has officially announced his retirement from the NFL. Brooks released a short video message Wednesday morning
Ravens CB Foxworth undergoes surgery >>
Hetherman joins ODU staff >>
Cardinals put Suppan on DL >>
Angels shoot for much-needed sweep of Royals >>
College Football Betting Tips From a ProWhile the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly. Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules. The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers. What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by. These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end. College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well. Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football. Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play. Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration. I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key. Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season. It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage. As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital. Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
|
