Week One Highlights
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/07/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Could the 2010 college football season gotten off to a better start? It began with some of the nation's top teams flexing their muscles. There were shootouts, defensive struggles and thrilling overtime affairs. That was all before the last game on the docket, a premier showdown between two of the nation's best on Labor Day. If week one is any indication of how the season is going to shape up, we all are in for a big treat.
BREAKING THESE BRONCOS WON'T BE EASY: We had to wait until Labor Day to watch the game of the week, but it was well worth it, as the top-10 showdown between Boise State and Virginia Tech definitely lived up to the hype. The Broncos jumped out to an early lead only to watch the Hokies battle back and take control of the game. Then, as he has done on several occasions during his career, All-American candidate Kellen Moore came up huge when it counted most, leading BSU to the decisive score with just over a minute to play in the game. With the win, the Broncos have certainly gotten past what seems to be the season's toughest test, and very well could catapult into the BCS Title Game.
FINALLY ARRIVED? Steve Spurrier was supposed to take South Carolina football to new heights when he took over in Columbia a few seasons ago and 2010 may just be the year that the former Gator guru delivers. The veteran-laden Gamecocks completely outclassed a decent Southern Miss team in the opener, behind a balanced offensive attack that amassed over 200 yards on the ground and through the air. This week we all will get a better gauge of the Gamecocks, as they welcome the Georgia Bulldogs to Columbia for SEC action.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: There was plenty of noise coming from football programs all over the country this summer and with first impressions now in, here is a run- down of those that walked the walk after talking the talk. It was only Marshall, but Ohio State looked awfully good on both sides of the football in routing the Thundering Herd this past week. Joining the Buckeyes in terms of good starts include the aforementioned Boise State and South Carolina, along with defending champion Alabama and Oregon. Michigan had a tough opener against UConn and a big win (30-10) certainly had to cool the seat that Rich Rodriguez is sitting on these days. Brian Kelly's debut in South Bend resulted in a victory. It wasn't pretty at times, but the Irish definitely showed flashes of potential in their victory over Purdue.
BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT: Now for the teams that failed to deliver in their season-openers. They may have won the game, but the 2010 Florida Gators looked sluggish at times in a 34-12 win over Miami-Ohio and certainly lacked the same intensity that the squads led by Tim Tebow brought to the field. John Brantley has the toughest job in the country in trying to replace a legend and although Urban Meyer is a gifted coach and mentor, it will be Brantley that is under the microscope each and every week. He will definitely have to improve his play if the Gators want to be a real threat to win the SEC. Another team that failed to impress in week one was Pittsburgh, which lost to Utah in overtime. North Carolina came up just short against LSU, but a lot of that had to do with mass suspensions handed down to the Tar Heels just prior to the game. Finally, Washington didn't get the job done on the road against a talented BYU program. Following five wins in Steve Sarkisian's debut season in 2010, the Huskies were perhaps poised for a big year, especially with Jake Locker back under center. Locker was good in the opener, just not good enough. Hopefully that isn't a theme in Seattle this season.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: There were several players who got their 2010 campaigns off to rousing starts. QB standouts included Matt Barkley (USC), who threw for 257 yards and five TDs against Hawaii; Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), who threw for 301 yards and three TDs in a win over Tennessee Tech; T.J. Yates (North Carolina), who threw for 412 yards and three TDs vs. LSU; Cameron Newton (Auburn), who passed for 186 yards and three TDs, while rushing for 171 yards and two scores against Arkansas State, and fellow dual-threats Taylor Martinez (Nebraska), who passed for 136 yards vs. Western Kentucky, while rushing for 127 and three TDs and Joshua Nesbitt (Georgia Tech), who rushed for 130 yards and three TDs in a win over South Carolina State.
Tailbacks of choice include Kendall Hunter (Oklahoma State), who rumbled for 257 yards and four TDs against Washington State, Kenjon Barner (Oregon), who decimated New Mexico with 147 yards rushing and five TDs, and DeMarco Murray (Oklahoma), who rushed for 218 yards and two TDs against Utah State.
Wideouts who stood out include Kealoha Pilares (Hawaii), who amassed 176 yards and three TDs against USC, Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma) with 142 yards and two scores against Utah State, Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State), 125 yards, three scores against Washington State and Jheranie Boyd (North Carolina), who had 221 yards and one TD against LSU.
Of course, LSU's All-American CB Patrick Peterson, who amassed 257 return yards, scoring once on a kickoff and once on a punt return and leading the Tigers to a hard-fought victory over top-25 foe North Carolina was the special teams player of the week.
SNEAK PEEK: Week two of the college football season is shaping up to be even better than week one. There are three top-25 battles on the docket, as the Miami Hurricanes invade Columbus to put the Ohio State Buckeyes to the test. Next it is Florida State at Oklahoma and finally a classic duel between Penn State and top-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Other quality matchups include Oregon at Tennessee, Michigan at Notre Dame, Georgia at South Carolina and Auburn at Mississippi State.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies have put together a couple of strong Septembers over the past few years. They've been even more successful in recent meetings with the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field. Colorado shoots for an eighth cons
<< Padres try to string back-to-back wins together against LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After finally being able to end a potentially-costly 10-
game skid on Monday, the San Diego Padres will try to start up a winning
streak behind their best pitcher when the National League West leaders resume
a three-game seri
<< Braves seek to bounce back in second test with Pirates
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta's offense has been mostly shut down during its
current stretch of four losses in five games. That is exactly what starter Tim
Hudson has done to Pittsburgh over the last few years, though.
Hudson looks to extend a
<< Giants eye first place as they continue series in Arizona
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -Runs were hard to come by in Monday's opener of a three-
game series between the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks, and
another pitcher's duel could be in the works when the two National League West
foes square off
<< Hard-charging Phils continue key series with Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies have been inconsistent on offense
all year, and it was never more evident than during Monday's doubleheader
versus the Florida Marlins. That still didn't stop the club from pulling
within a half-game
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though the St. Louis Cardinals appear to be loaded at the top of their pitching rotation, the back end could use some work. Kyle Lohse gets a chance to claim his rotation spot this evening, when St. Louis tries to gain mor
Rookies to go head-to-head in Mets-Nationals clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the Washington Nationals already looking ahead to next
year -- and maybe even 2012 given Stephen Strasburg's need for Tommy John
surgery -- a couple of young players are looking to show the team they can
contribute.
Twins continue set with Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Capturing a second straight American League Central title
may be the Minnesota Twins' main objective, but judging by the team's
performance at Target Field this season, having home-field advantage for the
opening round of the
2010 World Basketball Championship update - September 7th >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Halftime - Lithuania 43, China 40
Argentina vs. Brazil, 2 p.m.
The Real Deal on the AL Cy Young Race >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With 28 days left in the regular season, the
American League Cy Young award is still up for grabs. It seems the New York
Yankees' CC Sabathia is considered the leading candidate, although I think
there's another
2007 online football betting Preview
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
2007 College Football Betting Preview
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
Las Vegas Sports Lines
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
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