NFL Draft Betting Odds: Final Football Score In 2011?

By Robert Ferringo

This may be our last time to bet on the NFL for awhile.

The NFL Draft’s opening round commences on Thursday, April 28 at 8 p.m. And with the present labor debacle what it is there is a decent chance that the NFL preseason will be truncated, at the very least, and that NFL regular season games could be cancelled. That means that this could be the last opportunity for bettors to build their bankrolls via the NFL.

Below is a list of NFL prop wagers available for betting the NFL draft, courtesy of Bodog.com:

Which side of the ball will Mr. Irrelevant play
Offense (-120)
Defense (-120)

How many QB’s will be selected in the 1st round
Over 3

NCAA Football – How amateur College Football really is?

On a previous article we posted at our sports betting blog, we had mentioned that the NCAA was working on some sort of contingency plan to try to keep Division I sports at an amateur level. NCAA President Mark Emmert doesn’t believe colleges should pay athletes, and he wants university leaders to help him. Emmert announced he would hold a two-day retreat with about 50 school presidents or chancellors to discuss the future of Division I sports. The meeting is scheduled for Aug. 9-10.

Perhaps the main issue here is that every day it becomes more evident that college sports are not really as amateur as the organization that rules them all would like them (or at least make us believe) to be. Perhaps the only reason why we understand college sports as amateur is because of the fact that there are two bigger and professional leagues, the NFL and the NBA, that use this 4 year program as a filter to bring out the best of the best in a yearly multimillion dollar draft. That exclusion is in appearance the mayor distinction between both. Until you consider the money factor.

Truth is, that the educational component to College Football, and by extension we could add, College Basketball, is almost a non-factor. If we semantically consider amateur back in its original classical Latin, the word meant lover. Now its understood as something that is done for the love of it, and not for money. I can

NCAA Football – Drugs, Football, Tattoos and Scandals

by Stephen Lars on Jun.29, 2011, under Football, Sports News

The title of this article sound like the ingredients for one of those college football movies that hit the box offices every two years or so, telling the grueling story of a band of young man fighting to make it to the top of their sport. Some do it for glory, others for fame, others for their love of the sport and other for money.

Players, coaches, fans, are all part of the multibillion dollar circus (show business, if you might get offended by this) that we have come to known as Division I collegiate sports. Yes, these are amateur players. Yes, these guys don’t make a dime out of the whole thing. Sure, they get a free education and technically these players are called student-athletes, or participants of the most selective and effusive training camp programs. These student athletes’ academic performance is most of the times inversely proportionate to their success on the field. And it’s not a big deal because, heck, they might eventually make it into the pros where multimillion-dollar contracts will be waiting for them.

In college football, in college basketball, everybody makes money, except for the players. And everybody seems to be fine with this. Well, most everybody. That’s perhaps why this whole Ohio State Buckeyes scandal takes a whole new distinct dimension. What sparks me as the most interesting aspect of how this whole thing went down is that it was not because of the NCAA that the scandal surfaced.

Let’s follow the story of one particular tattoo parlor owner, Edward Rife, who had a lucrative side business selling hundreds of pounds of marijuana in Columbus. Let’s consider for a moment that Rife’s guilty plea to drug trafficking and money laundering charges might have gone unnoticed had federal investigators not stumbled on another of Rife’s sidelines. And this is where it all get’s interesting from our point of view. It so happens that not only was Rife a talented drug dealer, but he also was a die-hard fan of the Buckeyes. The federal investigators discovered that he had been buying Ohio State memorabilia from football players or giving them discounts on tattoos for the items.

On a press release given out earlier today, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Kelley said the government is not assisting with either the NCAA or Ohio State investigations. But sure enough, it was this federal investigation that got all this started. If anyone was wondering, Kelley also said there was no evidence Ohio State players were involved in the marijuana operation.

There are still plenty of issues that have to be taken into consideration by the NCAA. Some believe that it is now time to start paying the players something in exchange for their talents. Some consider that getting a free education shouldn’t be enough to cover the risks that these young men undergo on every game. It is possible that all of this issues could be solved soon. But its not likely. The NCAA stands firm behind their position: college sports should stay on an amateur level. The main problem here is that the only ones expected to do something out of love are the players, everybody else is making a profit out of the most popular sporting events in the United States.

:Edward Rife, Football college tatoos, NCAA Football, Ohio State
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NCAA Football – Auburn Tigers claim National Title over Oregon Ducks

Cameron Newton is perhaps one of the finest players to ever have played in the NCAA. He took the Heisman Trophy, he broke most every record you could brake on a single season; he is taller, stronger, heavier, faster and perhaps even more accurate then any quarterback we have seen so far. At the end, and despite his somewhat upsetting and slow start, Cam Newton had the best answers. The Tigers made up for the slow start when they were able to shut off the Oregon Ducks for 38 minutes straight.

All it took was a series of small mistakes from Oregon to guide the Tigers into their first National Championship since 1957. The Oregon Ducks were close, very close but at the end, as the time ran out, the starting kicker Wes Byrum’s completed a 19-yard field goal to close a perfect 14-0 season and give the Tigers a 22-19 win in the BCS National Championship Bowl.

If we could track it all down to one decisive moment, we could come up with a couple of errors made by Oregon. First came that safety when LaMichael James was tackled by Mike Blank inside the End Zone, which closed down the Tigers gap to 9-11. Right after that, the Auburn Tigers defensive line kept Darron Thomas and the Ducks under the radar.

Thomas completed 27 of his 40 passes and for 363 yards and 2 touchdowns but with 2 interceptions.  The Heisman Trophy winner, on the other hand, had a great and yet a bit under par game. Let’s be realistic: he had been so amazing during the regular season that we were expecting some sort of touchdown-fest by both players. Still, Cam Newton completed 20 of his 34 attempts for 265 yards with 2 touchdowns and one early game pick. He was also the Tigers second best rusher. With 22 carriages for 64 yards Newton was only surpassed by Michael Dyer who recorded 22 carriages for 143 yards.

Among one of this carriages was the single play that changed it all. For a moment, Micheal Dyer wasn’t running anymore. The Oregon defender who had tackled him was standing right next to him. But the referee had his hands down and there was no Whistling. It was time to run again, run pass the motionless defender. Dyer’s knee never hit the ground: the play was still going. That 37-yard run changed everything. It was enough to set up the final field goal that would give the Tigers their first title in over half a decade, and the SEC its fifth consecutive National Title.

NCAA Football – Stanford became the dominant force in Orange Bowl

The Stanford Cardinal’s quarterback, the talented and Heisman Trophy runner-up Andrew Luck, was expected to put on one heck of a show against the Virginia Tech Hokies. And he did, proving to have the sort of talent and attitude sought after by the NFL scouts as he lead Stanford to an easy 40-12 win over Virginia Tech.

What we really were not expecting was for the rest of the guys from Standford to put on their A-game like they did. Throwing for an impressive 287 yards and four touchdowns, Andrew Luck guided the Cardinal to its first BCS Championship Bowl victory in over 14 years.

If he decides to join the draft, Luck is expected to be the No. 1 pick for the following season. Should he join, there would be a series of issues that Stanford would have to deal with immediately. As of press time, the future of Jim Harbough is uncertain. It still remains a mystery whether the head coach and the starting quarterback will return for the following year.

Stanford fans were on the one hand jubilant with the win and with having to settle, if I may, with the Orange Bowl. And yet they didn’t miss a beat to chant along the final celebration requesting

Football – Andrew Luck will return for another year in Stanford

by Stephen Lars on Jan.07, 2011, under Football, Sports News

Rumor has it that had Andrew Luck would end up being the No.1 pick in the NFL draft had he decided to step away from Stanford and take a go at the Pros. The second part of the rumor, and perhaps the part which should interest you a bit more, is that the Carolina Panthers, who own the No.1 pick in the draft, had stated earlier this week that they would be very interested in hiring Luck if he decided to drop school.

The official announcement states that Luck’s decision to stay at Stanford is strictly academic. According to the press release, the talented quarterback said the he was committed to finishing his degree in architectural design at Stanford University. Something he expects to have had accomplished by the spring quarter of 2012. Just in time for next year’s draft.

Still, one can help but to wonder if Luck just simply didn’t want to end up being stuck with the Panthers for his rookie year. On the other hand, his announcement could also change the mindset of head coach Jim Harbaugh and the whole uncertainty that has risen in regards to his stay or his very possible departure from Stanford. Just like with his starting quarterback Harbaugh has been getting distinct proposal for making the big jump into the pros.

Still, Stanford could work its way up into yet another impressive year. Luck has guided Stanford through a 12-1 season, possibly finishing in the BCS top 5 at the end of the season. That would be the first time this happens since the 1940’s. Andrew Luck finished the season with 3,338 passing yards and 32 touchdown-passes completing over 71% of his passes while rushing for 513 yards. Sure, he was second to Cam Newton in the fight for the Heisman Trophy, but the 50 million dollar contract for the No.1 pick in the draft was going to Luck, not to the star of the Auburn Tigers.

NCAA Football – TCU defeats Wisconsin on Rose Bowl

by Stephen Lars on Jan.04, 2011, under Football, Sports News

TCU lost last year’s Fiesta Bowl against Boise State by just a touchdown. The very interesting issue here is that this small bump would be the only negative mark in what has been an otherwise impeccable two seasons for the Texas Christian University football team. The TCU Horned Frogs managed to complete a perfect season ranked as the No. 3 team in the Nation with a 13-0 record that ended with a great win over the Wisconsin Badgers for the BCS Rose Bowl played at Pasadena, California.

Tank Carder, a defensive linesman for the Horned Frogs was able to jump in the right moment to interfere with Scott Tolzien’s last pass in a 2-point conversion that would have forced the game into overtime. The Badgers gave a great battle during the game, but it was just not enough. At the end, TCU claimed a 21-19 win over Wisconsin to win its first ever Rose Bowl.

There had been a lot of questions made in regards to TCU’s performance during the season. Sure, this win has secured this group of talented players (guided no other then by head coach Gary Patterson) a place in the programs football history. Not only is this a great win for the school but also for all the small programs that have had to deal with that sort of monopoly that comes from the bigger and more prestigious football programs in NCAA football.

The Badgers played a good game. That’s is something that not the rest of the teams in the Big Ten can say about themselves. On this New Year’s day the Big Ten Conference went 0-5. What we want to point out is that TCU won in the big scenario against a big school that actually played well. The Badgers committed no turnovers. They needed not to punt until the third quarter and although it was a close game, it was just not as close the Badgers fans would have liked it to be.

On the other hand, the Horned-Frogs did everything they needed to stay in control of the game. TCU’s quarterback Andy Dalton was brilliant. He was there when his team needed him most. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown. As a matter of fact he was responsible for 247 of TCU’s 301 yards. So yes, it was one heck of a game.

And it was also one heck of a game for non Automatic Qualification schools too. The record for non-AQ schools improved to 5-2 in BCS Bowls. Now, it is uncertain if the Horned Frogs win is of lesser or greater value then what Boise State did in 2007 with their 1-point win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, or what happened in the 2009 Sugar Bowl between Utah and the Alabama Crimson Tide in what certainly would be remembered as one the most epic upsets of BCS history.

What matters is that TCU has proved it deserved to be here. It has proved that they could have been worthy of a National Championship Game. Perhaps things will not change for smaller schools on the long run. But heck, if you have a sweet spot for underdog stories, then you’ll probably appreciate TCU’s effort as this is their second consecutive back-to-back BCS Bowl buster.

NCAA Football – Oklahoma Sooners defeat Connecticut on Fiesta Bowl 2011

by Stephen Lars on Jan.04, 2011, under Football, Sports News

The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona is a well-known field for the Oklahoma Sooners. They now the town, they now the locker rooms, they know the tunnel that leads to the field. They have been there a couple of times; they just haven’t been able to win this thing for a long time. As a matter of fact, the last time the Sooners won the Fiesta Bowl was back in 1976 when they defeated Wyoming.

That all came to an end on Saturday during the 2011 Fiesta Bowl. The Sooners brought in their A-game into the desert and crushed the UConn Huskies by 48-20. The Sooners offensive was simply brilliant and despite putting on a good fight in their first ever Fiesta Bowls, The Sooners where too much of a team for the Huskies that went home without the title.

The Oklahoma Sooners where 5-0 in BCS Bowls before they made their trip to Arizona to face Connecticut, a team that at 8-5 for the season and coming from the Big East, had struggled to pull itself into the 2011 Fiesta Bowl. Taking a look back at what had happened during the previous trips to the BCS Bowls, Oklahoma couldn’t help to get that

NCAA Football – Cam Newton wins 2010 Heisman Trophy

Cameron Jerrell Newton has had an impressive season. He has been able to leave behind the scandal and the alleged accusations following his arrival at Auburn and has focused on bringing on his A-game. At the beginning of the season, when Newton arrived to Auburn, rumor has it, the coaches warned their defensive players not to tackle Newton during the preseason training. Little did they now that no other defense could or would get to him either.

He sure is Auburn’s third Heisman Trophy Winner, but it seems that he was just taking a walk in the park, as he kept on bringing in school and conference records to his impressive curriculum. There was no doubt that the quarterback from Fulton County, Georgia, would win this year Heisman. The reason behind it was evident: He had outshined each and every other player in the NCAA and had done so while leading the Auburn Tigers into the top of the BCS rankings and straight into the Tositos BCS National Champions Bowl against the Oregon Ducks on January 10th.

As a matter of fact, Newton put in the 11th highest-ever winning margin over second place nominee Andrew Luck. To give you a better perspective, check out the following numbers. Newton received 729 first place votes, and 2263 points. If you compare that to Luck’s 78 first place votes and 1,079 points you can help but to realize that he was the solo winner of this year’s Heisman Trophy. LaMicheal James came in third with 916 points and 22 first place votes. So to give you an even wider perspective, there where 886 ballots submitted to this years award. Cam Newton was name didn’t appear in only 105 of those ballots. The bottom line: there where 105 blind voters or they simply believed that the controversy about his play-for-pay situation with Auburn, was too much of an issue to give him the vote.

He was very quiet when it came down to answering questions about the alleged accusations and the relationship he had with his father, former NFL player, Cecil Newton Sr. The NCAA had started an investigation in regards to the alleged accusations that Cam’s father had been negotiating with colleges to have his son come and play in an specific institution if some sort of monetary agreement could be made beforehand. At the end, the NCAA made a release stating that the Association had no proof against Cam Newton, but forbid his father, Cecil Sr. from making an appearance at the Heisman Trophy Ceremony.

Newton lead the NCAA in passing efficiency and stands 15th in rushing yards. He completed 3,998 total yards for the season, and counted for 49 touchdowns.  Check this out, because this is the breakdown of this 49 td’s: 28 passing, 20 rushing and 1 receiving. Yes, he can do it all.

Like we said, this is Auburn’s third player to win the Heisman Trophy. He now joins the likes of Pat Sullivan in 1971 and Bo Jackson in 1985 as the other two Auburn students to be recognized with this prestigious award.

NCAA Football – Auburn and Oregon take a go at the National Title

The BCS National Championship Game has been mostly reserved for college football blue bloods and football programs that have at least one National Championship on their pedigree. And yet, slowly but surely, both Auburn and Oregon have managed to finish a flawless season and at 13-0 and 12-0 respectively, are now going to play for the National Championship on January 10 at the Tositos BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona.

Get ready because this game is going to get as offensive as one can wish. Two of the finest offensive squads we have seen in the recent years are going to put all they’ve got on the line. The two top ranked teams in the country, are going to make it into the game and the stakes are high. Auburn has won every game of the season, including the Southeaster Conference Championship Game against South Carolina, 56-17. That is right after taking an intense 28-27 win over the defending Champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

On the other hand, Oregon has been outstanding in the PAC-10, making everybody know that after its second consecutive win in its conference, the Oregon Ducks are the new team to defeat in the Pacific 10 Conference. Forget USC, the Trojans were not even close, after the Ducks took them down 53-32 on October 30, and then kept on with their run to win each and every game of the season, including the Ducks 37-20 win over Oregon State, to secure their PAC-10 championship.

This is Oregon’s first chance to win the National Title. Auburn has one National Title on its pedigree, but it came back in 1957, way before the BCS was born in 1998. So it is quite a thrill to have a contender in the National Title Game who could be in its way to win the program’s first National Title ever. So, extra Kudos for Oregon for making it into the Tositos National Championship Bowl. As a matter of fact, only one other program, Virginia Tech back in 1999, has played in the BCS Championship Game without holding a National Title on their history.

This is also the second time ever, after Nebraska and Miami that two teams make it to the BCS Championship Game for the first time ever. This is also the first time that two teams that where not ranked inside the AP Poll’s top 10, at the beginning of the season manage to make it into the National Championship Game. At the beginning of the year, the Oregon Ducks were ranked 11th while the Auburn Tigers where second in their own state, behind coaching legend Nick Saban and the defending champions Alabama. The Tigers were ranked the 23rd team in the Nation at the beginning of the season.

Here is one extra little detail to bring into this equation. It seems very plausible that by the time the Tositos National Championship Bowl is played, Auburn will have the privilage to start Cam Newton, not only as one of the finest quarterbacks the sport has seen in recent years, but also as the Heisman Trophy winner. That could bring on a special little ingredient into the mix. Last season the trophy went to Mark Ingram from Alabama, and he was key in the Crimson Tide’s sweet performance in the Championship game. Perhaps this year, if the Heisman goes to Newton, there will be a good chance that he could guide the Tigers to their second National Championship.

Football Betting Code Review

Football Betting Code: Code Breaker, or Code Red?!

A new football betting service, called Football Betting Code, landed on my virtual desk today. It appears to be from the Rochdale Road gang and, if you’re familiar with this crew, then you’ll understand me immediate concerns about the product.

First, though, let me get the administration out of the way. It’s an email advisory service, it costs

NCAA Football – Cam Newton brilliant season guides Auburn to BCS title

Cameron Jerrell Newton was for a while living under the shadow of Tim Tebow over at the Florida Gators. In 2007, as a freshman, Cam Newton was the back-up quarterback for Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow. An ankle injury kept him away so he took a medical red-shirt year, then transferred to Blinn College where he won the 2009 NJCAA National Football Championship and became the No.1 recruit in the country. When Newton finally made his move to Auburn University, the Tigers where about to experience one of their finest seasons ever.

Newton was absolutely brilliant against the SEC championship game as he lead the Tigers against South Carolina for a 56-17 win. Newton passed for a career high 335 yards, completing 17 of his 28 attempts for 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. He ran for a pair of touchdowns and was simply outstanding in his one-man show. The Tigers must now wait until Sunday afternoon to make it official, but considering that the Oregon Ducks defeated Oregon State 37-20, it is almost a fact that the two top-ranked and undefeated teams in the country will be playing on January 10 in Glendale Arizona for the BCS National Championship Game.

There is one ugly side to this story. TCU, the little school that almost could, was shut down from the BCS title, despite their perfect record. Had Oregon or Auburn failed to win their last game of the season, TCU would have become the first school from a non-BCS conference to play for the National Title.

Newton should now start striking a pose for when they announce the Heisman Trophy winner for this season.  The 6-foot-6, 250 pound junior has had a season that has just come a tad short from perfection. He has now joined Tebow as the only player in a top division conference to run and pass for over 20 touchdowns in a season.  And let’s just face the fact that he can pass and run just as good as anyone else in the league can. Regardless of what happens in the National Championship Game, it shouldn’t be too long before we see Newton playing on Sundays.

football match-fixing

BBC 5 Live are running a programme on Sunday evening devoted to match-fixing in football. Not a lot of new ground by the sound of this article, but to those who don't follow it closely, it will be an eye-opener.

Football Match fixing - how betting gives the game away

Some 300 football games a season are fixed in Europe's top leagues, according to experts. The BBC's Tim Mansel gains exclusive access to Sportradar, which tracks betting on football matches all over the world, looking for evidence of suspicious behaviour.

The former German football manager Sepp Herberger once famously said that people go to football matches because they do not know who will win. I have just watched a match in the almost certain knowledge not only of who would win, but with a fairly shrewd idea of what the score would be. Posted byScott Fergusonat14:14

Italian football falling from grace

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A year after one of Italian football’s most hated managers led Inter Milan to the glory of Champions League success, football in the country has once again slumped back into the malaise that it was in before Jose Mourinho pulled Inter back to the top of the pile in European football.

Despite Rafa Benitez proving a far more likeable replacement for the Italian media to get along with, so far he has failed to achieve anything like the success that his predecessor enjoyed. With both Milan sides having failed to light up this year’s Champions League, and Inter thoroughly embarrassed by the exploits of Gareth Bale, it appears extremely unlikely at the moment that an Italian side will be lifting the trophy this year and the Champions League promotions reflect this.

With Spanish sides Real Madrid and Barcelona looking like the strongest contenders to win the competition this season, and English sides such as Chelsea and Manchester United always likely to be among the contenders to pick up the famous trophy when it comes to the final stages of the competition, the onus is on Italian football to once again pick itself up and force its way back to the top of European club football.

If Milan and Inter cannot achieve this sooner rather than later, then the gap between them and Europe’s elite may well be of too great a distance for them to narrow without significant investment in their squads. However, with the world economy still struggling, and few rich investors looking to put money into Italian football at the moment, it appears that there is currently no hero looking to rescue the game in that country.

Ultimately, should either Inter or Milan beat the Champions League betting odds and triumph in this season’s competition, then Italian football could well enjoy the success it needs to stay in the big time long-term.

NCAA Football – TCU accepts bid to join Big East Conference

The Texas Christian University Athletics Department has just accepted a bid to join the Big East Conference as its 17th team starting on January 1st 2012. This agreement will be effective for all NCAA sanctioned sports played by the University’s athletic program.

This will certainly give the TCU football program a whole different edge in its search for making it into the NCAA Football postseason. The Conference change will give TCU a chance to play in an conference that automatically qualify its winner into the BCS Championship Bowls at the end of the season. TCU is leaving the Mountain West Conference in its move to bigger and better things. That Conference is seeing very substantial changes recently as TCU is not the only team leaving. As of press time BYU and Utah are changing conference too, just as Boise State enters.

TCU is a medium sized school with enrollment numbers slightly over the 9,000 students per academic year. This private university will become the 9th football program in the Big East Conference. There are rumors that Villanova could soon become its 10th team to play at NCAA Division 1 football for the Big East Conference.

TCU is currently 12-0 and is ranked 3rd in the BCS rankings for this season. The TCU Horned-Frogs are at least going to make it into this year’s Rose Bowl. Now, if Oregon or Auburn sleep in this weekend’s game, there is still a good chance that TCU might be playing for the BCS National Championship Bowl Game.

This weekend the Conference Championship games will be played. Auburn will play South Carolina in the SEC championship game. Nebraska will be playing the Oklahoma Sooners for the Big 12 Championship Game. Stay tuned as we keep you informed on the best betting lines in NCAA Football.

NCAA Football – Oregon struggles but defeats California 15-13

It not only takes a great team to be ranked on the No. 1 spot in the NCAA Football betting season; sometimes you have to get a little luck to make it pass a powerful team and clinch on to the top spot of the BCS ranking for yet another week. This was certainly a good chance for the Oregon Ducks defense to step up and show that the Ducks are not working their way into the BCS National Championship game exclusively on the prowess of its offensive team. The Ducks defense can also walk the walk.

Oregon had to struggle in the road as the California Golden Bears, 5-6 overall and 3-5 in the PAC 10 division, found a way to stall and bring down the Oregon’s offensive end, which this year has been the best in the Nation. The Golden Bears brought Oregon’s offense to a season low 317 yards. And that’s not all, not only did they kept the team from scoring more then one touchdown, they also kept the Ducks scoreless during two quarters. Now, to really get things into perspective, you need to consider that the Oregon Ducks have been hold scoreless on three other quarters so far this season. But California’s defense did the trick and kept the usually pouring offense from shinning.

And then there was the luck factor. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, California had a great chance to complete a 24-yard field goal and get ahead in the score by one point. Even though the junior kicker Giorgio Tavecchio completed the field goal, the Ducks were able to get a huge break in an illegal motion by the Golden Bears’ kicker. Tavecchio took a stutter step forward before the snap and the play was cancelled. As if that was not enough, he then missed a 29-yard try on the following play.

The Bears could have won this game, and they could have really hurt the Oregon Ducks chances of getting into the National Championship Game. They played the game well. To get California’s performance into the right perspective you need to consider that the Golden Bears kept Oregon 40 points beneath their season average. That’s a lot. California had been quite dominant when it came down to defending their home team advantage. But it was just not the case.

Oregon took the win. But it was evident that this was the closest game of the season so far. The Ducks had not won a game by fewer then 11 points this season, and that 15-13 was a clear proof that the Ducks where struggling and just barely managed to win. Sure, they were far from covering the spread, but hey, the Ducks are still a very reliable wagering option. They are 6-4 ATS for the season.

Oregon will now play Arizona as the team tries to keep leading the BCS standings. They shouldn’t struggle that much, as they Ducks are a -19

NCAA Football – South Carolina is just stops from making history

We covered South Carolina’s story back in early October. Without much of a warning, the South Carolina Gamecocks had pulled off one of its most clever and memorable upsets in the program’s history. The Gamecocks defeated at home the NCAA defending champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Not only did they won its first game ever against a No.1 ranked school, but -check this out- they outplayed the man who had ridiculed its defense on the previous season: Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.

Head Coach Steve Spurrier was finally able to break the spell and South Carolina defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 35 to 21. The Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia had one of his best nights ever. If you are into numbers, Garcia completed 17 of 20 for 201 yards and three touchdown-passes. Freshman Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina outplayed Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Lattimore completed 23 carriages and for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ingram, on the other hand, went completed 11 for 41 yards and no touchdowns.

This weekend, many things could change. The guys from South Carolina are going to head on to Florida and play their hearts for the SEC East Crown. There has been 117 seasons of South Carolina football. Only once, back in 1969 had the people in Columbus, South Carolina celebrated an ACC Championship. Let it be noticed, that they haven’t got this close to win again, since. Until this week, when the Gamecocks face the Florida Gators in what could be their second biggest upset of the season.

Since its win over the No. 1 team in the nation, the Gamecocks have had a somewhat irregular series against 4 teams. The record since they crushed Alabama: 2-2. The Gamecocks had to go into overdrive to leave behind Vanderbilt and Tennessee, and, let’s be frank, their game against Arkansas last weekend, wasn’t the prettiest showcase of football ever.

But here is the key to this all. If South Carolina defeats Florida, it will have a Ticket to play the Auburn Tigers. Ok, I know its not official yet, but taking into account the marvelous season that the Auburn Tigers have had, there is a good chance that those boys are going to win the SEC West. So, if we take a quick look at the references, one could assume that whether Florida or South Carolina makes it to the SEC Championship Game, there is still a fairly good chance that either team could upset the Auburn Tigers.

Historically, the SEC West has been the weaker end of the conference. What we need to focus on here is on a simple fact: most any team in the SEC West has been much stronger then any other team in the SEC East this season. And here is where the Gamecocks have to react. South Carolina is not a big school. We have already talked about this issue on another blog entry. South Carolina is not one of those elite football program schools in the country we expect to see each year in the Bowl Games. The Florida Gators, on the other hand, is one of those teams.

What’s the difference? Well, the Gator will always have a better chance next year. For the Gamecocks this season might be as good as it gets for a long-long while. And if that is not enough motivation to go out there and put their hearts out on the field, then they probably don’t deserve a chance at SEC Championship Game.

NCAA Football – The Big Names that haven’t made the cut this season

Legacy. Few fans take a team’s historical performance so seriously as do college football fans. Probably because contrary to most other professional leagues in the country, there is some sort of sentimental involvement between fans and a college team that surpasses geographical location of a school or their Alma Matter status. And that is when things get very interesting, because sometimes, a program is expected to perform brightly just because it has historically been quite an efficient and powerful school.

For instance, when the football season starts, one expects the Florida Gators, the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Michigan Wolverines, the Texas Longhorns, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to have a great season. But that is not only because of their rooster, or because of the numbers the team was able to crush during the previous season, but a matter of the team’s legacy and the really high standards to which its fans expect it to live to. And that puts a great deal of pressure upon these programs.

Here are this season’s losing college football programs. Let’s start with the Bulldogs. Georgia has had a good comeback. After a very rough early season, the Bulldogs are finally starting to put in together back to back wins this season. They now have managed to string together 4 wins in a row to make this a 5-5 season so far. But there is one issue keeping the Bulldogs from really demonstrating their potential: Georgia has still not won a game to a winning-record team this season. And that’s just not going to make the cut.

The Miami Hurricanes are not experiencing their best season ever either. At 6-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play, the Hurricanes could be doing much worse, but their chances of playing in the a Bowl game are not looking so bright right now. The Hurricanes got some kudos last week when they put down Maryland 20-26, to stay behind Virginia Tech by a two game deficit.

The Michigan Wolverines are also 6-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten Conference. They are now bowl eligible, but yet, it is uncertain if the team lead by Rich Rodriguez could really get it together and pull off something worth taking into the end of series bowl game. If they can get pass their serious issues on the defense, Rodriguez might not only secure his job, but even gain some respect in the community.

The Fighting Irish are also struggling on their end of the pool. They have now lost to both Navy and Tulsa on consecutive games, yet Notre Dame has managed to hold to a 4-5 record this season. If they want to make it into a Bowl game, the Fighting Irish will need to win at least two of the games they have left this season. They will face Utah, Army and South Carolina. Its not going to be easy, but if they guys from Notre Dame put their heart into it they might just pull off the trick.

The USC Trojans and the Texas Longhorns are not living to their great name either. The Longhorns fell to Kansas State 39-14, and have now lost 4 of their last 5 games. So the trick here is to recognize that the defending Big 12 Champion might not make it to a Bowl Game unless they manage to win over Oklahoma State, Florida Atlantic and Texas A&M. At least two out of three and they might have a chance.

Now, the USC Trojans are not doing too well. They have lost three of their last 5 games and because of an NCAA sanction; the Trojans are staying in town this upcoming season. Probation, probation.

NCAA Football – Auburn leads the BCS Rankings with 8-0 record

Last week we made an important effort to summarize and guide you through the process by which the BCS chooses its No. 1 team each week. We even went far enough as to make some pointers on how the AP poll works. Although it is not taken into consideration for the BCS Rankings, the AP Poll is still the most prestigious, human based poll in the nation, so we went on to briefly explain how that poll works. Now, what does that mean for the NCAA Football betting fan, well that’s when it can get tricky.

For starters, so far this season, the No.1 rank hasn’t really been so much a sign of a team’s great overall performance, but some sort of indelible omen that forces it to lose its winning streak has come. So Auburn now has to do what Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma couldn’t: make it to No. 1 and stay there.

The No.1 ranked team has fall in the last three consecutive weeks. Not only would Auburn have to deal with this No. 1 curse, but, hit the road and visit none other then Ole Miss. And then there is the strength of the schedule to put into the mix bag. The Auburn Tigers have had a very demanding couple of weeks that have boosted up its performance and stamina, but have also played very physically demanding matches that could be now their worst enemy. The motivation is there: but is the fuel still plenty?

Auburn has already played two nationally ranked teams this month. First they took down No. 6 LSU and then finished off No. 12 Arkansas proving that the Tigers are a solid contestant when playing at home. And yet they now have to hit the road and play at Ole Miss. Here is the thing. I have a feeling that the Tigers are in serious need of some rest, and it is certainly not happening this week. The Auburn Tigers is one of the four teams in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) that’s scheduled to play its 9th consecutive game this weekend. That is 9 weeks without a BYE week and coming from two consecutive games against nationally ranked teams.

As of press time, Auburn is expected to hold on to the No.1 spot of the BCS rankings. If not in the best odds considering what happened to Oklahoma, Alabama and Ohio State, the Auburn Tigers are a -7 point favorite on the spread against Mississippi. Now, the chains are expected to be moving quite a bit as the line movers at NCAA Football betting industry leaders Betias.com have set the total at over/under 61 flat.

Key for the Auburn Tigers success rest mostly in what quarterback Cam Newton can put together on the offensive end. Should the Tigers be able to keep on with their winning streak against Mississippi, things will only go uphill from there. The Tigers will go on to face Georgia at home on November 13 and then get its well-deserved BYE week. But sure enough, the Tigers can put their guard down as the following week they will have to face no other then the Alabama Crimson Tide.

NCAA Football – Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans

The Oregon Ducks are smoking-hot this football-betting season. As of this week, the Ducks have been one of the most dominating teams in the nation. Not only does the AP Poll ranks them as the No. 1 team in the country, but the Oregon Ducks are the No. 2 ranked teams in the BCS ranking system. The Ducks are dominating the PAC ten with a 7-0 record and all though they have only played in-conference games, their ability to crush its opponents has been outstanding.

Now, here is an couple of interesting facts for those football betting players out there interested in wagering on college football: In terms of betting, the Ducks have been an outstanding pick. Considering their brilliant performance against the spread you will notice that the Ducks are 5-2 against the spread, coming short only to Washington and to Arizona State.

Now, with most games been won by a double digit margin, you could also expect that Ducks game’s to be fairly high when it comes to scoring and to wagering on football over and under. And even though the totals have been set a bit on the higher end of things, the Ducks have managed to go over the spread in 5 of their 7 matches. So, only one of their games had gone under, as their whopping 69-0 win over Portland State had not offer a betting line for this particular game total.

Now, if only the brilliant Darron Thomas can repeat the brilliant performance he had against UCLA in this Saturday’s game against USC, then boy oh boy, this game is going to get really good. Darron Thomas went for a career high 308 yards for 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Yes, this was on the 60-13 crushing of UCLA, but if you look at his numbers for the season, you come to see that he has shot 109 of 179 for 1539 yards so far. He has a passer rating of 158.87. So Yes, he is bringing on his A-game this season.

Now, as if Thomas was not enough of a threat, the sometimes flamboyant Oregon Ducks now have LaMicheal James as a very fine and superbly athletic running back, who last week ran for 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 20 carries against UCLA. Seems like the Ducks have a good prospect in hands for the Heisman Trophy. To put things into the right perspective, you have to consider that James has already completed 971 rushing yards with 11 touchdowns and no fumbles. Mark Ingram is going to have to shine this season if he wants to repeat his feat and win the recognition again.

As of press time the Oregon Ducks are -6