No. 16 GaTech favored against SCarolina State
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/03/2010 -
ATLANTA (AP) -Paul Johnson didn't know what to expect when making his debut as Georgia Tech's coach in 2008.
As it turned out, Johnson inherited some pretty good talent from former coach Chan Gailey, including four players - Demaryius Thomas, Jonathan Dwyer, Derrick Morgan and Morgan Burnett - who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 2009 ACC championship before entering the 2010 NFL draft as juniors.
Some Georgia Tech fans may be wary of the possibility of a dropoff from last year's 11-3 finish entering Saturday's opener against South Carolina State. After all, Thomas, Dwyer, Morgan and Burnett led the team in receiving, rushing, sacks and interceptions, respectively.
Johnson sounded anything but wary as he compared his No. 16 Georgia Tech team with the 2008 team.
``We're a lot better football team. A lot,'' Johnson said this week. ``I had no idea two years ago ... what we were going to see. I've got a pretty good idea, I think, what we'll see on Saturday.
``But I've got to see it.''
Johnson may need more than one game to have his beliefs about his team confirmed. It may be difficult to evaluate the Yellow Jackets based on the opener, even though South Carolina State is an elite FCS team.
South Carolina State finished 10-2 last year and won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship before losing to Appalachian State in the FCS playoffs.
``Certainly they have some guys who could play at Georgia Tech, I don't think there's any doubt about that,'' Johnson said.
``The more tape I watch, the more impressed I am with them. I think they've got a good plan. They've got some really good individual players and they play well together as a team. I'm sure they're coming in here with a mindset they're coming in here to get a win in Atlanta.''
Two Atlantic Coast Conference teams, Virginia and Duke, lost to FCS teams - William & Mary and Richmond, respectively - a year ago.
``We haven't talked about FCS or FBS; we just have talked about South Carolina State,'' Johnson said. ``We just have to worry about Georgia Tech, and we know if we don't go out and play well they are very capable of beating us. Hopefully we will go out and play our A game. Hopefully that will be good enough.''
South Carolina State lost at South Carolina 38-14 last season. Then-No. 23 Clemson beat the Bulldogs 54-0 in 2008.
``This is the fourth straight year that we have played a major school,'' said South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough. ``I'd like to think we have made some strides.''
Johnson said South Carolina State ``has kind of dominated their conference the last few years.''
``You don't win 20 games in the past two years without having some good players and knowing what you are doing,'' Johnson said. ``They have a good program, so we are preparing for this no different than any game we have ever prepared for.''
South Carolina State is led by senior Malcolm Long, who passed for more than 2,500 yards last year. The offensive line returns every starter, but the Bulldogs lost their top three receivers and Will Ford, the MEAC's all-time leading career rusher with 4,660 yards.
Georgia Tech also is led by a senior quarterback. The school this week unveiled a website to promote Joshua Nesbitt as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Nesbitt, who often keeps the ball on short-yardage and fourth-down plays, ran for 18 touchdowns in 2009.
Anthony Allen will take over from Dwyer as the lead runner in Johnson's spread option offense. Allen averaged almost 10 yards per carry a year ago and could thrive in his first opportunity to be the top threat.
This will be the debut of new defensive coordinator Al Groh's 3-4 scheme at Georgia Tech. Groh, fired as Virginia's coach last year, was hired to revamp a Georgia Tech defense that gave up 30 or more points in six games last season, including a 30-24 home loss to in-state rival Georgia to end the regular season.
Johnson fired former defensive coordinator Dave Wommack after the Yellow Jackets' 24-14 Orange Bowl loss to Iowa.
``We won't know about our defense probably until we've played two or three games,'' Johnson said. ``I think they're excited. I think they'll fly around. The big thing to me is can they not have a lot of (missed) mental assignments. Will they continue to play hard?''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.
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two summers from now, you'll be reading - or perhaps choosing to disregard - this piece at least one week earlier. Given the forceful recent rhetoric emanating from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the
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Honolulu, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz left
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for five touchdowns, as 14th-ranked Southern California beat Hawaii, 49-36,
giving Lane Kiffin a victory in his coaching debut with the Trojans.
Ronald Johnso
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27-24, in the teams' preseason finale.
Kyle Boller completed 7-of-13 pass attempts
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San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nate Davis' two-yard touchdown pass to
Jehuu Caulcrick in the fourth quarter lifted the San Francisco 49ers over the
San Diego Chargers, 17-14, in the preseason finale for both clubs.
Davis completed
Twelve players from North Carolina won't play in the 18th-ranked Tar Heels' opener against No. 21 LSU in Atlanta on Saturday amid an ongoing NCAA investigation.The school said Friday that six players - defensive ends Robert Quinn and Michael McAdoo,
Bruins sign Wyatt Smith >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins have signed forward Wyatt
Smith to a one-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Smith spent last year with Pittsburgh's American Hockey League affiliate in
Wi
North Carolina to keep 12 players out of Saturday's opener >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of North Carolina has
declared six players ineligible for Saturday's game against LSU for violations
of school or NCAA rules and will keep six others out of the season-opener
while t
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Dublin, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nationwide Insurance will become the presenting
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The company has committed to sponsor Jack Nicklaus' popular tournament, held
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Zito hopes to get on track at Chavez Ravine >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The door has been left open for the Giants to make a run at
the National League West title. That means now would be a good time for Barry
Zito to get back on track.
The struggling former Cy Young Award winner will try to s
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
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