Steelers top Panthers in preseason finale, QB questions unresolved
Football Betting Lines
09/02/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dennis Dixon completed his only pass of the night for a 23-yard touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders in the second quarter the Steelers beat Carolina, 19-3, in the preseason finale for both teams.
Dixon, who accounted for the game's only touchdown, could begin the season as the starting quarterback for the Steelers. With Ben Roethlisberger due to begin his suspension, the Steelers could have gone with Byron Leftwich as the starter. However, Leftwich hurt his left knee during the second quarter Thursday and was taken to a local hospital for an MRI.
Leftwich completed an 18-yard pass to Sanders before being knocked to the ground with 10:25 left before halftime.
Jeff Reed kicked four field goals for the Steelers, who will open the regular season on September 12 with a home game against Atlanta.
Roethlisberger, who was suspended for six games for violating the league's personal conduct policy, is due to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell Friday. That's when Steelers president Art Rooney II will reportedly lobby Goodell for a reduction in the suspension to as little as three games.
In his last starting role for a while, Roethlisberger completed 4-of-6 passes for 39 yards.
Tony Pike connected on 10-of-18 throws for 44 yards, while Hunter Cantwell was 6-of-9 for 36 yards for Carolina, which will be on the road versus the New York Giants for its season opener.
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrelle Pryor threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, as second-ranked Ohio State blew out Marshall, 45-7, in the season opener for both teams. Pryor, coming off a sophomore season in which he led the Buckeyes
<< Blue Hens expect to be more than Devlin
Newark, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - OK, now, the Delaware offense consists of
quarterback Pat Devlin and, well, uh, um ...
Yes, the answers don't necessarily role off the tongue.
Don't be mistaken, however, UD will be much more than PD th
<< Hurricanes storm to big win in season-opener
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Junior quarterback Jacory Harris completed 12-
of-15 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns, as the 13th-ranked Miami-
Florida Hurricanes annihilated in-state foe Florida A&M, 45-0, in the season
ope
<< Red Sox edge Orioles to win series
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Ortiz drove in a pair of runs and
Adrian Beltre homered as Boston used an early burst of offense to
down Baltimore, 6-4, in the rubber match of a three-game set from Camden
Yards.
<< Ohio State rolls over Marshall in opener
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrelle Pryor threw for 247 yards and three
touchdowns, as second-ranked Ohio State blew out Marshall, 45-7, in the season
opener for both teams.
Pryor, coming off a sophomore season in which he led the B
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Brunell's 51-yard touchdown throw to Santonio Holmes shortly into the fourth quarter put the Jets in front, and New York held on for a 21-17 victory over the Eagles in the team's final preseason game.
Dawson's last-moment FG lifts Browns over Bears >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Dawson's 36-yard field goal in the final
seconds lifted Cleveland over Chicago, 13-10, in the final preseason tilt for
both clubs at Browns Stadium.
Colt McCoy took the majority of the snaps and finish
Rams top Ravens in preseason finale >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Thaddeus Lewis' 26-yard TD pass to
Brandon McRae in the fourth quarter helped the St. Louis Rams beat the
Baltimore Ravens, 27-21, in the preseason finale for both clubs.
Lewis completed 6
Chiefs edge Packers in preseason finale >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brodie Croyle completed 11-of-16 throws for
119 yards and Jackie Battle carried 10 times for 67 yards and a touchdown to
lead Kansas City to a 17-13 win over Green Bay to conclude the preseason for
both te
Utley GS caps nine-run seventh as Phils outslug Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Utley's grand slam to cap a nine-run
seventh inning proved to be just enough to hold off the pesky Rockies, as
Philadelphia hung on for a wild 12-11 win versus Colorado in a makeup game at
Coors F
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING
NCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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