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.

Soccerventureclub NCAA Football Betting News

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

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