Birmingham, AL plays host to the Compass Bowl on January 7th with the Pitt Panthers facing the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Panthers come in following the one-year Todd Graham experiment at head coach. After taking the head coaching job at Arizona State, Graham resigned his post on December 14th. Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson will put on the headset for the Panthers in this clash of titans. SMU comes into play with the threat of the “Death Penalty” passed on in the 1980′s still being talked about today. Former Nfl and Hawaii coach June Jones is now in his fourth year on the side lines of SMU. The betting line has this established at Pittsburgh (-3) with an over-under of 47 points.
Online sports betting
Pittsburgh comes into play with a 6-6 record along with a 4-3 record in the Big East. Winning against #16 South Florida 44-17 on September 29th, they have had one competition against a rated adversary. Pittsburgh’s defense gives up 22.4 points per game, while their offense puts up 25.8 points per game. Junior Qb Tino Sunseri comes into the competition with 2,433 passing yards plus a passer rating of 124.8. Junior RB Ray Graham has totalled 958 rushing yards and 9 Touchdowns to date this year. Sophomore WR Devin Street is Sunseri’s favorite target catching 48 receptions with 2 Touchdowns. Junior WR Mike Shanahan is an excellent 2nd target with 35 receptions and 4 Touchdowns.
College football betting
SMU will come in the match with a 7-5 record plus a 5-3 record in Conference USA. They have gone 1-2 against rated competitors this year, winning over #20 TCU and losing to #8 Texas A&M and #11 Houston. The SMU Mustangs offense averages 25.7 points per game while giving up 24.5 points per game on defense. Counting on the run-and-shoot offense to put up major statistics in offense, June Jones has traditional had pass-heavy squads in the past. This SMU Mustangs squad this year has a 1,000 yard rusher, a rarity in the Jones’ technique. Senior Qb J.J. McDermott with 3,182 passing yards and 16 touchdowns steadies the passing game. Junior RB Zach Line has had an excellent year with 1,224 rushing yards and 17 Touchdowns. Junior WR Darius Johnson with 72 catches and 998 receiving yards and senior WR Cole Beasley with 79 catches and 954 receiving yards steady the SMU Mustangs receivers.
Archive for the ‘Football’ Category
The Steelers are matched up versus the Denver broncos in the nfl post-season. The Denver broncos concluded up with an 8-8 record narrowly claiming champions of the AFC West, whilst the Steelers finished as a wild card with an impressive record of 12-4 in the AFC North division. The Pittsburgh steelers will be visiting Denver to face off versus them at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
NFL odds
Denver has liked some success this year and a huge amount of media hype surrounding qb Tim Tebow after he took over the starting position with the departure of Kyle Orton. They were able to find some interesting comeback victories as his play as well as their solid defense has held them in contention in several competitions this year.
College football odds
Tebow must have confidence and stay calm under stress to advance in the playoffs and maybe cement himself as the team qb for the Denver Broncos. Former Denver Broncos qb and current VP of operations John Elway has presented Tim Tebow some words of support for the approaching game. If the Denver Broncos find themselves falling behind early in this playoff match up, then it’ll be quite tough to turn it around versus the solid defense of the Steelers. Both squads will rely on their defense to keep themselves in the game and offer their offense a chance to step up and perform. Pittsburgh steelers qb Ben Roethlisberger has excelled this year and looks to continue that success in the first round of the playoffs. Also watch for running back Isaac Redman to step up as Rashard Mendenhall is looking after a knee injury.
Tthe Pittsburgh steelers are scheduled as 8 point favorites to advance in the playoffs, probably due to the fact he Denver broncos aren’t going to have an effortless time versus the powerhouse Steelers. The over/under on overall points in this game is 35.5.
It all comes down to this as the #1 ranked LSU Tigers take on the #2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the BCS National Championship Game at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA on January 9th. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is no stranger to this match, winning the national championship in 2009 and also winning it with LSU as a head coach in 2003. LSU head coach Les Miles is also no stranger at this instant as he’s won the national championship in 2007. 2 great squads and head coaches clashing on a collision course in what is sure to be an awesome game. The oddsmakers currently have this at Alabama (-1) with the over-under set at 40 points.
ONline sports betting
The LSU Tigers come into play undefeated at 13-0 with an 8-0 record in the SEC. They have also gone an incredible 8-0 against ranked squads with wins over number three Oregon, #25 Mississippi State, #16 West Virginia, #17 Florida, #20 Auburn, #2 Alabama, #3 Arkansas, and #14 Georgia. This game is a rematch of the classic November fifth game at Alabama with the LSU Tigers winning in overtime over the Tide 9-6. The LSU Tigers have an awesome offense ranked 12th in the nation with 38.5 points per game landed. LSU’s true weapon is their defense which is ranked 2nd in the nation with simply 10.5 points per game permitted. Senior Quarterback Jarrett Lee with 1,306 passing yards as well as a 152.0 rating mans the LSU Tigers passing attack. With each tabulating over 700 yards on the ground, the team of sophomores Michael Ford and Spencer Ware pace the LSU running attack. CB Tyrann Mathieu finished fifth in the Heisman race while nabbing 6 picks and gaining 173 yards off of those picks which rank first in the nation.
NFL odds
The Crimson Tide come into this match trying to avenge their loss to LSU back in November. The Tide has gone 11-1 in total with a 7-1 record in the SEC. They have gone 4-1 against the Top 25 this year with wins over #23 Penn State, #14 Arkansas, #12 Florida, and #24 Auburn. Their simply loss was the aforementioned game against LSU in November. The Tide has averaged 36.0 points per game on offense with a stellar running game. As great as LSU is on defense, the Tide are even greater at it ranking first in the nation simply allowing a mindboggling 8.8 points per game. The Tide place the offense in sophomore Quarterback AJ McCarron’s hands, McCarron has 2,400 passing yards and a 149.8 passer rating. Junior RB Trent Richardson finished 2nd in the Heisman whilst gaining 1,583 rushing yards and 20 td’s on the ground.
With regards to scheduling, maybe the Lions just are unlucky. 1st, they finish their regular season against their division foe Green Bay Packers, who furthermore possess the league’s best record. They then follow that up by drawing the New orleans saints in the first round of the playoffs.
NFL betting
The Jan 7 – Lions against New orleans saints game will be the 2nd meeting of the 2 teams this season. New Orleans won the first game in New Orleans 31-17. New Orleans is a 10.5 point fave to defeat Detroit this week, and this is perhaps part of the reason.
Sports betting
The other is that New Orleans is on a roll. They’ve won 8 games consecutively arriving into this week’s competition with Detroit, defeating three other playoff teams throughout that stretch. After kicking an enemy competitor with his cleats, defensive celebrity Ndamukong Suh was suspended for 2 games, but Detroit managed to pull things together. Simply losing a tight game to 15-1 Green Bay, they won 3 from their last 4 games of the season. When they last played New Orleans, they were lacking Suh, and Detroit is hoping the return of his existence to the defensive line is going to be the change they need to stop Drew Brees and the potent New Orleans offense.
Regrettably for Detroit, that New Orleans offense has been on fire for the 2nd half of the season. They’ve obtained more than 40 points in their last three games, and gone over 40 in 4 of their last 6. They’re 8-0 in their home stadium this season and earlier this year in New Orleans they slipped 62 points on Indianapolis.
Detroit has struggled this year against higher quality competition, going 1-5 against playoff teams (just defeating Denver). Their offense has the opportunity to be high-flying, and so it will be up to their defense to keep them in this game. If Suh is likely to atone for his two-game suspension, now is the time.
The Falcons hope that slipping into the playoffs undetected in 2012 will grant them better results, after finishing with the best record in the league last year, and getting dismissed in the 1st round by the Packers. Atlanta concluded 10-6 this year, earning them a 1st round wild-card game with the NFC East winning Giants (9-7).
College football betting
For the Jan 8 – Atlanta Falcons vs Giants game, nevertheless, New York appears to have the momentum proceeding into the playoffs. Oddsmakers have identified this, and made New York a 3-point fave. This is maybe a astonishing position for a squad that lost 4 contests back to back in November-December. The Giants had to count on colossal mistakes by their division foe Cowboys to grant them an possibility to get to the playoffs. A win over Dallas in week 17 guaranteed them the division championship.
NFL odds
New York competitors might contend that their losing streak this year came when starting running back Ahmad Bradshaw was hurt. Which is a valid argument, as 3 of 4 losses in that streak came while Bradshaw was on the sideline. Now that he is back the Giants have looked like a different squad, winning two must-win contests back to back over challenging contest (Jets and Dallas).
Atlanta has had trouble all year versus winning squads, though Atlanta won 3 of their last 4 contests coming into the playoffs. Atlanta is only 2-4 versus squads that concluded over .500. Only two weeks ago, they were completely destroyed by the Saints, 45-16.
Both squads are led by quality qbs, the Giants by Eli Manning and the Atlanta Falcons by Matt Ryan. The change in this match, nevertheless, could be in qb stress. The Giants defensive line can get to the qb, and documented 48 sacks this year, great for 3rd in the league. The game will be dependant on how well Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons offensive line can endure the stress of the Giants’ defensive front.
The Cincinnati Bengals will be facing off vs the Houston Texans in pro football playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals will travel to Reliant Stadium in Houston for the match up. Cincinnati concluded their season with a record of 9-7 and reached the playoffs this season as a wild card in the AFC North division. Houston concluded with a record of 10-6 and came out ahead as the top squad in the AFC South this season.
Gambling online
Both squads have still had their fair share of struggles this season with the Cincinnati Bengals losing every single game vs playoff caliber squads and the Houston Texans having significant injuries to qbs Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. Both qbs were lost for the season with their injuries and rookie T.J. Yates has gotten control. Houston has additionally viewed major injuries to linebacker Mario Williams and also wide receiver Andre Johnson. The 2 squads have already faced one another during the regular season and the Houston Texans made a last effort comeback attempt with a game winning touchdown pass caught by wide receiver Kevin Walters with just a few seconds left on the clock.
College football betting
The Cincinnati Bengals extraordinary run game with running backs Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott has been what’s worked for them this year, so they’re going to need to try and stay with that. If they are able to achieve this they may have the edge and at last defeat a playoff squad and move forward past the first round for the first time in only over 20 years.
This will be a near one and might boil down to the wire yet again. In spite of a number of injuries to several essential celebrity competitors, the Houston Texans are slight favorites. The over/under for total in total points for this particular game is 38. The line is established with the Houston Texans as 3 point favorites at their home turf to the long shot Cincinnati Bengals.
The Seattle Seahawks (7-8) will be going to challenge the Arizona Cardinals (7-8) in an NFC West divisional match. There is a little bit of incentive that a victory will give either squad a winning record even though each respective squad has fallen just shy of playoff competition this season as they were looking for a wild card location. Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has yet to lose a game versus the Arizona Cardinals in his stint, but Arizona qb Kevin Kolb may come back and start for his squad after recovering from a concussion.
College football betting
Arizona will have to stop the strong run game from the Seattle Seahawks with leading rusher Marshawn Lynch looking to continue to add to his impressive career high of 1,118 yards. Lynch has also scored a td in a squad record 11 matches.
College football betting
Both teams are preparing as if this were any other game and would appreciate to finish strong with a winning record. They both have prospective bright gambling odds ahead with several competitors being acquired to the Pro Bowl lineup including Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and defensive competitors Adrian Wilson and Patrick Peterson. Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas was also picked for the Pro Bowl squad and all these leading competitors ought to be participating in this final battle with the exemption of Peterson who is questionable with an injury to his left Achilles’ tendon. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch most likely feels he should have been chosen for the Pro Bowl honors also and after being left out probably will need to demonstrate why he really does belong there.
This match will be an appealing one to see who is able to end on a quality note and assert a winning record for the 2011 season. The Arizona Cardinals are a favorite over the longshot Seattle Seahawks with a spread of -3. The over/under for total points in this match is 40.5.
This game between the Steelers and the Cleveland Browns will offer two squads who have different goals for the last two contests of the season. The Pittsburgh steelers are presently in the playoff contest and are just only getting set for the playoffs. The Cleveland browns on the flip side have had a very bad season and are only trying to salvage their season with a few more victories. Both squads however will be competing hard despite the difference in their records. If both squads play hard, it’ll be a very close game.
College football odds
The Pittsburgh steelers are presently 11-4 and have only come off a big win vs the St. Louis Rams. The Pittsburgh steelers defeat the Rams 27-0 and exhibited amazing defense while the Cleveland browns have lost 5 consecutive contests. The Cleveland browns last game vs the Ravens demonstrated just how hard it is for the Cleveland browns to score and they’re certainly going to have a tough time with the Pittsburgh steelers defense. Nevertheless, a good chunk of the game will rest on the squad’s stars and how they are going to play under stress. Watch for both squads finish with a flurry since the regular season is nearly done.
College football odds
The Pittsburgh steelers are focusing on Big Ben to drive the team for huge passes that will lead to numerous touchdowns while the Cleveland browns will hope that Hardesty will control the ground game. The Cleveland browns however will need to come together as a unit to manage to wipe out the Pittsburgh steelers as the expertise is certainly on Pittsburgh’s side. Both squads will look to play hard and keep it a small scoring game but watch for a dominating performance by Big Ben and the Pittsburgh steelers. The Cleveland browns will only have a chance if the Pittsburgh steelers completely break down offensively but this is highly uncertain.
The Philadelphia Eagles (7-8) are going to visit the Washington Redskins (5-10) in an NFC East divisional game in their final game. Both squads are at the bottom of the division standings and have been removed from playoff competition this season. Philadelphia had a lot of media buzz prior to the start of the season being branded the dream team with their impact in the free agent market.
College football betting
Nevertheless, they haven’t quite lived up to the particularly high anticipations and have had their fair share of struggles this season with injuries to essential competitors such as quarterback Michael Vick. They still have something to play for as Eagles head coach Andy Reid is potentially on the hot seat for remaining the squad’s coach next season.
College football odds
Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu is questionable to play one time again with an injury to his toe. Their absence of depth at the running game combined with their vulnerable offensive line will be tough to triumph over with essential Eagles defensive competitors doing well such as defensive ends Jason Babin and Trent Cole. It will likely be up to Washington Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman to have an awesome passing game for them to have any type of chance. The Eagles are averaging around 400 yards on offense per game and you can expect them to do just as well with the team of a healthy Michael Vick at quarterback and running back LeSean McCoy. Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel isn’t likely to play with a hamstring injury.
Even with both squads not earning a playoff place for the 2011 season, they still would like to end on a good note and come out at the top for the final game of the year. The Philadelphia Eagles are favorites in this particular game to the underdog Washington Redskins with a line of -9. The over/under for points is at 46.5.
Week 17 of pro football Season is often full of trap competitions. The match between the Lions and Green Bay Packers in Green Bay is one such game.
Online gambling
The Lions have had a renaissance year. Not only do they have a winning record, yet they have already qualified for the postseason with a win over the Chargers this last week. Having stated all that, nonetheless, the Lions pale in contrast to the Green bay packers who are 14-1 and already defeat the Lions 27-15 in Detroit earlier in the year. One has to wonder why sportsbooks are making the Lions a 3 point favorite in the game despite the fact that everything says this should be a Green bay packers win. The answer is…
Football odds
The Green bay packers come into this game with the seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The Green bay packers have nothing to play for since win or lose, they will be the seed. With all this, all indications are the squad will rest key competitors on its offense and defense. For example, stud qb Aaron Rodgers may play only the 1st quarter. This is specifically true as the squad tries to get rest for its struggling offensive line. Overall, the Green bay packers look to be all set to sleepwalk through this game.
The Lions are taking a different approach. Despite the fact that the squad has qualified for one of the two wild cards in the division, it is now seeking to get the highest seed [5th] possible. The edge of this higher seed means the Lions would play a less strong choice of division champions depending on the end result of the other competitions in week 17. That could be the distinction between being one and done in the playoffs or making a deep run. The Lions will be hugely motivated for this game all in all.
