Texas and Iowa State hook up in clash of undefeated Big 12 foes
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/28/2011 - Ames, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Big 12 Conference slate gets underway for a pair of undefeated teams this weekend, as the 17th-ranked Texas Longhorns come calling on the Iowa State Cyclones. Both teams were idle last week, giving them ample time to prepare for this matchup.
Texas is 3-0 on the young season, having disposed of Rice (34-9), BYU (17-16) and UCLA (49-20) in succession. It marks the fifth straight year and ninth time in the 14 years under coach Mack Brown that the Longhorns have opened the season with at least three consecutive wins. It is a great start for a team that had a disappointing 2010 campaign in which it went just 5-7 and won only two of its eight conference games. Unfortunately the fast start hasn't come without a price as starting QB Garrett Gilbert recently underwent surgery on his right shoulder and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Despite the team's impressive beginning, Brown knows his team still has work to do to make a run at the Big 12 title.
"Not a lot of people thought we'd be 3-0 at this point", Brown said after the UCLA game. "We played a tough non-conference schedule, but the 3-0 start is a statement of improvement. Now we'll have 7-10 days to get ready for Iowa State, which is good because we aren't nearly as good as we need to be."
Speaking of the Cyclones, they returned 16 starters from last year's team that went 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the Big 12, and they are perfect this season as well, having topped the likes of Northern Iowa (20-19), Iowa (44-41, triple- OT) and Connecticut (24-20), all in narrow fashion. The Cyclones are 3-0 for the first time since 2005, and their last 4-0 start was back in 2000.
Texas leads the all-time series, 7-1, but Iowa State picked up that lone win last year in Austin, defeating the Longhorns in a 28-21 final. UT was ranked at the time, marking the first road win for the Cyclones over a member of the Top-25 since beating Oklahoma in Norman back in 1990.
With Gilbert on the shelf, Case McCoy is the man entrusted with running the UT offense, and the brother of former Longhorn great Colt McCoy has the full confidence of his coaches and teammates. McCoy was an efficient 12-of-15 for 168 yards and two TDs in the Longhorns' 29-point win over UCLA the last time out. Tight end D.J. Grant proved to be his favorite target on the day, catching six balls for 77 yards and three TDs, although one of his scoring grabs came on five-yard toss from WR Jaxon Shipley in the third quarter. The Texas ground attack was also in top form, as Malcolm Brown rushed for 110 yards and a TD on 22 carries, and Fozzy Whitaker turned his eight totes into 63 yards and two scores. In all, the 'Horns churned out 284 yards on the ground, averaging nearly six yards per carry, and finished with 488 total yards, compared to just 317 for the Bruins.
In addition to limiting UCLA's yardage total, the 'Horns also proved to be an opportunistic bunch by coming up with four turnovers (three INTs, one fumble recovery). Safety Kenny Vaccaro and linebacker Emanuel Acho both logged double-digit tackles in the game, combining for 23 stops, three QB hurries and a sack. UCLA converted just three of its 13 third-down tries, the Longhorns allowing just 26 percent of all third-down conversion attempts to be successful this season. After three games, the UT defense is among the national leaders in yielding just 15 points and 258.7 total yards per contest.
Iowa State QB Steele Jantz has enjoyed a a solid season thus far, throwing for six TDs and running for two more in leading his team to its first 3-0 start in half a decade. Jantz, who also has six INTs to his credit, rallied his team from behind for the third time in as many games against UConn, throwing for 200 yards and a TD with three picks, and the bulk of his passing yards went to wide receiver Darius Reynolds, who finished with a career-high 128 yards on just four catches. Reynolds caught two TD passes for the second consecutive game, and the Cyclones won the game despite a slew of turnovers and being outgained narrowly (343-341).
Texas LB Jordan Hicks is keenly aware of what it will take to win this game, "Well, definitely stopping Steele Jantz. He's good at extending the play. We have to get after him a little bit and be able to contain him and stop him."
The Cyclones permitted UConn just 112 yards on 42 rush attempts (2.7 ypc), and they came away with three turnovers and a pair of sacks. In addition, the Huskies made good on only 5-of-17 third-down conversion attempts. The leading tackler for Iowa State is linebacker Jake Knott, who has shown a real nose for the football in averaging 11 tackles per game. He was on that number in the win at UConn, and Jeremy Reeves joined him in double figures with 10 stops. Both forced fumbles and broke up a pass as well.
So far this season, ISU is scoring just shy of 30 ppg, but yielding 26.7 ppg. The Cyclones have a done a decent job against the pass (206.3 ypg), but three sacks total and only four QB hurries means additional pressure up front would help lower that number for sure.
Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The UCLA Bruins will travel north this weekend for a Pac-12 battle with the sixth-ranked Stanford Cardinal, who are perfect on the year and are well rested following a bye last weekend. After struggling to get
<< Sun Devils battle Beavers in Tempe
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In desperate need of a win, the struggling Oregon
State Beavers will travel to Tempe to meet the 25th-ranked Arizona State Sun
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land, the LSU Tigers, will play host to the Kentucky Wildcats this weekend in
an SEC affair.
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Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of unbeaten Big 12 Conference clubs
will collide on Saturday afternoon, as the Kansas State Wildcats welcome the
15th-ranked Baylor Bears to Manhattan for the league opener.
Baylor, which has started 3
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Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eyes of the college football world will
be focused on Gainesville this weekend, as the 12th-ranked Florida Gators and
third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will duke it out in what promises to be a
tremendous
Boise, ID (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winners of 33 straight home games, the fourth- ranked Boise State Broncos try to keep that run going this weekend as they entertain the Nevada Wolf Pack in non-conference play at Bronco Stadium. Boise State, whic
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the 1992 campaign, the SMU Mustangs change gears this weekend as they take a
break from conference play to challenge local rival and 20th-ranked TCU for
the Iron Skil
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implications is on tap this weekend in Madison, as the seventh-ranked
Wisconsin Badgers play host to the eighth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Bo Pelini's Cornhuskers will get
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Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas A&M Aggies of the Big 12 Conference
and Arkansas Razorbacks of the SEC will clash this weekend at Cowboys Stadium
in Arlington, Texas.
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Land of Lincoln battle pits Wildcats against Illini >>
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Ten rivals will collide in Champaign on
Saturday, as the hometown Illinois Fighting Illinois, ranked 24th in the
nation, play host to the Northwestern Wildcats.
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NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.
Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
Ryder Cup Top US point scorer
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
Ryder Cup Top European scorer
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com