College football is finally upon us. It’s that crisp time of year when saturdays become even holier, Lee Corso gets more obnoxious, and sales of Keystone Light go through the roof. I wait for this time every year, and tonight it kicks off when the South Carolina Gamecocks face Southern Miss at 7:30.
I’ve always liked the Gamecocks. Maybe it’s their mascot, maybe it’s the t-shirts that just say “Cocks,” or maybe its their perennial enigmatic status in college football. USC (yes, I will always call them USC over their Southern Cal counterparts. Plus, only one is postseason eligible this year. Ha) has consistently had the coaching, the facilities, and alumni support, and the athletes (including a far more than average number of NFL picks) to field great teams, yet never have been able to. It’s always “next year” and that year never seems to come. Their last (and only) 10 win season came in 1984. They’re consistently about .500, always coming close to greatness but always dropping the ball in the second half of the season or losing a few games they shouldn’t even when they win games they also shouldn’t. They’ve been known to reach high rankings only to falter. Steve Spurrier has been at the helm for 5 years, and has put together a string of mediocre barely-bowl eligible seasons. By no means a disgrace, but also now what they Gamecock faithful had in mind when he rolled into town. But, depsite the mediocrity, his 35 wins are the best in any 5 year span in their history. And before him it was Lou Holtz and others who just couldn’t get the Cocks over the hump despite having all the tools in place.
This year looks to be no different. Once again, the tools are there, and it’s up to Spurrier and the Gamecocks to make something of it. I think the ‘ole ball coach will leave quietly if they can’t get their crap together in 2010.
To start, they have a veteran quarterback behind center in Stephen Garcia. Garcia is a screw-up off the field, getting arrested twice in his first month or so ever being on campus as a freshman, but he’s a gunslinger who loves to throw and fits well into Spurriers cock ‘n fire (or fun ‘n gun or whatever) offense. This year, he’s also throwing to a talented group of receivers and has a star recruit running back in Marcus Lattimore who should breakout to be a game changer. On defense their secondary is one of the tops in the country with senior Chris Culliver and sophmore Stephon Gilmore and defensive end Cliff Matthews is a beast who’s name you should know before too long. Their only glaring weakness is the offensive line, which allowed 39 sacks in ’08 and 37 in ’09. Without protection, Spurriers offense and Garcia’s arm are rendered useless. But they’ve brought in a new O-line coach and have 4 returning starters, so we’ll see if they can improve.
As I said, I like the Cocks, and if there was a year to be “next year” for them, its this one. Florida is finally sort-of rebuilding and Tennessee and Georgia are up in the air, so there’s never been a better time for South Carolina to make a statement in their conference. There schedules no piece of cake, with Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Auburn, and Clemson among others, but this is SEC football and the Cocks have managed to steal games before, now they just need to make sure they win all the games they’re supposed to.
I’m not sure what to predict. On paper, I think a 10 win season isn’t totally out of the cards, but then I’ve said that before and been burned by these guys. The pieces are in place, the alumni are as faithful and excited as ever, and it’s time for Spurrier to get over the hump or get out. I think realistically they win 9 games, but the season will tell us if they can finally get to the top or if the enigma will continue. I just think its about time they get another banner for Williams Brice Stadium besides the 1969 ACC Championship.
NCAA FOOTBALL SET TO FOR SEASON AFTER WILD AND WEIRD OFFSEASON – FANS PONDER BCS POTENTIAL
NEW YORK, NY – After an off-season that had its share of antics and controversy college football fans and a players alike are ready for the season to start. With speculation at an all time high and fans looking for answers, the largest most successful sportsbook on the web, BetUS.com posted odds on the BCS Championship.
Analysts at BetUS.com posted the following odds on the BCS Title:
NCAA : BCS National Championship
Alabama 17/4
Ohio State 6/1
Boise State 8/1
Oregon 25/1
Texas 14/1
Oklahoma 7/1
Nebraska 14/1
Florida 9/1
Penn State 25/1
Iowa 20/1
Miami Florida 20/1
TCU 20/1
LSU 25/1
Georgia 30/1
Oregon State 40/1
Arkansas 30/1
Wisconsin 40/1
Clemson 40/1
Pittsburgh 50/1
Florida State 50/1
Michigan 60/1
Missouri 60/1
Auburn 45/1
Georgia Tech 50/1
Tennessee 80/1
Washington 50/1
North Carolina 60/1
UCLA 60/1
Notre Dame 50/1
South Florida 80/1
Texas Tech 80/1
Cincinnati 100/1
Oklahoma State 100/1
West Virginia 80/1
Arizona 100/1
BYU 120/1
Baylor 150/1
California 100/1
Illinois 150/1
Michigan State 100/1
Mississippi 100/1
NC State 200/1
Northwestern 150/1
Rutgers 150/1
South Carolina 80/1
Stanford 120/1
Utah 100/1
Kansas State 120/1
Boston College 120/1
Virginia Tech 18/1
Houston 150/1
Connecticut 200/1
Navy 200/1
Kansas 200/1
Purdue 200/1
Wake Forest 200/1
Iowa State 250/1
Nevada 250/1
Southern Mississippi 250/1
Maryland 250/1
Vanderbilt 250/1
Fresno State 300/1
Air Force 300/1
Kentucky 300/1
Duke 300/1
Colorado 300/1
Minnesota 300/1
Virginia 300/1
Indiana 350/1
Syracuse 350/1
Central Florida 400/1
Louisville 400/1
Temple 500/1
SMU 500/1
Army 750/1
Hawaii 750/1
Ohio 750/1
Utah State 1000/1
UNLV 1000/1
Memphis 1000/1
HEISMAN HOPEFULS ALREADY HITTING THE AIRWAVES AS CAMPAIGNS START OFF THE FIELD – FANS WONDER WHO IS LEGIT
NEW YORK, NY – With college football in the air Heisman hopefuls have been taking to the airwaves in droves with interviews, hometown billboards and the like as their campaigns for NCAA football’s greatest individual honor begin before play starts. This being the case, and with fans looking for answers, the largest most successful sportsbook on the web, BetUS.com posted odds on all things Heisman.
Analysts at BetUS.com posted the following odds on the Heisman Trophy:
One of the leading sportsbooks as the Gators favored by 5.5 points with a total of 42.5.
Man, this SEC Championship match up between these two teams has been anticipated since before the first whistler blew this season. Both teams stayed undefeated to set up this stellar match up where the winner will be heading the BCS Championship game. The loser of this big game will still get a BCS game, likely the Sugar Bowl, but they will not be playing for the National Title.
Both Florida and Alabama have a great rushing offense, a great defense, and features a Heisman hopeful. The Gators have Tim Tebow, who has already won the award, and the Crimson Tide have RB Mark Ingram, who was the leading rusher in the SEC this season and even though he does have an injured hip he will play in this game.
Last week Florida beat in-state rival Florida State 37-10 and Alabama beat Auburn 26-21.
This season the Gators are 5-5-1 ATS and the total has gone Under in 7 of their last 10 games. The Crimson Tide are 7-5 ATS and are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against Florida.
The Gators have the 11th ranked offense in the nation and their strength is their rushing offense, which ranks 8th in the nation. Tebow not only leads the passing attack, but the rushing one as well since he is the leading rusher for the Gators this season (796 yds 13 TD). However, Tebow does not have to do it all in the backfield since RB Jeffery Demps (729 yds 7 TD) is also a legit rushing weapon. Even though the Gators only rank 64th in the nation in passing offense, Tebow can air it out and he has a couple of solid targets in Aaron Hernandez (51 rec 654 4 TD) and Riley Cooper (41 rec 703 yds 8 TD).
Alabama’s main concern is stopping the run and luckily for them that is their strength on defense, as they have the 2nd ranked rushing defense in the nation. If they can’t stop Tebow and Demps from picking up big yards on the ground in this game they will be in for a long game. The Tide have to stuff the run and make Tebow beat them through the air.
Alabama has the nation’s 40th ranked offense and the have to be able to run the ball in this game since their passing offense only ranks 93rd in the nation. Ingram (1,429 12 TD) is averaging 6.5 yards per carry this season and he will be counted on to move the chains in this game. QB Greg McElroy (2,211 yds 16 TD) is decent, but if the Tide rely on him for all the offense they will be in trouble.
Florida’s defense ranks #1 in the nation and they have the 8th ranked rushing defense.
Tide punt return man Javier Arenas is one of the best in the nation and if this game is a low scoring defensive battle his giving the Tide good field position will be very important.
My Pick: I think the experience of Florida in these types of games will be the difference. Tebow will be able to move the chains whether it is on the ground or through the air even though the Tide have such a solid defense. Ingram is banged up and will not be able to carry the offense. I see a low scoring and close game and the Tide will cover the spread the Gators will win and head to the National Championship.
Ohio Bobcats (9-3) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (10-2)
In the MAC Championship game this Friday night on ESPN2 the MAC East winners Ohio takes on the MAC West winners Central Michigan. While the Mid American Conference is not a BCS one and neither team will play in a BCS bowl game the winner of this game can greatly improve their bowl positioning while the loser will get a decent bowl at best.
At one of the leading sportsbooks Central Michigan is the big favorite in this game with a point spread of -13 with a total of 53.
This season the Bobcats are 7-4 ATS and the Chippewas are 9-2.
Both these teams ended the season well, as Ohio won their last 4 games while Central Michigan won their last 3.
It is not hard to see why Central Michigan are favored in this game, as they rank better than Ohio on both offense and defense.
The Chippewas have the nation’s 28th ranked offense and their offense is all about QB Dan LeFevour (2,788 yds 25 TD), as he not only leads the passing game, but the rushing game as well being the leading rusher for Central Michigan this season (650 yds 14 TD). To have any chance in this game Ohio will have to keep him from having a big game. That will not be easy since the Ohio defense only ranks 51st in the nation and they only rank 89th in the nation in sacks. The Chippewas’ offense has averaged 45 points in their 3-game winning streak.
If this game becomes a shootout Ohio will have a hard time winning this game, as they do not feature a high scoring offense.
The Ohio offense ranks 69th on offense and for them to win QB Theo Scott (2120 19 TD) and RB Chris Garrett (549 yds 2 TD) will both have to play well and pick up some yards. Scott does have a couple of legit targets in WR’s LaVon Brazill and Taylor Price, who are both averaging at least 13 yards per reception. These two will be counted on to make the big play downfield. The Central Michigan defense ranks 33rd in the nation and they played great down the stretch this season. However, they only had 20 sacks this season, which ranked 76th in the nation, so if the Bobcats’ offensive line can protect Scott and give him time to find his targets they have a chance to win this game.
The Bobcats are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games and they are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on the road. The Chippewas are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games and in 4 of their last 6 games the total has gone Under.
