Bowl Season Best Bets - Part I

NCAA Football Betting Lines

12/22/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The bowl season is underway with three games already in the books, and the underdog has come out on top in two of the three. The favorites held a slight advantage the last two postseasons at 34-32 (52%) but the dogs won at a 57% clip the prior two years.

Could this season see a reversal of form? There are still 30 games left before the BCS Championship Game, so only time will tell.

Either way, let's move forward with this upcoming week's best bets, beginning with Wednesday's Poinsettia Bowl.

California and Utah meet for the seventh time ,with the Golden Bears leading the series four games to two. However, look for Utah to close the gap by one with a win in San Diego.

The Utes have been victorious in eight straight bowl games, including an impressive 6-2 ATS mark. In fact, they are 4-3 SU and 6-1 ATS career-wise in postseason play when getting points. They didn't have as solid a year in '09 as last season's undefeated campaign, but 9-3 with losses to Oregon, TCU and BYU is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Utah lost by only a touchdown to the Ducks, a team that blew out California by 39 points. In that game, the Utes held Jeremiah Masoli to 4-of-16 passing for just 95 yards, just one example of how dominant their pass defense has been in '09 as they finished sixth nationally, holding opposing quarterbacks to a 50.1% completion percentage.

The defense also held Max Hall to 134 yards threw the air on 12-of-32 passing in a three-point overtime loss in Provo. The only other defeat was a 55-28 loss at TCU, but the Utes can take some solace in the fact they scored the most points against a Horned Frogs defense since September 2008, a span of 18 games.

California comes into this contest at 8-4, including a 2-2 mark in its final four games. The two wins came over Arizona (a game the Golden Bears led by only two points with less than two minutes remaining) and Stanford.

The win over the Cardinal is not as impressive as it sounds, considering Jim Harbaugh's club was coming off a very emotional triumph over USC the week before and was due for a letdown.

The Bears defense has been shaky all season long, allowing 24.5 points-per- game. In addition, the unit gave up 117 points in the final four contests. After finishing the '08 season tops in the Pac-10 in defensive quarterback completion percentage at 50%, the secondary was abused in '09 allowing 63%, good for eighth best in the league.

Take Utah plus the points.

The following evening, SMU hooks up with Nevada in a matchup featuring the highest point-spread differential of all 34 bowl games.

The Wolf Pack was favored by over two touchdowns last week but the line has since dropped to 12.5 after leading rusher Vai Taua was declared academically ineligible. Taua's loss wouldn't be quite so dramatic if Luke Lippincott was available, but the other running back to pick up 1,000 yards will also miss the contest due to a toe injury.

The Nevada rushing attack that led the country in yards-per-game and yards-per- carry will now be without two of the team's three 1,000-yard rushers.

On the other side of the ball, the Wolf Pack ranked 119th nationally in pass defense allowing 31 passing touchdowns, the highest number in the entire country. SMU owns a 55%-45% pass-run ratio so look for the Mustangs to exploit the 'Pack's major weakness.

SMU's June Jones is very familiar with the state of Hawaii as he was the Warriors head coach for nine years. He never lost to Nevada when coaching Hawaii (4-0), while the Wolf Pack is 1-5 in its last six trips to Honolulu. In addition, Chris Ault's squad is 0-3 in its last three bowl games, and the 'Pack has never won a bowl game by more than seven points in school history.

Take SMU plus the points.

The final top play of the early going has Temple taking on UCLA.

It's been a storybook season for Al Golden and the Temple Owls as they reached the postseason for the first time in 30 years. However, they had one of the easiest schedules in the entire country with just four of the 12 games against teams with winning records.

The Owls went 1-3 in those games with the lone win coming vs. a Navy team that played the majority of the contest without its starting quarterback. Moreover, Temple needed a late touchdown by freshman running back Bernard Pierce to even pick up the victory.

UCLA improved by two games from last season's 4-8 record but if Army had upset Navy a couple of weeks back, the Bruins would be home this postseason. Still, even with the disappointing 6-6 mark, Rick Neuheisel's club will not be taking this game lightly since they are able to play another game, something the team did not accomplish last year.

Both Temple quarterbacks - Chester Stewart and Vaughn Charlton - finished the regular season completing fewer than 50% of their passes and that came against questionable competition. Imagine what will happen when they face a UCLA secondary loaded with the likes of Alterraun Verner and Rahim Moore. Needless to say, it won't be pretty.

Look for the Bruins to take it to Temple early and often as they win this one by at least a touchdown.

Go with UCLA minus the points.

Wwwgamblink NCAA Football Betting News

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MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds

With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.

Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season.  Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money. 

This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy.  A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.

Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:

Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame)
Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma)
Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State)
Michael Bush (RB, Louisville)
Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia)
Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
Chris Leak (QB, Florida)
Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State)
Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame)
Drew Tate (QB, Iowa)
Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal)
Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn)
Chad Henne (QB, Michigan)
Kyle Wright (QB, Miami)
Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State)
Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama)
JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU)
Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State)
Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina)
Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech)		 5-2
7-2
7-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
18-1
18-1
20-1
30-1
35-1
35-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1

For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.