BetOnline's Blog
Posted Thursday, December 10, 2009 03:05 PM
Sports betting players
have been anxiously waiting for bowl betting season to begin, and obviously,
the five BCS bowls will get a lot of attention. But there are a few non-BCS
bowls that are worth your betting money, and here they are:
Cotton Bowl (January 2, 2:00
PM ET) – Oklahoma State vs Ole Miss
Both
of these teams were ranked in the preseason top 10, but the Rebels are the
bigger disappointment after finishing 4-4 in the SEC. Oklahoma State’s aerial
attack suffered without receiver Dez Bryant, who was suspended by the NCAA,
while Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead may have to come back to help his draft
status. Ole Miss is a 3-point sports betting favorite, and they beat the
Cowboys 31-28 in this game in 2003.
Capital One Bowl (January 1,
1:00 PM ET) – Penn State vs LSU
The
Tigers should be in a BCS bowl, if not for some shoddy clock management in a
loss at Ole Miss. The Nittany Lions lost at home to Iowa and Ohio State, and a
win over the Hawkeyes probably would have them in the Orange Bowl instead of
Iowa. Penn State is a 3-point sports betting favorite in the first meeting for
these two programs, and both rank in the top 12 in scoring defense. The difference
in this ... [More]
Posted Thursday, December 03, 2009 03:35 PM
If you follow Florida Alabama lines or any other college
football action, you probably see a title like “Top bowl games” and scoff. Who
doesn’t know the big games? Well, actually, not everyone follows the BCS
system. Some football fans are too wrapped up in the NFL to keep track of the
college kids. But everyone still loves a good game. To be sure you watch the
best of the best, follow this list of football picks throughout the holidays.
5. FedEx
Orange Bowl – January 5, 2010
The ACC champ gets the automatic bid for the Orange
Bowl; this year, it will be the winner of Clemson and Georgia Tech. Both are
flawed teams coming off losses. Depending on whom the ACC winner draws, that
could yield an exciting game or a total dud.
4. Allstate
Sugar Bowl – January 1, 2010
The Sugar Bowl pits the SEC champ against an
at-large foe and, last year, produced a thrilling upset. Undefeated Utah
toppled big favorite Alabama 31-17. With No. 2 Alabama currently set to face
Florida for the SEC title, it may lose that battle for a BCS title game berth
and wind up back in the Sugar Bowl. Could histo... [More]
Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 09:58 AM
Everyone in the sportsbook world thinks that they know who the
participants in the BCS Championship Game will be: Texas, and the winner of the
possible Florida-Alabama showdown for the SEC crown. Who else could sneak in
through the back and overcome some major NCAA football odds?
Iowa (+1500)
The No.4 Hawkeyes are one of the biggest surprises of the
year, and they don’t win pretty: seven of their nine wins have been by 11
points or less. This could come back to bite the Hawkeyes, especially as the
Big Ten isn’t known as the power conference it once was (thanks for getting
blown out in two straight BCS title games, Ohio State). The Hawkeyes first have
to get past their visit to Ohio State next weekend, and then if they make it to
the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten champions, they’ll most likely have to blow out
their opponents for their NCAA football odds to be considered.
TCU (+2000)
The No.6 Horned Frogs, out of the Mountain West, should
thank Utah for making a fuss about the smaller conferences being left out of
the BCS title race after last year, and they’re powered by the No.1 defense in
the country. They beat Clemson and Virginia on the road, and they also went to
... [More]
Posted Thursday, October 08, 2009 03:29 PM
Everyone is paying attention to the Florida vs LSU lines, waiting to see how the
health of Gators’ star Tim Tebow affect the betting spread for this massive SEC
showdown that takes place on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, as known as Death
Valley. These two have won the last three national championships and four of
the last six overall. Here’s a look back at their last five meetings, three of
which was well worth the price per head for fans who went to the games.
1) Tigers get Swamped
– 2008
Last year’s matchup was a beating, as the then-No.11 Gators
racked up 265 rushing yards en route to a 51-21 mauling of the then-No.4 Tigers
in Gainesville at “The Swamp”. Jeff Demps had 129 yards on just 10 carries,
while Tebow had 210 passing yards and a pair of scores, along with a rushing
touchdown.
2) “The Greatest Game
Ever Played” – 2007
In the run-up to this game, LSU fans got Tebow’s phone
number and flooded him with calls the night before the game. When Tebow scored
in the second quarter, he made a telephone gesture to the LSU fans at Death
Valley. But the Tigers fought back from a 17-7 halftime deficit in this clash
of unranked teams, and LSU ra... [More]
Posted Thursday, October 01, 2009 02:47 PM
A team’s sportsbook odds are indirectly related to….its mascot.
Now before you laugh, you have to know that a good mascot fires up the crowd,
which fires up the team, and so on and so forth. It’s not essential, but it
doesn’t hurt, either. Here’s a look at the top five mascots in college sports
right, and you’ll find that they come in all shapes and sizes.
Stanford Tree
I dare you to look at the Stanford Tree and not laugh. But
watch out or he’ll turn on you, especially if you go to California. When the
Cardinal met their bitter rivals from Cal on the basketball court in 1995, the
Tree beat up Cal’s mascot, Oski. More recently, the Stanford Tree was found
guilty of public intoxication in February 2006, and the next month, the
replacement was kicked out of the NCAA Tournament. It may not boost their online betting
odds, but the Tree sure is entertaining.
Ramblin’ Wreck From
Georgia Tech
This is just cool because it’s a 1930 Ford Model A Sports
coupe that leads the Yellow Jackets out onto the field. Being “The Driver” of
the Ramblin’ Wreck is a massive honor that gets you noticed on the Georgia Tech
campus. The originals were owned by students, but the current vehicle was
donated in 1961 and is ... [More]
Posted Thursday, September 24, 2009 02:44 PM
Rivalries are at the heart of NCAA football betting season, and it’s so
big that ESPN’s “Rivalry Week” is two weeks long. The fact that most of these
rivalry games are played late in the season, thus having a possible effect on
the polls, makes it even larger.
Ohio
State-Michigan (“The Game”)
It doesn’t matter where they are in the rankings, this
is always one of the most anticipated games of the season. 2006 may have been
the best of their 105 meetings, as the No.1 Buckeyes edged the No.2 Wolverines
42-39 at the “Horseshoe” in Columbus. Last year’s 42-7 romp was Ohio State’s
fifth in a row over the Wolverines, who are much more improved now and will
look for redemption when the Buckeyes come to the “Big House” on November 21st.
Florida-Florida
State-Miami (“Florida Cup”)
This is up for debate, as Miami and Florida don’t meet
every year, but the Gators won the Cup by thrashing their state rivals to the
tune of a combined score of 71-18. All three are currently ranked in the top 25
right now, which hasn’t happened in a while. The Seminoles will be looking to
break a five-game losing streak when they head to Florida’s “Swamp” on November
28th, and they’ve already lost a thriller to the Hurricanes to kick
off the season. Still, ... [More]