49ers sign QB Troy Smith
Football Betting Lines
09/06/2010 -
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers signed Heisman
Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith on Monday, while releasing QB Nate
Davis.
Smith started two games with Baltimore during his rookie year of 2007, but had
exclusively backed up Joe Flacco the past two years. Smith has appeared in 14
games (2 starts) during his three-year career and has completed 48-of-89 pass
attempts for 558 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He has also
compiled 109 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 29 carries.
<< Wyoming football player killed, three injured in crash
Laramie, WY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wyoming freshman linebacker Ruben Narcisse was
killed and three other football players from the Cowboys were hurt during a
single-vehicle wreck early Monday morning.
Colorado State Patrol stated four playe
<< Hoffman jumps to 51st in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charley Hoffman fired a nine-under 62 on
Monday to come from behind and win the Deutsche Bank Championship.
With the victory, Hoffman soared 81 places to No. 51 in the latest world golf
rankings.
Tig
<< Wozniacki downs Sharapova; Kuznetsova exits the Open
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded 2009 runner-up Caroline
Wozniacki upended former champion Maria Sharapova in straight sets Monday to
advance at the U.S. Open.
Another champion also lost on Monday, as Svetlana Kuz
<< This Week in Golf - September 9th through September 12th
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - BMW CHAMPIONSHIP, Cog Hill Golf
& Country Club, Lemont, Illinois - The BMW Championship marks the third round
of the PGA Tour playoffs, reserved for the top 70 players in the FedExCup
sta
<< Jimenez wins 18th as Rockies double-up Reds
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Tulowitzki hit the go-ahead home run and
Ubaldo Jimenez finally picked up his long-awaited 18th win of the season as
Colorado outlasted Cincinnati, 10-5, to begin a crucial four-game series at
Coors F
Calgary stampedes Eskimos >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henry Burris threw three touchdowns and Calgary
rolled to a sixth straight win by forcing six Eskimos turnovers en route to a
a 52-5 rout in the annual Labour Day Classic.
Burris finished with 226 yards and an
Phillies split DH with Marlins; pull within half-game of Braves >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Utley and Placido Polanco each had
two hits and two RBI, and Roy Oswalt won his fifth straight decision as the
Phillies downed the Marlins, 7-4, to close out a day-night doubleheader and
inch cl
Red Sox crush wild card-leading Rays >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Ryan Kalish belted his second grand slam
and David Ortiz also went deep, as the Red Sox blasted Tampa Bay, 12-5, in the
opener of a big three-game set at Fenway Park.
With this being the final series fo
Late rally lifts Boise State over VaTech >>
Landover, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kellen Moore's 13-yard touchdown pass to
Austin Pettis with 1:09 remaining in the game provided third-ranked Boise
State with a thrilling 33-30 win over No. 10 Virginia Tech in an action-packed
season-
Federer gains quarterfinal berth, rematch with Soderling >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer continued to roll at the
U.S. Open on Monday, this time scoring a straight-set victory over Austrian
Jurgen Melzer to reach the quarterfinals.
The second-seeded Federer earned a 6-3
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
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Big East Conference odds
Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
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