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12/24/2006 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Pittman ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers battered Cleveland, 22-7.
Derrick Brooks returned an interception for a touchdown for the Buccaneers (4-11), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Tim Rattay, making his first start of the season, went 16-for-26 with 212 yards and was picked off once for Tampa Bay, which secured its first road win since winning at Carolina, December 11, 2005.
Derek Anderson had a tough day as he went 10-for-27 with just 123 yards and was intercepted four times for Cleveland. Reuben Droughns carried the ball 19 times for 92 yards for the Browns (4-11), who have dropped their last three games.
After stopping the Browns on their first possession, the Buccaneers marched the ball down the field and capped off a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ate up over six minutes of the clock with a 23-yard field goal by Matt Bryant for a 3-0 lead with 7:05 left in the first quarter.
Tampa Bay threatened on its first drive of the second quarter when the team got the ball deep in Cleveland territory, but with the ball at the nine-yard line on a 4th-and-1, Mike Alstott was stuffed for no gain and Cleveland got the ball back.
However, Jermaine Phillips picked off a pass by Anderson and six plays later Bryant punched a 24-yard field goal through the uprights for a 6-0 lead with 6:18 left in the first half.
The Buccaneers scored on their first possession of the second half when Pittman took the ball around the right end and into the end zone from 11 yards out to complete a nine-play, 74-yard drive less than six minutes in. The extra point attempt was blocked and Tampa Bay led 12-0.
The Browns almost got on the scoreboard on their next possession, but a 31- yard field goal attempt by Phil Dawson was blocked by Jeb Terry.
After stopping Tampa Bay on its next possession Cleveland got the ball back, but a pass by Anderson was picked off by Brooks and he rumbled into the end zone from 21 yards out for a 19-0 lead 48 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Cleveland finally got on the scoreboard, but not with its offense as Kamerion Wimbley sacked Rattay, who coughed the ball up and Daven Holly grabbed it and took it into the end zone from 40 yards out to make it a 19-7 game with 11:33 to play.
A 37-yard field goal by Bryant with 5:46 to play capped the scoring.
Game Notes
Tampa Bay hosts Seattle next Sunday and Cleveland travels to Houston to wrap up the season...Tampa Bay outgained Cleveland, 355-187...Alstott finished the game with 22 carries for 56 yards...Tampa Bay held the ball for 37:16 while Cleveland only had the ball for 22:44...Phillips had two interceptions in the game.
<< Holiday Cheer for Brewers: Suppan signed
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers bolstered their
rotation by coming to terms with free agent Jeff Suppan on a four-year deal
with a club option for a fifth season. The contract is pending completion of a
physica
<< Browns lifts Texans past Colts for first time in franchise history
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Dayne rushed for a career-high 153 yards
and scored two touchdowns, and Kris Brown booted a 48-yard field goal as time
expired, as Houston stunned Indianapolis with a 27-24 victory, the first win
in 10 a
<< Strahan back on the field for New York
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Giants defensive end Michael
Strahan returned to the lineup on Sunday against the Saints after missing the
last six games with a sprained foot ligament.
Strahan hasn't played since injurin
<< Springs breaks shoulder blade
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins defensive back Shawn
Springs broke a shoulder blade in the first quarter of Sunday's game against
St. Louis.
Springs had surgery to repair a minor tear in his abdominal muscle earli
New England clinches AFC East with win over Jacksonville >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Brady threw for 249 yards and a
touchdown as New England edged Jacksonville, 24-21, to win its fourth
consecutive AFC East title at Alltel Stadium.
Brady completed 28-of-39 passes for t
Young leads streaking Titans past Bills >>
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Vince Young threw for 183 yards and
two touchdowns, and also ran for 61 yards and a score, as Tennessee edged
Buffalo, 30-29, to keep its slim playoff hopes alive.
Young, who completed 13-of-20
Ravens stop Steelers, vault into No. 2 seed in AFC >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve McNair threw three touchdowns as
Baltimore moved in to the second seed in the AFC with a 31-7 shellacking
of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.
McNair went 21-of-31 with 256 yards a
Saints move closer to bye with win over Giants >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reggie Bush rushed for a career-high
126 yards with a score, as New Orleans moved one step closer to a first-round
bye after a 30-7 win over the fading New York Giants.
Bush recorded the first 100-y
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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