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**jt4545** · 09-06-2010, 08:30 AM

Good luck bum and thanks as always my friend

**Kaptain** · 09-06-2010, 09:04 AM

gl today as always BUM........I like Navy and VT OVER myself.....give em hell today PODNA and enjoy your Labor Day

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 09:22 AM

Monday night clash of titans: Boise St. vs. Va. Tech

Boise State vs. Virginia Tech, Monday, 8:00 p.m. EDT Line: Boise State -3 Total: 51
The nation’s capital will host a pair of top-10 teams in a Monday night special featuring Boise State and Virginia Tech. Twenty starters return to a Boise team that is 26-1 over the past two seasons. Va Tech returns 12 starters total, but just four on defense. This game will be played at “neutral” FedEx Field in Washington, DC, which is whole lot closer to Blacksburg, VA, than it is to Boise, ID.
The Hokies lost three starters in the secondary which could be exploited by Broncos QB Kellen Moore. His 39 TD and just three INT last year marked the best ratio in NCAA history. Boise State averaged 42.2 PPG last season, which tied Houston for the most points per game in the nation. Moore’s supporting cast includes RB Jeremy Avery (1,151 rushing yards, six TD) and the WR tandem of Austin Pettis and Titus Young who combined for 142 catches and 24 touchdowns last season.

Virginia Tech is also strong on offense, led by QB Tyrod Taylor and the RB duo of Ryan Williams and Darren Evans. Williams was the ACC Freshman of the Year last season, rushing for 21 touchdowns. Evans earned the same honor in 2008 when he posted an ACC freshman record 1,265 yards. Evans missed last season with a torn ACL and was replaced by Williams who shattered this record by nearly 400 yards (1,655).

This FoxSheets trend shows that Boise usually delivers when oddsmakers deem the Broncos to be the favorite: BOISE ST is 69-39 ATS (+26.1 Units) as a favorite since 1992. The average score was BOISE ST 43.4, OPPONENT 18.9 - (Rating = 1*).

Granted, the majority of these contests were against WAC opponents, but Boise State has an underrated defense that plays well against the better opponents. In regards to head coach Chris Petersen who is entering his fifth season at the school, FoxSheets likes the under 51 total. Petersen is 6-0 UNDER (+6.0 Units) when the line is +3 to -3 as the coach of BOISE ST. The average score was BOISE ST 24.0, OPPONENT 19.3 - (Rating = 1*).

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 09:27 AM

Labor Day Showdown

While there has been plenty of quality of action in this opening week of the college football season, it’s just been an appetizer. The main course is happening on Labor Day at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland as Boise State takes on Virginia Tech.

This game is paramount for the third-ranked Broncos (highest ever ranking) as a win here gives them the easiest path to the BCS Championship Game. A win for Virginia Tech in this game lets Frank Beamer’s kids show that they are going to be a force once again in 2010.

The hype surrounding this game started back at the beginning of August when the Games of the Year Odds were released. Boise State was initially posted as a 2 ½-point favorite with a total of 51. The Broncos have held onto that favored status for all of August and the early part of September. However, the Hokies are getting some love from gambling public as they’re set up as 1 ½-point pups for this game. As far as totals players are concerned, you’re going to see the number sitting no lower than 50 at many betting shops.

Boise State comes into this game with arguably the most veteran squad in college football, returning 21 of 22 starters from a year ago. All they did last season was post a 14-0 mark for its second perfect season in the last four. They achieved that feat with a team that had an offense that was 10th in the nation in total offense (450.2 YPG) and the best scoring attack in the land (42.2 PPG) in 2009. The mastermind of this offense is head coach Chris Petersen, but the extension of his mind comes in the form of Kellen Moore.

Moore was second only to Tim Tebow last year in passing efficiency (161.7 rating) as he threw for 3,536 yards and 39 touchdowns. More important to Boise State’s success is that Moore was picked off just three times in 2009. And it doesn’t hurt that the Broncs have an offensive line that surrendered five sacks in all of ’09.

Virginia Tech comes into this game not exactly like they’re chopped liver. The Hokies are coming off of a 10-3 campaign that culminated in a 37-14 beatdown against Lane Kiffin and Tennessee in the Chik-fil-A Bowl. That win over the Vols gave V-Tech its sixth-straight 10-win season, all of which have come in the ACC.

The Hokies return Tyrod Taylor under center and that should help see blood pressure rise in Blacksburg. Taylor showed promise last year with 13 passing touchdowns. Yet you could see some of his questionable decision making come through at the end of the year with two interceptions in his final two starts of 2009. Plus, he was reluctant to drop the ball off, evidenced by his getting sacked 11 times in his last five games.

Taylor will get a lot more help this year with Darren Evans returning after sitting out last season with an injury. That will give Ryan Williams some help in the backfield after a Rookie of the Year 2009 campaign that saw him gain 1,655 yards on the ground with 21 scores.

One thing that you know expect of any Beamer-led team is a stout defense. That’s what the Hokies had last season as they gave up just 295.5 YPG to rank 12th nationally. There is some reason for concern in this game though as Virginia Tech is bringing back just four starters from that unit. Of course, the beauty of Frank Beamer’s crew is that much of it on the defensive side is plug-n-play.

So who’s got the edge in this game that’ll be on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. EDT?

Boise State has been almost automatic under Petersen’s tenure as a road favorite, going 20-1 straight up. However, they’re just 10-10-1 against the spread in that time. While that doesn’t sound great, keep in mind that the Broncos are 4-2 ATS in the last six in this situation.

Virginia Tech has not been a great team to back in season openers. Ask any gambler that has backed them and they’ll tell you the Hokies are 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS in their last three lid-lifters. The ‘over’ is 2-1 in that stretch.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 09:28 AM

Warning Shots, Red Flags

We’ve all heard the old saying "Snooze, or you lose" ever since our school days. But handicapping the college football card is no different. Especially since the season has kicked off; it’s time to start quick analysis of the proceedings. Within two weeks, most of the teams in the country will have already played one-quarter of their schedule. Yet we know of far too many handicappers who want to "wait and see" what develops in the campaign before formulating any solid opinions on the teams involved.

Wagering opportunities, however, are limited in college football. Once we get to October (which will come sooner than you think), most teams will have as many games remaining as baseball teams play in one week. In other words, don’t wait for the season to pass you by. The key as always will be knowing when to react and shade past developments, and when to anticipate any upcoming changes in form.

With that in mind, we believe we found out a few things after the first week of college action. Following are some of our observations, including some "winners" and "losers" from opening week action.

1) Big East, or Big Least? It’s not too soon to say that the Big East should probably not be getting any automatic BCS qualification this season. Not after three of the preseason favorites in the conference were defeated on the road in opening-week assignments. Of the losses suffered by Pitt, UConn, and Cincinnati, there might not have been a more difficult one for Big East partisans to swallow than the Bearcats’ meltdown at Fresno State. Up 14-0 and seemingly well in control in the second quarter, Cincy quickly lost its grip on the game, mostly because its offensive line could not protect QB Zach Collaros, whose decision making in the face of an unexpected siege from the Bulldog defensive line also left something to be desired. Cincy was physically beaten up by a defense that ranked 98th overall and 111th vs. the rush a year ago when allowing 6.2 ypc. Even conceding some upgrades to Pat Hill’s defense, it was a hugely disappointing night for Cincy and new HC Butch Jones, who will immediately be reminded by the folks at the local Gold Star Chili restaurant that he’s not Brian Kelly.

2) The SEC is not the NFL. We have long been on the SEC bandwagon, and have believed it has played the best brand of football in the nation for many years. But the differences aren’t as pronounced as some SEC loyalists would have you believe. Whatever the qualities of FCS Jacksonville State, Ole Miss had no business losing to the Gamecocks, especially after holding a 31-10 halftime lead. LSU can hardly feel good about itself after nearly allowing a suspension-depleted North Carolina squad pull off a startling comeback at the Georgia Dome last Saturday night. And even mighty Florida found itself in a scrap with a Miami-Ohio team that was one of the worst in the nation a year ago when recording a 1-11 mark. On the other hand, South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi State fired some loud warning shots to the rest of the SEC with lopsided wins in their opening games. The league is still a beast, but non-conference foes need not believe they are facing the New Orleans Saints or Baltimore Ravens Colts when lining up vs. an SEC team.

Meanwhile, is it time to "short" any teams across the country? Here are a handful of teams that generated plenty of red flags last week, and some we might be looking to go against in the coming weeks.

Toledo...HC Tim Beckman warned that his Rockets were very young and in rebuild mode. But how far Toledo is from respectability was underlined in that 41-2 blow it absorbed from Arizona on Friday night. With the Rockets’ two-deep littered with underclassmen, Toledo was exposed both offensively and defensively, albeit against a legit Pac-10 contender. The stop unit, ranked 116th a year ago, still looks woefully undermanned. The Rockets haven’t recorded a winning spread mark since way back in 2004 during Tom Amstutz’ days, and we’re not sure that is going to change this season.

Memphis...The jury is always out on new head coaches, especially those who have never held a top job before. So even though new Tigers HC and alum Larry Porter appeared to be a pretty good fit when named to replace Tommy West last December, evidence was sketchy. And perhaps it still is after Memphis was humiliated by what looks to be a better-than-advertised Mississippi State team in the opener, 49-7. But Porter has yet to decide upon a QB, his offense appears in search of an identity, and there were enough sideline mix-ups in Starkville to suggest that this could be one very long season at the Liberty Bowl.

New Mexico...We know the Lobos were outgunned at Oregon, but there is never any excuse to lose a game 72-0, especially one in which the score could have been a lot worse if the Ducks didn’t call off the dogs after racing to a 59-0 halftime lead. There’s no question the Ducks could have broken the 100-point barrier if they so chose in Eugene; it’s a good think for New Mexico that Duck HC Chip Kelly apparently has some compassion. After all, this was an Oregon team breaking in a new QB (Darron Thomas) and without its top rusher from a year ago, the suspended LaMichael James. And it’s the latest black eye for 2nd-year HC Mike Locksley and his New Mexico regime that looks mor and more as if it were a huge mistake by the Lobo administration, which frankly deserves what it is getting after some shabby treatment of former HC Rocky Long, who made a habit of at least getting UNM to minor bowls before being unceremoniously shoved aside. Locksley has been a complete disaster in Albuquerque, and this era of Lobo football is due to be humanely terminated at some point in the near future.

Kansas...New HC Turner Gill knows all about inheriting tough situations; they don’t get much harder than Buffalo, which Gill remarkably turned into a representative MAC program in recent years. Now Gill might have to do the same thing at Kansas, where the Jayhawks apparently miss graduated, do-everything QB Todd Reesing a lot more than most ever imagined. Reesing’s successors Kale Pick and Jordan Webb failed to ignite the KU offense, which was blanked after a first-quarter FG by Jacob Branstetter in an eventual and unsightly 6-3 loss to visiting North Dakota State in last Saturday’s opener in Lawrence. Reversing the downturn that began in the latter stage of the Mark Mangino regime will not be easy, as KU had entered this season having dropped 8 of its last 9 spread decisions. And he Bison of NDSU are not be confused with this week’s foe Georgia Tech.

Washington State...We have always sympathized with Cougar HC Paul Wulff, who inherited almost a completely bare cupboard from predecessor Bill Doba. But the Cougars continue to plumb new depths of ineptitude, as last week’s 65-17 blowout administered by Oklahoma State would attest. The Cowboys took it easy after rolling to a 51-10 lead early in the third quarter, but still couldn’t help tacking on two almost inadvertent TDs in the 4th quarter after a Wazzu fumble and a blocked punt. Although soph QB Jeff Tuel continues to flash some upside, the Cougar "D" remains unspeakably bad, and a continuation of non-competitive efforts does not bode well for Wulff’s coaching future at his alma mater, especially with a new AD, Bill Moos (a former Oregon AD and also a Wazzu alum), now on the job in Pullman.

LSU...We know the Tigers survived that 30-24 scare from North Carolina, but we also can’t recall a win that feels more like a loss, which has further tightened the noose around the neck of HC Les Miles, already the target of abuse from Tiger Nation. Expectations have been driven ridiculously high in Baton Rouge after two BCS title in past seven years anyway, but Miles’ Tigers are not inspiring much confidence after continuing their mistakes and blown-assignments theme from the past couple of seasons against the Tar Heels, not to mention appearing to lack much direction from the sidelines when the going gets tough. Miles could return to Baton Rouge 2-0 after this week’s game at Vanderbilt, but Tiger fans might treat it as another loss if the team doesn’t perforam a lot better.

Meanwhile, a handful of teams flashed early "buy" signals with warning shots last week. We’d watch some of these entries very closely...

South Carolina...Steve Spurrier might finally have a juggernaut in Columbia, with the addition of all-everything frosh RB Marcus Lattimore apparently providing the sort of dimension that all of the Ball Coach’s previous teams lacked. With QB Stephen Garcia apparently maturing into a competent leader, perhaps because he’s being pushed by another wondrous SC frosh, QB Connor Shaw. Meanwhile, the "D" is plenty big, plenty fast, and plenty nasty. Watch these guys.

Notre Dame...The excitement was more palpable than usual for the opener in South Bend vs. Purdue, with early evidence of an upgrade from Charlie Weis to new HC Brian Kelly evident in the performance of the ND defense, which schemed effectively and made life miserable for Purdue QB Robert Marve. Informed Domers noted in the offseason that one of Kelly’s key components was the ability to lure respected d.c. Bob Diaco with him from Cincinnati, and Diaco’s defense was the real eye-opener in that 23-12 win over the Boilermakers. That is, the defense and QB Dayne Crist, who looked pretty comfortable running the QB-friendly Kelly offense against Purdue.

Michigan...It took a couple of years, but Wolverines fans finally got a look in the opener vs. UConn at the sort of team they expected when hiring Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia in December of 2007. That is, an offense similar to the Rodriguez Mountaineer spread options that ran wild with QB Pat White at the controls. New Wolverine QB Denard Robinson looked electric vs. the Huskies and the perfect fit for the Rodriguez offense, whose 2010 version appears to have a lot more speed and striking power than the past two editions in Ann Arbor. The only drawback to Robinson’s debut is that holdover QB Tate Forcier now seems to be surplus in Ann Arbor; don’t be surprised if he transfers. Meanwhile, Greg Robinson’s Michigan’s defense bent plenty against UConn but held up better than it has the past two seasons when mostly playing roadkill. All of a sudden, this week’s game vs. Notre Dame looks a lot more interesting than it did before last Saturday.

Oklahoma State...Beating up Washington State doesn’t mean much. But Big XII observers are keeping an eye on an Oklahoma State team that might have benefited from receiving less hype than last year’s mildly disappointing version. Getting RB Kendall Hunter healthy again is a big plus after last year’s foot injury; Hunter might have had a shot at breaking LaDainian Tomlinson’s single-game NCAA record of 406 YR had he not been pulled in the third quarter vs. the Cougs after gaining 227 YR. Moreover, new QB Brandon Weeden, a 26-year-old ex minor-league pitcher, can make all of the throws in new o.c. Dana Holgorsen’s uptempo attack that flummoxed Houston’s foes the past few years. In particular, Weeden’s ability to get off plays in rapid-fire succession (OSU rarely takes more than 15 seconds between snaps) will cause plenty of headaches for OSU foes this season.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 09:30 AM

On the Strip - Betting Notes

The first weekend of college football went well for the Las Vegas sports books and in the process, kind of served as a pre-season of sorts leading into next week’s big weekend. The busy and intense atmosphere got all the supervisors and ticket writers into their game-face mode in preparation for a week that will be twice as busy when the NFL games are slated to play.

“Despite not having a lot of premier games and a bunch of huge favorites, we wrote relatively the same amount we did last year,” said Bob Scucci, Boyd Gaming’s Director of Race and Sports.

“Overall we were a small winner despite paying out a $50 ten team parlay that paid out $40,000.”

Scucci’s report of flat numbers at his book were similar to other accounts for books around the city -- other than the 10-teamer popping at his Orleans Hotel and Casino -- which is a great sign heading into this weekend.

There were four games that moved back and forth around the number last week that had possible middle opportunities, but Scucci said only one of them was a losing decision for the house.

“We had a lot of LSU money early before the Carolina suspensions and kept getting money after we re-opened the game from -4 ½ all the way up to -9 ½ until closing at -7 ½. The limited action after the announcements on both sides didn’t hurt as much as everything we had taken earlier before the suspensions.“

“Where we got lucky with was the UNLV game which landed 20 when most had laid Wisconsin -21. Most people like to play the favorites anyway, but we also had an increase in handle for that game because of huge Wisconsin crowds staying at our places. It was a big decision for us and we’re very fortunate to win that game, which was also helped by the game getting ‘over’ the total of 55,” said Scucci.

There is no doubt the Wisconsin bettors had the right side. Wisconsin outgained the Rebels 475 yards to 217 in their 41-21 win and if it weren’t for a couple of freak UNLV plays in the first half, the game likely would have been a lopsided blowout, but that’s why they play the games and that’s why the books put spreads on the game.

The other games that landed on or around the numbers began with Thursday night’s Utah game that landed “3” and Saturday with Notre Dame hitting “11”. Most books straddled the number in the Utah game, taking money at both plus-3 ½ with Pittsburgh and laying minus-2 ½ with the Utes. The Notre Dame game didn’t go past 11, but books did get sided with Purdue money pushing the number to -10 ½ where some Irish money came in. Neither game was good for the house.

The two high profile teams coming in with new quarterbacks were Florida and Texas as huge favorites, and both failed to come close to covering. The Gators were bet up from 36-point favorites to -39 by kickoff and got outplayed, or rather out-hustled, by Miami-Ohio despite winning 34-12. John Brantley looked uneasy throwing for only 113 yards and the rest of the team didn’t help him much either, as they committed three turnovers. Texas’ Garrett Gilbert didn’t fare much better, throwing for 172 yards and no scores in a 34-17 win over Rice in a line that jumped up two points from the opener to close at -31 ½.

Even though the Miami-Ohio State and Penn State-Alabama games have the most intrigue, I’m anxious to watch the Michigan-Notre Dame game just to see if Rich Rodriguez has turned the corner with the Wolverines, while Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish look to change everything about themselves from the former regime. The loser of this game will take a lot of heat because alumni and fans everywhere want positive results and restored glory.

The Michigan win over Connecticut last week was more impressive than Notre Dame’s over Purdue, but I can’t help feeling like Notre Dame is the side in this one with dynamic back Armando Allen and Coach Kelly’s apparent commitment to the run. I think that the Notre Dame kids have seen -- and believe -- there is a new day dawning for the better by all the changes Kelly has done, while the Michigan kids have seen that supposed day with Rodriguez and realize it might not be him to pull open the shades.

Here’s my selections for this weeks big games: Ohio State 31 Miami 14, Notre Dame 26 Michigan 16, Alabama 34 Penn State 17

NCAA Delayed Decisions
I‘m sure the NCAA doesn’t try to be nasty, but actions last week the organization took against two schools days before their season openers leaves the impression that they give rulings with spite as it’s sole intention. In the case of North Carolina where 13 players -- including 8 starters -- were ruled ineligible for their game against LSU, they waited until the last possible moment to drop the bomb on the school. If the players were guilty, they should be suspended, but that’s not the point. It’s the timing of the ruling that adds another chapter to what is wrong with the NCAA.

The NCAA started this investigation on the North Carolina players in early July and took two months to sort out all the facts, even though they already had most of the details which dealt with players taking perks from agents, which led to uncovering academic fraud, and then waited until the last minute to spring the results. Had they been more swift with their investigation, it would have prepared a Carolina squad better coming into a game without those who the NCAA knew would be suspended. All the other players and coaching staff who had game planned for LSU with the expected talent to be playing were put into a bad situation.

The NCAA didn’t create the mess, but they made it much more difficult for the university to handle and showed no compassion for the other student athletes of that program who did nothing wrong.

In the case of Jeramiah Masoli, the former Oregon quarterback who transferred to Mississippi, the NCAA waited four days before Ole Miss’ season opener to say that Masoli would be ineligible this year. This was after he was initially cleared a month earlier and had been practicing as the team’s starting quarterback. The coaching staff had to rush the back-up into game mode for the most important position and change everything for a ruling that could have been handed out immediately. A day before the game, Masoli had won an appeal and now is eligible, but the damage had been done as Masoli didn‘t start and the Rebels lost 49-48 to Jacksonville State.

In both cases, the NCAA forgot about the student athletes that their late decision was affecting. They acted more like a tyrant corporate boss rather than an association that is to help kids prosper, learn to be a man and get an education. Maybe the NCAA wanted to send a harsh broad message in regards to the Carolina case because of what is going on with these lurking pro agents, but that is something that should be dealt with separately where the NCAA minds -- along with all the cash resources these kids make for them -- to find a solution. Go after the agents. Get the NFL involved. Develpoe programs that help the young men stay out of trouble. Give them support and a solution, not a nasty iron fist.

Herbstreit Smarts
ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit may be the smartest, most well versed college football analyst on TV today. If listening to his weekly upset selections, bettors could fare very well on money line wagers over the year. He doesn’t just throw things out there like silly Lee Corso, who he works with does, he actually studies all facets of each teams game, breaks it all down and comes up with sound reasons like a handicapper does.

Last week he stated that he thought Ohio State would win the National Championship and it’s quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, would win the Heisman trophy. Some may think he’s biased because of being a former Buckeye quarterback, but that’s hardly the case. In fact many in Columbus, where he still lives today, believe that he tries to hard on the Buckeyes just to prove that he isn’t biased. This is the first time that Herbstreit actually picked Ohio State to win it all since 1998, a year they were No. 1 all season until blowing a 15-point lead in a late season home game to Michigan State. They would eventually finish 11-1 and finish the season No. 2 in both polls.

This year’s schedule is much more favorable than 1998’s which featured two tough ranked non-conference teams. Should they get by Miami this week, the road games at Wisconsin (Oct 16) and Iowa (Nov 20) would appear to be the most troublesome. Unlike the other major conferences, the Big 10 doesn’t have a Championship game -- until next year -- which lessens the risk of them losing until the Championship game.

Currently at Lucky’s sports books, they have the Buckeyes favored at 9/2 odds to win the BCS title and 5/9 to win the Big-10.

Be sure to check back Thursday evening for updated Las Vegas line moves to give an idea of what some of the large and small money is playing.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 09:31 AM

Week 1 Rewind

Week 1 started Thursday with South Carolina thumping So. Miss by a 41-13 count as a 13-point home favorite. The Gamecocks were playing without four of their best players, including TE Weslye Saunders, LB Shaq Wilson, FS Chris Culliver and OT Jarriel King, but they looked extremely sharp nonetheless.

Junior quarterback Stephen Garcia and freshman RB Marcus Lattimore ran for two touchdowns apiece. Lattimore, a true freshman dubbed as the best prep RB in the nation by most recruitniks last year, looked ‘as advertised’ and actually reminded me of a different No. 21 that used to play for Steve Spurrier (Fred Taylor).

Also, freshman wide receiver Ace Sanders had a 53-yard run on a reverse and two receptions for 47 yards. Alshon Jeffery, who I think is a legit All-American candidate, hauled in seven catches for 106 yards.

Culliver, King and Saunders were suspended and it remains unclear if any of those players will be available in a crucial SEC East showdown vs. Georgia next week. Wilson was sidelined with a hamstring injury and is not expected to play against the Dawgs.

Utah extended its home winning streak to 18 games in a 27-24 overtime win over Pittsburgh. There’s no telling what result bettors had in this game because the Utes were favored by 2 ½ at a lot of books in the days leading up to the game. The line moved to three and even as high as 3 ½ at some spots on Thursday. I had the Utes at minus three and had to settle for the push.

In the late-night game Thursday, Southern Cal outscored Hawaii 49-36 in the debut of Lane Kiffin. The Warriors comfortably covered the number as 20 ½-point underdogs. Matt Barkley threw for 257 yards and five touchdowns without being intercepted.

The total fell from as high as 54 early Thursday afternoon to 50 ½ at most books by kickoff. Obviously, the ‘over’ was an easy winner when the Trojans and Warriors combined to score 85 points.

The early action on Saturday afternoon was highlighted by Jacksonville State’s stunning 49-48 win at Ole Miss in double overtime. Trailing 31-13 going into the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks outscored the Rebels 21-3 to force OT.

Ole Miss scored first in the second extra session and forced JSU into a fourth-and-15 situation, but that’s when Coty Blanchard scrambled to his right and threw a perfect pass to Kevyn Cooper in the back of the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Veteran head coach Jack Crowe, who was fired by Arkansas after losing to The Citadel in 1992, then elected to go for two, which was great decision regardless of the result. On the two-point conversion, the Rebels brought a blitz and it appeared that Blanchard was dead to rights. However, he somehow found a way to dump the ball off to Calvin Middleton as he was being hit. Middleton did the rest, launching himself into the end zone to complete the come-from-behind win.

Crowe was emotional at the postgame presser, telling the media, “If you stay in this long enough, it goes both ways.”

Houston Nutt said, “Without a doubt, this is the worst loss of my career.”

Jeremiah Masoli made his much-anticipated debut for the Rebels, leading both scoring drives in overtime. He didn’t start after winning his eligibility appeal on Friday. Masoli completed 7-of-10 passes for 109 yards and one interception. He had five rushes for 29 yards.

Florida pulled away from Miami (OH.) in the fourth quarter to capture a 34-12 victory, but the Red Hawks took the cash as 38-point underdogs. The Gators were atrocious offensively for the first three quarters, netting just 25 yards in the first 47 minutes of the game. They had eight fumbles and QB John Brantley had to deal with horrible snaps from out of the shotgun all day.

The ‘under’ was a winner when the 46 combined points fell below the 54-point tally.

UF will host South Florida at The Swamp in Week 2.

The Aaron Murray Era in Athens got off to a solid start. The Tampa Plant High School product threw for 160 yards and three TDs to lead Georgia to a 55-7 win over Louisiana as a 29 ½-point favorite.

Late Sunday afternoon, most books opened South Carolina as a 2 ½-point favorite over UGA.

We’ll stop well short of saying Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez is off the hot seat in Ann Arbor, but the 2010 campaign got off on the right foot when the Wolverines trounced UConn 30-10 as three-point home favorites.

Denard Robinson was the catalyst, accounting for 383 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. He rushed for 197 yards and completed 19-of-22 passes. Michigan plays at Notre Dame in Week 2.

The Joker Phillips Era at Kentucky got underway in a Governor’s Cup battle against Louisville. The Wildcats ruined Charlie Strong’s debut by winning a 23-16 decision as three-point road favorites.

We mentioned UF’s struggles, but perhaps Oklahoma was even worse? The Sooners survived a game bunch from Utah St., prevailing 31-24 as 34 ½-point favorites. DeMarco Murray had 218 rushing yards and a pair of TDs on 35 carries. Bob Stoops’ team will face FSU in Norman this weekend.

TCU-Oregon St. and UNC-LSU did not disappoint in the prime-time games. The Horned Frogs beat the Beavers 30-21, but OSU hooked up its backers as 13-point underdogs. Meanwhile, LSU held off North Carolina 30-24, but the Tar Heels posted the backdoor cover as 7 ½-point underdogs.

Butch Davis’ bunch was crippled by the suspensions of 13 players, but it rallied from a 30-10 halftime deficit and had a chance to win in the final moments. In fact, UNC had two passes into the end zone that fell incomplete to end the game.

Wisconsin dropped UNLV 41-21 at Sam Boyd Stadium, but the Rebels ruined the trip to Vegas for Badger fans, covering the spread by one as 21-point home underdogs. In the other late-night game, Fresno St. beat Cincy 28-14 as a 2 ½-point home favorite.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Florida played without three starters along the offensive line (Carl Johnson, Xavier Nixon and Matt Patchan) and safety Will Hill. Johnson and Hill were serving one-game suspensions and are expected to be back in the lineup against the Bulls this Saturday. Nixon and Patchan are question marks with lingering injuries.

--Georgia head coach Mark Richt held out WR A.J. Green for precautionary purposes due to a lingering NCAA investigation into potential contact with an agent. His status for Saturday’s game at South Carolina remains in question.

--Best Week 2 Games:
1-Miami at Ohio St.
2-Georgia at South Carolina
3-FSU at Oklahoma
4-Penn St. at Alabama
5-Auburn at Mississippi St.

--Most books open Oklahoma -8.5 vs. FSU, South Carolina -2.5 vs UGA, Auburn -2.5 at Miss St., Ohio St. -9.5 vs. Miami and ‘Bama -11 vs. PSU.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 10:11 AM

Labor Day Baseball

Many folks will be enjoying Labor Day with beer, family, friend and barbecue. Of course, many of use will be doing that same stuff with a close eye to what’s happening on the baseball diamond. We’ve got 16 games on Monday’s slate, including a day/night doubleheader. Let’s take a look at a pair of the bigger showdowns.

Reds at Rockies – 3:10 p.m. EDT

There is no rest for the weary as the Reds travel out of St. Louis on Sunday to meet with Colorado on Monday afternoon. A trip out west might be the only way to hold down Cincinnati as they’ve won seven of its last nine ballgames. The result of that stretch has the Reds holding onto an eight-game edge over the Cardinals in the National League Central.

Cincy will look to tighten that stranglehold on the division lead with Aaron Harang (6-7, 4.92) getting the start for Game 1 of this series. Harang has been fairly solid for the Reds as of late, allowing no more than three earned runs in each of his last four starts. Although he is looking come back from a four-inning performance against Milwaukee due to back spasms. Harang also needs to improve on his record away from Great American Ballpark, evidenced by a 1-3 record with an earned run average of 5.63.

Colorado has kept themselves close enough in the NL West an Wild Card races all season long. Now they look like they have a chance to act as San Diego begins to fade. To get the Rockies over the hump, Ubaldo Jimenez (17-6, 2.69) needs to find his winning touch. That isn’t really fair to say against Jimenez as he’s thrown at least seven innings in six of his last seven starts. And he has allowed no more than three earned runs in each of those starts. What is hurting Jimenez in these games is the lack of offensive support. The Rox are scoring around 3 ½-runs when he’s on the mound.

The Reds will have their work cut out for them as they are 15-27 as road pups against NL West foes. And they’ve lost seven of their last nine in this role. The Rockies have won 11 of their last 15 tests at home NL Central rivals.

Rays at Red Sox – 7:10 p.m. EDT

The American League East has been one of the toughest divisions that anyone can remember in baseball for a while. Monday offers up a chance for the Rays to keep Boston to the curb at Fenway Park.

Tampa Bay has been matching the Yankees almost hit-for-hit to stay atop the division. Yet thanks to the Bombers’ recent winning streak, the Rays find themselves 2 ½-games out. That might be a good thing for Jeff Neimann (10-5, 3.97) to straighten himself out. Neimann has looked more than mortal in his last two starts, giving up 17 earned runs in 8.1 innings of work.

Boston isn’t exactly showing much fight right now as they’ve gone 3-7 in its last 10 games. Luckily for the Red Sox, Jon Lester (15-8, 3.27) gets the ball on Monday night in what could be a last ditch effort to stay relevant in the division. Lester has been on target recently with wins in four of his last five starts. But those wins are all on the road. Lester has lost three straight starts at Fenway Park, including that 16-2 beatdown the Blue Jays levied on him on August 20. The one saving grace for BoSox faithful is that he is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in three starts against the Rays this season.

The Red Sox have been a solid ‘under’ play at home recently, evidenced by a 10-2 record in their last 12 home tests. Most people hate Monday, but not the Rays…at least not on the road. Tampa Bay has gone 5-2 this year in road games on Mondays.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 01:35 PM

CFL Odds: Calgary favored at home

The Edmonton Eskimos will be looking to jump-start their season in a Labor Day matchup against the division rival Calgary Stampeders, who are currently in first place in the West Division. This Week 10 matchup is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 6 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. PT.

Edmonton comes into this game with a 2-6 record straight up and is 3-5 against the spread. The Eskimos are 0-3 on the road SU and 1-2 ATS. They will try and take the momentum from a 17-14 upset victory, as a 6 ½-point underdog, over Saskatchewan their last out to try and get back into the West Division title race by pulling off another upset in this one.

Calgary has established itself as the early favorite to win the CFL Grey Cup with a five-game winning streak to run its record to 7-1 record SU. The Stampeders are undefeated in four home games. Against the CFL spread, the Stamps are 6-2 overall and 3-1 at home. Calgary’s average margin of victory this season has been 13.9 points.

These two teams met in Week 7 with Calgary routing Edmonton 56-15 and easily covering the eight-point spread as the home favorite. The game was over early as the Stampeders jumped out to a 32-8 point lead at the half and never looked back. The Canadian football betting ‘over/under’ line was 53, which was eclipsed early in the fourth quarter.

Sportsinteraction.com has Calgary as a 12 ½-point favorite. The current money line is minus 750 for the Stampeders and plus 550 for the Eskimos. The CFL betting ‘total’ for this game is 54 ½.

The big story in Calgary’s win was the play of quarterback Henry Burris, who put on a clinic against an over-matched Eskimos secondary. Burris completed an amazing 72.4 percent of his passes going 21-for-29 for 305 yards and three TD’s. He is currently ranked fourth in the league with 2,226 passing yards and leads all QB’s with 18 touchdown throws. Burris is completing 65.1 percent of his passes and has an overall rating of 92.9.

Slotback Nic Lewis also had a huge game, hauling in five catches for 117 yards and two TD’s. Joffrey Reynolds added 79 yards on the ground as well as a TD of his own. Jon Cornish had a solid night off the bench, running for 74 yards on just seven carries.

The highlight film for the Eskimos in this game was definitely short but not sweet. Quarterback Jared Zabransky finished the night completing eight of 16 attempts for 107 yards and one TD. Slotback Jason Barnes led the team with 75 yards on three receptions. The ground game went nowhere as the Eskimos only managed to gain 95 yards on 17 carries.

Edmonton QB Ricky Ray should get the start against Calgary this time around after leading the team to the win over the Roughriders last week. He is completing 66.8 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,804 yards, but has as many interceptions as touchdowns (6).

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 01:37 PM

NCAAF Odds: Broncos, Hokies in opening classic

The Boise State Broncos’ entire season could be riding on the Monday night matchup against the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Bookmaker.com has Boise State as a two-point favorite with a total of 51-points. The spread was at minus three at most sportsbooks just a few days ago.

This game is being played at a neutral site location of FedExField in Landover, Maryland (home of the Washington Redskins). It’s only 280 miles from the Hokies’ campus and they will have many more fans in attendance.

The Broncos are ranked third in the first AP poll after going a perfect 14-0 straight-up last year (9-5 against the spread). They ended with a 17-10 win over TCU in the Fiesta Bowl after being left out of the national title game in favor of Alabama and Texas.

SEC Alabama and Big-12 Texas were both undefeated heading in, so there was no Boise State snub. The Broncos have a good chance to make the title game this season, but they need to be perfect again, starting Labor Day night.

Boise State returns almost all its starters on offense and defense. The big loss was cornerback Kyle Wilson, selected in the first round by the New York Jets.

The offense is led by Heisman Trophy candidate Kellen Moore. He had 39 touchdown passes last year versus three interceptions. There are plenty of receiving weapons, led by wideouts Titus Young (1,041 yards, 10 TDs) and Austin Pettis (855 yards, 14 TDs).

Junior Doug Martin (765 yards) has won the top running back job. He will likely share carries with D.J. Harper, who had 284 yards (6.5 yards per carry) before tearing his ACL. Jeremy Avery, last year’s leading rusher with 1,150 yards, is relegated to a change-of-pace guy. That’s incredible depth.

The defense played best in its big games, limiting Oregon to eight points in the season opener and TCU to 10 points. Both schools finished the year ranked in the top-10 nationally in points scored. Boise State did have some defensive lapses in WAC games.

The Broncos will be moving from the WAC to the MWC next year. They’ve gone 8-0 SU in the conference the last two years and will be solid favorites in every WAC game. They need a statement game here, plus at home against Pac-10 Oregon State (ranked No. 24) on Sep. 25, to have any national title hope.

ACC Virginia Tech is ranked No. 10 in the AP poll. It’s the preseason favorite in a conference with good depth. Miami, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Florida State all made the top-25 as well.

The Hokies went 10-3 SU and 8-5 ATS last season. They finished the year 5-0 SU and ATS, including a 37-14 win over Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Virginia Tech scored 33.8 PPG and allowed 9.8 PPG in those final five contests.

Senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor averaged just 18.7 attempts per game last year, but had a healthy 9.51 yards per attempt (second in the country). Taylor keeps developing as a pocket passer and has had a great offseason. He can run when necessary, but doesn’t rely on it anymore.

Coach Frank Beamer will still have a run-based offense and how can he not with Ryan Williams? He gained 1,655 yards as a freshman last year. Darren Evans is back from missing last year with a knee injury. He had 1,265 yards in 2008.

The defense ranked ninth nationally in points allowed (15.6). Defensive coordinator Bud Foster lost seven starters on defense though, and this is a tough opening contest no matter how much talent is waiting in the wings.

Special teams have always been a priority for Beamer and a big play or two in that area could swing this game.

This is the first meeting all-time between the teams. Virginia Tech lost its opener last year to Alabama, 34-24, as six-point underdogs.

Monday’s game will begin at 5 p.m. (PT) and will be broadcast on ESPN. Weather should be clear and in the 70s.

**Dat Boi E** · 09-06-2010, 04:02 PM

good luck today, Bum!

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 07:29 PM

Where's the money going?

Betting Trends
ML SPRD O/U ML SPRD O/U

09-06
20:00EST Boise state -125 -1.5 53.5 23% 63 % 65%
Virginia tech + 105 + 1.5 53.5 77% 37% 35%

**Jimmy The Greek** · 09-06-2010, 07:33 PM

GoodLuck Tonight Bud

**StarDust Bum** · 09-06-2010, 08:43 PM

What is up with Tech's Special Teams? Wowwwwwww unreal

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