Announcement

**Udog** · 07-24-2018, 05:54 PM

CFL Betting Recap - Week 6
Joe Williams

League Betting Notes

-- Favorites went 3-1 SU in Week 6
-- Underdogs went 3-1 ATS in Week 6
-- Home/road teams posted a 2-2 SU record in Week 6
-- Road teams posted a 4-0 ATS record in Week 6
-- The 'Over' went 2-1-1 in Week 6

Analysis

Saskatchewan (3-2) opened the week with a stunning 31-20 victory on the road against Hamilton (2-3). It's the first two-game winning streak of the season for the Roughriders, as they swept the home-and-home with the Ti-Cats while covering in each outing. They were underdogs in each contest, and they'll likely be a decisive underdog against in Week 7 against Calgary (5-0). The 'under' is now 3-1-1 for the Riders this season, and they have allowed 23 or fewer points in four of their five outings.

For the Ti-Cats, they made headlines on Sunday by trading QB Johnny Manziel to Montreal (1-4). It just so happens Manziel's college coach, Mike Sherman, is with the Alouettes. They need help, as they managed just eight points in a loss in Calgary. The Alouettes are averaging just 13.8 points per game (PPG), with the 'under' going 4-1 through five outings.

For the Stamps, they won 25-8 against the Alouettes, as defense was dominant again. But the Week 6 battle marked the first time all season they failed to cover. That's because they were the heaviest favorites of the season, closing at 19 1/2 points. They have scored 24 or more points in each of their five outings, and they're allowing just 9.2 PPG. As a result, the 'under' is a perfect 5-0 for Calgary.

BC Lions (2-3) appeared to be on the verge of winning a second straight road win, but they fell apart in the fourth quarter at Ottawa (3-2). Despite the loss, the Lions posted a season high in points (25). The Lions have also covered back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Winnipeg (3-3) has alternated wins and losses in each of their six games this season. They posted a 38-20 win in Toronto (1-4), improving to 4-2 ATS. They're also 4-2 as far as the 'over' is concerned, too. The two sides will do battle in the second end of a home-and-home on Friday in Manitoba.

For the Argos, the 'over' hit for the first time after four straight 'under' results to open the season.

Team Betting Notes and A Look Ahead

-- Week 7 begins Thursday night in Montreal when the Alouettes host Edmonton (3-2). Neither of these teams are particularly good against the number. The Esks are 5-2 ATS in their past seven road games, but 1-4 ATS in the past five against teams with a losing record, 1-4 ATS overall this season and 0-4 ATS in the past four following a bye.

-- The Alouettes have covered just seven times in the past 26 home games, and they're 3-13 ATS in the past 16 games overall. And for what it's worth, they're just 1-10 ATS in the past 11 appearances on Thursday. Montreal is just 1-7 ATS in their past eight meetings with Edmonton, and 0-4 ATS in their past four home games against the Eskimos. The over is 9-3-1 in the past 13 in this series, and 4-1-1 in the past six in Montreal.

-- The RedBlacks head to the Hammer to meet an angry Ti-Cats squad. The RedBlacks have covered 21 of their past 27 road games, and they're 6-2 ATS in the past eight against losing teams. They're also 8-3 ATS in their past 11 following a non-cover.

-- The Ti-Cats have managed covers in five of the past six against Eastern Conference foes, while the RedBlacks are 6-2 ATS in the past eight vs. the East. Hamilton is just 4-11-2 ATS in the past 17 at home, however. Hamilton is also 0-4 ATS in their past four home games against Ottawa.

-- The Stamps look to stay unbeaten in a trip to Regina. Calgary is 7-0 ATS in their past seven Week 7 games, but that's not terribly important, albeit interesting. They're 0-4 ATS in their past four against the Western Conference, and 2-5 ATS in the past seven against winning sides.

-- The Riders are just 1-5 ATS in the past six meetings, while going 3-7 ATS in their past 10 home games against the Stampeders. The 'under' has connected in five straight meetings in this series, while going 4-0 in Calgary's past four on the road and five straight at home for Saskatchewan.

**Udog** · 07-24-2018, 05:55 PM

CFL Betting Notes - Week 7
David Schwab

Week 6 Betting Recap

The underdogs cashed three of four winning tickets against the spread in the CFL this past weekend starting with Saskatchewan’s 31-20 stunning straight-up upset over Hamilton as a 10-point road underdog on Thursday night.

Friday’s action saw British Columbia cover as a seven-point underdog on the road in a tough 29-25 loss to Ottawa. In the first of two games on Saturday, Winnipeg came through as a 3 ½-point road favorite with a 38-20 victory against Toronto. However, later that night Calgary could not cover as a heavy 19 ½-point home favorite in a 25-8 victory against Montreal.

Thursday, July 26

Edmonton Eskimos (3-2 SU, 1-4 ATS) at Montreal Alouettes (1-4 SU, 2-3 ATS)
Point-Spread: Edmonton OFF
Total: OFF

Game Overview

Edmonton went into last week’s bye with a SU split against Toronto, but it failed to cover in either game as a favorite on the closing line. Heading into this Thursday’s game against Montreal, the Eskimos will look to exploit a Montreal defense that has given up the most points in the CFL over the first five games. Eskimos’ quarterback Mike Reilly leads the league in total passing yards (1,648) and he is tied for the most scoring strikes (nine).

With Montreal’s 2018 season heading in the wrong direction again after winning just three games SU in 2017, it pulled out the stops on Sunday night with a blockbuster trade to land Johnny Manziel as its new starting quarterback. He was riding the pines in Hamilton since coming to that team in the offseason as a free agent. It is too early to know what kind of a role he will play in this game or what impact he may have on the betting lines, but it immediately became ‘must-see’ TV in a 7:30 p.m. start at Percival-Molson Stadium.

Betting Trends

-- Edmonton has won four of its last five road games against Montreal SU while going a perfect 5-0 SU. The total has gone OVER in seven in the last 10 meetings.

Friday, July 27

Toronto Argonauts (1-4 SU, 2-3 ATS) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-3 SU, 4-2 ATS)
Point-Spread: Winnipeg -10 ½
Total: 53

Game Overview

Toronto has some major issues of its own at the quarterback position in the absence of an injured Ricky Ray. In last week’s loss to Winnipeg on the Argonauts’ home field, James Franklin completed 58.3 percent of his 36 passing attempts for 151 yards. He could not get his team into the end zone through the air against one interception. On the year, he has two touchdown throws and three picks.

The Blue Bombers are the only CFL team to play in the first six weeks of the season and they remain one of the toughest teams to figure out. They are 3-1 ATS when closing as favorites and 2-0 ATS in their only two games played at home. Matt Nichols played his best game of the season last week with 245 yards passing and two scores while completing 70.4 percent of his 27 passing attempts. Andrew Harris had a huge game running the ball against Toronto with 161 rushing yards on 27 carries.

Betting Trends

-- With last week’s win, Winnipeg is now a perfect 5-0 SU in its last five games against Toronto with a 4-1 record ATS. The total has gone OVER in all five games.

Saturday, July 28

Ottawa RedBlacks (3-2 SU, 2-3 ATS) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-3 SU, 2-3 ATS)
Point-Spread: Hamilton -4
Total: 54 ½

Game Overview

As long as Ottawa is not playing Calgary, it is a good pick to win its game SU. Last week against British Columbia, Trevor Harris found his form with 363 yards passing and one touchdown throw on 30 completions. He put the ball up 44 times. The top target in that win was Brad Sinopoli with 11 receptions for 171 yards and a score. William Powell ran for a team-high 50 yards on 14 carries while catching another seven balls for 61 yards through the air.

Jeremiah Masoli has played well enough at quarterback to send Johnny Football to greener pastures in Montreal, but his team still needs to play with better consistency. In last week’s loss to Saskatchewan as double-digit favorites at home, the Tiger-Cats let things slip away in the third quarter after getting outscored 21-3. Masoli ended that game with just 184 yards through the air and 24 more yards on the ground as part of the offense’s 79 total yards rushing.

Betting Trends

-- Ottawa has a SU 6-2 edge in the last eight meetings and it is 4-1 ATS in its last five road games against the Tiger-Cats. The total has gone OVER in five of the last seven meetings.

Calgary Stampeders (5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS)
Point-Spread: Calgary -7
Total: 47 ½

Game Overview

Calgary is off to its best start in the last three seasons after going to the CFL title game in each of those first two campaigns. Last week’s win over Montreal was more methodical and less flashy on offense. However, the bigger story this season with the Stampeders is a shutdown defense that has allowed a grand total of just 46 points in five games. It is going to be hard for any other team in the league to keep pace if this unit keeps playing at such a high level.

The Roughriders have grinded their way to a winning record in the West following a 1-2 start both SU and ATS. Their back-to-back victories against Hamilton helped atone for a bad loss at home to Montreal on June 30 as heavy 10 ½-point favorites. Brandon Bridge and David Watford combined for 178 yards passing in last week’s road win against the Tiger-Cats, but Saskatchewan racked up 218 yards on the ground.

Betting Trends

-- Calgary has won seven of the last eight meetings SU, including four of the last five games played in Saskatchewan. The total has stayed UNDER in the last five games between these West Division foes.

**Udog** · 07-24-2018, 05:55 PM

CFL
Long Sheet

Week 7

Thursday, July 26

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDMONTON (3 - 2) at MONTREAL (1 - 4) - 7/26/2018, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 3-1 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 4-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, July 27

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TORONTO (1 - 4) at WINNIPEG (3 - 3) - 7/27/2018, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) as an underdog of 10 or more points since 1996.
TORONTO is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) as a road underdog of 10.5 to 14 points since 1996.
WINNIPEG is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 5-0 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 4-1 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, July 28

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OTTAWA (3 - 2) at HAMILTON (2 - 3) - 7/28/2018, 4:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in road lined games over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) in road games versus division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HAMILTON is 3-2 against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 3-2 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CALGARY (5 - 0) at SASKATCHEWAN (3 - 2) - 7/28/2018, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 83-57 ATS (+20.3 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 137-99 ATS (+28.1 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 56-35 ATS (+17.5 Units) in July games since 1996.
CALGARY is 131-97 ATS (+24.3 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest since 1996.
CALGARY is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up wins over the last 3 seasons.
CALGARY is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games in weeks 5 through 9 over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 4-1 against the spread versus SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 4-1 straight up against SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
5 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 07-24-2018, 05:55 PM

CFL

Week 7

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, July 26

Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Edmonton is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games
Edmonton is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Edmonton is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Edmonton's last 10 games on the road
Edmonton is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Montreal
Edmonton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Edmonton's last 10 games when playing Montreal
Edmonton is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Edmonton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Edmonton is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games when playing on the road against Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal Alouettes
Montreal is 2-14 ATS in its last 16 games
Montreal is 1-15 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Montreal's last 7 games
Montreal is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
Montreal is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Edmonton
Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Montreal's last 10 games when playing Edmonton
Montreal is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Edmonton
Montreal is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Edmonton
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing at home against Edmonton

Friday, July 27

Toronto Argonauts
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games on the road
Toronto is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Toronto is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Toronto is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg is 14-6 ATS in its last 20 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 7 games
Winnipeg is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Winnipeg is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games at home
Winnipeg is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto

Saturday, July 28

Ottawa RedBlacks
Ottawa is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Ottawa is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ottawa's last 6 games
Ottawa is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
Ottawa is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Ottawa's last 7 games on the road
Ottawa is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Hamilton
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 7 games when playing Hamilton
Ottawa is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Hamilton
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Hamilton is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Hamilton's last 6 games
Hamilton is 5-11-1 ATS in its last 17 games at home
Hamilton is 3-13 SU in its last 16 games at home
Hamilton is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Hamilton's last 7 games when playing Ottawa
Hamilton is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Ottawa

Calgary Stampeders
Calgary is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Calgary is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 5 games
Calgary is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Calgary's last 8 games on the road
Calgary is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Saskatchewan
Calgary is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Saskatchewan
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 5 games when playing Saskatchewan
Calgary is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Saskatchewan
Calgary is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Saskatchewan
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing on the road against Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Saskatchewan's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Saskatchewan's last 5 games at home
Saskatchewan is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Calgary
Saskatchewan is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Saskatchewan's last 5 games when playing Calgary
Saskatchewan is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Calgary
Saskatchewan is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Saskatchewan's last 6 games when playing at home against Calgary

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 07-25-2018, 08:42 AM

CFL
Dunkel

Week 7

Thursday, July 26

Edmonton @ Montreal

Game 361-362
July 26, 2018 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
107.142
Montreal
105.592
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 1 1/2
55
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
by 9
48
Dunkel Pick:
Montreal
(+9); Over

Friday, July 27

Toronto @ Winnipeg

Game 363-364
July 27, 2018 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
108.643
Winnipeg
116.286
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Winnipeg
by 7 1/2
62
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
by 12
53
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+12); Over

Saturday, July 28

Ottawa @ Hamilton

Game 365-366
July 28, 2018 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Ottawa
107.434
Hamilton
117.542
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Hamilton
by 10
46
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Hamilton
by 4 1/2
54 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Hamilton
(-4 1/2); Under

Calgary @ Saskatchewan

Game 367-368
July 28, 2018 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Calgary
124.734
Saskatchewan
113.292
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Calgary
by 11 1/2
44
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Calgary
by 6 1/2
47 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Calgary
(-6 1/2); Under

**StarDust Bum** · 07-25-2018, 11:28 PM

CFL Week 7

Edmonton (3-2) (-8.5, 48) @ Montreal (1-4)— Eskimos won their last eight series games, winning//covering last four visits here, by 18-20-3-10 points. Over is 7-3 in last ten series games. Edmonton scored only 17-16 points in splitting pair of games with Toronto last two weeks, after scoring 31.7 ppg in first three games- they split their two road games. Alouettes traded for QB Manziel this week; they’re 1-4 this year, scoring 18 or fewer points in all four losses- they lost their two home games, by 46-10 points. Under is 4-1 in their games this season.

Toronto (1-4) @ Winnipeg (3-3) (-10.5, 53.5)— Blue Bombers ran ball for 184 yards in its 38-20 win in Toronto LW; they jumped out to 25-1 lead, blanked Argos in 4th quarter. Winnipeg scored 38+ points in its three wins, an average of 21.3 in their losses; Bombers split their two home games- over is 4-2 in their games. Argonauts lost their two road games, by 1-8 points; they’re scored 20 or fewer points in all five games (under 4-1). Bombers won four of last five series games, covering all five; over is 8-2 in last ten series games. Toronto lost its last two visits here, 46-29/33-25.

Ottawa (3-2) @ Hamilton (2-3) (-6, 55.5)— Ottawa is 3-2 in last five games with Hamilton (over 3-2). Average in total in those games was 62.8. Ottawa allowed 24+ points in three of its last four games. RedBlacks split their first two road games, both decided by 10 points (favorites 2-0 vs spread). Three of their last four games stayed under. Ottawa scored 28+ points in its three wins, 14-3 in its losses. Hamilton scored 31-38 points in its two wins, was held to 14-13-20 in its losses. Under is 3-2 in their games.

Calgary (5-0) (-6.5, 47) @ Saskatchewan (3-2)— Unbeaten Calgary is allowing 9.2 ppg; they won their two road games, 41-7/27-3. All five of their games stayed under the total. Roughriders just beat Hamilton twice, as underdogs of 10, 6 points; Saskatchewan allowed 20 or fewer points in its wins, 23-40 in their losses. Under is 3-2 in their games. Road team won three of last four series games; Stampeders covered seven of last nine- they won their last four visits to Regina, by 6-9-3-7 points. Last five series games stayed under the total.

**Udog** · 07-25-2018, 11:34 PM

Through Week 6: Favorites 11-12; Under 14-8-1

**StarDust Bum** · 07-25-2018, 11:36 PM

5 new head coaches giving fresh energy to weary Pac-12
July 25, 2018

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Pac-12 went 1-8 in its bowl games last season, leading to a winter of external criticism and internal soul-searching for most of its programs.

The league also extended its national title drought to 14 years, the longest in the Power Five. Athletic directors openly worried about the Pac-12 falling farther behind the other big conferences in revenue and in exposure from its television network.

After all the disappointment for its football programs late last year, this is a league that probably could benefit from a fresh start. Nearly half of its member schools are getting one with the arrival of new coaching staffs to shake up the West Coast football scene.

The Pac-12's five new coaches range from the heralded Chip Kelly at UCLA, to the surprising choice of Herm Edwards at Arizona State, to the homecoming of Jonathan Smith at Oregon State. Two of the five are first-time collegiate head coaches, while the other three - including Arizona's Kevin Sumlin - have ample experience.

''It's super competitive,'' new Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said Wednesday at Pac-12 media day in Hollywood.

''Football is cyclical,'' Cristobal added. ''Sometimes conferences run into that when you have a good number of coaches that are new in the conference. I look at the level and their pedigree and where they've been and what they've done, and you're looking at competitive guys that know how to bring it and want to establish championship programs.''

The new blood could energize struggling programs and alter the league hierarchy - or it could clear the way for Washington, Southern California and Stanford to continue to dominate their less-experienced foes.

While Kelly got the most attention Wednesday in his return to the Pac-12 after a remarkable tenure at Oregon, many coaches and players speculated that Sumlin's Wildcats could have the quickest opportunity for success among the newcomers.

But most coaches are hoping the moves will raise the overall level of play in the Pac-12, creating a higher standard that could translate into the postseason and the national title race after the league's disappointing performance last winter.

''I think it's an impressive group of coaches in their records and track records of winning games, championships (and) developing players,'' said Smith, who left Chris Petersen's staff at Washington to take over his alma mater. ''I think we've got some great personalities that can sell this conference, because there is a bunch of good coaches right now in this league to make it competitive. I'm just excited to be a part of it.''

Kelly, Sumlin and Edwards are all taking over programs with measures of stability in recent seasons, even if the three schools didn't pile up enough wins to satisfy boosters.

Smith has a tougher task in restarting the Beavers after the abrupt exit of Gary Andersen last season - and Cristobal is Oregon's third head coach in three seasons, following the firing of Mark Helfrich and the one-season tenure of Willie Taggart.

''I think all five guys new to the conference are tremendous football coaches,'' said Kyle Whittingham, who's heading into his 14th season at Utah. ''I think there are just a bunch of great coaches in this league, and that's something that will enhance the league. But it still boils down to players. Players are what it's all about. I'm more interested in what players are on which teams rather than who is coaching them.''

Some of the new coaches are more fortunate than others in those inherited rosters. For instance, Kelly has only eight seniors at UCLA, and he lost star quarterback Josh Rosen to the Arizona Cardinals.

''We didn't have a lot of guys in spring ball,'' Kelly said. ''There's going to be some guys playing for us who just showed up.''

Cristobal and Sumlin are grateful to inherit two of the Pac-12's eight returning starting quarterbacks. Oregon's Justin Herbert and Arizona's Khalil Tate provide a measure of security for their new bosses.

''It didn't hurt, let's put it that way,'' Sumlin said with a grin when asked how Tate's presence affected his decision to move to Tucson.

While Kelly's progress will be fascinating, the league also will be glued to the performance of the 64-year-old Edwards, who ended a nine-year hiatus from coaching to take over for Todd Graham in Tempe.

Edwards already has made plenty of headlines for his headfirst dive into the college game, which has included threats to ''cut'' players who aren't meeting his standards of commitment. When the former Chiefs and Jets coach was asked what he thought about how his style has been received, Edwards drew a blank.

''To be quite honest, you'll figure this out about me - I don't know what happens in the outside world,'' Edwards said. ''I don't read it. I don't watch it. I am a football coach. When I'm not a football coach, I'm trying to be the best father I can be. That's what I concern myself with. I don't concern myself with the outside elements because the outside elements don't coach the team.''

Announcement

CFL Trends and Indexes - Week 7 (Thur., July 26 - Sat., July 28)

CFL Trends and Indexes - Week 7 (Thur., July 26 - Sat., July 28)

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment