College Football Betting – Buckeyes, Razorbacks Go After Sugar Bowl

College football betting players have watched Ohio State go 0-9 against the SEC in bowl games, and the Buckeyes will get a chance to break that duck when they head into the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans to take on Arkansas, who are making their first BCS appearance.

Sugar Bowl Betting – Tuesday, January 4th, 8:30 PM ET

The No.6 Buckeyes (11-1) shared the Big Ten title with Michigan State and Wisconsin, and their lone blip was a loss in Madison to the Badgers, but they didn’t play the Spartans. Terrelle Pryor leads the No.20 offense in the country, but running back Dan Herron is a big part of that as well and allows the Buckeyes to use some play-action passes. As usual, the defense is the power of the team as the Buckeyes are second in the country on that side of the ball, and they’re deep and experienced in the secondary. The front seven has been bolstered by a healthy Ross Homan, and you can’t forget about end Cameron Heyward, a future NFL pick.

The No.8 Razorbacks (10-2) lost only at home to Alabama and at Auburn, and their six-game winning streak to end the SEC season included three wins over ranked teams, and two of those were on the road. Pivot Ryan Mallett sparks the No.3 aerial attack in the country, and he’ll have some insight on Ohio State after playing for their bitter rival, Michigan. Don’t sleep on Knile Davis, who ran for almost 1,200 yards. The defense is 33rd in the country, and outside of allowing 65 at Auburn, the Razorbacks didn’t give up more than 24 points in regulation (they gave up 31 against Mississippi State in double overtime). No one had Arkansas here before the season started, but they should get some sportsbook promo now.

The Buckeyes are a 3.5-point betting favorite in the Sugar Bowl, even with their record against the SEC and their recent BCS woes. Ohio State had lost three BCS games in a row before last year’s Rose Bowl win over Oregon, and two of those were romps at the hand of the SEC in title games. The Razorbacks shouldn’t be worried about the big stage after their season in the SEC, but their talented receiving core has their hands full against a very good Ohio State secondary. If a line that has been suspect at times this season can’t give Mallet time, Arkansas is going to be in trouble because the OSU secondary will be all over the wideouts, meaning there will be no quick throws. We’re giving a slight edge to the Buckeyes because of their conservative, mistake-free offense and a rock-solid defense.

Gambling Advisor free pick: Ohio State -3.5

NFL Betting Preview for December 26, 2010: Washington Redskins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (-6.5)

Betting Overview:

Washington head coach Mike Shanahan has been able to make winning teams out of average players, and post Super Bowl winning NFL scores with Hall of Fame caliber players. The man knows how to utilize talent and get the most from his team. Maybe that is why the NFL betting world is shocked to see the chaos being created by Shanahan in Washington. The problems with defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth were avoidable with some face-to-face talking before the season started, but the problems that Shanahan created with starting quarterback Donavan McNabb are just baffling.

The preseason NFL predictions surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars certainly did not include the Jags competing for the AFC South title in week 15 of the regular season. But last week’s loss to the Colts may have been the end of a season that saw the Jaguars take a center stage no one expected them to take. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew has become the focus of an offense that still does not have an identity, but yet can put a lot of points on the board.

Offense:

The Jacksonville offense was able to go toe-to-toe with a relatively healthy Indianapolis Colts defense in what become a week 15 shoot out for first place in the AFC South. But the Jags running game could just not get going against that Colts defensive front, and Maurice Jones-Drew wound up with on 46 yards rushing and no touchdowns. Quarterback David Garrard showed that he can get the ball down the field when he needs to, but eventually he ran out of ideas and the Colts defense won the day.

The Redskins gave the starting quarterback job to Rex Grossman in what head coach Mike Shanahan calls an “evaluation period.” That basically says to the fans that the Redskins have thrown in the towel on the season, officially, and the fans can expect to see a lot of replacement players in the game for evaluation purposes. That bodes really well for a Jacksonville defense that is looking for a reason to get better. For example, when the Redskins were near the goal line late in their week 15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Shanahan did not have starting running back Ryan Torain in the game. The goal line, with the game on the line in the regular season, seemed like a good time for Shanahan to evaluate talent.

Defense:

Defensively the Washington Redskins are a mess as well. The Washington coaching staff is trying to hammer a 3-4 defense into a roster that is not made up of players that can play that kind of scheme. For some reason, Mike Shanahan is not willing to work with what he has. He seems more content to exert his power as the head coach and, rather than gradually moving towards the scheme he wants, he is trying to force players to play in ways they are not comfortable playing. With no Albert Haynesworth, Shanahan has no nose tackle for his defense, and that opens up the Redskins against the run.

The Jaguars defense is not much better than the Redskins, and they showed up when they gave up 34 points to the Indianapolis Colts in a game the Jaguars had to have. The worst part for the Jacksonville defense is that they were beat by the run and the pass.

The Bottom Line:

If Mike Shanahan is going to continue to evaluate talent, then the Jaguars will take this game easily. If Shanahan uses the players he has to try and win this game, then it will be a very close game.

BSN Sports Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars