2012 NCAA College Football – Week Eleven Preview
When venturing into the realm of sport betting online, you're going to find it hard to bet against the star quarterback of the Big East Conference this weekend. At noon Eastern time, unbeaten Louisville plays Syracuse.
The Cardinals will try to beat the Orange and, in the process, remain on track for the Orange Bowl in January. Various bookies in the United States will like the Cardinals because of their offensive leader. UL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater might be a Heisman Trophy candidate next season, when Louisville has a chance to garner a lot more national attention in an improved Big East Conference. Bridgewater has already made a large statement this season, showing tremendous poise and presence in the pocket while riddling opposing secondaries. Bridgewater has responded so well to pressure, not just to defensive heat, but to game situations in which his team had to score on a given drive. As long as Bridgewater continues to do what he's been doing all season long, the Cardinals will be in great shape.
Recent Gambling Advisor blog reviews have reason to value the Cardinals in that game, and they have a strong case to make in support of the Cardinal – the Stanford Cardinal – on Saturday as well. In a 3 p.m. Eastern kickoff, Stanford should be able to outmuscle and overpower Oregon State on both sides of the ball. Stanford has not achieved as much as Oregon State this season, but the Cardinal do have more talent at most positions. They should be able to gain leverage at the line of scrimmage and win battles at the point of attack. Moreover, Oregon State quarterback Cody Vaz – despite leading his team to victory last week against Arizona State – has not protected the ball well. He has been plagued by turnovers, as has the Oregon State offense in general over the past few weeks. Stanford, if it can merely display airtight ball security, doesn't have to ring up big offensive numbers. It can focus on shutting down Oregon State, playing for field position, and wearing down the Beavers in the fourth quarter.
A college football season, with just 12 games, is like online poker. Uncertainty is part of the mix, and this will be true for the remainder of the Mountain West Conference season. The Fresno State Bulldogs and Nevada Wolf Pack were given new life this past weekend. The Boise State Broncos, the leaders of the Mountain West Conference, lost to San Diego State to fall into a tie for first place. Nevada, with two conference losses, now has a chance to tie for the conference championship. Fresno State, which lost to Boise State earlier in the year, also has a renewed chance of getting a piece of Mountain West hardware. Therefore, when Fresno State and Nevada play at 10:35 p.m. Eastern time this Saturday, the stakes will be high. The sense here is that Fresno State's offensive line can control this game. Nevada's defense is just too thin to hold up against the power of the Bulldogs.
