NCAA Football Betting – Defending National Champions Still Looking To Finish Strong

Despite the fact that they won’t get the chance to defend their national title, or get a shot at a third straight SEC championship, No. 11 Alabama is still looking to finish their season strong. The Crimson Tide will try to avoid looking too far ahead on their football betting schedule with a massive showdown in their finale against No. 2 Auburn looming after this week’s match up with Georgia State.

Georgia State Panthers @ Alabama Crimson Tide

Thursday November 18, 2010

Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Online Sports Betting Odds: Alabama – 54.5

The Panthers represent an easy win for the Crimson Tide, who haven’t gotten many breaks this year with the toughest schedule in the country. Georgia State is 6-4 in the IAA Independents, and are overmatched against a powerful Alabama team that will have the chance to step out of the SEC spotlight before being thrust back in to it for their college football betting showdown with the Tigers.

NCAA Football Betting Preview: Georgia State

The Panthers are coming off of a 23-17 win over Lamar which ended a mini two-game slide that included losses at Old Dominion and South Alabama, but will have a tough time ending their season on a high note. 67-year old Bill Curry was back on the sidelines after a 14-year absence for the win, and will get the chance to close out the season against a school he helped lead to a national title in 1989. Although Georgia State is a huge underdog, Curry appreciates the experience his team will draw from playing a big school like Alabama as the Panthers build for the future.

NCAA Football Betting Preview: Alabama

After going undefeated since the 2009 Sugar Bowl, the Crimson Tide faced a couple of major obstacles this season with consecutive games against ranked opponents on multiple occasions. Alabama went 3-2 in those games, losing to South Carolina on the heels of wins over Arkansas and Florida before dropping a close decision to LSU before beating Mississippi State. Despite the tough pay per head schedule the Crimson Tide rank fourth in the country in points allowed, while Greg McElroy and reigning Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram both played major roles in dropping the Bulldogs last weekend. Alabama has the finale against Auburn circled as their own personal championship game, and this will be considered a tune up to make sure everything is ready for the big game.

The Match Up: Georgia State @ Alabama

The Crimson Tide’s season is down to two games, including an easy win against Georgia State this Thursday before a massive SEC showdown with the Tigers next week. Alabama players and coaches know that they won’t get the chance to defend their national title, but that should only serve as motivation to finish the season strong. The line is huge for this game, but there is every reason to believe that Alabama will still cover it.

NCAA Football Betting Pick: Crimson Tide – 54.5

NFL Game Preview for November 21, 2010: Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys (-7)

Betting Overview:

Things were going so well for the Detroit Lions just a couple of weeks ago. Yes the Lions only had two wins this season, but the NFL betting experts never expected them to win more than a couple anyways. The NFL scores the Lions were starting to put up, thanks to quarterback Matthew Stafford, were threatening to defy the NFL predictions that had the Lions winning four games or less this season. Then Stafford was lost for the season, and the Lions lost to the previously winless Buffalo Bills, and the season-ending tailspin has begun.

The Dallas Cowboys have seen their fair share of turmoil this season as well. Things got so bad in Dallas that owner Jerry Jones felt compelled to fire head coach Wade Phillips and replace him with assistant head coach Jason Garrett. But things are looking up for the Cowboys. They beat the New York Giants in week 10, and looked organized and inspired in doing so. The Cowboys won’t be making the playoffs, but at least they will now see which players want to be on the roster next season.

Offense:

It has become apparent that the Lions offense is lost without Matthew Stafford. Shaun Hill may be a competent backup, but there is something about the way that Stafford runs the offense that makes it so much more efficient when he is in there. Now that Stafford is out for the season, teams can key in on stopping rookie running back Jahvid Best. Shutting down the Detroit running game is how the Bills beat the Lions, and the Cowboys will use the same tactics.

When Dallas quarterback Tony Romo broke his collarbone, many Cowboys fans felt that the season was truly over. But Jon Kitna is a savvy veteran quarterback, and while he does not have the arm strength of Romo he does understand how to attack a defense. Kitna is using weapons like wide receivers Dez Bryant and Roy Williams to open up the opposing defense for the Dallas run game. The Dallas offense finally seems to be hitting on more than one cylinder and it is a good sign for Dallas fans.

Defense:

A team does not get to be 2-7 by accident, and the Detroit Lion’s biggest inconsistency is their defense. The Detroit defense is ranked 21st overall giving up an average of 353 total yards per game. The Lions defense is giving up 130 yards per game on the ground, and they are not showing an ability to get turnovers out of the opposing offense. Rookie defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh is impressive so far this season with six and a half sacks, but the rest of the Detroit defensive line only has seven sacks combined.

The Dallas defense has become famous, along with the offense, for mistakes that cost them the game. Bad penalties and an inability to stop the opposing offense in key situations has cost the Cowboys games this season. The Cowboys defense seemed to get things straightened out in the Giants game, but it will be interesting to see if they can keep it going all season long.

The Bottom Line:

The players in Dallas took the firing of Wade Phillips personally. While it may seem anti-climatic that they now feel inspired to win because he is gone, it does mean that the Cowboys can start to climb the standings and try to finish the season .500.

BSN Sports Pick: Dallas Cowboys

Bet On NCAA Football – Crimson Tide Look to Drown Bulldogs

If you bet on NCAA football, you may think that Mississippi State is one of the biggest surprises in the country, and you’ll probably be right. But the Bulldogs have a tall order in front of them on Saturday night when they head to Tuscaloosa, where they’ll face an Alabama team who will be angry after seeing their chances at a BCS-title repeat go up in smoke last week.

Mississippi State Alabama Betting – Saturday, November 13th, 7:15 PM ET

The No.19 Bulldogs (7-2, 3-2) won their sixth straight game with a 24-17 victory at home against Kentucky, forcing four turnovers out of the Wildcats. Chris Relf was 7-of-16 for 111 yards and a touchdown, while adding 79 yards and the game-winning score on the ground. Vick Ballard ran for 103 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs, who had 214 yards on the ground, but were still outgained 347-325. Their defense was opportunistic, picking off Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline three times, and all football betting players know that if you win the turnover battle, you’re likely to come away with a win.

The No.12 Crimson Tide (7-2, 4-2) fell just short in a 24-21 loss to LSU in Baton Rouge, and it burns even more because Alabama coach Nick Saban, who won a national title at LSU in 2003, was outcoached by counterpart Les Miles, who called a fake punt in the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide also had a couple of turnovers which didn’t help their cause, and they were outgained 433-325. Greg McElroy was 21-of-34 for 223, two touchdowns and a pick, while Mark Ingram ran for 97 yards and a score for the Crimson Tide, whose defense went soft early in the fourth quarter and allowed LSU to take over.

If you’re a fan of defense, this will be well worth the price per head if you have a ticket to the game, where the Crimson Tide are a 13.5-point favorite. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 nationally in terms of scoring defense (Alabama is fifth, Mississippi State is ninth), so it should be a low-scoring affair. The Crimson Tide are 5-2 SU in their last seven at home against the Bulldogs, but only 2-5 ATS, and while we think Alabama will win the game, we think Mississippi State to keep it to within a touchdown. The Bulldogs are 71st against the pass, but we don’t know if the Crimson Tide can take advantage of it. McElroy hasn’t been as sharp as he was in last year’s run to the national title, and that’s partly because the running game hasn’t been as strong. We’re taking Alabama to win straight up, but go with Mississippi State if you want to go against the online sports betting spread.