Betting College Football

25/01/08

Winner at football, loser at life

Zack Timmons

Issue date: 1/25/08 Section: Sports

If Ohio State has the power to grant Florida football coach Urban Meyer a master's degree in sports administration shouldn't they have the ability to take it away?

Well, maybe not, but if ever there were an exception it ought to be Meyer.

The Ashtabula, Ohio, native is making more news than ever lately - none of it good.

Gainesville Sun writer Brandon Zimmerman wrote a story last week detailing gymnast Maranda Smith and her rise as a member of the Florida women's gymnastics team.

While recruiting Smith's boyfriend, junior college wide receiver Carl Moore, Meyer apparently discovered Moore would only leave for Gainesville if Smith could tag along.

In typical fashion, the coach pulled his best Ron Popeil, selling the hell out of his product for a shot to land what seems to be Florida's millionth receiver in the last three years.

The persistence of the former Bowling Green coach gave Smith the Gators' final women's gymnastics scholarship.

"I used to talk to him every day back in November when he was recruiting Carl," Smith told the Sun. "He kept asking how Carl was doing and wanted me to come here and do gymnastics."

Although it might seem like harmless banter to many, the act goes against current NCAA recruiting rules.

Regulations state recruiting is "sport specific." I doubt Smith has the strength or lack of conscious it takes to play football for a Meyer-led squad, and last I checked Meyer was no Bela Karolyi.

It also doesn't help that gymnastics-specific recruiting only allows contact once a week with recruits.

Anyone familiar with Meyer, however, knows it doesn't just end there.

Notorious for stealing recruits at the last minute, he's gained a national reputation for shady business.

So what happens once his lauded recruiting techniques fail? Meyer turns it up a notch, of course - as he did with recent LSU commit Patrick Johnson.

After choosing LSU, Florida and Meyer contested the Florida native's ACT scores.

His October score was then "flagged" preventing the defensive back from enrolling early in Baton Rouge to compete for a spot during spring practice.

"I'm not upset," Johnson told the Times-Picayune. "Florida made an issue about the ACT score. They're cowards. They had to go behind my back. But that's OK. We play them this year (on Oct. 11 at Florida)."

Betting on Florida protesting the score, had Johnson chosen, the Gators would have the success rate of a running back in a Meyer-led system.

Meyer hasn't been in any real heat yet as far as NCAA violations are concerned, but where there's smoke, there's usually fire - as Buckeye fans know very well.

Recruiting techniques like those utilized by Meyer are of little interest to me. Messing with kids' ability to enroll early or taking scholarships from deserved candidates to help land a desired recruit are tactics I'd rather not see employed.

It's unlikely Meyer or Florida will face penalties for their actions despite being in clear violation of NCAA rules.

With a new group of recruits in tow and a clean slate, Meyer's Gators will undoubtedly be near the top of preseason polls this fall, and who knows, maybe the Bucks will meet them in Miami in January 2008.

Either way, if Meyer's ploys are what it takes to be a winner, I'll take second place any day.

Zack Timmons can be reached at timmons.60@osu.edu.

04/01/08

College Football BCS Wagering Shifts To the Orange Bowl

The BCS was put into place to create the best match ups. Match ups of teams that were so evenly talented that it could be a toss up who would win the games. In that regard, the BCS has failed miserably this year.

Tonight, the Orange Bowl takes center stage. It will try to do something none of its BCS equals has been able to accomplish. Produce a competitive game.

So far this BCS season, there have been several BCS games. The Sugar Bowl was a blowout, with Georgia routing the only undefeated team in Division 1 football, Hawaii. Earlier that day in the Rose Bowl, USC showed its powers by blasting over matched Illinois.

Last night, in the Fiesta Bowl, West Virginia, a team playing without their former head coach Rich Rodriguez, surprisingly blew out Oklahoma.

Now along comes the Orange Bowl, and Virginia Tech and Kansas. The Hokies and the Jayhawks will try and produce the kind of excitement that was expected from this bowl season. If they fail to do that, only Ohio State and LSU in the national championship will be left to save the BCS.

The betting line for tonight's game is Virginia Tech minus three. The total is fifty one.

January 3, 2008
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com

18/12/07

Sen. Baucus places friendly wager on Carroll's championship football game

Senator Max Baucus wants to win his challenge with South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson on the Carroll College Football Championship in Savannah Tennessee.

Carroll will play the University of Sioux Falls Cougars for the NAIA championship Saturday.

Baucus is betting a Montana steak dinner, against Johnson's South Dakota buffalo steak dinner.

This is the third bet Baucus has made on the Saints and he has yet to lose; the Saints have won 4 national championships since 2002.

10/12/07

Jacked Up on college football

FOXSports.com, Updated 6 days ago

There's nothing better than sitting on the couch and watching college football ... all day long. We all do it, especially me. I'm Lisa Horne, renowned college gridiron junkie. I'm here to take you through all of the today's events. And you're here to participate.

Are you thrilled your team got in the right bowl? Did your team get dissed by the BCS? Wanna start the smack right now? Jump in and get busy. Let the mayhem begin.

BCS Championship Game: Ohio State vs. LSU
No big surprises here, or are there? Ohio State was a given, but how can a team that has been number one twice in one season, (and lost that ranking twice), be back in it again? Georgia and Oklahoma both have valid complaints, although Georgia's lack of a conference championship really hurt them, and Oklahoma losing to two unranked teams hurt them. Wait a minute....didn't LSU lose to unranked teams? Oh snap...Arkansas is now ranked No. 25. What about Virginia Tech? And what about unbeaten Hawaii?

Rose Bowl: USC vs. Illinois
I am seriously questioning this selection. Although the Rose Bowl tournament officials love the traditional Pac-10 vs. Big 10 match-ups, they went too conservative here. Georgia would have been a better choice, if that option was available. The Fighting Illini are ranked No. 13 in the AP, so this game doesn't have a lot of meat in it, but it is ripe for an upset.

Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawaii
Hello! This will be a great game, and the 'Dawgs will have a fight on their hands. Oh sure, they will be moaning about the disrespect of getting Hawaii as an opponent, just like Oklahoma did when they got Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl last season. Do I need to say more? Let the SEC smack talk begin.

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
This was a great selection, and will be a measuring stick to see just how good the Mountaineers really are. Breathe easy Sooner fans: No Boise State surprises here. Just good old-fashioned football. This is a sexy game.

Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas

What a fantastic season for both teams. Kansas in a huge BCS game and the Hokies, after a horrific tragedy, get to play a very good Jayhawks team. Here's my only question....where did Mizzou go? Yes, they got spanked by the Sooners twice this year, but they did beat Kansas. What say the Tiger fans?

OK, here's some food for thought for USC and LSU fans. Want to know why USC has to play Illinois in the Rose Bowl? Consider this: If Georgia had gotten the nod to play USC, and USC spanked them, would the Trojans not have a case for No. 1 if OSU lost to LSU in an ugly game? The AP would likely vote USC No. 1, and once again, there would have been a shared championship with LSU.

Biggest winner in the BCS games....No. 13 Illinois. Biggest loser in the BCS games......No. 6 Mizzou.

Yeah, that's tough to swallow, Mizzou fans...I feel your pain.

Congrats to Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans, for an unprecedented fifth BCS bowl berth.

04/11/07

Nevada football: Jackson over achieves as walk-on

DAN HINXMAN

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

Posted: 10/31/2007

If you're at a Nevada football game, home or away, and for some reason you find yourself in need of locating Laura Fielitz, here's a simple tip.

She's the one wearing "The Future Mrs. Jackson" shirt.

OK, so maybe it's a little corny -- cute and corny -- but there is another way to look at it. Fielitz is very proud to be the girlfriend of Justin Jackson, the Wolf Pack's senior free safety. And why not? Jackson is the epitome of overachiever.

Bring up the shirt with Jackson and he only rolls his eyes and smiles. The two plan to marry, but haven't set a date yet as they focus on finishing school first. Jackson is set to graduate this winter and then plans to enroll in a California firefighting school. Fielitz is a nursing student who is close to graduating, too.

Wedding cakes and oxygen tanks can wait, too, while Jackson finishes out what is a rather unlikely college football career.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Jackson is second on the team in tackles with 55, trailing only linebacker Joshua Mauga, who was among the national leaders with 71 when he was lost for the season with a knee injury during the Utah State game on Oct. 20. Jackson, a sure tackler, has been one of the more consistent defensive players for the Wolf Pack (4-4, 2-2 Western Athletic Conference), which takes on New Mexico State in an ESPN2-televised game at 5 p.m. Friday.

"He's done a great job," Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault said. "He's been a good player for us. He gives us a heck of an effort."

It's been quite a journey for the 170-pound Folsom (Calif.) High School linebacker who received no attention from college recruiters.

"I was really undersized," Jackson said at Tuesday's practice. "We had a couple pretty good junior colleges in the (Sacramento) area, and I knew I just wanted to keep playing. I figured I'd try the JC route and then maybe get a shot (at a Division I team). I just wanted to keep playing, so I took the opportunity."

Two seasons as a Mid-Empire Conference all-league performer at American River JC -- including his sophomore season, when he was the defensive MVP on the state's top-ranked defense -- did little more to get him noticed. He talked with Wolf Pack coaches, who told him he could walk on.

He played and even started a few games for the Pack last season, but then was benched and played occasionally as a backup. He finished the season with 22 tackles, three for loss, and two pass breakups. He's still looking for his first interception.

"When I got benched last year I started debating, 'Why am I here?,'" he said. "They're not paying me."

He said a talk with his parents rekindled his desire to play football. When he arrived for spring camp, he said coaches told him a scholarship was possible if he made strides.

"But I didn't perform well," he said. "I was kind of dwelling on the fact that I wasn't on scholarship. I was worried about the wrong things."

He's certainly performing well now, but with just four games left in the season -- and just six weeks left until he graduates -- it's hardly worth the hassle of the paperwork now. Besides, wearing the label of "walk-on" throughout his Division I career kind of sounds appealing now.

"I used to think of it as a negative thing," Jackson said. "I think I get more respect knowing that I don't get paid to be here, but I come out here every day. Being a senior, I do take pride in being a walk-on, being the only walk-on on defense not on scholarship. That's why I take more pride in it now. All these guys are on scholarship, but I'm working hard, proving to myself that I belong here."

He's earned the respect of his coaches, too.

"I don't even notice (who is and who isn't on scholarship)," defensive coordinator and safeties coach Ken Wilson said. "We just put the best players on the field, and he's one of the best guys out there. That's a credit to him.

"He's doing a great job. We're just trying to get him his first pick sometime this year."

Pick? That's awaiting him at firefighter school.

29/10/07

Rules on ref gaming to ease

October 26, 2007

FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES

NEW YORK -- David Stern acknowledged Thursday that more than half of his 56 referees had violated NBA policies about casino gambling, but he said none will be punished because he felt the rules were outdated.

Instead, Stern said he is altering the policies, leaning toward allowing referees to gamble in casinos during the off-season -- except for betting in sports books.

The league's gambling policies toward referees became public after the Tim Donaghy scandal. The NBA currently prevents its officials from entering the gaming area of a casino, or doing any betting at all except at racetracks during the off-season.

Stern admitted he did a poor job of enforcing the policies, and with views toward gambling changing, he decided he wouldn't "penalize people for behavior that I'm about to change."

Speaking at the league's Board of Governors meeting, the commissioner stressed there is no indication that any other officials were involved in illegal gambling activity, but practically all of them violated a league policy that Stern called too harsh. That included anything from buying lottery tickets to taking part in poker games, betting on college football or taking part in NCAA tournament pools.

Stern ordered a review of the league's entire officiating program after Donaghy pleaded guilty to betting on games he worked and providing information to others to help them win bets.

Stern said the league likely will begin listing the names of the crew of referees the morning of the game, and steps will be taken to admit when officiating mistakes were made.

Exhibitions: Returning from three weeks off due to injury, Rashard Lewis scored 16 points to lift host Orlando over San Antonio, 99-90. ... Former Piston Carlos Delfino had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead host Toronto to a 111-78 win over the Cavaliers. LeBron James had 17 points and nine assists to lead Cleveland. ... Andre Miller scored 18 points and former Detroit Mercy star Willie Green added 15 points for the visiting 76ers in a 91-83 victory over the New Jersey Nets. ... Kirk Hinrich scored 20 points, and Ben Wallace scored eight points before leaving late in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle, as the host Bulls defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 97-81. Wallace, a former Piston, was battling for position with Milwaukee center Dan Gadzuric when they got their feet tangled up and Wallace fell to the floor. ... Grant Hill scored 17 points as the host Suns defeated Denver, 116-113.

Notebook: Kobe Bryant will miss the Los Angeles Lakers' exhibition game against the Sacramento Kings tonight because of a sprained right wrist.

15/10/07

College Football Wrapup (10/14/07)

Posted by David Gladow

So it's Saturday evening and I'm watching the end of the Cal-Oregon State game (with the No.2 team in the nation on the ropes after No. 1 LSU had already lost), and I vividly remember thinking to myself, "Nothing that might happen at this point will surprise me."

How could it in this season of madness? And while Cal's terrible mismanagement of the clock at the end of the game was remarkable, it wasn't the least bit surprising. No. 1 and No. 2 going down in the same week? Yawn. It's come to the point where I expect things like that to happen from week to week.

Maybe I'm just spoiled now. The greatest season in college football history can do that to you.

LSU fans may not agree with that assessment, but it's hard to argue with the amazing finishes and monumental upsets that have marked the 2007 season thus far. And even though the top-ranked Tigers lost in triple-overtime this weekend, they'll get back in it.

How could they not? Everyone ahead of them is practically guaranteed at least one more loss. It doesn't take too active an imagination to envision a scenario in which LSU climbs back into the National Championship Game ... especially with the team still ranked in the top five following the loss.

Of course, can anyone count on zero losses from a slate that include Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas? If anyone can, it's LSU, but this season has certainly told us that nothing is a sure thing.

The Tigers found that out the hard way against Kentucky. The Wildcats stood toe-to-toe with the Tigers for 60 minutes and then some. The game was a physical beatdown for both sides, with multiple players falling to injury thanks to the hard-nosed play. Kentucky ran the ball for 125 yards on 41 carries - not a great average, mind you, but the commitment to the run made a big-time statement in what would become a brutal contest.

Several times the LSU defensive front, lauded as the best in the country, came through big on short yardage downs. Other times, they didn't. And that, ultimately, may have been what turned the tide in the game. Aren't Glen Dorsey and company supposed to be the best in the country? Kentucky's commitment to the run and long drives led directly to the Wildcats' success against LSU in short yardage later on in the game. If you're busy catching your breath, you can't stand tall on fourth-and-1.

At least that's the picture this game painted. LSU, arguably the most talented team in the entire nation, found itself up against a team that would not give an inch, or perhaps more accurately, two yards. It was the final fourth-and-2 that so perfectly illustrated exactly why you have to match your opponent's intensity every week. Sure, LSU could have definitely used Jacob Hester in that situation (he had left the field injured a few plays before), but those situations can often come down to simple execution, and LSU's execution failed them when it mattered most.

There's plenty of blame to go around for that, but of utmost concern was the team's lack of focus during the week. I counted at least three separate feature stories on the Florida win Thursday morning. Thursday morning??? Didn't that game end last Saturday night?

Apparently not. Say what you want about the media doing its own thing and having no impact on the course of the game, but those dramatizations of a singular win (over a team that might soon prove to be overrated anyway) illustrated perfectly the mindset of the team. When you're hearing constantly about the past, about how good you are and how this upcoming game doesn't matter as much, well, it's difficult at best to tune that out.

Kentucky, meanwhile, was coming off a long week of preparation. The Wildcats were angry after their loss to South Carolina and had an extra two days of preparation time to cultivate that anger into focus on the Tigers.

Is it any wonder I predicted a Kentucky win this week? One can list the virtues of college football for pages, but the one thing I think that sets it apart from most sports is the raw emotion of it all and how that impacts every single game. Kentucky was in the right frame of mind. LSU was not. In a game between two teams that were playing at an even level, that was the difference that tipped the scales in the Wildcats' direction.

Ultimately, it may not matter much (except, perhaps, in that it shut up all the "best ever defense" talk that had been floating around). LSU can get back into the driver's seat with a couple of upsets and some drive and focus. Now it's the Tigers' turn to alter their state of mind and play with a chip on their shoulder.

Can they do it?

I'm not betting against them from here on out.

Other observations:

* Among the remaining undefeated teams (Ohio State, Boston College, South Florida, Arizona State, Hawaii and Kansas), has any team done more than South Florida? Exhibit A: A road win at Auburn, a victory that is looking more and more impressive. Exhibit B: A gritty win over No. 9 West Virginia in which the Bulls forced half a dozen turnovers. I haven't decided whether this team should be No. 1 yet, but USF (fresh off a 64-12 pasting of Central Florida) certainly has the best case on paper.

* Southern Cal did not look good at all for a second consecutive week, validating my decision to drop them to the low teens last week. Maybe I should have dropped them further. Matt Sanchez started in place of John David Booty and it didn't make a lick of difference. Sanchez turned the ball over three times and USC was nearly outgained by an inept Arizona offense in a close 20-13 win.

* The Big XII is shaping up to be one of the most interesting conference races in the country. In the heavyweight matchup of the day, No. 6 Oklahoma proved to be too much for No. 11 Missouri, thanks to a couple of quick scores in the second half that Mizzou had no answer for. Particularly telling was a ridiculous defensive touchdown in which Missouri literally placed the ball on the ground for the defender to pick up and run in. That result, coupled with Colorado's 47-20 loss to Kansas State, restored a semblance of order in the conference with Oklahoma now looking like the favorite. But with Kansas undefeated, Texas fresh off a conference win (56-3 over Iowa State) and Texas Tech rolling (35-7 winners Saturday), it's still anyone's to win (anyone other than Nebraska, that is).

Top 25 Results:
(17) Kentucky 43, (1) LSU 37
Oregon State 31, (2) Cal 28
(3) Ohio State 48, Kent State 3
(4) Boston College 27, Notre Dame 14
(5) South Florida 64, Central Florida 12
(6) Oklahoma 41, (11) Missouri 31
(7) South Carolina 21, North Carolina 15
(9) Oregon 53, Washington State 7
(10) Southern Cal 20, Arizona 13
(12) Virginia Tech 43, Duke 14
(14) Arizona State 44, Washington 20
Louisville 28, (15) Cincinnati 24
(16) Hawaii 42, San Jose State 35
Iowa 10, (18) Illinois 6
Penn State 38, (19) Wisconsin 7
(20) Kansas 58, Baylor 10
Wake Forest 24, (21) Florida State 21
(22) Auburn 9, Arkansas 7
(23) Texas 56, Iowa State 3
(24) Georgia 20, Vanderbilt 17
(25) Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 21