Football Betting

NCAA Football Betting - UNDER Teams

Get ready, college football betting fans! The 2009 season is finally here! BetUS Sportsbook continues to get you revved up for the ’09 campaign with the list of the best ‘under’ teams in the land from 2008…

Tennessee Volunteers ( 1-10-1 in 2008) Tennessee’s defense should have sued HC Phillip Fulmer and the offense for lack of support in 2008. The unit ranked fourth in the country, allowing just 263.8 yards per game, and the squad held its opponents to 16.8 points per game, the tenth best number in the land. Heck, the Vols even held the mighty Florida Gators to 30 points, their lowest output of the regular season. Then there’s offense… QB Jonathan Crompton threw for a whopping 889 yards last year, leading the nation’s 107 th ranked passing attack. After scoring just 17.3 points per game, losing outright at home to a lousy Wyoming team, and failing to make a bowl game, it’s no wonder that Fulmer got fired.

Arkansas State Red Wolves (2-9 in 2008) How could a team that dropped 83 points in a game be on the list of the best ‘under’ teams in the country? Not every game can be played against Texas Southern… If you take out that 83-point effort in the second week of the season, the Red Wolves only scored 21.9 points per game. The defense posted similar numbers, allowing 23.8 points per game. Until the start of November, the oddsmakers held on to that 83-point game, as all of Arkansas State’s posted ‘totals’ were in the 50s or 60s. Only one of those six games went past the number.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2-8 in 2008) The Hilltoppers get a pass considering they are still a fledgling FBS team. Their offense only scored 17.5 points per game last season, which ranked 110 th in the country. Save a 40-point outburst against North Texas, Western Kentucky only scored more than 13 points once against an FBS opponent. Maybe they should consider signing up their goofy red blob of a mascot to catch passes in his mouth in ’09…

Clemson Tigers (3-8 in 2008) Even though Clemson may have had the best running back duo in the land last season in RBs James Davis and CJ Spiller, the offense never really got on track. The team surprisingly ranked 100 th in rushing offense at 111.4 yards per game. HC Tommy Bowden took the fall for the lack of offensive production, as he was fired mid-season and replaced with Dabo Sweeney. The offense was significantly better in its L/6 games of the season averaging 25.0 points per game, but the damage was already done for ‘over’ bettors. They started the season 0-5 and never really recovered.

Auburn Tigers (3-8 in 2008) Right before the 2007 Peach Bowl, the Tigers installed a fast-paced offense. Auburn put up 23 points in its 23-20 victory that day, but the offensive firepower just didn’t translate over to the ’08 season. The unit only put up 302.2 yards per game, the 104 th ranking in America. Much like his fellow SEC coach, Phillip Fulmer, Auburn HC Tommy Tuberville ended up taking the fall in the offseason after his offense only scored 17.3 points per game. Maybe new OC Gus Malzahn can help this team figure it out this year.

Oregon Ducks vs Boise State Point Spread Preview

College football season returns on Thursday night, and this game between No. 16 Oregon Ducks and No. 14 Boise State Broncos could be the best of opening weekend.

The Broncos won 37-32 in Eugene last year, aided by the fact that Boise State knocked out Ducks starting QB Jeremiah Masoli in the first quarter – a hit that many Ducks felt was a cheap shot. So, yeah, they want payback.

“They are a huge motion and shift team and really create a lot of confusing situations for the defense, just before the ball is snapped,” said Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, who believes the problems Oregon experienced last September are fixable, especially given the extra time to prepare and the experience of having seen it before.

Kelly makes his head-coaching debut in place of Mike Bellotti, who moved to the school’s athletic director position.

NCAA Football - Week 1 Preview

The 2009 College Football Season is finally upon us and fans have to be dancing in the streets, right? Okay, maybe most of us are going to wait to see if we can make some profits before shimmying down our neighborhoods and singing the praises of football betting.

Starting this Thursday, college football fans will be treated to what many consider the best sportsbook wagering available. Often times, gamblers spend more than half of their yearly bank roll on betting college football. Why? Because the games often times are easier to handicap than NFL games. Also, there’s more passion in college football than any other sport in the United States.

What’s scheduled for the first week of the 2009 College Football Season?

On Thursday, September 3rd, South Carolina takes on North Carolina State, Utah begins their quest for another magical season when they battle Utah State and the Oregon Ducks, in the biggest game of the night, travel to the blue carpeted home of Boise State to take on the Broncos.

Oregon vs. Boise State could be a big game for gamblers as the line, Oregon +4, is very manageable. Most bettors no doubt will key in on this game come Thursday.

Friday’s game is usually one that gamblers stay away from as there is rarely enough information on both teams in the Friday game to make a wagering decision. Not so this Friday as the well-respected Tulsa Golden Hurricane takes on Tulane.

After Tulsa and Tulane duke it out on Friday night, the real day for college football bliss begins. Gambler should forget about both Florida and Texas who open their season against teams that have no chance, Texas is favored by 40 ½ points to beat Louisiana-Monroe and there isn’t even a line on the Florida versus Charles Southern game, and concentrate some of the more interesting matchups with more manageable point spreads.

At this point, Oklahoma State is favored by 6 over the Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama is favored by 7 over the Virginia Tech Hokies and California is favored by 21 ½ over the Maryland Terrapins.

The two most interesting games to wager and probably watch could be Oklahoma versus BYU and Notre Dame versus Nevada. The golden domers are favored by 14 points over the Nevada Wolf Pack. More than one prominent sports caster has put Notre Dame into the BCS Championship. It starts on Saturday against Nevada for Charlie Weiss’s crew.

For Oklahoma, the key will be whether or not their new offensive line can protect Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. BYU is always tough and Oklahoma will have to be on their A game to beat the Cougars.

The 2009 College Football Season is upon us. Sit back and enjoy.

SEC 2009 Preview- Why Bother?

If you listen to the oddsmakers and experts, there is really not much point to previewing the Southeastern Conference this year. Reigning national champ Florida is -300 on WagerWeb.com to repeat as SEC champ, and in fact the Gators were the most consensus preseason No. 1 team in the country in the history of the AP poll, getting 58 of the 60 votes.

So is there a point to betting on anyone but Florida this year in the SEC? After all, the Gators return all 11 defensive starters and nearly everyone on offense but for receiver Percy Harvin. They should be overwhelming conference and national favorites.

Well, I would tell you that the Gators have not gone unbeaten in conference play since the 1996 national championship team. But I would also tell you that UF’s schedule is pretty easy this year. The only test, on the surface, would appear to come Oct. 10 at LSU, and Florida has an off week to prepare for that one. I am trying to find another regular-season game where UF won’t be a double-digit favorite, and I can’t. Georgia is likely to take a step back this season, while Tennessee is rebuilding – and the Urban Meyer is going to want to crush Lane Kiffin after all his talk. Florida doesn’t have to play Alabama or Mississippi, the team that beat the Gators last year, during the regular season. UF will be in the SEC title game.

USC vs UCLA Pointspread Free Pick

USC -33, Total 47.5

The USC Trojans (10-1 SU, 7-4 ATS) can earn a trip to the Rose Bowl on Saturday if they can score a victory over the UCLA Bruins (4-7 SU, 6-5 ATS) in NCAA college football sports betting action in the Pac-10 Conference that is scheduled to begin at 4:30 PM ET at the Rose Bowl (natural turf) in Pasadena, CA.

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Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

• * USC has covered 11 of its last 16 games
• * USC has played 15 of its last 22 games UNDER the total
• * USC has won six of its last seven road games SU
• * UCLA has covered 10 of its last 15 games
• * UCLA has lost 12 of its last 17 games SU
• * UCLA has played six of its last seven games UNDER the total
• * UCLA has covered seven of its last nine home games
• * UCLA has won 18 of its last 25 home games SU
• * UCLA has played four of its last five home games UNDER the total

Also...

• * USC has covered six of the last nine meetings
• * USC has won eight of the last nine meetings SU
• * UCLA has covered four of the last six meetings as the home team

USC has the kind of defense that has rarely been seen in college football. The Trojans are allowing just 3.4 yards a play, and rank #1 in the nation in pass defense, total defense and scoring defense, third in tackles for loss and sixth in rushing defense. And they have held NINE different opponents to ten points or less.

This doesn't appear to leave much room for UCLA, which brought aboard Norm Chow as offensive coordinator and proceeded to have an attack that offended many followers. The rushing game hasn't worked; the Bruins have averaged just 2.6 yards per carry and 86 yards a game. The protection schemes have not been good enough to keep their passers from being sacked 35 times. The quarterback, Kevin Craft, has been dreadful, with 12 interceptions and no touchdown passes in his last four games. UCLA has scored 18.6 points a game, which ranks 107th in Division I football.

UCLA has taken it on the chin a few times, that's for sure. The most humiliating of these outing has been against BYU, who walked away with a 59-0 victory behind seven touchdown passes by Max Hall (by comparison, Craft has 7 TDs ALL YEAR).

But interestingly, they have gotten things together to be competitive against the Trojans the last couple of seasons. Of course, two years ago they actually pulled off a shocking 13-9 win as a 12.5-point underdog, and last year stayed within the number, losing just 24-7, though they were outgained by a 437-168 margin.

It is worth noting how big this number is, and that no matter how much USC ran up the score it wouldn't be enough to make a difference in determining a spot in the BCS title game, since it would appear the SEC winner will likely play against either Oklahoma or Texas. So much for that kind of "incentive." Technical numbers show us that as a visitor within the conference, USC has covered just five of its last 16, indicating it is usually overvalued. And UCLA has been surprisingly good when getting points, as the Bruins have covered 14 of their last 19 as a dog. And let's not forget that the Bruins are second in the country in pass defense, allowing opponents to complete just 53% of their passes, for less than 160 yards a game.

We're going to grab the points with 33-point underdog UCLA in the BetUS Sportsbook NCAA college football betting odds, but only as a small recommendation.

JAY'S PLAY: UCLA +33 *

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Florida Gators Pointspread Free Pick

With all of the talk of a playoff in college football, Saturday’s SEC Championship Game from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta is likely a play-in game to the BCS National Championship. BetUS Sportsbook members will have all of their sports betting options available for one of the most anticipated games of the season when the Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0, 9-3 ATS) face off with the Florida Gators (11-1, 9-2 ATS).

According to both human polls, this will be a match-up between the #1 and #2 teams in the nation. Though the Gators aren’t quite in the Top-2 in the country in the BCS as of yet, a win against Alabama will almost certainly be good enough to place them in Miami for the right to play for the National Championship. These two storied SEC teams didn’t meet in the regular season this year. Their last meeting came back in 2006, when the Gators beat the Tide 28-13, but failed to cover the 15.5-point college football betting line.

The Tide rolled into the SEC title game in huge fashion when they took out their rivals from Auburn 36-0 in last weekend’s Iron Bowl. RBs Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram had fantastic games, combining to carry the ball 35 times for 208 yards and three scores.

The defense was simply awesome, holding the Tigers to eight first downs and 170 total yards of offense. It was the Tide’s first Iron Bowl victory in their last seven tries. It was also the biggest margin of victory in an Iron Bowl in the L/46 years.

The biggest question for Alabama bettors this weekend will be whether their squad’s third rated defense in the nation (248.5 yards per game and 11.5 points per game) can contain the high-powered Florida offense. Alabama is 5-0 ATS in its L/5 games, and have outscored those five opponents by an aver age of 24.4 points per game.

It’s great to be a Florida Gator right now! The blue and orange marched into Tallahassee last weekend and destroyed their rivals from Florida State 45-15. QB Tim Tebow presented his case to become just the second man to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies by throwing for 185 yards and three touchdowns to go with his 78 yards and one score on the ground.

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The Gators have been unstoppable since losing to Ole Miss on September 27th; they’re a perfect 9-0 SU and 8-0 ATS since. They’ve outscored their opponents by a baffling combined score of 414-97 and have averaged beating the spread in those eight ATS victories by 17.4 points per game. ‘Over’ bettors have also cashed in six straight Florida games.

In spite of the fact that they are the only undefeated team in the nation, the Tide are getting absolutely no respect in this critical college football betting affair. Oddsmakers have installed the Gators as whopping 9.5-point favorites, while the ‘total’ comes in at 51.

OU vs Texas Tech Preview

Texas Tech has enjoyed a dream season, perhaps the best in the 
program's history.

But before the second-ranked Red Raiders, who are 10-0 for the 
first time since 1938, can lay claim to being the best team in 
the country, they have to win a signature game on the road.

They will get that opportunity Saturday against No. 5 Oklahoma, 
which has averaged 57 points in four wins season, losing to 
Texas, 45-35.

Three weeks ago, Texas Tech defeated then-No. 1 Texas, 39-33, in
Lubbock. It was billed as the biggest game in school history.

But the win over the Longhorns may seem like child's play 
compared to the task that awaits the Red Raiders on Saturday in 
front of 85,000 fans at Memorial Stadium.

Texas Tech will try to win at a venue that has been a graveyard 
for visiting teams. Under coach Bob Stoops, Oklahoma is 60-2 at 
home, losing only to Oklahoma State in 2001 and TCU four years 
later.

Texas Tech safety Daniel Charbonnet is not expecting a warm 
reception.

"I remember last time we played there, they were pretty 
obnoxious right behind us,'' Charbonnet told the Lubbock 
Journal. "I had a little kid yelling at me the whole time and 
stuff like that. They definitely get into their football up 
there."

Yet despite the dominance, Stoops is not sure the Sooners have a
significant home-field advantage.

During his Tuesday news conference, he issued a challenge to the
Oklahoma fans, asking them to make more noise than usual.

"That is something that our crowd will hopefully take an active 
interest in for this game," Stoops said. "They are a no- huddle 
team that does a lot of communicating at the line of scrimmage, 
and the louder you are, the more difficult you make it on them 
and it can influence the game."

Texas Tech is the highest-ranked opponent the Sooners have faced
at home since defeating No. 1 Nebraska in 2000.

"I don't know that there is one answer why we have been so 
successful at home in the last 10 years," Stoops added. "I think
maybe, just our overall focus and our play are probably the 
biggest reasons."

Texas Tech is trying to accomplish something it never has done 
in Mike Leach's nine seasons as coach - beat Texas and Oklahoma 
in the same year.

If the Red Raiders can hand Oklahoma a rare home loss, they will
capture their first Big 12 South title.

However, an Oklahoma win creates the possibility of a nightmare 
scenario the Big 12 might like to avoid - a three-way tie 
between the Sooners, Red Raiders and Texas.

If that happens, the team with the highest BCS ranking will be 
declared the division winner.

Texas is third and Oklahoma fifth in the latest BCS standing, 
which is why Saturday's game has an interested third-party 
observer.

Still, Texas coach Mack Brown, whose team is off this week, said
he will not be openly rooting for Oklahoma.

"There's so many different things that can happen over the next 
three weeks," he said. "I'll simply sit back and watch and be a 
fan of the game."

Brown, like the rest of the country, can expect a shootout. 
Oklahoma is first in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring 
(51.7 ppg) and Texas Tech third (47.9).

With two of the nation's top quarterbacks on display - Texas 
Tech's Graham Harrell and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford - the contest 
may simply come down to the team that gets the most defensive 
stops.

Another key for the Sooners will be getting pressure on Harrell,
who has passed for more than 4,000 yards this season. One of the
reasons he has been so effective is that he rarely gets hit, 
having been sacked only five times.

By Bob Birge
PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

Ball State vs. Central Michigan Point Spread Analysis

The oddsmakers have installed the unbeaten Cardinals as 7-point road favorites, and the ‘total’ has been set at 54.5. 

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The Cinderella story continues and BetUS Sportsbook has all of the action covered for this sports betting match-up between the Ball State Cardinals (10-0, 7-2 ATS) and the Central Michigan Chippewas (8-2, 6-3 ATS). Even though the Cardinals are 10-0 and hanging onto faint hopes to bust the BCS, they still have a lot of work to do to win their own conference.

The winner of this game will have the inside track towards winning the MAC West. If the perfect season is to continue, Ball State will have to reverse a trend of four straight victories and three straight covers for the Chippewas. Last season, the Cards were favored by 12 points, but were embarrassed 58-38 at home.

Even the lowliest of teams are starting to give Ball State their best chance, as everyone wants to say that they are the team that ended the Cardinals’ perfection. The Cards were only ahead by one point almost half way through the third quarter, but put away the 2-8 Redhawks 31-16 with a pair of RB MiQuale Lewis touchdowns.

After opening up 6-0 ATS, Ball State bettors suffered their second ATS loss in the L/3 weeks by failing to cover the 17.5-point spread against Miami. Lewis had a nice day, carrying the ball 26 times for 165 yards and those two scores. QB Nate Davis may become the next great MAC quarterback to make it in the NFL, and he helped his stock by completing 17-of-24 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown. The junior signal-caller has now thrown for 2,647 yards and 19 touchdowns against just seven interceptions this year.

At the 5:00 mark in the 3rd quarter, the Chippewas led Northern Illinois 30-6, and Central Michigan bettors were already lined up at the betting windows to cash their football betting tickets. Not so fast! The Huskies rolled off 24 unanswered points in the final 16:25 of the game to force overtime. However, the 4-point underdogs wouldn’t be denied, as Central Michigan won in overtime by the final count of 33-30.

QB Dan LeFevour busted onto the scene in his sophomore season last year, recording 46 total touchdowns. He led the way against the Huskies, recording 309 total yards and all four scores for the Chippies. After three straight ‘under’ games, Central Michigan has now played three of its L/4 games ‘over’ the ‘total’. The Chippewa offense ranks 30th in the country at 410.4 yards per game with LeFevour leading the 14th ranked passing attack that’s been good for 279.0 yards per game.

The oddsmakers have installed the unbeaten Cardinals as 7-point road favorites, and the ‘total’ has been set at 54.5.

Both teams have strong NCAAF betting trends on their side. Ball State is 16-5 ATS in its L/21 road games, but Central Michigan is 14-2-1 ATS in its L/17 home games. The Chippies are also 9-3 ATS in their L/12 games against teams with a winning record, and Ball State is a very poor 3-8 ATS in the L/11 meetings between these two teams.

No matter which side of this MAC battle you plan on betting on, BetUS has all of the great college football betting lines available to you, so before turning on the tube to watch this great football betting match-up, place your NCAA bets!

OU vs Texas Tech Point Spread Preview

Oklahoma -6.5 vs Texas Tech
Over/Under 75

No game this weekend will have more of an impact on the National Championship picture and the BCS than this clash between the Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-0, 5-2-1 ATS) and the Oklahoma Sooners (9-1, 7-2 ATS). This critical sports betting match-up from Norman features two of the best spread teams in the nation, and BetUS Sportsbook has all of the action covered.

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The Sooners will be looking to avenge last season’s 34-27 loss in Lubbock that effectively knocked them out of the hunt for the BCS title. The home team has won eight of the L/10 meetings between these teams. Both teams were off from football betting action last weekend.

The magical season of Texas Tech will only go as far as its two fantastic Heisman Trophy candidates take it. QB Graham Harrell has completed 72% of his passes this year for 4,077 yards and 36 touchdowns against just five interceptions. His favorite target is WR Michael Crabtree, who has 78 catches for 1,010 yards and 18 touchdowns on the season. The two have paced the Air Raid attack, which ranks 2nd in total yards (566.3), 1st in passing yards (433.7), and 3rd in points scored (47.9) in the nation.

The Red Raiders have covered three straight games, and have played four straight ‘over’ the ‘total’. No one has held the offense under 35 points on the year, and in Big XII play, the unit is averaging 49.3 points per game. Texas Tech bettors are 3-1 ATS on the road this season.

For as unstoppable as the Texas Tech offense appears, the Oklahoma offense might be their match. QB Sam Bradford might be the best quarterback in the nation. He has thrown for 3,406 yards with an NCAA-best 38 touchdown passes against just six picks. The unit is far more balanced than Texas Tech is though, as the unit ranks in the Top-25 in every major offensive category, including 4th in total yards (549.8), 3rd in passing yards (355.5), 24th in rushing yards (194.3), and 1st in points scored (51.4).

Much like their counterparts, only one team has held Oklahoma under 45 points this year, and of late, the unit has been unstoppable. The Sooners have scored 186 points in their L/3 games, all covers. ‘Over’ bettors have picked up six straight victories in Oklahoma games. They’re 8-1 overall on the season.

Oddsmakers are showing no respect for the #2 team in the nation, as the Red Raiders are 6.5-point underdogs in this football betting showdown with the ‘total’ set at a lofty 75.

Though both offenses have the ability of hanging 60 points on whoever they play, the ‘under’ has been the better play of late when these teams have hooked up. ‘Under’ bettors have gone 3-1 in their L/4 meetings.

Will the Red Raiders move to 11-0 and march one step closer to the National Championship game, or will the Sooners keep their title hopes alive and avenge 2007’s road defeat? Login to your BetUS account right to get yourself a piece of this enormous Big 12 South tussle!

USC vs Stanford Point Spread Free Pick

Saturday, November 15

BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: USC -23.5, Total 48

The USC Trojans (8-1 SU, 6-3 ATS) are looking for big revenge when they travel to the Bay Area on Saturday to face the Stanford Cardinal (5-5 SU, 6-4 ATS) in NCAA college football sports betting action that is set to begin at 7 PM ET at Stanford Stadium (natural turf) in Palo Alto, CA.

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Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

• USC has covered ten of its last 14 games
• USC has won its last six games SU
• USC has played six of its last eight games UNDER the total
• USC has covered four of its last six road games
• USC has won 21 of its last 25 road games SU
• USC has played six of its last nine road games UNDER the total
• STAN has covered five of its last seven games
• STAN has played seven of its last ten games OVER the total
• STAN has won and covered its last five home games
• STAN has lost 18 of its last 25 home games SU
• STAN has played five of its last seven home games UNDER the total

Also...

• STAN has covered six of the last nine meetings
• USC has won five of the last six meetings SU
• Four of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total
• USC has won four of the last five meetings SU as the road team

Last year USC was a favorite of 40.5 points and wound up on the losing end of a 24-23 decision. But a look at the stats reveals that they dominated the game. The Trojans out-gained Stanford by a 459-235 margin, but they were victimized by five turnovers. Now they are primed for revenge, and they appear to have been working toward it. USC is leading the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 6.7 points per game. They have allowed a TOTAL of 13 points in the last five games, and 653 TOTAL yards in the last four (no one has gotten more than 188).

Mark Sanchez (24 TD's, 7 INT's, 65%) can make enough plays to create some distance between these teams, while his counterpart, Tavita Pritchard, has shown some more steadiness with no interceptions over the last couple of games, but he's had only one effort of more than 182 yards this season. That could mean Stanford is overly reliant on running backs like Toby Gerhart, who pulled his hamstring against Oregon after gaining only 21 yards (he's optimistic he will be able to play). Anthony Kimble stepped in with 106 yards, but Southern Cal is rigid against the run, allowing just 2.4 yards a carry.

So the Trojans should be able to make Stanford one-dimensional, one way or the another. And they are sixth in both polls, which means they'll be out to impress somebody. We are going to go ahead and lay the points with USC, the 23.5-point favorite in the BetUS NFL pro football sports betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: USC -23.5 **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)