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.

BCS Bowl Betting Pointspread and Preview

The BCS Selection Committee went ahead and filled out the slate for the BCS Bowl Games for the 2008 – 2009 NCAA College Football Season. For online betting fans, it doesn’t get any better than making online football bets on these bowl games.

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Since the BCS started their new format, some brilliant games have been played on the grid iron. It’s too early to actually pick a winner, a lot came happen in three weeks to a month, but it’s not too early to take a peek at the BetUS online sportsbook betting odds for the BCS Bowl Games as well as provide some early Bowl Season analysis.

Let’s get to it!

Rose Bowl Presented by Citi

Date: 1/1/2009

Time: 4:30 pm est.

USC Trojans vs. Penn State Nittany Lions - - The USC Trojans will be playing in their fourth Rose Bowl in a row. Any other team would be ecstatic but BCS Championships are expected out of USC every year not Rose Bowl berths. Because they won’t have to travel too far, the Trojans should go into the Rose Bowl with an advantage, but in assessing who wins this game against the BetUS online betting spread, college football betting fans need to look beyond the obvious. Yes, USC has a fantastic defense, but Penn State is led by junior quarterback Daryll Clark who’s been doing his best impersonation of Vince Young this season. The USC defense will be tested and USC’s offense has been spectacular against teams like Washington State and downright awful against teams like Arizona. The Nittany Lions have a chance.

BetUS online sportsbook against the spread line: Penn State + 10

FedEx Orange Bowl

Date: 1/1/2009

Time: 8:30 pm est.

Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Cincinnati Bearcats - - Yes, Cincinnati is in a major BCS Bowl. I know. I expect Bob Huggins and Danny Fortson to parade on the sidelines too, but this is the Cincinnati football team not the Cincinnati basketball team from the 1990’s that dominated NCAAB. Cincinnati has been very, very, very good this season. For online college football betting fans, they’ve been one of the better squads in the country straight-up going 11 and 2. Of course, against the BetUS online sportsbook wagering spread, they’ve been anything but great going 6 and 6. Still, it’s been a down year for the Hokies who got lucky against the BC Eagles in the ACC Championship game. In fact, the ACC hasn’t been all that great. I’m going to wait before really deciding where my online betting dollars will go in this one but I do believe that the Bearcats might just be the better team.

BetUS online sportsbook against the spread line: Cincinnati – 1 ½

AllState Sugar Bowl

Date: 1/2/2009

Time: 8:00 pm est.

Utah Utes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide - - The Utes make the Sugar Bowl based on their undefeated season in a bad conference. The Crimson Tide make the Sugar Bowl based on their runner-up effort in the SEC Championship game. The last time an undefeated small conference team faced a good SEC team in the Sugar Bowl was last year. Georgia destroyed Hawaii in that Sugar Bowl. Will the same happen this season? Utah is a seemingly better team than Hawaii was. So, online betting fans should rejoice but I wouldn’t start jumping up and down in my Utah red. I mean, the Crimson Tide is loaded on defense and their offense is underrated. The biggest issue Utah is likely to face? Alabama pretty much had that game against Florida in the SEC Championship Game until Florida quarterback Tim Tebow willed his team to victory. ‘Bama is going to be excited about lighting up the Utes.

BetUS online sportsbook against the spread line: Alabama – 10 ½

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Date: 1/5/2009

Time: 8:00 pm est.

Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Longhorns - - Okay, so the Buckeyes finish second in the Big-Ten and for that terrific season they get to face the Texas Longhorns. How good was Texas this year? They lost only one game, to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and in the Red River Shoot-Out against Oklahoma the Longhorns were exceptional. Texas has one of the best offenses in the nation and their defense is dominating. I didn’t want to pick a winner straight-up and against the BetUS online betting spread so early in the Bowl Season, but I can’t mess around with this game. The Texas Longhorns should absolutely dominate an Ohio State offense led by a freshman, Terelle Pryor, and an Ohio State defense that won’t be able to keep up with the speed that Texas possesses on offense. This looks like an online football betting lock to me.

BetUS online sportsbook against the spread line: Texas – 10

BCS National Championship Game

Date: 1/8/2009

Time: 8:00 pm est.

Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners - - This is a dream match-up. First, online sports betting fans have to be ecstatic that the Ohio State Buckeyes didn’t make it to this game. Second, can online football betting fans think of a more interesting match-up than the Florida Gators coached by Urban Meyer and led by quarterback Tim Tebow facing off against the Oklahoma Sooners led by coach Bob Stoops and led by quarterback Sam Bradford? Both Oklahoma and Florida have unbelievable offenses. The Sooners scored over 60 points in four straight games. Florida had to play defense when facing the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game. Both teams are expertly coached. Both offenses are terrifically balanced. Both defenses are very good. What’s the difference between these two teams? Usually, I would say that the Gators had to traverse a much tougher schedule since they play out of the SEC. Not this season. The Oklahoma Sooners had to play Texas, Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Every single one of those teams was ranked in the Top Ten at one point during the season. That makes the Sooners the team to beat in my eyes. My first impression is that this is Oklahoma’s game to lose.

BetUS online sportsbook against the spread line: Oklahoma + 3

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.

Bowl Game Point Spread Winners

The BSC is brilliant. Sure, we can sit here and scream to high-heaven that they got it wrong. That those morons with their stupid computers put together a lack-luster Bowl Championship Series by giving the LSU Tigers one last crack at the National Championship.

We can cry that the Big-10 is overrated, that the SEC is overrated, that it should be USC or Oklahoma in that Championship game, not Ohio State or LSU.

We can keep talking until the cows come home about this one because at the end of the day, the BSC got it right. From a college football bettor’s point-of-view, I can give two sh**s about who should be in the BCS Championship game. All I want to know is who will be and what the spread is.

As of this writing, there are no spreads for any of these bowl games. That doesn’t mean anything to me, really. I like to create my own spread-line just so that I can sort of get an idea of how much mullah I’m going to need going into the Bowl Season. It’s really the only way to make sure that you don’t get killed if you hit a bad streak.

With that being said, I’ve gone through each of the Bowl Championship Series match-ups and this is what I’ve come up with:

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA

#7 USC Trojans vs. #13 Illinois Illini

The USC Trojans could have wiped their asses with that other Los Angeles team, the UCLA Bruins, instead the Trojans had the Bruins for lunch and wiped their mouths. The Trojans will be huge favorites in this game but I’m looking at the Illini and thinking about how tough they play and how well their quarterback, Juice Williams, runs that spread offense, and how well their running back, Rashard Mendenhall, takes it between the tackles and I start to think that maybe the Illini have a puncher’s chance in this one. After all, Oregon, another spread offensive team, did beat USC.

Personal Against the Spread Line: Illinois + 10.5

The Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, LA

#5 Georgia Bulldogs vs. #10 Hawaii Rainbows

No college football bettor in the world knows how good the Hawaii Rainbows really are. They’ve got that type of offense that just might be too good for any team to handle unless they know it inside and out. After playing good defensive-minded teams like Tennessee and Auburn this year, the Bulldogs have to face one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Colt Brennan. I’ve actually watched the Rainbows play a couple of times this year. They are not a bad team. In fact they have speed all over the place and their attitude should be great having played their home games in beautiful Hawaii. I feel another upset in the making.

Personal Against the Spread Line: Hawaii + 8.5

The Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ

#4 Oklahoma Sooners vs. #9 West Virginia Mountaineers

Oklahoma will be favored, slightly, in this game because they beat Missouri while the Mountaineers lost to the Pittsburgh Panthers. I have no doubt that the Mountaineers will come out swinging on offense, but did you see that Sooner defense? Those guys are awesome! I was enthralled by the way that they shut-down the Mizzou spread attack and caused quarterback Chase Daniel into making mistakes. That sort of defense, coupled with that huge offensive line, make the Sooners one of the best bets of the bowl season.

Personal Against the Spread Line: Oklahoma – 7.5

The Orange Bowl in Miami, FL

#3 Virginia Tech vs. #8 Kansas

Kansas is a pretty good team, but I give them little chance versus a very good, and very disciplined, Virginia Tech squad. I was hoping that Virginia Tech had played their way into the BCS Championship Game this year, but because of that horrible loss early in the season against LSU, where they were blown out of the stadium, the Hokies find themselves in the Orange Bowl. That’s okay. Frank Beemer will have his fellas ready to take it to the Jayhawks who can’t stop folks from scoring and who will have trouble scoring against the Hokies’ excellent defense. I like the Hokies to make a statement in this one.

Personal Against the Spread Line: Virginia Tech – 7.5

The BCS National Championship in New Orleans, LA

#1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #2 LSU Fighting Tigers

The spread should be low in this game because Ohio State only allowed two rushing touchdowns this year. However, one of the most powerful trends the past four or five years has been LSU to cover when they play teams outside of the SEC. When LSU plays against a team known for defense, like Virginia Tech earlier this year, they are absolutely deadly. Les Miles is a master at coming up with offensive game-plans that go straight at the heart of opposing defenses. Ohio State will have not played in about 51 days. Rust will be a problem for the Bucks. Miles won’t let the chance to prove that LSU is the king of college football slip from his grasp. Glenn Dorsey, the future number 1 draft pick, will be healthier than he has been in months. Both Perilloux and Flynn, the two LSU quarterbacks, will be itching to show how good they are, and the Fighting Tigers have Jacob Hester, who has the biggest heart in all of college football after Michigan RB Mike Hart. Too much speed on offense and defense. Ohio State will have trouble getting out of the blocks. Forget about it, Buckeye fans. You guys are toast for the second straight year in a row.

Personal Against the Spread NCAAF Line: LSU – 10.5

-DS Williamson

NCAA BCS Teams- Point Spread Analysis

The BCS Standings remained virtually unchanged at the top of the mountain. The biggest news was down below, where the Kentucky Wildcats and Florida Gators both lost on Saturday. The Buckeyes remain at the top of the pile, but the biggest surprise is which team is climbing back up the mountain.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)

As long as the Buckeyes keep winning football games, they will be in the BCS title game in New Orleans. There are no undefeated teams rallying for the top spot. The Buckeyes defense is going to take this team straight to the Superdome in January. But they can’t take the foot off the pedal yet.

Next game: Wisconsin vs. Ohio State (-16.5)

2. Boston College Eagles (8-0)

Matt Ryan looked sensational in the closing minutes against Virginia Tech, a game the Eagles won 14-10. Ryan continues to draw votes for the Heisman and his 285 yard performance will only cement that. The problem for Boston College will be getting the BCS computers to ignore their weak(er) schedule. The Eagles remain a strong bet going 5-2 ATS on the season.

Next game: Florida State vs. Boston College (-7.5)

3. LSU Tigers (7-1)

When your only loss was in triple over-time against an incredibly talented quarterback, you’re not doing so badly. LSU can still win outright the rest of the way and that would make them a solid contender for the BCS Championship game. But the betting community should be wary of this 3-5 ATS team. They win, but it is not always pretty.

Next game: LSU (-7) vs. Alabama

4. Arizona State Sun Devils (8-0)

My complete and utter disdain for Arizona State’s ranking continues to stew since the California Golden Bears couldn’t sit on a lead. The Sun Devils have to face Oregon this weekend and have USC bearing down on them on Thanksgiving. Any slip-up and the Sun Devils will go tumbling down, but it will be impossible to keep an undefeated Pac-10 team out of the national title game at the end of the year.

Next game: Arizona State vs. Oregon (-7)

5. Oregon Ducks (7-1)

The Ducks and Dennis Dixon continue to fly-high and a 24-17 victory over USC has only cemented them as the best team in the Pac-10. They can not let Arizona State win this weekend, and a victory will only help their cause as time runs out on the season.

Next game: Arizona State vs. Oregon (-7)

6. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1)

The Sooners destiny is simply out of their hands. The rest of their schedule is fairly easy, but they need everyone ahead of them to stumble at some point.

Next game: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma (-19.5)

7. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-1)

The Mountaineers demolished Rutgers in their own building with a score of 31-3. The loss to South Florida is going to sting when the BCS computers get in to the picture, and the Mountaineers need some help from their opponents because they need to face a top-10 team towards the end of the year. That’s the only way they will make enough noise to get the call for New Orleans. And it likely won’t happen.

Next game: BYE WEEK

THE CLIMBERS

12. Michigan Wolverines (7-2)

Michigan is soaring up the ladder and the 34-10 drubbing of Minnesota only helped propel them faster. They jumped eight spots in the BCS Standings and the betting faithful who stood by them will be more than pleased to see this. They need some help, but never ever underestimate the infamous at-large bid. Michigan still has a reputation and that may be enough to squeak them in to the title picture.

Next game: Michigan (-4) vs. Michigan State

22. Boise State Broncos (7-1)

Can they do it again? Too many good teams have multiple losses and the Broncos, who average 41.8 points per game, may be in store for another insane run just like last season. Don’t put your eggs in this betting basket yet, but maintain a watchful eye. They are 3-4 ATS.

Next game: San Jose State vs. Boise State (-25.5)

by Tim Furious

BCS Ratings Week 8

by Tim Furious

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)

Michigan almost recreated the 1998 upset, but fell short when the Buckeyes defense found its footing again and held the Spartans to a field goal with a few minutes remaining. Todd Boeckman led an offense that managed twenty-two first-downs and 422 yards. Tressel returns to the top after being counted out in the preseason. Who’s laughing now?

Next game: Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State

2. Boston College Eagles (7-0)

The second ranked team in the top-25 has lost three consecutive weeks in a row, and the Eagles will face a stiff challenge as road dogs against the Hokies. Last weekend the Eagles got a week off and were the big winners in Rutgers' upset win over the South Florida Bulls. The Eagles get to prove if they are players or pretenders on Thursday night, a game BetUS.com will preview in our locker room later this week.

Next game: Boston College vs. Virginia Tech (-3.5)

3. LSU Tigers (7-1)

The Tigers narrowly escaped the Auburn Tigers in a 30-24 victory that required a last second touchdown catch by Demetrius Byrd. Matt Flynn is clutch and has the full faith of Les Miles, but the Tigers and Glenn Dorsey are going to need to play much better defense if they hope to keep the faith of the betting community.

Next game: BYE WEEK

4. Arizona State Sun Devils (7-0)

See, this is why I hate computers. The Sun Devils beat up on five brutal teams, including San Diego State, and are about as unsexy as they come. Playing the Golden Bears will cause this Cinderella’s pumpkin to turn back in to a ranking more deserving of a team that barely beat Washington State.

Next game: California vs. Arizona State (-3)

5. Oregon Ducks (6-1)

These Ducks may love to throw the ball, but they ran all over Washington in a 55-34 decimation. They racked up 661 total yards, and 465 rushing yards behind Jonathan Stewart, who had 251 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. They are home favorites against USC this weekend, a test that will ultimately decide their BCS destiny.

Next game: Southern Cal vs. Oregon (-3.5)

6. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1)

With Sam Bradford being held to 183 yards on 16-for-28 with a pick and no touchdowns, the Sooners needed to dig deep to beat out the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday. After being held off the scoreboard in the first half, the Sooner roared back behind Chris Brown’s two touchdown runs. The Sooners only loss came when Bradford had a bad game. Now that they are finding other ways to win games, justifying the BCS love the Sooners are getting.

Next game: BYE WEEK

7. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1)

Steve Slaton and Pat White’s Heisman dreams may have been dashed, but they are ensuring that their opponents have nightmares about them. Slaton rushed for 128 yards and a score while White had a 64 yard touchdown run of his own. The Mountaineers fell out of favor with the betting community with a loss to South Florida, and face a difficult challenge when they face Ray Rice and Rutgers in Jersey this weekend.

Next game: West Virginia (-7) vs. Rutgers

THE CLIMBERS

9. Kansas Jayhawks (6-2)

Keep an eye on Todd Reesing, folks. the sophomore threw for 152 yards and threw for one touchdown while scampering for 84 rushing yards on seven carries. Reesing led the Jayhawks to 16 unanswered points in the second half to help the Jayhawks fly right past Colorado.

Next game: Kansas (-2) vs. Texas A&M

11. Florida Gators (5-2)

Tebow threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns in a scintillating performance that also saw him rush for 78 yards and a rushing touchdown. The Gators need some more luck because of those two glaring losses on their resume, but confidence is high in Gainesville now. Never count out a team with Tebow at the helm.

Next game: Georgia vs. Florida (-9)