11/09/2008 - Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alabama and Texas Tech remained Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the latest Bowl Championship Series poll, while Penn State fell to eighth after its crushing upset loss at Iowa.
The Crimson Tide (.9814) edged BCS No. 20 LSU, 27-21, in overtime to stay undefeated and clinch the SEC West, while the Red Raiders (.9715) ripped BCS No. 13 Oklahoma State 56-20. Both clubs are 10-0 and appear to control their own destinies for a potential BCS title game matchup.
Challenges await down the stretch for both clubs, however, starting with Texas Tech's visit to BCS No. 5 Oklahoma (.8444) in two weeks. The Sooners moved up a spot after a 66-28 thrashing of Texas A&M.
Alabama, meanwhile, hosts Mississippi State next week before the annual Iron Bowl against Auburn on November 29.
Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions, meanwhile, probably saw their national title hopes evaporate after a stunning 24-23 loss to Iowa dropped them to 9-1 on the season, falling from third to eighth (.6839). Because of Penn State's inferior schedule, even if both Alabama and Texas Tech lost, the Nittany Lions would have trouble leapfrogging a one-loss Big 12 or SEC team.
The BCS system uses a pair of human polls -- the Harris Interactive and the USA Today -- as well as six computer rankings. Each poll counts one-third toward the overall score, while the average of the computers completes the formula.
One-loss squads Texas (.8798) and Florida (.8640) both moved up a spot, thanks to wins and Penn State's loss, to third and fourth, respectively. Southern California (.7896) and Utah (.7692) also moved up a spot, to sixth and seventh, respectively.
The Utes, who improved to 10-0 with a win over TCU on Thursday, are the highest-ranked school from a non-BCS conference.
Boise State (.6783) moved to 9-0 with a win over Utah State and jumped a spot to ninth, while Georgia (.6156) moved up three spots into 10th after a 42-38 win over Kentucky.
The only other unbeaten FBS school, Ball State (.4163), moved from 17th to 14th after a 45-14 win over Northern Illinois on Wednesday. The Cardinals will put their 9-0 mark on the line at Miami of Ohio on Tuesday.
<< Falcons flawless at home following rout of Saints
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Ryan completed 16-of-23 passes for 248
yards and two touchdowns, and the Atlanta Falcons remained unbeaten at home
with a 34-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Jerious Norwood had 88 yards r
<< Love gets lifetime exemption with 20th win
Lake Buena Vista, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Davis Love III fired an eight-under 64
on Sunday to come from behind and win the title at the Children's Miracle
Network Classic.
Love finished the championship at 25-under 263 and collected his
<< Pagis helps Rennes grab top-five spot
Saint Etienne, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mickael Pagis scored a pair of goals
to lead Rennes to a 3-0 win over St Etienne on Sunday at Stade Geoffrey
Guichard.
Pagis scored 13 minutes into the contest and again in the 53rd minute
<< Peterson and Vikings hold on to defeat Packers
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adrian Peterson rushed for 192 yards,
including a 29-yard go-ahead touchdown with 2:30 remaining in the fourth
quarter as the Minnesota Vikings edged the Green Bay Packers, 28-27, at the
Metrodo
Richards leads Red Bulls to upset win over Houston >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dane Richards, who was a Major League Soccer
rookie of the year finalist last season, had a forgettable, injury filled
regular season. But in the biggest game of the New York Red Bulls' season, he
came th
Admirals send Lawrence down to Augusta >>
Norfolk, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning reassigned forward
Chris Lawrence from the Norfolk Admirals to the ECHL Augusta Lynx, the
American Hockey League club announced on Saturday.
Lawrence, 21, has appeared i
Pettitte files for free agency >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a desire to pitch for a 15th season, Andy
Pettitte filed for free agency and was the lone player to do so on Sunday.
The veteran left-hander compiled 14 wins and lost a career-high 14 games with
a 4.54
Crawford, Knicks hand Jazz first loss >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford had a game-high 32 points and
four assists to lead the New York Knicks in a comeback win over the previously
unbeaten Utah Jazz, 107-99, at Madison Square Garden.
Zach Randolph added 25 poin
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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