11/12/2008 - Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats try to remain in the thick of the Big East race this Friday, as they tangle with the Louisville Cardinals at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
The Bearcats are coming off their biggest win of the year, as they knocked off then 20th-ranked West Virginia 26-23 in overtime last weekend.
"It was just a great football game, one that we knew that we had to win if we wanted to talk about being a Big East contender," stated head coach Brian Kelly.
The win was the second straight over a Top 25 opponent and it pushed Cincinnati into a three-way tie with WVU and Pittsburgh for first place in the Big East standings at 3-1. The Bearcats, who are bowl eligible for the third straight season, host Pittsburgh on November 22nd in a game that could very well be for the Big East title.
The Bearcats though, better be careful not to look past a Louisville club that has fared well at home, posting a 4-2 ledger. The Cardinals however, have had some issues on the road, where they have dropped their last two games, including a 41-7 setback at nationally-ranked Pittsburgh this past weekend. With the loss, Louisville fell to 5-4 overall and a dismal 1-3 within the conference.
As for the all-time series, Cincinnati owns a 26-20-1 edge over Louisville, but the Cardinals have won the last five meetings, including a 28-24 victory at Nippert Stadium last season.
Tony Pike ran for a touchdown and threw for another in overtime to lift the Bearcats over WVU, 26-23, this past weekend. The effort was a gritty one from Pike, who completed 16-of-30 tosses for 178 yards. It was Pike's third straight start and his first complete game since returning from a broken arm (non-throwing arm) that required a plate and six screws. He is one of four quarterbacks that have played this season for Cincinnati and he has started because Dustin Grutza still isn't fully recovered from a broken leg. With Grutza being listed as questionable, Pike will most likely get the nod under center once again and that certainly isn't a bad thing considering he has thrown for 1,229 yards, with 10 touchdowns and just three picks this season.
Dominick Goodman and Mardy Gilyard have been the primary options in the passing game and they have accounted for 97 catches, 1,353 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Last weekend, Goodman paced the team with six receptions for 81 yards, while Gilyard opened the game with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. In the backfield, Jacob Ramsey heads the Bearcats with 520 rushing yards this season and that includes an 83-yard effort versus WVU last weekend.
The defense and special teams of Cincinnati played well last weekend, but both groups struggled to seal the victory for the team. Trailing by 13 points with just 1:11 left, WVU earned a safety after Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber ran out of the back of the end zone. WVU than got the ball back and marched down field, using seven plays to score a touchdown and convert a two-point attempt. With the score at 20-17, WVU was able recover the ensuing onside kick and sent the game into overtime on a 52-yard field goal. The Bearcats had now given up 13 points in just over a minute after holding WVU to only a touchdown through the first three-plus quarters. The defense, though, rallied and limited WVU to just a field goal in overtime, setting up the offense to win the game for Cincinnati.
"We played very well defensively today," stated coach Kelly. "We needed to play that well. Team defense, but at the end of the day, you are going to have to make individual tackles on one or two of those guys, and we came up with them all night."
Despite the near collapse at the end of the game, the Bearcats' defense did play rather well, holding WVU to just 317 total while forcing two turnovers and recording four sacks. On the year, Cincinnati is limiting foes to 332.2 total ypg and the defense has also picked off 12 passes and notched 19 sacks. Connor Barwin heads the program with seven sacks, and Mike Mickens leads the way with 59 tackles and three interceptions.
The Cardinals are coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season, as they managed just 299 total yards and turned the ball over five times in a 41-7 loss at Pittsburgh. Hanging onto the ball has become an issue for Louisville, which has now committed 21 turnovers on the year. Quarterback Hunter Cantwell threw a pick and lost a fumble last weekend and he finished the game with 164 yards and a score on 15-of-28 tosses. It wasn't a great effort by Cantwell, who has thrown for 13 touchdowns against 11 interceptions this season. Doug Beaumont was his top target with five receptions for 65 yards last weekend and he continues to pace the club with 42 catches and 508 receiving yards on the season. Tailback Victor Anderson toted 17 times for 73 yards last weekend, as he continues to be a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals. He now has 913 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, helping Louisville to average a hardy 178.7 rushing ypg on the year.
Louisville has done a rather solid job on defense this season and even in last weekend's loss to Pittsburgh this unit fared well. The defense was responsible for just three touchdowns surrendered last weekend and that was pretty good considering the Cardinals' offense committed five turnovers. The unit limited Pittsburgh to just 320 total yards, including only 90 on the ground. On the year, Louisville is holding its foes to 316.9 total ypg and it has been especially tough against the run, permitting just 91.4 ypg. Jon Dempsey tops the roster with 55 tackles and he paced the team with eight stops in last weekend's loss.
<< Eagles hope to soar past 20th-ranked Seminoles
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Florida State Seminoles
have their sights set on an ACC title and they will try to keep those
aspirations alive against the Boston College Eagles this weekend in
Tallahassee.
The Seminoles
<< Cougars and Falcons square off in Mountain West Conference action
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked BYU Cougars hit the
road for the first of two outings to close out the regular season as they
challenge the Air Force Falcons in Mountain West Conference play in Colorado
Springs.
BYU,
<< Gem State rivals meet in Moscow
Moscow, ID (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting a perfect record across the board these
days, the ninth-ranked Boise State Broncos continue to focus on one game at a
time as they pay a visit to Moscow, Idaho to challenge the Idaho Vandals to a
Western A
<< Terrapins host Tar Heels in pivotal ACC clash
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 17th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels
have their sights set on the ACC title, and a win over the Maryland Terrapins
is essential to keep that dream alive.
North Carolina has won two straight games and f
Cardinal seek upset of sixth-ranked Trojans >>
Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked USC Trojans are once again
the class of the Pac-10 Conference, and they will take on the Stanford
Cardinal on the road this weekend.
USC is ranked in the Top 25 in every national offensive and
Utes bring perfect mark to San Diego for clash with Aztecs >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of five remaining unbeatens in the
Football Bowl Subdivision, the eighth-ranked Utah Utes try to remain perfect
this weekend as they challenge the San Diego State Aztecs in a Mountain West
Conference showdow
Rockets, Suns square off in the desert >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets continue a tough five-game road trip
Wednesday when they travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns.
Reigning MVP Kobe Bryant scored 23 points and the Los Angeles Lakers came away
with a convincing 111-82
Kings pay a visit to Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sacramento Kings attempt to win for the first time on
the road this season when they arrive in Hollywood to take on the woeful Los
Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
The short-handed Kings missed out on a chance
LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP
With the first NFL preseason game less than two weeks away, it is time to start thinking about football once again at MySportsbook.com. Reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite to win the award again alongside Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after his all out assault on the record books last season. For those suffering from amnesia or were under a rock last football season, all L.T. did last season was set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and total points scored (186) to go along with his 1815 rushing yards and 508 receiving yards. At 6-1, Tom Brady is next in line which isn’t surprising considering all of the firepower the Pats added over the off-season. With the addition of Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker; it would be quite difficult for Brady’s numbers not to improve from last years 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns. There appears to be some decent value in Drew Bees at 10-1 considering he probably would have won the award last year if it wasn’t for L.T.’s record breaking season.
There is no reason to think the Saints will come back to earth this season and playing in a weak NFC, they should have as good a shot as any to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. At 15-1, Donovan McNabb could also be worth a look. Remember, many felt he was the MVP of the first half of the season before going down with a season ending injury. Reportedly, he is in great shape and well ahead of schedule to return to form. Also, he could have some added motivation to put up big numbers this season with the Eagles using their first pick in the draft on McNabb’s future successor Kevin Kolb.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to check out the complete odds for NFL MVP as well as all of the new football related futures. With the popularity of NFL futures, these betting lines will be sure to change as the money comes in; get the early sports lines now.
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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
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