Rutgers seeks fitting end to magical season

NCAA Football Betting Lines

12/24/2006 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights are set to make their second straight bowl appearance for the first time in school history, as they take on the Kansas State Wildcats in the Texas Bowl from Reliant Stadium in Houston.

The Knights have had one of the best seasons in the program's history and if not for a heart-breaking triple-overtime loss to West Virginia in their regular season finale they would actually be representing the Big East in a BCS Bowl. Still, the team has had a tremendous run up to this point and it has already won 10 games for just the second time in the program's 137 years of existence. Included in those wins, was the program's first victory over a team ranked in the top-10, as it defeated then third-ranked Louisville 28-25. The Knights will try to add to their record-breaking campaign as they go for their first-ever bowl win. Rutgers has lost its previous two bowls games, dropping a 34-18 decision to Arizona State in 1978 and a 45-40 shootout to the Sun Devils in the 2005 Insight Bowl.

As for KSU, it posted a 7-5 mark during the regular season to earn its first bowl bid since participating in the 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Wildcats own an even 6-6 mark in 12 previous bowl games appearances, although they have lost two of their last three bowl contests.

This game will mark the first-ever meeting between Rutgers and Kansas State on the gridiron.

The Knights' offense revolves around the run game, and they are averaging a solid 177.6 ypg on the ground thus far. Of the offense's 37 touchdowns scored, 27 have come via the ground attack. Leading the charge for Rutgers is Ray Rice, who finished seventh in the Heisman voting after rushing for 1,624 yards and 19 touchdowns in 12 games. The speedy tailback has recorded nine 100-yard rushing games this season, including three 200-yard performances. Fullback Brian Leonard is also another weapon for Rutgers in the backfield and he has rushed for 379 yards and five touchdowns. While Leonard may not been the most explosive player with the ball, he does have excellent hands, as he leads the Knights with 36 catches. Getting the ball to Leonard is quarterback Mike Teel, who has been asked to manage the offense, not carry it. Teel however, has struggled with consistency and he has completed 55.2 percent of his throws for just 1,876 yards with 10 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.

Defensively, the Knights have been simply outstanding this season, as they are limiting their opponents to just 14.7 ppg and only 259.8 total ypg. The unit has had success against both the run (106.8 ypg) and pass (152.9 ypg), and it has posted 13 interceptions against just eight passing touchdowns. Overall, Rutgers has forced 28 turnovers, in addition to recording an impressive 38 sacks. Courtney Greene and Devraun Thompson are currently tied for the team- lead in tackles with 80 apiece. Greene also heads the club with four interceptions, while Thompson has 10.5 TFLs to his credit. Another player worth noting is Ramel Meekins, who lead the squad with 13.5 TFLs and eight sacks.

The Wildcats have lacked some explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball this season, and they enter the game averaging 23.8 ppg and a modest 328.0 total ypg. The unit is rushing for a decent 122.2 ypg, while airing it out for 205.8 ypg. KSU however, has struggled to hang onto the ball at times, committing 27 turnovers, including 18 interceptions. Quarterback Josh Freeman has accounted for 13 of those interceptions against a mere six touchdowns. Overall, Freeman has completed only 52.2 percent of his throws for just 1,651 yards in 10 outings. His main target has been Jordy Nelson, who leads the squad with 35 catches and 466 receiving yards. As for the ground game, it is paced by tailback Leon Patton. The up and coming freshman has rushed for 595 yards and six touchdowns behind an impressive 5.9 ypc average this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats have had success this season, limiting their opponents to 22.7 ppg and 334.5 total ypg. The unit has proven to be a bit vulnerable against the run (143.4 ypg), but has done a good job in stopping the pass (191.1 ypg). Forcing turnovers and getting to opposing quarterbacks has certainly been a strength of this unit, which has 26 forced miscues and 40 sacks to its credit. Brandon Archer is the team's top tackler at the moment with 97 stops, and he also has 2.5 sacks to his name. Ian Campbell however, is this unit's most important player and he has been able to get pressure in the backfield on a consistent basis, posting team-highs of 16.5 TFLs and 11.5 sacks.

Rutgers has had a great run and it should be able to complete its record- breaking campaign with a win over KSU. The Knights' ability to run the ball successfully and play outstanding defense is what separate's these two schools.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Rutgers 31, Kansas State 17

Ccasion NCAA Football Betting News

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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