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06/10/2010 - Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Kansas announced Thursday its athletics director of the past seven years, Lew Perkins, will retire effective September 4, 2011.
The revelation comes in the midst of a huge shift in the college landscape, as Colorado has announced its intentions to leave the Big 12 Conference for the Pac-10, while Nebraska is expected to bolt for the Big Ten as early as Friday, causing many to question the viability of the Big 12 going forward.
The Jayhawks have won the past six Big 12 regular season championships in men's basketball.
"I have loved my time here at the University of Kansas and I will continue leading Kansas athletics over the course of the next year," Perkins said. "At this time, my greatest priority is working on conference alignment issues, and as I've committed to the chancellor, I will work tirelessly on these efforts. Conference alignment is the biggest challenge we have before us as an athletics department and an institution."
Under Perkins, the Kansas athletics budget has more than doubled from $27 million to $55 million.
The highlight of his tenure was the 2008 NCAA men's basketball title, but the past few months have been mired in controversy, which includes a five-year ticket scandal that is currently being investigated by federal investigators, the tumultuous release of head football coach Mark Mangino that resulted in a $3 million settlement, and allegations of a former KU employee regarding an improper exchange of exercise equipment for preferential seating and irregularities in the school's drug-testing program.
Perkins, who was the head of athletics at the University of Connecticut for 13 years prior to taking over at Kansas, was cleared of the latter charge on Wednesday, as an investigation ordered by chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little found no evidence to substantiate the claims.
<< Blue Jays put McDonald on bereavement list
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday placed
infielder John McDonald on the bereavement list and selected the contract of
outfielder Dewayne Wise.
McDonald was batting .250 with three RBI in 16 games fo
<< Brewers edge Cubs in 10th on error
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Gomez scored the game-winning run on a
throwing error in the bottom of the 10th inning, as the Milwaukee Brewers
edged the Chicago Cubs, 5-4, in the rubber match of a three-game series at
Miller
<< Cahill shines as A's top Angels
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Cahill pitched a career-high eight
innings and held the Angels to one run, as the Athletics earned a split of a
four-game series against their American League West rivals with a 6-1 win.
Cahill (
<< Quintero helps Astros edge Rockies
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Humberto Quintero went 3-for-4 with a solo homer
and knocked in two, as the Houston Astros held on for a 5-4 win over the
Colorado Rockies in the finale of a four-game series at Coors Field.
Tommy Manzella
Boston OF Ellsbury has different rib fracture >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox do not expect outfielder
Jacoby Ellsbury back in the lineup any time soon, as a recent MRI showed a
different fracture of his left ribs than the one he suffered earlier in the
season.
Braves score four in ninth to get by Diamondbacks >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pinch-hitter Brian McCann smacked a go-ahead
RBI single in the Braves' four-run ninth inning, as Atlanta rallied past
Arizona, 11-7, to earn a split in the four-game series.
The Diamondbacks scored t
Feng leads State Farm by one >>
Springfield, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shanshan Feng fired an eight-under 64
Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the State Farm
Classic.
Juli Inkster and Na Yeon Choi closed within one of Feng's lead as they
Westwood takes 1-shot lead in Memphis >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lee Westwood fired a seven-under 63 to take the
first-round lead Thursday at the suspended St. Jude Classic, the final tune-up
for next week's U.S. Open, where the world No. 3 from England figures to be
one of
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
| The Bubble Breakdown | |||
| CONFERENCE | LOCKS | SHOULD BE INS | AT-LARGES TAKEN (assuming no auto bid outlier) |
| ACC Betting Odds | 6 | 0 | 5 |
| Big East Betting Odds | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Big Ten Betting Odds | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Big 12 Betting Odds | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Pac-10 Betting Odds | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| SEC Betting Odds | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| MVC Betting Odds | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| MWC Betting Odds | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 28 | 5 | 25 |
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
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The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
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