Hogs can expect the unexpected against La.-Monroe

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/10/2010 -

Louisiana-Monroe will have one factor in its favor when it tries to pull off the upset against No. 14 Arkansas: the element of mystery.

The Warhawks are only now playing their season opener, and that means no scouting report from last weekend to help the Razorbacks. In fact, even last year's tapes might be a bit deceiving because Louisiana-Monroe has a new coach and a new quarterback.

``There's no question about it,'' Warhawks coach Todd Berry said. ``There are some unique things to us that they haven't seen from us before or haven't seen from me.''

Berry's team will need to take advantage of any edge it can, because the Warhawks will be heavy underdogs Saturday night against the Razorbacks. Led by quarterback Ryan Mallett, Arkansas is expected to brush aside Louisiana-Monroe in Little Rock, Ark., before massive clashes later this month with Georgia and Alabama. The Razorbacks started the season with a 44-3 win over Tennessee Tech in which Mallett completed all but three of his passes.

Arkansas also looked sharp on defense, holding the Golden Eagles to a field goal after an early goal line stand and shutting them out the rest of the way - and the Razorbacks (1-0) think they're still capable of much more.

``I feel like it was dominant, but we always can do better,'' linebacker Jerico Nelson said. ``We still had some missed assignments and things like that. In a different game, a different situation, we probably could give up a big play.''

The offensive story was similar. The Razorbacks made mistakes, even if not all of them were noticeable or costly.

``It was a lot of technique breakdowns and guys not having their eyes open and seeing what the front was and seeing the right cuts to make,'' offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said. ``And our quarterback missed a couple of checks in the run game. Just little things that will get us beat.''

The last time Arkansas faced Louisiana-Monroe, the Razorbacks needed a late fourth-down conversion to rally for a victory. Of course, those Hogs didn't have Mallett, the 6-foot-6 passer in the discussion for this year's Heisman Trophy.

``Last year I thought he forced some balls. He's showing great patience right now,'' Berry said. ``A lot of times with quarterbacks you can get up in their face and challenge him to be able to see the receivers. Well, we don't even have anybody tall enough to reach his face.''

Mallett is surrounded by a veteran corps of receivers, including Joe Adams, who caught six passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns last weekend.

``There was a time frame there at the University of Arkansas where you could focus on the running back and that was the only guy that you had to worry about stopping,'' Berry said. ``Ryan Mallett does such a wonderful job of distributing the ball to all of his receivers, to the running backs.''

Berry took over Louisiana-Monroe in December - he is a former head coach at Army and was Louisiana-Monroe's offensive coordinator in 2004 and 2005. Already, big changes are afoot, with redshirt freshman Kolton Browning winning the quarterback job over incumbent Trey Revell, who has shifted to tight end.

Another redshirt freshman, Jyruss Edwards, will start at running back, with Frank Goodin recovering from a minor injury. Goodin, less than 900 yards from the school's career rushing record, is expected to play.

Edwards is another X-factor the Razorbacks will have to account for, and it's hard to be sure how Berry will use him or anyone else. Berry and Arkansas wide receivers coach Kris Cinkovich both served on the UNLV staff as recently as last year, and Cinkovich apparently did a little bit of prying recently.

``He was trying to bait me into, the other day, kind of giving some things up,'' Berry said. ``I said, `Cink, you know me better than that.'''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wsuperbowl NCAA Football Betting News

<< Buckeye! All 3 Rams linebackers went to Ohio State
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Before they've made a single tackle, the St. Louis Rams' starting linebackers have some notoriety. James Laurinaitis, Na'il Diggs and Larry Grant all played at Ohio State.``It's funny how all the stars kind of align,'' Laurinaitis s

<< Colts hoping battered line holds up against Texans
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Charlie Johnson understands the stakes in Sunday's season opener against Houston.As the Indianapolis Colts' left tackle, he must keep former No. 1 draft pick Mario Williams away from Peyton Manning. As part of the offensive line,

<< Saints grind out 14-9 win over Vikings in opener
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The New Orleans Saints opened their title defense by winning with defense.Jonathan Vilma intercepted Brett Favre, and the Saints allowed the Minnesota Vikings only two first downs and no points in the second half of a hard-fought

<< Packers' O-line expects to keep Rodgers upright
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - The Green Bay Packers' offensive line got off to such a bad start last year that it's even serving as a punchline for the satirical newspaper The Onion.In its tongue-in-cheek NFL preview this week, the paper's website wrote, `

<< Brady's day starts with crash, ends with contract
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - A loud crash. A crumpled front end. A brief stay in an ambulance.It was a very bad start to Tom Brady's day.A new contract. The highest average salary in the NFL. A deal that ties him to the New England Patriots through 2014

No. 9 Iowa understandably wary of Iowa St >>
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -The rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State has become predictable.The Hawkeyes are usally expected to pound the underdog Cyclones - and it usually doesn't happen.Iowa State has made life miserable for the rival Hawkeyes, winning s

Wyoming, mourning death of player, faces Texas >>
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -The Wyoming football teams says they will play this weekend in honor of a fallen teammate.The Cowboys play at No. 5 Texas on Saturday night. Before the game, Ruben Narcisse's photo will grace the giant stadium scoreboard screen a

No. 11 Wisconsin on 14-game home opener win streak >>
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -Wisconsin wants to shoot down any comparisons with another top ranked team that could be made Saturday when the 11th-ranked Badgers take on San Jose State.The Spartans lost 48-3 to No. 1 Alabama last Saturday and San Jose State c

Report: NCAA looks into Tennessee basketball program >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA has reportedly looked into the Tennessee men's basketball program as part of an overall investigation into the school's athletics program. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Thursday,

No. 6 Huskers' Martinez to measure self vs. Idaho >>
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -After passing his trial run as Nebraska's starter, Taylor Martinez can strengthen his grip on the quarterback's job with another strong outing Saturday against Idaho.Martinez won over his teammates, not to mention the fans, in la

FOOTBALL BETTING

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.

American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.