Home | Sports Forums | Chat Room | Blog | Free Picks | Sportsbooks | Matchups | Odds | Injuries | Articles | Links | Contact Us

Archive for January, 2011

Newer Entries »
January 6th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

Bet On The Cotton Bowl With Our Featured Sponsor…
Get a 100% Free Play Bonus @ JustBet Sportsbook By Clicking Here!
Get An Exclusive VIP Service Agent & 50% Match Play Bonus on Reloads From Cappersinfo

The Cotton Bowl is one of the oldest bowl games that we, the college football betting nation, has a chance to catch on an annual basis. This year, two old division rivals meet up in Arlington, as the LSU Tigers try to tame the Texas A&M Aggies.

Cotton Bowl Matchup: Texas A&M Aggies vs. LSU Tigers
Date: Friday, January 6th, 8:00 ET
Location: Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Cotton Bowl Line: LSU -2
Over/Under 49

Aggies Notes: This season really changed on the heels of arguably the most important decision of the entire NCAA football betting campaign. Head Coach Mike Sherman decided that he was going to bench the man that was a Heisman Trophy candidate once upon a time in QB Jerrod Johnson. All of a sudden when QB Ryan Tannehill took over, A&M went on a tear, covering the college football odds in its last six games, all of which ended in Aggies' outright victories. Tannehill, a junior, is going to be ready to lead this team to bigger and better next year. He threw for 1,434 yards and 11 TDs against just three picks. He doesn't quite have the legs that Johnson had, but RB Cyrus Gray made up for that. Gray rumbled for 1,033 yards and a dozen scores on the campaign. What we have to remember is that this team lost RB Christine Michael relatively early in the year after he rushed for 631 yards. Watch out for WR Jeff Fuller and WR Ryan Swope in this one. Fuller had 65 catches for 983 yards on the year with a dozen TDs, while Swope had 67 catches for 780 yards and four scores. Defensively, Sherman's bunch really came on strong as well at the end of the year. The team ultimately only allowed 356.8 yards and 20.3 yards per game.

Tigers Notes: The Bayou Bengals have a lot of work to do in the locker room right now. Head Coach Les Miles is being connected in the media to the job available with the Michigan Wolverines, and though he is denying any interest right now, it is clearly going to be causing a distraction in Arlington on Friday night. RB Stevan Ridley, the heart and soul of this offense, was listed as "out" for this game just two weeks ago, but now, he is considered "probably eligible" for the game. Assuming that he gets his academics in order before this one kicks off, Ridley is going to be the man to watch out for when LSU is on offense. He carried the ball 225 times this year for 1,043 yards and 14 scores this year, and he is capable of being a huge force in this one against A&M. If he either can't go or isn't effective, there is a major problem under center that must be worked out. QB Jordan Jefferson and QB Jarrett Lee only threw for a combined 1,826 yards and just six scores against 10 picks between them. It's amazing that LSU won as many games as it did this year, but when you look at its defense, you can see why the Tigers have been so dangerous. The Bayou Bengals held teams to just 297.2 yards and 17.8 points per game this year, numbers which are absolutely remarkable considering how difficult the SEC West turned out to be this year.

The Final Word: The Aggies know that they are in great shape in this game, especially if there is really some inner turmoil with the Tigers. The reps from the Big XII are going to want to pick up a huge win, and if the offenses start to get going, this is going to be a big problem for LSU. The defense is the key to the game for the Bayou Bengals, and if A&M finds a way to keep the ball moving up the field, regardless of whether or not it is scoring all that many points, we could be in line for an upset, especially with the slight home field advantage coming for the Aggies.

Cotton Bowl Free Pick: Texas A&M +2.5
Cotton Bowl Prediction: Texas A&M 26 – LSU 24

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in College Football | No Comments »

 
January 6th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

GoDaddy.com Bowl Betting Bonus From Premium Cappersinfo Sponsor
Get a Huge 100% Bonus @ BetUS Sportsbook When You Click Here!
You Will Also Get An Exclusive VIP Service Agent & 50% Bonus on Reloads From Cappersinfo

The MAC champs will be back on the field for the first time in over a month on Thursday night at the GoDaddy.com Bowl. The Miami Redhawks will take on the disappointing Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, who are really just fortunate to be here in a bowl game this year. These two make for very interesting bedmates though on Thursday night, as they have two vastly different styles of playing, which should make the analysis of the GoDaddy.com Bowl lines very, very interesting.

GoDaddy.com Bowl Matchup: Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders vs. Miami Redhawks
Date: Thursday, January 6th, 8:00 ET
Location: Ladd Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
GoDaddy.com Bowl Line: MTSU -2.5
Over/Under 48.5

Blue Raiders Notes: We know that you probably didn't pay all that much attention to Sun Belt football this year, and the two times that you saw the Blue Raiders on national television, they were getting destroyed by the Arkansas State Red Wolves and the Troy Trojans. However, this is a team that is chock full of talent, and it was absolutely a legitimate hope for this team to run the table at the outset of the season. The four game suspension for QB Dwight Dasher really set the whole season up for failure though, and it started right out of the blocks when the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who turned out to be a giant train wreck this year, came into Murfreesboro and beat down the Blue Raiders. All things considered, ranking No. 65 in the nation in total offense at 375.7 yards per game and No. 67 in defense at 376.4 yards per game allowed wasn't all that bad this year. The play of Dasher is critical though, as he is clearly going to be the best athlete on the field at all times, and he is the man that can bust this game wide open… one way or the other… Dasher did had 14 picks this year, which was awful considering the fact that he only played in eight games, and he did account for 13 TDs as well. These numbers were down from last year, but when bowl season rolled around for the Blue Raiders at the New Orleans Bowl in 2009, he accounted for over 350 yards of offense and four TDs in a magnificent display. Obviously, if he does that again, the Blue Raiders are well on their way to beating the GoDaddy.com Bowl odds.

Redhawks Notes: At least for the whole of the calendar year 2009, there isn't a man in the nation that probably deserves more credit for what he did on the field than Mike Haywood. The former head coach of these Redhawks flew the coop for the Pitt Panthers just before New Years, and though we don't approve of the fact that he was arrested on New Year's Day for a suspicion of domestic violence, thus fired from U-Pitt, we know that he brought a lot to Miami this year. The Redhawks were an embarrassment at 1-11 last season, and they would have just been thrilled with a four or a five win season this year. Even though the schedule at times was rough, particularly out of conference, Miami really excelled, winning nine games, including the MAC Championship Game over the Northern Illinois Huskies in fine fashion. The Redhawks were led by QB Zac Dysert this year, but the second year man lacerated his spleen in the middle of November and hasn't been back on the field since. He probably won't be in the fold this week either, which leaves freshman QB Austin Boucher to lead the troops. Boucher is going to need some help from RB Thomas Merriweather, who rushed for over 800 yards this year and had 11 of the offense's 29 TDs on the season. The real transformation came on the defensive side of the ball. This was one of the best defenses in the MAC this year, allowing 341.7 yards and 23.4 points per game.

The Final Word: The Blue Raiders have a lot more to prove and lot more to be happy about if they beat the GoDaddy.com Bowl odds in this one than the Redhawks do. Miami could be beaten by 120 in this game, and the season will still be looked at as a tremendous success. For MTSU though, finishing above .500 and with a bowl win in a season that really had so much on the line is paramount, as the program really might not recover if this were to be a losing season. Though we know that Dasher hasn't shown us much of anything all year long, we tend to believe that he gets the job done and puts together another fantastic bowl preparation in a GoDaddy.com Bowl victory on Thursday night.

GoDaddy.com Bowl Free Pick: Middle Tennessee State -2.5
GoDaddy.com Bowl Prediction: Middle Tennessee State 31 – Miami 24

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in College Football | No Comments »

 
January 3rd, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

Bet On The Orange Bowl With Our Featured Sponsor…
Get a 100% Free Play Bonus @ JustBet Sportsbook By Clicking Here!
Get An Exclusive VIP Service Agent & 50% Match Play Bonus on Reloads From Cappersinfo

A pair of teams that probably felt like they were going to be in better shape this season meet up as the second best teams in the Big Ten and the SEC respectively in the 2011 Sugar Bowl. The SEC has really put a whooping on the Big Ten so far in this bowl season, but the Buckeyes have a great chance to buck the trend in this one, as they are short favorites down in New Orleans. Is it justified, though? Check out our 2011 Sugar Bowl picks.

Sugar Bowl Matchup: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Arkansas Razorbacks
Date: Tuesday, January 4th, 8:30 ET
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Sugar Bowl Line: Ohio State -3.5
Over/Under 57

Buckeyes Notes: The Buckeyes are going to have a lot of issues to set aside in this one. QB Terrelle Pryor, WR DeVier Posey, and RB Daniel Herron are amongst the five players that are going to be suspended for the first five games for next year. However, this could be the last stand for all five players, especially the three offensive superstars. Pryor had his best season this year to date, throwing for 2,551 yards and 25 TDs against 11 picks, and he rushed for 639 yards and four TDs. Herron was fantastic this year on the ground, rushing the ball 192 times for 1,068 yards and 15 scores. Posey was the second leading receiver with 50 catches, 778 yards, and six scores. WR Dane Sanzenbacher led the team in all of the receiving categories in 2010. He caught 52 passes for 889 yards and 10 tuddies. OSU's defense ranked No. 2 in the country this year at 251.6 yards per game, and though that was quite a ways behind the TCU Horned Frogs for No. 1, this was clearly a tougher schedule that the Buckeyes had to face. There is no doubt that this would have been the top scoring team in the land if not for the fact that the defense and special teams really gave up too many scores either directly or indirectly. Still, the Wisconsin Badgers were the only team on the docket this year that scored more than 24 points against this unit this year, and half of the dozen teams ended up scoring ten points or fewer.

Razorbacks Notes: Head Coach Bobby Petrino was really looked upon as one of the biggest skunks in football after bailing both on the Louisville Cardinals and then the Atlanta Falcons, but we have to admit that everywhere this man goes in college, he just continues to produce winners. This year, he beat the LSU Tigers in the regular season finale in the game that inevitably put this team here in the BCS for the first time in the history of the program. Of course, it helps that QB Ryan Mallett is one of the best signal callers in the entire country. Mallett threw for 3,592 yards and 30 TDs against 11 picks, but more importantly, he averaged a whopping 9.9 yards per pass attempt. Of course, that means that there are a lot of receivers on this club that can stretch the field. The three receivers that are healthy on this team, WR Jarius Wright, WR Joe Adams, and WR Cobi Hamilton, are all averaging at least 17 yards per reception this year, while TE DJ Williams was the possession receiver of the bunch at 49 catches, 589 yards, and four scores. Six different receivers caught at least four TD passes this year, while five men had at least 580 yards. RB Brodrick Green was really expected to come to the forefront this year in the SEC, but he never really panned out, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry and amassing three scores. RB Knile Davis had his back though, rushing for 1,183 yards and 13 scores to lead the team in both categories. Arkansas had a very underappreciated defense this year, allowing just 338.4 yards and 22.8 points per game, and if you take out that ridiculous 65-43 loss to the Auburn Tigers, the team allowed just 19.0 points per game.

The Final Word: We've already mentioned how badly the SEC has beaten the Big Ten this year, but the Buckeyes are bound to get some revenge in this one. The scoring might not be nearly as high as many are expecting in this one though, as both of these defenses are built like rocks. We tend to believe that this is the last time we see Pryor in a college uniform, and we think that he is going to go out on top with a 'W' in the Sugar Bowl.

Sugar Bowl Free Pick: Ohio State -3.5
Sugar Bowl Prediction: Ohio State 24 – Arkansas 16

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in College Football | No Comments »

 
January 2nd, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

Bet On The Orange Bowl With Our Featured Sponsor…
Get a 100% Free Play Bonus @ JustBet Sportsbook By Clicking Here!
Get An Exclusive VIP Service Agent & 50% Match Play Bonus on Reloads From Cappersinfo

The Virginia Tech Hokies and Stanford Cardinal probably underachieved this year, but they are both going to be playing on Tobacco Road on New Year's Eve for the first of a four pack of NCAA football bowl games at the Orange Car Care Bowl. Which team will beat the college football betting lines? Check out our preview and our Orange Car Care Bowl picks.

Orange Bowl Matchup: Stanford Cardinal vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Date: Monday, January 3rd, 8:30 ET
Location: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
Orange Bowl Line: Stanford -3.5
Over/Under 58

Cardinal Notes: This could be the end of a tremendous era of Stanford football. QB Andrew Luck is most likely going to end up going to the NFL after this game is over, where he is likely to be the No. 1 pick in the draft and become a member of the Carolina Panthers. Luck, a two year starter down on "The Farm," threw for 3,045 yards and 28 TDs this year, and he also showed his mobility by running for 438 yards and three scores. The other major problem that the Cardinal might have in this one is that Head Coach Jim Harbaugh might be leaving for either another collegiate job or one in the NFL, as he is the most highly sought after coach in the country right now at either the pro or college level. On the ground this year, the Cardinal really did a great job, getting the ball in the hands of RB Stepfan Taylor quite a bit. The frosh really took over, replacing the departed RB Toby Gerhart, and he rushed for 1,023 yards and 15 scores on the campaign. This Stanford offense averaged 468.7 yards per game this year, and though it wasn't as heralded as the offense of the Oregon Ducks, there is no shame in averaging 40.3 points per game. On the other side of the ball, there wasn't a defense in that country that pitched more shutouts than that of the Cardinal, which had three clean sheets. Stanford allowed an average of just 17.8 points per game this year and was really only blown to bits by Oregon's offense.

Hokies Notes: Virginia Tech could have really just run and hid after just two weeks of the season, as the team was 0-2 and had dropped clear out of the Top 25 in the country after getting beaten by the James Madison Dukes in a loss that was absolutely unforgiveable. However, give a lot of credit to Head Coach Frank Beamer and his team, which surged to 11 straight victories and a 10-1 ATS mark over the course of their last 11 games this year to not only win the ACC, but to make it here to the Orange Bowl with a chance to finish ranked in the Top 10 in America. The Hokies have QB Tyrod Taylor, the ACC Player of the Year on their side in this one. He threw for 2,521 yards and rushed for 637 more, accounting for a total of 28 scores against just four turnovers. The offense for the Hokies really did play well this year thanks to the fact that the ground game was just so darn good. Not only did Taylor reach the 600+ yard barrier, but so did RB Darren Evans and RB David Wilson, who rushed for 813 and 616 yards respectively. The man we haven't talked about yet is last year's ACC Freshman of the Year, RB Ryan Williams, who spend a good chunk of the year on the sidelines injured. The defense for VT only allowed 339.7 yards and 19.1 points per game on the campaign.

The Final Word: We know that the Cardinal have an underrated team this year, but there is still a big time question about the schedule that they played. No one is doubting the way that V-Tech just absolutely dominated foe after foe down the stretch, and they played a non-conference schedule that was absolutely legitimate. The Hokies are the right side in this one whether they win it or not, as this should be a close call the whole way. We tend to think that Beamer Ball gets the job done with a narrow 'W'.

Orange Bowl Free Pick: Virginia Tech +3.5
Orange Bowl Prediction: Virginia Tech 31 – Stanford 27

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in College Football | No Comments »

 
Newer Entries »