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Posts Tagged ‘NCAA football preview’

August 1st, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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For every team that is expected to have a fantastic season this year, there are several others that are probably going to be squads to stay away from in this 2010 college football betting campaign. Check out our preview of the 2010 college football odds with our five teams that you should be avoiding this year.

North Carolina Tar Heels under 8 wins (-130 @ Brobury Sports): The Tar Heels return plenty of starting talent, but it may not translate into a great year. The biggest problem is at quarterback, where the starter may not be named until late August. Fifth year senior T.J. Yates may be supplanted by freshman Brynn Renner. At wide receiver, the Heels have plenty of weapons in Greg Little, Jheranie Boyd, and Erik Highsmith. Running back Shaun Draughn returns to the team after a season ending shoulder injury last year. The offensive line will be composed mostly of sophomores. The defense, on the other hand, is full of stars. Up front, the Heels feature DE Robert Quinn, who was last season’s sack leader. Other mainstays include all-conference award winner and last year’s interception leading safety Deunta Williams, and all-ACC cornerback Kendric Burney. Schedule wise, there may not be a guaranteed win, short of William & Mary. The Heels open with a neutral site game against LSU and then start ACC play with Georgia Tech before traveling to Rutgers. Miami and Florida State will be huge road tests, as will a home game against Virginia Tech. North Carolina is going to get banged up this year; making any bowl game would be a great success.

Penn State Nittany Lions under 8.5 wins (-125 @ Brobury Sports): The Nittany Lions are coming off an 11-2 season, but now face the task of rebuilding an offense in a tough conference. For starters, the quarterback situation is murky at best. Joe Paterno has sophomores Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin, as well as freshman Paul Jones, to choose from. With none looking impressive this spring, Penn State will be forced to become a run-first team. Star RB Evan Royster will be a major factor. At wide receiver, the team returns its top two targets in Derek Moye and Graham Zug. The experienced O-Line has its work cut out. Defensively, Penn State has several holes to fill. Bani Gbadyu will lead three new starting linebackers, replacing three NFL draft picks. DE Jack Crawford will be an impact player on the line, while the secondary will be led by cornerback D’Anton Lynn and safety Nick Sukay. After a first week tune-up game against Youngstown State, the Nittany Lions will go to Alabama. In conference, Penn State avoids Wisconsin, but will have to face Iowa and Ohio State on the road. Seven wins would be a great success this year.

Auburn Tigers under 8.5 wins (-120 @ Brobury Sports): Auburn faces a tough year on offense, putting pressure on a strong defense. The Tigers, for the third straight year, will need a new starting quarterback. Cameron Newton, former backup to Tim Tebow, appears to be the favorite, beating out senior Neil Caudle and sophomore Barrett Trotter. At running back, the Tigers will have Mario Fanin and Onterio McCalebb to replace Ben Tate. Fanin proved to be a talented receiver and rusher last season, averaging 8.4 yards per rush and 9.8 per catch. Fortunately, the unit does retain its top two wide receivers in Terrell Zachery and Darvin Adams. The offensive line returns four starters, which will allow Newton time to throw. On defense, the Tigers look very strong. All four starting linemen have experience. Senior linebackers Craig Stevens and Josh Bynes will add talent and experience. In the secondary, there are four capable safeties to choose from. Auburn faces a favorable schedule, but a highly questionable offense will keep them from a nine or ten win year. The Tigers will face LSU and Georgia at home and travel to Alabama. Expect seven or eight victories.

UCLA Bruins under 5.5 wins (-120 @ Brobury Sports): Last year’s six regular season wins were sandwiched around a five game conference losing streak. This year, QB Kevin Prince will again be the starter, but with a new offensive scheme. Prince was not an effective player last year and suffered several injuries. At his disposal will be last year’s top two wide receivers, Taylor Embree and Nelson Rosario. The running game has a few options, starting with last year’s leader Johnathan Franklin. Joining him will be freshman Malcolm Jones. The offensive line returns four starters. On defense, the Bruins lose six starters, including Pac 10 Player of the Year Brian Price. However, the unit can build around a strong secondary, which includes free safety Rahim Moore. Moore led the nation last season with ten interceptions. At linebacker, the Bruins have Akeem Ayers to lead the way, but UCLA will need to find more talent to fill out the front seven. Things have to gel quickly for both units, as the schedule leaves little room for error. The non-conference schedule includes games at Kansas State and Texas, as well as a home game with Houston. In conference, UCLA goes to California and Oregon. The Bruins are going to be hard pressed to dig out five wins.

Stanford Cardinal under 7.5 wins (-135 @ Brobury Sports): The Cardinal has some work to do this season. It starts with replacing, Heisman runner-up RB Toby Gerhart. To keep the running game from sliding too far back, Stanford will use a pair of backs in Stepfan Taylor and Jeremy Stewart. The focus will shift to QB Andrew Luck, who was also last year’s second leading rusher. His passing game wasn’t stellar, but should be improving upon his 2,575 yards of a year ago. His two top targets will return, in Ryan Whalen and Chris Owusu. After them, though, there are no proven options. On defense, the Cardinal returns eight starters, but a new scheme will have them in different spots. DEs Thomas Kaiser and Chase Thomas led the team last season in sacks. The secondary is still up in the air, with no solid prospects to play free safety or fill one of the cornerback spots. The schedule offers little rest for the Cardinal, as three of the team’s first four FBS games will be on the road. Stanford travels to Notre Dame and Oregon before returning home to face USC in September. Seven wins would be a great success for an offense that is finding itself and a defense with holes in the backfield.

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July 30th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The 2010 college football betting season is almost here, and here at Cappers Info, we have the inside skinny on the five teams that you should be banking on going 'over' their season win totals and should be trying to cash in with all season long!

South Carolina Gamecocks over 7 wins (even @ Brobury Sports): The Gamecocks are primed to do some damage in the SEC this season. The offense will be led again by QB Stephen Garcia, who struggled somewhat last year, due in part to trouble on the offensive line. However, now with nine starters back on offense, things are looking up. Returning at wide receiver are Alshon Jeffrey and Tori Curley, who averaged 16.6 and 14.2 yards per catch respectively. Running back Kenny Miles also returns. Miles led last year’s team in rushing yards, but scored only once. With a more experienced offensive line, both the ground and passing offenses stand a much better chance. Defensively, the Gamecocks are in great shape. DE Cliff Matthews returns, leading last year’s squad in sacks and earning all-conference honors. The linebackers run deep, with Shaq Wilson leading the way. Senior safety Chris Culliver will lead a strong secondary. As for the schedule, it’s no cakewalk. However, the toughest opponents all come to Columbia, with Georgia and Alabama showing up early in the year. The most challenging road game will be at Florida in November. The Gamecocks could easily see nine wins.

Nevada Wolfpack over 9.5 wins (+105 @ Brobury Sports): The Wolfpack went on an eight game win streak after losing all three of their non-conference games last year. This season, the nation’s top dual threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick returns with plenty of offensive talent. Kaepernick was just one of three 1,000 yard rushers, and running back Vai Taua will rejoin him. The team’s passing attack was lackluster a year ago, but all three leading receivers return, with Brandon Wimberly, Tray Session, and Chris Wellington. On defense, the Wolfpack may finally be on the rise. Last year’s 119th ranked passing defense returns seven starters and a new defensive coordinator in Andy Buh promises a more aggressive scheme. Both cornerbacks are back, and juniors Brandon Marshall and James-Michael Johnson will lead the linebackers. The schedule appears a bit easier than last year’s, with four of five non-conference games being highly winnable. The Wolfpack will travel to Hawaii and Fresno State, in a tough conference schedule, but host Boise State. Ten wins should be this season’s expectation for Nevada.

Florida State Seminoles over 7.5 wins (-140 @ Brobury Sports): The Seminoles are poised to be strong ACC contenders. Returning at quarterback is Heisman hopeful Christian Ponder, who was impressive through nine games before injuring his shoulder. He will have plenty of talented options to work with, starting with a strong group of wide receivers. Bert Reed is expected to become the top target. Strong second and third options exist in Taiwan Easterling and Jarmon Fortson. The ground attack will be led by senior Jermaine Thomas, who was good for nine scores last season. Behind him will be Chris Thompson and Ty Jones. Defensively, the Seminoles are completely retooling. New coordinator Mark Stoops will have to jumpstart a defense which allowed 433.8 yards and 30 points per game last season. Up front, FSU returns three linemen. Two starting linebackers are also back, which should improve the running defense. At cornerback, Ochucko Jenije will make a huge impact on opponents’ passing games. The schedule is favorable, minus a few monstrous games. The Seminoles will travel to Oklahoma in week two, followed by a home contest with BYU. A final week home game against Florida will not be easy. In conference, things aren’t so bad, with the toughest game at Miami.

Washington Huskies over 7 wins (-130 @ Brobury Sports): The Huskies return nine starters on offense, with QB Jake Locker leading the way. Locker’s strengths are twofold; he threw for 21 touchdowns while running for seven last year. Sophomore tailback Chris Polk had one of the best rookie rushing seasons in school history. At wide receiver, the Huskies will rely primarily on Jermaine Kearse, who averaged 17.3 yards per catch last year. Devin Aguilar provides a strong second target. Four starting linemen return, which will be a huge key for this unit’s success. On defense, the Huskies have some questions up front. Due to some injuries, Washington may need to find two new DEs. Mason Foster will lead the linebackers as last season’s interception leader. U-Dub faces a tough non-conference schedule, with an opening week game at BYU and two weeks later hosting Nebraska. In the Pac 10, the Huskies will have to go to Oregon and Arizona. A high powered offense will offset the question marks on defense; Washington could take eight or nine wins easily.

Virginia Tech Hokies over 9.5 wins (-120 @ Brobury Sports): The Hokies are poised to win the ACC this year. Returning at quarterback is Tyrod Taylor, who has shown the ability to throw as well as scramble. The bulk of the ground attack will be led by Ryan Williams and Zac Evans, who is returning from injury. All three top wide receivers return in Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale, and Dyrell Roberts. Boykin and Coale both averaged over 20 yards per reception in 2009. Defensively, the Hokies also stay strong. Despite just five starters returning, the team has plenty to build around. All three starting linebackers are back, led by Barquell Rivers, who should be back from a leg injury by September. Team interceptions leader Rashad Carmichael returns at cornerback. The Hokies will have little time to gel, as Boise State comes calling in week one. Virginia Tech has a three game losing streak going in week one non-conference games. After that, though, the schedule eases considerably, with only four road games. Their toughest test in the ACC will be at Miami. Expect a ten win season.

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