NCAA Football Futures Betting - Big East a Beast of a Race
As BetUS Sportsbook customers who love online betting on college football ponder the 2007 season, they surely have to be looking at the Big East Conference with a great deal of analytical sports betting interest, particularly with the emergence during the season of budding national powers like South Florida and Cincinnati. Throw them in with other established programs like Rutgers and West Virginia, and you could have a barnburner of a race. Some college football betting enthusiasts, though, actually give West Virginia a shot to win the BCS title at season's end. Will they be able to walk though this league to get there?
First, we take a look at football odds for the Big East this season:
BetUS NCAA Futures Betting
To Win Big East Conference
Cincinnati +800
Connecticut +1000
Louisville +1400
Pittsburgh +500
Rutgers +350
South Florida +200
Syracuse +5000
West Virginia +175
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Let's examine all these sports betting teams in capsule form:
CINCINNATI (+800 in BetUS odds) -- Demetrius Jones, who played in Charlie Weis' musical chairs game at Notre Dame, at least for a while, drifted to Northern Illinois and then wound up at Cincinnati. He's coming off shoulder surgery, but is he can do it, he gives coach Brian Kelly a pretty good trigger man to run his vaunted spread.
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All the wide receivers are back. There are two bonafide All-America candidates on defense - defensive tackle Terrill Byrd and cornerback Mike Mickens. The Bearcats also have perhaps the country's best punter in Kevin Huber, so they'll often get the best of field position.
CONNECTICUT (+1000 in BetUS odds) -- Tyler Lorenzen is a mainstay in running the offense (2367 yards, 13 TD's), but this is not exactly an explosive offense. The Huskies could remain landlocked to a degree, but it won't be a bad place to be with the RB tandem of Donald Brown and Andre Dixon. Eight starters return to a defense that ranked 14th in the country in points allowed (19 ppg). And this fundamental-sound team was seventh in the nation in turnover margin.
LOUISVILLE (+1400 in BetUS odds) -- Brian Brohm left Louisville with a slew of passing records. Hunter Cantwell played well when Brohm was injured two years ago, and he has arm strength and size. Jeff Brohm is his new offensive coordinator, but the offense returns only three starters. And there are only four returnees on the defensive side. Steve Kragthorpe could experience severe transitional pains this season.
PITTSBURGH (+500 in BetUS odds) -- Pittsburgh has a shot to have a lot more offense than it did last year, especially if quarterback Bill Stull, who missed almost all of last season with a broken thumb, can come back and perform. But this former Western Pennsylvania high school hero is still unproven. He gets help, though, from another player coming back from injury, WR Derek Kinder, who was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award two years ago. And sophomore running back LeSean McCoy is a stud, setting a Big East frosh record with 1328 yards. Seven starters return from a defense that ranked fifth in the nation in defense (298 ypg). This is a good darkhorse possibility.
RUTGERS (+350 in BetUS odds) -- Greg Schiano continues the development of this Rutgers program, but he has to replace workhorse running back Ray Rice. This might make the offense a little more wide-open, as presumably Mike Teel, who ranked among the nation's passing efficiency leaders for much of the season, will have shaken off the effects of the hand injuries he played through. Teel has a strong receiving corps and should get decent field position from a defense that ranked 17th in the country last year and returns eight starters. Rutgers got caught napping against Maryland, Connecticut and Louisville last year; they can't let that happen again.
SOUTH FLORIDA (+200 in BetUS odds) -- The Bulls will have some defense this season, as long as the monster defensive end, George Selvie returns, along with his 14.5 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss (best in the country). However, South Florida will have a hard time replacing the outstanding cornerback tandem of Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams, both of which are in the NFL. Matt Grothe may not be the best passer in the Big East (14 TD's, 14 INT's), but he is nimble (872 rushing yards). And expect that highly-athletic running back Mike Ford will play a more prominent role.
SYRACUSE (+5000 in BetUS odds) -- QB Andrew Robinson is erratic but has ability - he passed for 400 yards twice last year. But his offensive line had better tighten up, as it allowed 54 sacks. That's a big problem. So is the defense, which outside of nose tackle Arthur Jones, an all-conference level player, lacks talent. The Orange ranked 111th in the country in total defense in 2007 and must replace seven starters.
WEST VIRGINIA (+175 in BetUS odds) -- Bill Stewart takes over for Rich Rodriguez as head coach, based on his leading the Mountaineers, on an interim basis, to a 48-28 win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Stewart watched Steve Slaton depart for the NFL, but has huge speed in the backfield, with QB Patrick White (14 TD's, 4 INT's, 1335 yards rushing) and running back Noel Devine (8.6 yards per carry). The offensive line is widely considered the best in the country, and Ryan Stancek may become the new "it" guy at left tackle. A potential problem looms for WVU, though, and that is because it must replace seven starters on the defensive side. The schedule is rather agreeable for this national title hopeful, with Auburn posing the biggest roadblock outside of the conference slate. By the way, thee are still some people who doubt Stewart's ability to carry a program like this forward.
The 2008 NCAA college football betting season is coming, and if you like to bet on college gridiron action, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has college football odds up on a ton of games, totals and propositions, and you will also find NCAA future lines up to the BCS Championship as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to the bowl games and beyond!
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