Marc Lawrence
Three new coaches went camping for the first time with teams in the new-look AFC WEST DIVISION this summer. Not surprisingly, none of who are expected to produce winning seasons in 2009. Welcome to the mild, mild West.
By deduction, that leaves San Diego as the team to beat in the AFC West this season.
Marc Lawrence • PLAYBOOK.com
Just in case you missed it last year… a geography refresher: Ranging in altitudes from 7 feet to 7,220 feet, the MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE looks to be growing to new heights.
Marc Lawrence • PLAYBOOK.com
Entering its 63rd year of gridiron competition, the MID AMERICAN CONFERENCE will once again play a balanced schedule, meaning each team will play eight conference games in 2009. Let’s hope the results are more balanced that last year when Buffalo was the only team in the MAC East Division to finish the season with a winning record.
This is definitely a league that is wide open and one that likes to mix things up.
Seven different teams that have appeared in the last four MAC Championship games while nine different MAC schools that have appeared in a bowl game in the last four seasons.
Thought by many to be the toughest division in the NFL, the AFC South has fielded only two teams that have suffered a losing record the last three years.
As a result these teams are 23-10 SU and 24-9 ATS as non-division dogs of less than six points in that span, including 7-0 SU and ATS last season.
Will the South rise again in 2009? Stay tuned.
Marc Lawrence • PLAYBOOK.com
Like last year, just three teams make up the INDEPENDENTS, yet all three will have a strong say on the participants in the 2009 National Championship BCS game when they take on no less than 20 combined opponents that landed bowl bids last season.
Rest assured, without a conference affiliation, this self-governing group holds plenty of veto power when it comes to dashing the dreams of many BCS Championship Game aspirants.
Often looked upon as a mediocre division, the frigid AFC North is home to three of the last eight Super Bowl winners.
It’s also where residing teams are 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS on the conference playoff road outside the North since the division realignment in 2002.
Check out conditions in the AFC North before dipping your toes in the water this season. You might be surprised at what you find.
Marc Lawrence • PLAYBOOK.com
The CONFERENCE USA is 12 years old and like a youngster about to enter puberty, they are breaking out all over.
Four teams from the league reached the 70-point scoring plateau in a game last year. That represented twice as many that had scored that many points in CUSA history.
Q: How wacky of a season was it in the AFC East Division last year?
A: A one-win team (Miami) the previous year won the division while another team (New England) managed 11-wins, yet saw its five-year playoff skein snapped.
Such is life in the AFC East, where Bill Parcells’ presence paid huge dividends for the Dolphins while Tom Brady’s injury left a lasting impression that Patriots’ fans would soon like to forget.
Marc Lawrence • PLAYBOOK.com
For all intents and purposes, the BIG 12 CONFERENCE has become a main player in the BCS picture.
The conference has proven that quality, not quantity, earns national championships while the loop continues to get stronger by the season. However, Oklahoma’s loss to Florida in last year’s BCS title game perpetuated a problem that has officials in the conference concerned.
Marc Lawrence • PLAYBOOK.com
As we reported last year, the BIG 10 CONFERENCE has been an Ohio State love fest the last four seasons where the Buckeyes have gone 29-3 in conference play while capturing four straight titles.
That puts Ohio State in elite company, tying Michigan with four consecutive crowns. Better yet, OSU is the only team in its 112-year history to have stood alone atop the BIG 10 CONFERENCE four straight years.
Marc Lawrence • PLAYBOOK.com
While BIG EAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL continues to come up big in bowl games (12-4 SU the last three years), the fact of the matter is the league continues to shrink in stature. That’s because a dismal 15-25 ATS performance mark outside the conference last season watered down a sparkling 81-37 ATS effort the prior three years.
Marc Lawrence • PLAYBOOK.com
When you walk in the shadows of the most well known basketball conference in the nation, it’s difficult creating your own identity.
Give ACC football its props. They are branding an image that is leaving other football conferences green-eyed.
CappersPicks.com brings you another great day of Sports betting action, plus our experts weigh in with the best NHL & NBA Playoff picks on the web!
The New Orleans Hornets will be in the Mile High City on Wednesday to take on the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series (10:35 pm ET, TNT). Oddsmakers currently have the Nuggets listed as 6-point favorites versus the Hornets, and the Over/Under at most books in 196.
With the 2009 NCAA Tournament entering the SWEET 16 round, let’s take a different perspective in analyzing the teams that have arrived. It pertains specifically to teams that are returning to the SWEET 16 for the 2nd straight year. Do they perform like a team with experience and panache, or do they execute like CEO’s expecting cushy bonuses while steering a sinking ship? Let’s take a look.
“When you snap your fingers or wink your eye I come a-running to you. I’m tied to your apron strings and there’s nothing that I can’t do. Can’t help myself, no, I can’t help myself.”
When it comes to March Madness there’s not much to do other than give into the moment. It’s the most exciting show on earth.
In the blink of an eye the 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament will begin its annual pulse-pounding extravaganza. In all likelihood hearts will be broken, a new champion crowned, and memories of upsets and game-winning shots will leave the court in assured dramatic fashion when the ‘Big Dance’ takes center stage on Thursday, March 19th.
