'Horns and Owls hook up in Houston
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/01/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns kick off the 2010 season with an intrastate matchup against the Rice Owls at Houston's Reliant Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Texas, fresh off yet another Big 12 Conference title and an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game, which it lost to Alabama (37-21), enters this new campaign with a ton of talent, although much of it is unproven at the moment. Still, coach Mack Brown's club is poised to defend its league championship and challenge the top teams in the land for another shot at the BCS crown.
The Longhorns have posted nine consecutive 10-win seasons, the longest active streak in the nation. They are one of only two teams in college football history to accomplish such a feat, with Florida State's 14 straight seasons being the current benchmark.
After a memorable 10-win campaign in 2008, Rice came crashing back to Earth last season as numerous injuries and a youthful roster saddled the Owls with 10 defeats. Head coach David Bailiff's club dropped its first eight games of the year, seven of which were by double digits.
Struggling in all facets of the game, Rice ranked among the worst offensive and defensive teams in the nation.
Texas owns a 69-21-1 record against Rice in the all-time series, which dates back to 1914. The Longhorns have won the last 10 meetings, and 38 of the last 39 encounters between the two overall.
With former star QB Colt McCoy now in the NFL, the job of leading the Texas offense falls to sophomore Garrett Gilbert. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, Gilbert has the size, arm strength, intelligence and winning attitude to be the next great UT quarterback. He was thrust into action in the BCS title game earlier this year when McCoy went down in the first quarter, and despite the Longhorns not winning, he has the confidence of his teammates and coaches moving forward.
Coach Brown spoke recently about the expectations on Gilbert as this new season gets underway, "This is the first fair start for him. It's been his team since spring practice. Coming out of the national championship game, he's worked very hard to make good decisions and drop the ball off and lead his team. He's got a lot on his plate right now. I'm sure his head will be spinning some by Saturday. I think it's a good challenge for this team to go on the road and have to play an opener out of their comfort zone for the first time. I'm excited about watching him play."
Running back Tre' Newton (552 yards, six TDs) and receivers James Kirkendoll (48 receptions, 461 yards, six TDs) and Malcolm Williams (550 yards, two TDs), will all have to perform at or above expectations to help take some of the pressure off their new signal-caller.
Having four seniors along the offensive line should also help, although only tackle Kyle Hix and guard Michael Huey have any real starting experience.
The Longhorns dominated the defensive side of the ball in 2009, yielding a mere 16.7 ppg. Their effort against the run was stifling as foes were permitted just 72.4 ypg, ranking them first in the nation in that category. The loss of some key players means duplicating that effort will be difficult, but there is no shortage of talented guys ready to step in and make plays.
The return of last year's sack leader, DE Sam Acho (10), gives Texas a disruptive force along the defensive line, and with LB Keenan Robinson and FS Blake Gideon (six INTs in '09) also back for another go, expectations are high that the Longhorns will have another formidable defense.
The Owls, who are beginning their 99th season of college football, didn't have much success moving the ball last season, as they ranked 111th in total offense (304.6 ypg). Quarterback Nick Fanuzzi, a transfer from Alabama, made eight starts for Rice in '09 and while he struggled at times, the 6-3 junior was at his best late in the season when he threw for seven TDs in back-to-back games against SMU and Tulane.
Rice had to replace two of its top three receivers from last year and the team is in serious need of a go-to guy. Patrick Randolph is the best option to fill that role after ranking second on the team in catches (39), receiving yards (356) and touchdowns (four) last season.
The Owls are expected to get a boost on offense as RB Sam McGuffie, a Houston native who sat out last season after transferring from Michigan, is set to make his mark at his new school.
Bailiff is impressed by the way McGuffie goes about his business, "He (McGuffie) wants more carries (and) he wants to be in there pass blocking." Bailiff continued, "He doesn't care if he doesn't get the ball every snap, he just wants to play competitive football every snap. He is amazing because he's not worried about his carries."
Charles Ross is also back after a solid rookie campaign that saw him gain 343 of his team-best 491 yards and seven of his 11 scores in the final five games. Tyler Smith ranked second with 428 yards, and the hope is that stable of backs will help the Owls raise last season's rushing average of 109.3 ypg.
The ground attack should flourish even more with the return of all five starters along the line, including Scott Mitchell. The 6-4, 290-pound left tackle earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors in 2009 and has started 30 consecutive games.
The Rice defense ranked dead last in scoring last season (43.1 ppg) and 117th in total defense (464.0 ypg), but the coaching staff is optimistic that the return of several starters will help turn things around.
It all starts up front where DEs Scott Solomon and Cheta Ozougwu serve as the line's anchors. Both have a wealth of experience, and they combined for 124 tackles last year.
Justin Hill is the team's most experienced linebacker, though he is a former running back who led the team in rushing in 2007. Last season, Hill earned five starts and showed his potential by logging 25 tackles and a sack.
The secondary boasts the return of S Travis Bradshaw, who returns after leading the FBS with an average of 7.5 unassisted tackles per game in 2009. Bradshaw finished with 121 total stops, nearly twice as many as his closest teammate. Corners Phillip Gaines and Chris Jammer combined for 16 starts in '09, but Rice had only six INTs as a team, so getting after the ball will be paramount to any success the defense achieves this fall.
Overall, Bailiff is optimistic about his team this season, "We have a chance to be a much improved football team. We have matured over the last season and we're bigger, faster, and stronger. We expect to win and we expect to go to a bowl game."
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Hauck gets his first taste of action in the Football Bowl Subdivision this weekend as the new UNLV head coach welcomes 12th-ranked Wisconsin to Sam Boyd Stadium in Sin City. The winningest coach in Big
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face the Hawaii Warriors in a non-conference showdown.
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<< Pitt takes on Utah in season opener
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The premiere matchup during the first
night of the 2010 college football season has the Utah Utes entertaining the
15th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers in a non-conference showdown at Rice-Eccles
Stadium in Salt
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State this weekend, as the 24th-ranked Oregon State Beavers battle the sixth-
ranked TCU Horned Frogs at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
The Beavers made a serious
<< 11th-ranked Ducks open season at home against Lobos
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campaign started this weekend, when the New Mexico Lobos visit Eugene for a
non-conference affair at Autzen Stadium.
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University Park, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions lift the lid on the 2010 season against FCS foe Youngstown State in what appears to be one of college football's most obvious mismatches of opening weekend. A n
Crimson Tide begin national title defense against visiting Spartans >>
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked atop the AP
Poll as the 2010 season gets underway, begins defense of their national title
when they play host to the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday evening at
Bryant-Denny
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up their highly anticipated 2010 season this weekend, as the welcome the
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles to Fayetteville.
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Seventh-ranked Sooners welcome Aggies to Norman in season-opener >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2010 college football season kicks off in
Norman this weekend, as the seventh-ranked Oklahoma Sooners welcome the Utah
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Cornhuskers open season in Lincoln against Hilltoppers >>
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what figures to be a complete mismatch, the
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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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