Presley, Williams, Cushingberry, Bauman capture FCS weekly awards
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/06/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Appalachian State quarterback DeAndre Presley, Gardner-Webb linebacker Jeffery Williams, Southern special teams performer Corey Cushingberry and Northern Arizona running back Zach Bauman have been named The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com FCS National Players of the Week for the season-opening games which ended Sept. 5.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DeAndre Presley, Appalachian State, Junior, 5-11, 170, QB, Tampa, FL
Following the legendary Armanti Edwards as Appalachian State's No. 1 quarterback hasn't fazed Presley, who was scintillating in his season debut. He engineered a 42-41 comeback victory over Chattanooga. The third-ranked Mountaineers trailed 28-7 late in the third quarter before Presley guided the offense to 253 yards and five touchdowns in the final 17:29 of the game. Overall, he completed 22-of-29 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 25 yards and two touchdowns, and was credited with a touchdown reception by picking up wide receiver Matt Cline's fumble and weaving 33 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:05 left
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jeffery Williams, Gardner-Webb, Senior, 6-0, 222, LB, Frisco City, AL
Injuries limited Williams last season, but the 2008 Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week demonstrated in Gardner-Webb's season opener against Brevard that he is back at full strength. The hard-hitting linebacker collected 18 tackles, including nine solos, in a 28-14 victory. The Runnin' Bulldogs defense was on the field for 37 minutes, 18 seconds against Brevard's triple-option attack and Williams seemed to be everywhere. He had two tackles for loss, including a half-sack, and intercepted a pass to end a 12-play drive in Gardner-Webb territory. Williams became the eighth player in Big South history to surpass 300 career tackles, upping his total to 304.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Corey Cushingberry, Southern, R-Senior, 5-9, 175, WR/RS, Baton Rouge, LA
Southern trailed Delaware State throughout the second half of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge until Cushingberry's clutch punt return late in the game. He returned the punt 64 yards for a touchdown to erase Southern's 27-23 deficit. The Jaguars went on to give the SWAC its second win in the sixth annual game between conferences of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Cushingberry finished with 175 all-purpose yards, returning two punts for 71 yards and five kickoffs for 104 yards.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Zach Bauman, Northern Arizona, Freshman, 5-10, 200, RB, Chandler, AR
A true freshman, Bauman made it look easy in his first collegiate game, rushing for 167 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries as Northern Arizona beat Western New Mexico, 48-0. He scored three times in the first half and then raced for a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter, giving him an FCS- leading 24 points after the first week of action. Most of the preseason focus was on All-America quarterback Michael Herrick, but Bauman's emergence will help keep defenses honest. Bauman played for two state championship teams at Hamilton High in Chandler, Ariz.
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins have signed linebacker Bobby Carpenter to an undisclosed contract. The former number one draft choice had spent the 2010 training camp with the St. Louis Rams after being acquired
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signed linebacker Danny Clark on Monday.
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7-6 (7-4) at the USTA Billie
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Alex Cora for assignment on Monday.
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Kuyt sidelined by shoulder injury >>
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Netherlands striker Dirk Kuyt is
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Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ai Miyazato remained No. 1 in the world
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2010 World Basketball Championship update - September 6th >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
USA 121, Angola 66
Russia 31, New Zealand 27 - Halftime
Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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