08/27/2008 - Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers begin the Bill Stewart era as they host the Villanova Wildcats in what appears to be a lopsided season-opening tilt.
Villanova, which competes at the FCS level, returns 17 starters from last year's club that finished 7-4 overall. The Wildcats are ranked 21st nationally among FCS teams but enters this opener as a huge underdog.
As for West Virginia, it was in line to earn a bid to the national title game in 2007, but a shocking loss to Pittsburgh at home in the regular season finale prevented the dream from becoming a reality. Prior to the Fiesta Bowl, coach Rich Rodriguez decided to take the head coaching job at Michigan, angering the Mountaineer faithful. Coach Stewart, who led the team to a 20- point triumph over Oklahoma in that bowl game, was given the job on a full- time basis. With a wealth of talent back on offense, WVU figures to be formidable once again.
The Mountaineers own a 4-1 series edge over Villanova, and the teams haven't met since 1977.
For Villanova, the biggest question heading into this new season surrounds the health of junior starting quarterback Antwon Young. The signal caller suffered a knee injury in week six last year that caused him to miss the final five games of the campaign. He appears to be back at full strength, but it remains to be seen if he can handle the physicality of real game action. In six games in 2007, he completed 99-of-153 passes (.647) for 1,192 yards to go with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Considering that 'Nova only averaged 326.1 total ypg last season, there is obviously room for improvement. The ground attack managed a mere 3.5 ypc and posted only 11 touchdowns, numbers that simply must improve. Unfortunately, no player on the current roster has rushed for more than 247 yards.
One player to watch out for on the defensive side of the ball for Villanova is defensive lineman Tim Kukucka. The 6-3 junior was recently named a First Team pre-season All-CAA performer. As a sophomore, he registered 12 TFLs, including seven sacks, and he forced three fumbles. Osayi Osunde is a standout defensive performer as well who led the team with 82 tackles in 2007 as a junior. He will be counted on along with Kukucka to provide leadership.
Villanova allowed 23.7 ppg last season and 373.7 total ypg. The defense was average by most accounts and will need to put forth a heroic effort just to keep the score in this contest respectable.
West Virginia senior quarterback Pat White ignored the lure of the NFL and returned campus, bad news for Villanova and every other opponent on the Mountaineers' schedule. White is a sensational dual-threat signal caller who rushed for 1,335 and 14 touchdowns on only 197 carries and passed for 1,724 yards and another 14 touchdowns while throwing only four interceptions. "Patrick White has all those intangibles that will make an NFL team very, very excited," says coach Stewart.
White's backfield mate, Steve Slaton, did move on to the NFL despite a poor second half of his junior season. Why did he make that decision? Well, some believe it is because Slaton would not have held off Noel Devine for the starting tailback job. Devine showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman and is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. "Noel has done a lot of things to shock me," says White in regard to Devine's freakish athletic ability. What is most scary for opponents of WVU is that White and Devine will be running behind arguably the top offensive line in the nation. Ryan Stanchek is the best of the bunch up front, as the All-American is on every NFL scout's radar.
WVU finished eighth nationally in scoring defense last season, limiting opponents to 18.1 ppg while also holding foes to 301.7 ypg, good for seventh place. Equaling those figures appears to be an impossible task, as seven starters from the 2007 defense are gone. What the 2008 unit lacks in experience it certainly makes up for in speed.
Keep an eye on middle linebacker Reed Williams, who topped the century mark in tackles a year ago. Williams, along with Mortty Ivy and Scooter Berry, will be counted on heavily in the front seven. In the defensive backfield, the Mountaineers have a wealth of terrific athletes, but few have proven anything on the field. Stewart knows that his defense does not have to be dominant considering the high amount of points that White and the offense will put up. Still, the unit must be solid if this team hopes to make another run at a BCS Bowl. A strong showing against Villanova will spark some confidence.
<< Vols head west to challenge Bruins
Pasadena, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An intriguing season-opening matchup pits the
18th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC against the UCLA Bruins of the
Pac-10.
The fact that 15 starters from the offensive and defensive units from the 2007
<< Illini and Tigers tangle in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what may prove to be the best game of
college football's opening weekend, the sixth-ranked Missouri Tigers of the
Big 12 Conference and the 20th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten
meet in St. Loui
<< Longhorns host Owls in 2008 season opener
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 11th-ranked Texas Longhorns are set to begin
the 2008 season with a non-conference clash against the Florida Atlantic Owls.
The 2007 campaign was a historic one for Florida Atlantic, as the Owls won a
share
<< Sun Devils set to chop down Lumberjacks in Tempe
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Instate foes meet up in Tempe this weekend, as
the heavily favored Arizona State Sun Devils kick off their 2008 campaign by
hosting the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.
In his first season at ASU, legendary head coa
Top-ranked Georgia hosts intrastate foe Georgia Southern >>
Athens, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs put their lofty
ranking on the line this weekend at home, as they open their 2008 schedule
against instate foe Georgia Southern.
There is plenty of excitement and anticipation in
Fifth-ranked Gators open 2008 slate against Warriors >>
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Florida Gators open up
their 2008 schedule this weekend, as they welcome the Hawaii Warriors to the
mainland for a gridiron clash in Gainesville.
Urban Meyer has another loaded team followi
Bulls set to ground Skyhawks in season opener >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The South Florida football program emerged as a
force on the national level last season and the 19th-ranked Bulls will now try
to continue that success in 2008, as they host the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks
in the open
Hokies and Pirates clash in Charlotte >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 17th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies have
their eyes on another ACC title and BCS Bowl and begin their quest for the
latter with their season-opener in Charlotte on Saturday, against the East
Carolina Pirates.
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Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
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Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
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