13th-ranked Hokies seek quick turnaround against Dukes
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/08/2010 - Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a heart-breaking loss, the 13th- ranked Virginia Tech Hokies now set their sights on the James Madison Dukes this weekend at Lane Stadium.
In the most anticipated game of the opening week, it was the Hokies who came up short, dropping a last-minute 33-30 decision to third-ranked Boise State at FedExField on Monday.
"I firmly believe we're going to be a good football team," Tech head coach Frank Beamer said. "We weren't a great football team tonight. We made too many critical mistakes, but I firmly believe we're going to be a good football team."
It marked the third straight season opening loss for the Hokies, who dropped to 1-26 all-time against AP Top-5 teams. Tech however, has shown it is capable of bouncing back, as the Hokies are one of only two FBS schools to have won 10 or more games in each of the past six seasons. That is certainly reason to believe this squad can overcome another opening week setback.
As for JMU, it is a Top 25 FCS program walking into what could be a nightmare of a situation with Tech seeking to take out its frustrations. The Dukes though, were impressive in their opener, posting a 48-7 win over Morehead State last weekend to improved to 7-5 in lidlifters under head coach Mickey Matthews. The program however, is just 3-15 against FBS members and that includes 10 straight defeats.
This is the seventh all-time meeting between JMU and Virginia Tech on the gridiron, with the Hokies winning each of the prior six, including a 43-0 blanking in the most recent clash in 2003.
The Dukes had their way with Morehead State over the weekend, dialing up 483 yards of total offense, including 294 and four scores on the ground. JMU used a plethora of runners to dominate on the ground, with Jordan Anderson and Griff Yancey racking up a team-high 66 yards apiece.
QB Drew Dudzik accounted for half of the team's rushing TDs, while also throwing for two more scores and 189 yards on 8-of-15 tosses. Dudzik emerged as the starter this spring and was successful in his return after missing the final six games of '09 with a foot fracture. His main target was Kerby Long, who enjoyed a career day with 112 receiving yards and two TDs on three receptions.
JMU was every bit as impressive on defense and the unit didn't surrender a point to Morehead State until the final three minutes of the game. The unit held Morehead State to only 152 total yards, including just 67 rushing, while forcing five turnovers. What was even more impressive was the mere six first downs given up by this unit. Ryan Smith had five tackles and one of the team's two INTs to lead the defense in the win.
The Hokies were sloppy on offense at times and never really establish their dynamic ground attack, which averaged 208.2 ypg in '09. VT finishing the night with 128 yards, but it took 44 carries to reach that number, an average of just 2.9 yards per carry.
TB Ryan Williams scored two TDs on the ground and another through the air, but ended up with just 44 rushing yards on 21 carries. It was obviously a tough night running the ball for Williams, who set a school record with 1,655 rushing yards as a freshman in '09.
"We've got to look at the film and figure out what was going on," Williams said of the rushing attack. "All I know was there were a lot of times when I got the ball and there were defenders in my face."
QB Tyrod Taylor actually led the team with 73 rushing yards, as he used his legs to avoid consistent pressure. The dual-threat gunslinger also hit on 15- of-22 pass attempts for 186 yards and two TDs in a solid all-around performance. Jarrett Boykin was his favorite target with six receptions for 102 yards and a score.
Defensively, Tech wasn't all that bad, but the unit didn't step up when it was needed. Leading 30-26 late in the fourth quarter, the Hokies allowed Boise State to march 56 yards in just 38 seconds, with the driving ending on a 13- yard game-winning TD pass with just over a minute left. It was a big letdown from the unit, which was gashed for a 71-yard TD run by Boise State in the third quarter.
Aside from that, the unit did a decent job limiting a stout Boise State attack to 383 total yards. Eddie Whitley had seven stops and a forced fumble for the Tech defense, which may need some time to gel after losing a chunk of last year's starters from a unit that gave up just 15.6 ppg.
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bitter rivals clash at Kinnick Stadium this weekend, as the ninth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes do battle with the Iowa State Cyclones. The Hawkeyes took care of business in their opener last weekend, as they tallied
<< Idaho hits road for test against No. 6 Nebraska
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a 49-10 thrashing of Western Kentucky
in last week's season opener, the sixth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers figure to
be challenged a bit more this Saturday as they welcome the Idaho Vandals to
Memorial St
<< Hurricanes blow into Columbus to battle Buckeyes
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A much-anticipated matchup between the second-
ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the 12th-ranked Miami-Florida Hurricanes will
ensue in Columbus on Saturday afternoon.
As expected, Miami cruised to victory over F
<< LSU visits Vanderbilt in SEC lidlifter
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vanderbilt Commodores are coming off a
highly-disappointing week-one loss, and they will open SEC play on Saturday
against the 19th-ranked LSU Tigers, who are fresh off a drama-filled victory.
LSU took on
<< Ranked SEC foes lock horns in Columbia
Columbia, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Richt leads his 22nd-ranked Georgia
Bulldogs into an SEC battle with Steve Spurrier's 24th-ranked South Carolina
Gamecocks in Columbia this weekend.
"Our guys are focused on South Carolina right now," sai
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off perhaps the most impressive performance in week one of the 2010 college football season, the seventh- ranked Oregon Ducks take to the road, as they invade SEC Country to battle the Tennessee Volunteer
Yellow Jackets and Jayhawks square off in Lawrence >>
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
take their act on the road for the first time this season, as they invade
Lawrence this weekend, for a showdown with the Kansas Jayhawks in an ACC/Big
XII non-conferenc
Sooners and Seminoles meet in Top-25 showdown >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams with a lot to prove square off in a
tiop-25 showdown in Norman this weekend, as the 10th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners
play host to the 17th-ranked Florida State Seminoles.
The Seminoles got the Jimbo Fisher
No. 4 TCU hosts FCS foe Tennessee Tech >>
Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With one of the toughest games on their
schedule already out of the way, the fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs now focus
their attention on the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech in a non-conference
showdown at Amon
Utes open Mountain West slate against visiting Rebels >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vaulting into the AP poll at the 20th
position, the Utah Utes are at home again this week as they kick off their
Mountain West Conference schedule against the UNLV Rebels at Rice-Eccles
Stadium in Salt Lake
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.