american football

NCAA Football While quarterback Vince Young (1,849 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, 11 interceptions; 1,079 yards rushing and 14 TDs) is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy at 6/1 and the most exciting player in America not named Reggie Bush, the Longhorns (11-1 SU, 5-7 ATS in 2004) will have to replace one of the nation’s top running backs in Cedric Benson (1,845 yards and 19 touchdowns). Costa Rica tourismHow Benson’s departure impacts Young will determine just how competitive Texas is this season. Following his amazing Rose Bowl performance, defenses facing Young this year were no doubt taking notes and will be stacking the line knowing he’s much more dangerous with his legs.In fact, there is a prop bet available on whether or not Young will run for 1,000 yards again. Will they be a national championship contender or pretender? Hard to say, especially considering the team also lost one of the country’s best defensive players in linebacker Derrick Johnson. Head coach Mack Brown’s squads have a history of underperforming when they get a lot of hype, going back to his days at North Carolina . This year should be no different, especially since Oklahoma is re-loading in the same Big 12 South Division with much deadlier weapons than the Longhorns.
Boston College Eagles125/1 to win BCS title game, 12/1 to win ACC, O/U 6.5 winsIs this Eagles team really as good as their 9-3 record (6-5 ATS) in 2004? If they were, they would have secured a spot in the BCS and matched up with Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. Instead, BC was shocked at home by Syracuse 43-17 in the regular-season finale and had the pleasure of beating North Carolina 37-24 in the Continental Tire Bowl. The Eagles have left the Big East for a much tougher ACC, which means conference games against bottom-dwellers like Temple and Rutgers will be replaced with more quality opponents like Wake Forest (who finished 4-7 last year but has beaten BC each of the past two seasons). 2003 starting quarterback Quinton Porter will get the call again in 2005 after red-shirting following the emergence of Paul Peterson in 2004. Porter’s performance will likely be the key to how well the Eagles adjust to life in the ACC.
LSU Tigers12/1 to win BCS title game, 7/4 to win SEC, O/U 9.5 winsThe Tigers (9-3 SU, 6-6 ATS) enter 2005 with overwhelming expectations that might simply be too high for new coach Les Miles to reach. Miles comes over from Oklahoma State while former head coach Nick Saban was one of the most respected minds in the college game and recruited some of the best classes in school history before he bolted for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Of course, those classes have “potential” written all over them and are just that until they can break through and prove themselves. LSU scored 22 points or more in all nine of their regular-season wins last season, but four of those victories were decided by four points or less. Sophomore JaMarcus Russell (1,053 yards, 9 touchdowns, 4 interceptions) replaces Marcus Randall at quarterback for the Tigers and will need to show the same poise as his predecessor if they are to win the close games and compete for a spot atop the SEC’s Western Division.
California Golden Bears50/1 to win BCS title game, O/U 8.5 winsThe Golden Bears (10-2 SU, 7-5 ATS) were arguably the second-best team in the country last year due to the fact that they played top-ranked Southern Cal better than anybody else in a tough 23-17 loss. No respect for the Pac-10 ultimately cost Cal a BCS Rose Bowl berth, and the team played uninspired in a 45-31 loss to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Of course that was last season, and a new season brings new hope, right? Not so fast. The Bears lost star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Green Bay Packers and 2,000-yard rusher J.J. Arrington to the Arizona Cardinals, while four of the team’s top five receivers have also moved on. Head coach Jeff Tedford is well-respected for bringing in the right pieces to fit his high-octane offense, but this year might be his most challenging yet.Costa Rica real estate The main benefit he has though is knowing the Trojans are again the only real competition in what should be an even weaker league race.

College Football Futures ForecastWhile quarterback Vince Young (1,849 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, 11 interceptions; 1,079 yards rushing and 14 TDs) is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy at 6/1 and the most exciting player in America not named Reggie Bush, the Longhorns (11-1 SU, 5-7 ATS in 2004) will have to replace one of the nation’s top running backs in Cedric Benson (1,845 yards and 19 touchdowns). How Benson’s departure impacts Young will determine just how competitive Texas is this season. Following his amazing Rose Bowl performance, Costa Rica tourismdefenses facing Young this year were no doubt taking notes and will be stacking the line knowing he’s much more dangerous with his legs.In fact, there is a prop bet available on whether or not Young will run for 1,000 yards again. Will they be a national championship contender or pretender? Hard to say, especially considering the team also lost one of the country’s best defensive players in linebacker Derrick Johnson. Head coach Mack Brown’s squads have a history of underperforming when they get a lot of hype, going back to his days at North Carolina . This year should be no different, especially since Oklahoma is re-loading in the same Big 12 South Division with much deadlier weapons than the Longhorns.
Boston College Eagles125/1 to win BCS title game, 12/1 to win ACC, O/U 6.5 winsIs this Eagles team really as good as their 9-3 record (6-5 ATS) in 2004? If they were, they would have secured a spot in the BCS and matched up with Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. Instead, BC was shocked at home by Syracuse 43-17 in the regular-season finale and had the pleasure of beating North Carolina 37-24 in the Continental Tire Bowl. The Eagles have left the Big East for a much tougher ACC, which means conference games against bottom-dwellers like Temple and Rutgers will be replaced with more quality opponents like Wake Forest (who finished 4-7 last year but has beaten BC each of the past two seasons). 2003 starting quarterback Quinton Porter will get the call again in 2005 after red-shirting following the emergence of Paul Peterson in 2004. Porter’s performance will likely be the key to how well the Eagles adjust to life in the ACC.
LSU Tigers12/1 to win BCS title game, 7/4 to win SEC, O/U 9.5 winsThe Tigers (9-3 SU, 6-6 ATS) enter 2005 with overwhelming expectations that might simply be too high for new coach Les Miles to reach. Miles comes over from Oklahoma State while former head coach Nick Saban was one of the most respected minds in the college game and recruited some of the best classes in school history before he bolted for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Of course, those classes have “potential” written all over them and are just that until they can break through and prove themselves. LSU scored 22 points or more in all nine of their regular-season wins last season, but four of those victories were decided by four points or less. Sophomore JaMarcus Russell (1,053 yards, 9 touchdowns, 4 interceptions) replaces Marcus Randall at quarterback for the Tigers and will need to show the same poise as his predecessor if they are to win the close games and compete for a spot atop the SEC’s Western Division.
California Golden Bears50/1 to win BCS title game, O/U 8.5 winsThe Golden Bears (10-2 SU, 7-5 ATS) were arguably the second-best team in the country last year due to the fact that they played top-ranked Southern Cal better than anybody else in a tough 23-17 loss. No respect for the Pac-10 ultimately cost Cal a BCS Rose Bowl berth, and the team played uninspired in a 45-31 loss to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Of course that was last season, and a new season brings new hope, right? Not so fast. The Bears lost star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Green Bay Packers and 2,000-yard rusher J.J. Arrington to the Arizona Cardinals, while four of the team’s top five receivers have also moved on. Head coach Jeff Tedford is well-respected for bringing in the right pieces to fit his high-octane offense,Costa Rica real estate but this year might be his most challenging yet. The main benefit he has though is knowing the Trojans are again the only real competition in what should be an even weaker league race.