08/27/2008 - Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It is rare that conference rivals face one another in the season opener, but that will be the case in Eugene on Saturday night as the 21st-ranked Oregon Ducks welcome the Washington Huskies to town for a Pac-10 clash.
Since taking over at the helm, head coach Ty Willingham has not enjoyed much success at UW, leading the Huskies to a miserable 12-35 ledger. There are seven offensive starters and six defensive starters back in the fold for Willingham's team, but considering that wins were scarce in 2007, it is hard to get overly excited about the prospects.
As for Oregon, it opened last season with eight wins in the first nine games, but the final three regular season contests resulted in defeat. Despite the late collapse, the Ducks still received a bid to the Sun Bowl and crushed South Florida in that game by a 56-21 final. The Ducks did lose some significant talent from that '07 club, but the fact that they earned a preseason ranking speaks to the high level of talent that remains on the roster.
Washington owns a 58-37-5 advantage in the all-time series with Oregon, but the Ducks hammered the Huskies by a 55-34 final a year ago.
The Huskies' offense will revolve around their very talented and versatile quarterback Jake Locker, who figures to play in this opener despite a sore hamstring. Last year, the freshman only completed 47.5 percent of his throws and had just 14 pass TDs against 15 interceptions, but the youngster also rushed for 986 yards and 13 scores, making him a tremendous dual threat entering this season. "There is no one on our team who works harder than Jake", says coach Willingham. "When I talk to our football team, I always tell them to be humble and he shares that value."
Now a sophomore, Locker will benefit from having four of his five offensive lineman from last season back to protect him. However, the wide receiver corps was depleted, and it will be interesting to see if a capable pass catcher emerges this weekend. The ground attack is also an area of concern. The team hopes to successfully replace Louis Rankin, who was the first 1,000-yard rusher at Washington since 1997. Sophomore Brandon Johnson was expected to be the main back for the Huskies, but he is suffering from a calf injury that leaves his status for this opener questionable.
Over the past few seasons, the Huskies have been atrocious defensively, and while the addition of new defensive coordinator in Ed Donatell brings some hope, expectations should not be great. Linebacker E.J. Savannah led the squad with 112 tackles last season and is one of the most feared linebackers in the Pac-10. Unfortunately, he is expected to miss the entire season because of eligibility issues, and his absence marks a major blow.
The front line will be anchored by Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, who is without question the top pass rusher on the roster. Te'o-Nesheim is the only returning starter to the front line, so it is likely that he will face plenty of double teams by Oregon blockers. The most experienced group for Washington will be the secondary, which is returning three starters, including both cornerbacks.
The quarterback position is definitely the main issue for coach Bellotti as he enters the 2008 season. Nathan Costa figured to take over the starting job, but he will miss much of the season with a knee injury. As a result, redshirt sophomore Justin Roper will likely lead the offense. He played well in the team's final scrimmage last Friday and has been around the program long enough to get a strong command of the offense. Roper will have the luxury of throwing to Jaison Williams, one of the most dangerous wideouts in the Pac-10. He hopes to improve upon his 844 yards and eight touchdowns from a year ago.
Another area of concern for Oregon is in the backfield, as coach Bellotti will have to find a replacement for Jonathan Stewart, who broke the single season school record with 1,722 rushing yards. In this opener and potentially all season, the Ducks could employ a two-back system with Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount. After a recent scrimmage, Bellotti said of Blount, "He had some pretty big holes to run through, but proved how difficult he is going to be to bring down in the open field."
Seven starters return on the defensive side of the ball for Oregon, giving the Ducks a veteran unit that should improve on last year's numbers. The heart and soul for Oregon is the secondary, which returns three starters, including safety Patrick Chung. "Defensively, we can talk about our secondary a lot." Bellotti stated, "We have three three-year starters and they are tough, athletic and playmakers. The playmaker is the difference. We are not trying to contain we are trying to attack. We are excited and seem to be healthy."
Walter Thurmond and Jairus Byrd are two of the better corners in the conference, as Thurmond had 18 pass breakups last year, while Byrd led the team with seven interceptions. The defensive line is also seen as a tough, veteran group and the return of defensive ends Nick Reed and Will Tukuafu is comforting. Reed was a First Team All-Pac selection last year, after posting 60 tackles and 12 sacks.
<< 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.
<< 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
<< 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
<< 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
Barry ends exit talk, pledges future to Villa >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa's England midfielder Gareth
Barry will not leave the club before the transfer window shuts at the end of
the month, ending talk of a move to either Liverpool or Arsenal.
The 27-year-old
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Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South Korea international Young-Pyo Lee
has ended his three-year association with Tottenham by completing his switch
to Borussia Dortmund.
The 31-year-old made 93 appearances for the club followin
Portsmouth's Kranjcar set for three-month injury absence >>
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portsmouth's Croatia international
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undergoing surgery on an ankle injury.
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Milner targets Newcastle exit >>
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle United have been rocked by the
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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds
With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season. What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season. Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all. Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13). Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two. Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury. Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven. Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury. Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.
In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons. Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4. Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1). The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this. No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.
Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend. Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend. With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.
MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:
Atlanta Hawks 1000-1
Boston Celtics 5000-1
Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1
Chicago Bulls 20-1
Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1
Dallas Mavericks 2-1
Denver Nuggets 25-1
Detroit Pistons 6-1
Golden State Warriors 250-1
Houston Rockets 12-1
Indiana Pacers 60-1
Los Angeles Clippers 45-1
Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1
Miami Heat 9-1
Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1
Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1
New Jersey Nets 50-1
New Orleans Hornets 150-1
New York Knicks 150-1
Orlando Magic 75-1
Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1
Phoenix Suns 5-2
Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1
Sacramento Kings 250-1
San Antonio Spurs 9-1
Seattle Sonics 5000-1
Toronto Raptors 35-1
Utah Jazz 20-1
Washington Wizards 25-1
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