In the FCS Huddle: Spoilers ready to step up

NCAA Football Betting Lines

06/25/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are always teams that look like locks on paper.

You know, like France and Italy advancing to the knockout phase of the World Cup.

And that's the point. There are no sure things in sports.

The older we get, the more we realize that we should not be overly surprised by upsets and when favored teams fail to do what we expect of them - like win a championship.

Half of the FCS' 14 conferences appear to have definitive favorites this season, while the other half appear to be more up for grabs. The seven consensus picks would be Montana in the Big Sky Conference, Liberty in the Big South Conference, South Carolina State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Colgate in the Patriot League, Appalachian State in the Southern Conference, Stephen F. Austin in the Southland Conference and Prairie View A&M in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. All but Colgate is a defending champion.

There's a reason, however, why teams play the games. None of the other teams considered below those seven wants to hear it doesn't have a chance within their conference.

Below we list a potential spoiler or two from those seven conference that aren't planning to be second-best:

Big Sky

Montana (14-1, 8-0 in 2009) has won at least a share of the conference title in 12 straight seasons, but lost a number of key players. Eastern Washington (8-4, 6-2) banks its hope on the conference's best defensive player (linebacker J.C. Sherritt), perhaps the conference's best offensive player (running back Taiwan Jones) and the conference's most influential transfer (quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell from SMU). The Eagles host Montana on their new red turf Sept. 18. Montana State (7-4, 5-3) ends the regular season on Nov. 20 at Montana. The Bobcats' offensive and defensive lines are experienced, and they have excellent special teams, including place-kicker Jason Cunningham.

Big South

Liberty (8-3, 5-1) averaged 36.4 points per game to lead the FCS last year. But Charleston Southern (6-5, 4-2) has a defense led by defensive end Joel Walton and cornerback Chris Kuzdale, a balanced offense and experience in its special teams. The Buccaneers played nail-biters in their conference losses to Gardner-Webb and Liberty last season. They visit Liberty on Oct. 9.

MEAC

South Carolina State (10-2, 8-0) is probably the nation's biggest favorite for a conference title because it won every MEAC game by double-digits last season and returns a veteran team. But Florida A&M (8-3, 6-2) should be strong offensively with a solid line, two potential quarterbacks in Eddie Battle and Martin Ukpai, and running back Philip Sylvester. The Rattlers host South Carolina State on Oct. 2. One week later, the favored Bulldogs host Norfolk State (7-4, 5-3), which won its final four games and have the conference's most productive returning back, DeAngelo Branche, who will operate behind an experienced line. Either Chris Walley or Jake Strickler, a pair of junior college transfers, figures to be the starting quarterback.

Patriot

Some team will have to slow Colgate (9-2, 4-2) and its high-powered offense. For a change, defending champion Holy Cross (9-3, 5-1) is strongest on defense with the return of defensive end Mude Ohimor and safety Anthony DiMichele. However, the Crusaders, who visit Colgate on Oct. 23, have lost four-year starting quarterback Dominic Randolph. Lehigh (4-7, 4-2) wants to win for struggling coach Andy Coen (20-24 in four seasons) and has an excellent quarterback in J.B. Clark, who works behind a line that features standout tackle Will Rackley. After hosting Colgate on Oct. 30, the Mountain Hawks play their final three league games on the road.

Southern

Appalachian State (11-3, 8-0) reached the FCS semifinals last season and has one of the more talent-laden rosters in the nation. Elon (9-3, 7-1) will likely have to win in Boone, N.C., to make it a race. The Phoenix have a quarterback, senior Scott Riddle, who also has thrown for 10,003 yards and 78 touchdowns in his career. Middle linebacker Joshua Jones fuels the defense.

Southland

Stephen F. Austin (10-3, 6-1) has all the pieces in place for another banner season, but McNeese State (9-3, 6-1) has the type of defense that can stand up to the Lumberjacks, including defensive tackle Desmund Lighten and free safety Malcolm Bronson. The Cowboys visit SFA on Oct. 9. Texas State (7-4, 5-2) has a defense that already has stood up to SFA, winning 28-7 last season. The Bobcats are still waiting to see if two-time 1,000-yard rusher Karrington Bush will be eligible this season, but they definitely will have standout wide receiver Da'Marcus Griggs and linebacker Marcus Clark. They visit SFA on Oct. 30.

SWAC

Prairie View A&M (9-1, 7-0) came within three points of FBS New Mexico State, and a perfect season, last fall. But the Panthers can't forget that until their three-point win over Grambling State (8-5, 6-3), they hadn't beaten the Tigers since 1986. The Tigers have perhaps the most intimidating defensive player in the FCS in defensive end Christian Anthony. They're still awaiting word on whether quarterback Greg Dillon will be granted a sixth year of eligibility, but will have two quality returning backs in Frank Warren and Cornelius Walker. Their all-important meeting with Prairie View is Sept. 25 in Dallas.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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