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The Pac-12 has been a top-heavy conference during the past few seasons, and while that theme should hold true in 2013, the middle-of-the-pack squads have started to close the gap just a bit. Last year’s Pac-12 champs were the Stanford Cardinal from the North Division.
The Stanford Cardinal are coming off of another strong season, and they’re set to enter 2013 as one of the favorites to rip a national championship away from the SEC. Head coach David Shaw is 23-4 during his two years with the team, and he’s coming off of a 12-2 record, which includes wins in both the Pac-12 championship and the Rose Bowl.
The Washington State Cougars entered 2012 with high hopes following the hiring of Mike Leach. The return of the head coach to college football was supposed to bring the team a new flair, and while the exciting offense was certainly there at times, the success that followed was underwhelming to say the least.
The Utah Utes entered the 2012 season with high expectations after a successful first season in the Pac-12. Unfortunately for them, injuries and inconsistency plagued the team throughout the year, meaning they’ll enter 2013 a bit more under the radar than they were a year ago.
The California Golden Bears went just 3-9 during the 2012 college football season, and as a result, head coach Jeff Tedford was relieved of his duties just a few days after the year came to an end. Now roaming the sidelines will be former Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes.
The 2012-13 Colorado Buffaloes were one of the worst teams in all of college football, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that. Head coach Jon Embree led his team to a 1-11 season, and as a result, he saw himself kicked to the curb when the year finally came to an end.
The Washington Huskies are full of potential, but they can’t quite get over the hump. Steve Sarkisian and his squad have gone 7-6 the last three years, and while they’ll look to improve upon that mark, they’ll also have to prove people wrong who believe they’ve hit their ceiling.
In 2012, the USC Trojans were named the preseason No. 1 team in all of college football. Unfortunately for them, they ultimately finish unranked after earning those honors. A six-loss season was beyond disappointing, and as a result, head coach Lane Kiffin has been looked at as potential hot seat candidate in 2013.
In 2011, the UCLA Bruins made the Pac-12 championship game because of a formality. The USC Trojans were banned from postseason competition, meaning that UCLA was given the spot without truly earning it.
The 2012 Arizona State Sun Devils laid a solid foundation for the program moving forward. In Todd Graham’s first year as head coach, he helped improve the team to 8-5. The season was called an “unquestioned success” by ESPN’s Ted Miller (Pac-12 blogger), and it’s tough to argue anything else.
Second-year head coach Rich Rodriguez is coming off a season that saw him go 8-5 with the Arizona Wildcats. That campaign was the first time he had put together a winning record in a season debut, as well as the first time his team went to a bowl game in a debut.
The Oregon Ducks have taken the NCAA by storm over the past few seasons, and 2013 should prove to be no exception. The fast-paced, up-tempo offense has been too much for most Pac-12 teams to handle, and even though head coach Chip Kelly has departed for the NFL, Mark Helfrich should be ready to carry forward the winning ways of the past.
The Oregon State Beavers shocked the world with their performance for much of the 2012 season. Because of a weather-influenced delay against Nicholls St., Mike Riley’s crew opened up the year against the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers.
With the Chicago Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup this week over the Boston Bruins it didn’t take Bovada long to come out with their 2014 NHL Odds, and Stanley Cup Futures for 2014.
The San Francisco Giants (23-15) head north of the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays (15-24) in an interleague match up. The Giants have won 3 straight and they are in first place in the NL West 2.5 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Venue/ Stadium: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Time/Date: 7:07 PM EST Tuesday, May 14, 2013
MLB Odds From: BetOnline
Moneyline: Giants +112 / Blue Jays -122 at GTBets.eu
Over/Under: 8.5 runs
ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight!
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San Francisco Giants vs. Toronto Blue Jays Preview
The Blue Jays have been a major disappointment so far this season, as many expected them to win the AL East. They have won 2 straight, but are still in the basement of the AL East 9.5 games back of the New York Yankees. MLB lines have the Blue Jays as the home favorite tonight with a total of 8.5 runs.
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In their last games the Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 and the Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 12-4.
On the season the Giants have an Over/Under record of 21-16 and they have a run-line W/L record of 15-23 and the Blue Jays have an Over/Under record of 21-17 and they have a run-line W/L record of 17-22.
This season the Blue Jays are 7-12 at home and the Giants are 8-8 on the road.
The Giants have won 8 of their last 11 games facing the Blue Jays.
2 former Cy Young winners face each other tonight with Barry Zito going for the Giants and R.A. Dickey going for the Blue Jays.
Zito (3-1 2.75) had a solid outing in his last start, but he got no run support giving up only 1 earned run in 7 innings in a no-decision facing the Philadelphia Phillies. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Dickey (2-5 5.06 ERA) has struggled this season, but also had a solid start in his last outing giving up 2 earned runs in 6 innings in a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Last season Melky Cabrera played for the Giants and was a key part to their early season success before being banned for 50 games positive testosterone test. He signed in the off-season with the Blue Jays and after a slow start he is hitting .353 in his last 8 games.
Zito is 5-12 with a 6.75 ERA in 17 interleague starts.
This season Dickey has pitched better on the road than at home, as in Toronto he has an ERA of 6.75 and on the road his ERA is 3.55.
In some betting trends for this interleague game the Giants are 4-1 in their last 5 games, 2 in Zito’s last 9 road starts, and they have an Over record of 4-1 in their last 5 road games.
The Blue Jays are 1-4 in their last 5 home games, 0-4 in Dickey’s last 4 starts, and they have an Over record of 7-2 in their last 9 games.
Jason’s Pick: Going with the Giants in this one, as I think Zito will have another strong start while Dickey will struggle.
The No. 7 Creighton Bluejays barely escaped their round 2 matchup against Cincinnati with a four-point win, and their reward is a battle with the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils. Duke is coming off a 12-point victory over the Albany Great Danes.
