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 dog days of summer can be a grind for sports bettors. Major League Baseball offers a full card most days, but breaking down a similar looking board day after day can get old fast.
Future bets are a good way to shake things up. We’ve already taken a look at college football win totals, but there are still plenty of lines up on the board.
Here are another 10 win totals worthy of a closer look. Lines courtesy of Bovada.lv
The Razorbacks put up four wins all of last season as they battled through the whole Bobby Petrino/John L. Smith debacle. Brett Bielema solidifying the coaching position should be worth at least two wins. The team shouldn’t have too much trouble getting to 4-0 with an easy slate out of the gate.
The play: Over 5.5 (-140)
Louisville won 11 games a season ago, and this year they face a schedule that’s as soft as a cloud. They won’t meet any resistance whatsoever until their regular season finale at Cincinnati, and even that is a game they’ll be favored to win. Teddy Bridgewater will keep the offense rolling, and the team’s defense returns 11 starters.
The play: Over 10.5 (-140)
The Midshipmen won seven of their final eight regular season games in 2012, with an early season switch to Keenan Reynolds at quarterback paying huge dividends. Reynolds will be manning the controls once again this season, and another eight-win season isn’t out of the question.
The play: Over 6.5 (-115)
The Gamecocks have posted 11 wins in each of the last two seasons, and this year they avoid both Alabama and LSU. The toughest game on their schedule comes against a Georgia team that they’ve beaten each of the past three years. Jadeveon Clowney should put together a Heisman-caliber season.
The play: Over 9.5 (-115)
You don’t have to look hard to find a book that offers Texas as a favorite in each of their 12 contests. 19 starters return from a year ago, and the return of Jordan Hicks and Jackson Jeffcoat should help shore up a defense that struggled last season. The first month of their schedule will be tough, but after that the wins should flow with ease. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The play: Over 9.5 (-135)
The Hoosiers return 19 starters from a team that finished 4-8 a year ago. Kevin Wilson has done a lot of good in his time with the program, but the team’s defense would have to get a lot better in a hurry if they’re going to finish 6-6 or better.
The play: Under 5.5 (+150)
Kansas went 1-11 in Charlie Weis’s first season at the helm a year ago. During his Big 12 Media Day appearance on Monday, Weis called his team a “pile of crap.” I’m not one to argue.
The play: Under 3.5 (-115)
The Spartans finished 6-6 a year ago, and struggled to score points. Now the offense will have to try to function without Le’Veon Bell or Dion Sims. The defense will be good because it always is, but nine wins is asking a lot.
The play: Under 8.5 (-115)
This is certainly the last recommendation a good Catholic boy wants to make, but there’s no denying that the Irish face a tough uphill battle this season. A lot of good fortune befell the Irish last season on their run to 12-0. This season, they’ll do battle without their number 5’s against a much tougher schedule.
The play: Under 8.5 (-115)
The Utes won only five games last season. This year, Oregon and Stanford appear on their schedule, which has been tabbed as one of the toughest in the nation. Kyle Whittingham has done a great job since arriving in Utah, but with only 12 returning starters and a tough schedule, a six-win season just isn’t in the cards for the Utes.
The play: Under 5.5 (-165)
The Nationals are coming off being swept at home in a series against he Dodgers and now face a Pirates’ team that has lost 6 of their last 10 games.
Pittsburgh came out flat out of the All-Star break, continuing their spate of recent average play. Starter Francisco Liriano had his worst outing in a while giving up 5 ER in less than 5 innings.
Oakland continued their trend of mediocre play on the road dropping the first game of their weekend set against Los Angeles.
Depending on how you are looking at it the New York Yankees are either the luckiest or unluckiest team in the American League. Unlucky because they have been beset by injuries big time but lucky because they are 7 games over .500 and still in the hunt, technically.
It has only been a little more than half a season but things have been pretty wild in the National League West so far.
With the start of NFL training camps right around the corner, it is the perfect time to dig a bit deeper into Bovada’s NFL futures odds including the ones for a team’s chances to win its division. This time around we will focus-in on the NFC West.
The third major of the year is upon us and if the first two were any indication of what we are in for – I, like many simply can’t wait. Muirfield will host the world’s best for the 16th time – wind and rain were certainly a factor the last time the Open was played here in 2002.
Bret Bielema did a great job with the Wisconsin Badgers football program. Wisconsin has won a lot of games the last few years. Bielema decided to head to the SEC and Arkansas in the offseason, which left the Badgers looking for a new coach. Gary Andersen from Utah State was the guy the Badgers hired, and I believe that was a very good hire.
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.
St. Louis took the opener of the series on Friday afternoon behind swing starter Joe Kelly. It was a tight game, 3-2, and it looks like Cardinals have found their way again heading into the break.
The Texas Rangers lost the series opener last night and come into Saturday having lost 3 in a row. They find themselves just a game back of the Oakland A’s in the American League West even though they have a couple of more wins than the Tigers.
Rutgers is another former Big East member that is just passing through the American Athletic Conference this season. Former coach Greg Schiano built Rutgers into a respectable program but they never quite made it to the top of the mountain to win anything significant – though it was a nice story.
Memphis is one of the few FBS schools driven by hoops, which is why they were happy to join the former Big East. Even though the league has dramatically transformed the football program is still pretty subpar making its chances of being even mediocre probably about the same as in their former league, Conference USA.
