Lions seek second straight upset in clash with Argos
Football Betting Lines
09/08/2010 -
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a huge upset win against the
Montreal Alouettes, the British Columbia Lions shoot for back-to-back
victories for the first time in 2010 as they entertain the Toronto Argonauts
on Saturday afternoon at Empire Field.
The Lions, who defeated Edmonton in the season opener (25-10), had been
slipping away ever since and were trapped at the bottom of the Western
Division standings with a seven-game losing streak before entering the month
of September. A team that is winless at home in four tries thus far, British
Columbia caught front-running Montreal at the right time and used the
opportunity to come up with a stunning 38-17 win over the Alouettes on the
road.
Granted, the Als were without quarterback Anthony Calvillo who was still
nursing a chest bruise, but still it was assumed that Montreal had enough
quality players to get them by the Lions, yet that wasn't the case at all.
Quarterback Casey Printers connected on 14-of-28 passes for 235 yards and a
pair of touchdowns, helping offset Travis Lulay who had as many completions to
the opposition (two) as he did to his own teammates (2-of-6 for 54 yards).
Surprisingly, BC was able to overcome 12 penalties for 115 yards to gather the
victory, partly because Montreal was flagged 11 times for a loss of 127 yards.
As for the Argonauts last week, they saw quarterback Cleo Lemon open up the
offense and throw for a career-high 350 yards by completing 32-of-44 passes,
but he was sacked three times and was guilty of three interceptions as well in
his team's 28-13 loss to Hamilton on the road. Toronto kicker Grant Shaw kept
the team involved in the first half with field goals of 39 and 16 yards, while
running back Cory Boyd tacked on a seven-yard scoring run to cap a nine-play,
63-yard drive in the third period, but it wasn't nearly enough with the number
of turnovers the Argos committed.
Boyd finished the game with 54 yards on 11 attempts, but no one else on the
team was credited with more than a single carry in the setback. Toronto ended
up with a pair of lost fumbles and that defeated a defensive effort that held
the Tiger-Cats to just 34 yards rushing on 14 attempts.
Even though he had a lackluster game last week, the fact remains that Boyd is
still the leading ground gainer in the CFL after nine games with 846 yards,
averaging close to six yards per attempt. For much of the early part of the
2010 campaign the Argos had to lean heavily on Boyd because they were not sure
what they'd be able to get out of Lemon, but now they know there is potential
in the first-year signal-caller as long as he can cut down on his mistakes. In
the first game of the season between these two squads, Lemon threw for 222
yards and a pair of touchdowns, but at he same time he was touched for a pair
of interceptions, fumbled once and was sacked three times so really the only
way to go is up for him versus the Lions at this stage.
In his first ever game against Toronto, Printers had huge production with
three passing scores and one on the ground and his legs have since proven to
be a lethal weapon versus the Argos. In two meetings back in 2008, the QB
threw for a combined 332 yards but just one TD, while coming up with an even
100 yards on the ground and four majors, so at least Toronto knows what to
plan for heading into this weekend.
Unfortunately for Printers and the Lions, 2008 seems like a lifetime ago
because this season the passing attack for BC has fallen far short of the
mark. At this stage the position has accounted for just seven touchdowns
through the air and a league-low 55.2 percent completion rate. Add to that a
total of 13 picks and it is easy to see how the program ranks dead last in the
CFL in efficiency rating at 68.2.
In a bit of irony Toronto, which has allowed opponents to complete 70 percent
of their pass attempts and is giving up a league-high 428.1 ypg, is actually
better than the Lions when it comes to scoring defense, allowing 27.0 ppg
compared to the 27.1 ppg permitted by BC entering this week's action.
With regards to the all-time, regular-season series between the programs,
British Columbia owns a 46-31-2 edge dating back to 1954. The Argos won the
most recent meeting earlier this season by a score of 24-20 at home, but that
victory for Toronto was the first against the Lions since October 2004 when
the team posted a 22-16 triumph. In between Toronto victories, BC had rattled
off 10 straight wins in the series.
<< Familiar foes do battle in Winnipeg
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second time in as many weeks the
Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers find themselves pitted
against each other on the gridiron, this time at Canad Inns Stadium on Sunday
afternoon.
<< Als seek return to win column in clash with Tiger-Cats
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Alouettes continue to compete
without the services of quarterback Anthony Calvillo as the team challenges
the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this weekend at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
Calvillo, who suffered a chest
<< A's hope to build a win streak versus Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At seven games off the pace in the American League West
Division, time is running out on the Oakland Athletics and their hopes for a
postseason berth. The A's will try to get a winning streak going tonight in
the finale of a
<< Marlins to skip Johnson's next start
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins ace Josh Johnson will miss
his next scheduled start because of shoulder and back pain.
Johnson was slated to pitch Friday against Washington, but the Marlins now
plan to start Alex Sana
<< 2010 World Basketball Championship update - September 8th
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
QUARTERFINALS
Spain vs. Serbia, 11 a.m.
Slovenia vs. Turkey, 2 p.m.
Stampeders and Eskimos meet for second time this week >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Friday night brings out the best and the worst
in the Canadian Football League as the slumping Edmonton Eskimos entertain the
high-flying Calgary Stampeders in a Western Division showdown at Commonwealth
Stadium.
Mets to wrap up long trip with matinee against Nats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Apparently, winning four straight games just isn't the
Washington Nationals' thing.
After failing to win more than three games in a row for the seventh time this
season, Washington instead seeks a series victory over the N
Red Sox, Rays ready for rubber match at Fenway >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Wakefield gets the call on short notice this evening
when the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays play the rubber match of their
three-game series at Fenway Park.
After getting blown out in the opener of this set
Orioles aim for rare sweep of Yanks in the Bronx >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have been the worst team in the
American League all season. Today, though, the Orioles will have a chance to
do something against the best team in baseball that they haven't done in more
than 2
Injury-riddled White Sox resume set in Detroit >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Injuries are starting to pile up for the Chicago White Sox.
Today, the short-handed White Sox will continue their push towards the
postseason, as they play the third installment of a four-game series against
the
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame)
Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma)
Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State)
Michael Bush (RB, Louisville)
Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia)
Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
Chris Leak (QB, Florida)
Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State)
Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame)
Drew Tate (QB, Iowa)
Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal)
Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn)
Chad Henne (QB, Michigan)
Kyle Wright (QB, Miami)
Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State)
Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama)
JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU)
Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State)
Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina)
Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2
7-2
7-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
18-1
18-1
20-1
30-1
35-1
35-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
Bet 2010 Super Bowl Odds
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
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