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08/31/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are plenty of intriguing storylines as the Football Championship Subdivision season gets set to kick off the 2010 season week, but the biggest is the expansion of the playoffs from 16 to 20 schools.
It's been a long time coming, considering the playoffs haven't grown since they went from 12 to 16 schools in 1987 and about 30 teams have entered the FCS ranks since then.
Casual fans of college football might be surprised to learn there are more schools playing in the FCS - 124, including five independents making the transition into full membership - than in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
If the FBS sent only 16 or 20 schools to the postseason, people might make the argument that too few, not too many, were involved. This year, a record 70 schools will play in bowl games.
Of course, the FCS does it the right way by using a playoff to determine its national champ. With the playoffs growing by four schools, the Big South and Northeast Conference champions will have automatic bids for the first time and two more schools will go in with at-large bids. It will be a 10-and-10 split between conference champs and at-large qualifiers.
As thrilled as FCS coaches are by the expansion, many still feel there's room for growth, with 24 generally a desired number. The playoff system in NCAA Division II is at 24, while Division III invites 32 teams.
"I think 24 is good," said Villanova coach Andy Talley, whose team is the defending FCS champion. "I mean, there are some really good teams out there that are on the bubble. And it would give a league like us, where you have a 7-4 team that's really played some heartbreaking games in our league that just didn't have a little luck ... Richmond, who was (9-3 in the regular season in 2008), wins the national championship. And one year, we were 8-3 and went to the semifinals. It would bring out a lot of teams I think that are rounding into shape and maybe were hurt and lost a couple heartbreakers in a very tough league give them the chance to maybe excel."
"The comfortable number I would think would be at 24," Southern Illinois coach Dale Lennon said. "You make your adjustments off from that. Playoffs are exciting, it just creates that atmosphere on campus that you want with your football program. It's a fun thing to be a part of, so if you can make more opportunities, I think all the better."
Conference rivals won't meet in the first round, although it can happen beginning in the Round of 16.
The biggest concern with expanding the playoffs involves the potential need for extending the season - something coaches don't want.
"I think the main thing it has to do with is how long your season's gonna be," Robert Morris coach Joe Walton said. "You get too many ... it's not like basketball, where you can play two or three games during a week. Football, you can only play once a week. So that's a factor that I'm sure has to be taken into consideration."
There won't be a need for extending the season if the NCAA continues this year's trial system of playing the national championship three weeks after the semifinals, as opposed to the weekend that follows the semis. This season, the semifinals will be held on Dec. 17 and 18 and the championship on Friday, Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas, with the NCAA hoping that the lead-in to the game will increase attendance and national attention.
In a way, the NCAA isn't taking full advantage of this scenario, with only eight schools playing in first-round games on Nov. 27 and the other 12 getting byes to the second round on Dec. 4. That's too many byes.
If the championship date in January proves successful and the NCAA keeps it, then the season won't be extended by expansion. A 24-school bracket could easily go into place with 16 schools playing in the first round and those eight winners moving on to play another eight schools which had byes. Thus, it will leave 16 schools for the second round, just as it does with this year's 20-school playoff.
"Twenty-four," is the right number, South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough said, "because I think that makes it a way where the playoffs you can get the bracket up in a good systematic manner."
"I've spent 22 years in the FBS programs, I've coached in I think 10 or 11 bowl games," Liberty coach Danny Rocco said. "Let's face it, if you're 6-6 (in the FBS), you're going to a bowl, no questions asked.
"You talk about NCAA basketball, you have a 64-team tournament that's just getting expanded to 68 or whatever it's going to be. You're still talking about 16 or 20 (in the FCS). Just because you say FCS, I think people automatically think there's fewer participants. There's not.
"This is definitely a step in the right direction and I'm excited about that. Hopefully, we can get this thing established here and find a way to have this national championship game continue to take on a national audience and a national spotlight, and then maybe we can expand it to 24 and get more representation. It's really becoming more and more apparent the quality of football that's being played at the FCS level."
FCS VERSUS FBS
OK, the FCS outdoes the FBS by having a playoff system. The question is, can the FCS outdo the FBS in head-to-head action?
Well, that's asking a lot because the FBS is a higher level of competition. But each year, FCS schools pull upsets against FBS opponents, like Villanova jump-starting last year's national-title season with a win over Temple and William & Mary beating Virginia.
This weekend, there are 39 matchups between FCS and FBS programs. As usual, no FCS school is hosting a game.
Temple gets another shot at Villanova, er, Villanova and Temple square off again in the biggest matchup at 5 p.m. Friday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. When Villanova won 27-24 last year, few could have predicted Temple would come back to finish 9-4 and reach a bowl game for the first time in 30 seasons.
Some of the week's other intriguing FCS-FBS matchups (all times Eastern):
Eastern Washington at Nevada, 9:05 p.m. Friday - The Wolf Pack might tire of chasing EWU's splendid tailback Taiwan Jones.
South Carolina State at Georgia Tech, 1 p.m. Saturday - The Bulldogs' linebacker corps is deep and could exploit Georgia Tech's rebuilt offensive line.
Richmond at Virginia, 6 p.m. Saturday - New Cavaliers head coach Mike London was Richmond's coach the last two seasons, leading the Spiders to the 2008 FCS title.
Elon at Duke, 7 p.m. Saturday - Quarterback Scott Riddle will keep Duke busy. The Blue Devils lost at home to Richmond last season.
Grambling State vs. Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m. Saturday in Shreveport, La. - The two schools are located just five miles apart, but are meeting for the first time.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Georgia State doesn't open the season against an FBS opponent, it ends with one - facing defending FBS champion Alabama on Nov. 18.
The fledging Panthers play their first game ever by hosting NAIA program Shorter College at 7:30 p.m. Thursday inside the Georgia Dome.
Georgia State head coach Bill Curry has yet to announce his starting quarterback. Alabama transfer Star Jackson, a sophomore, and redshirt freshmen Kelton Hill, Drew Little and Bo Schlechter have competed for the job.
Georgia State will go from independent status to CAA Football in 2012.
Meanwhile, Lamar is jumping back into action for the first time since the program's cancellation in 1989. The Cardinals will visit McNeese State, a future opponent in the Southland Conference, at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Head coach Ray Woodard's squad will rely on freshmen and transfers, including quarterback Andre Bevil, whom Woodard has brought to Beaumont, Texas, from his former school, Navarro College in Texas.
Lamar and Georgia State will face each other Nov. 6 in Atlanta.
GET YOUR BRACKET HERE
You know the old disclaimer, don't try this at home.
Well, this season we're breaking out the crystal ball and projecting the 20- team FCS playoffs. Beginning this week on www.sportsnetwork.com, we're going to list our first- and second-round pairings.
The projections will be fluid, swaying with every field goal in the wind. Our picks won't necessarily match The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com Top 25 because we're looking at what will (well, could) happen come the playoff announcement on Nov. 21.
Sure, we'll make changes based on results, but we also will keep the bigger picture in mind.
Cross your fingers for us.
JUST THE PICKS - WEEK 1
X=projected winner
Thursday, Sept. 2
Presbyterian at X-Wake Forest, 6:30 p.m. Cumberland (Tenn.) at X-Austin Peay, 7 p.m. X-Eastern Kentucky at Missouri State, 7 p.m. Murray State at X-Kent State, 7 p.m. SE Missouri State at X-Ball State, 7 p.m. West Chester at (16) X-Delaware, 7 p.m. Florida A&M at X-Miami (Fla.), 7:30 p.m. Albany at X-Maine, 7 p.m. Rhode Island at X-Buffalo, 7 p.m. Valparaiso at X-Western Illinois, 7 p.m. Hampton at X-Central Michigan, 7 p.m. Johnson C. Smith at X-North Carolina Central, 7 p.m. Central Missouri at X-Illinois State, 7:30 p.m. Shorter at X-Georgia State, 7:30 p.m. Towson at X-Indiana, 7:30 p.m. Norfolk State at X-Rutgers, 7:30 p.m. Elizabeth City at X-Central Arkansas, 8 p.m. Quincy at (5) X-Southern Illinois, 8 p.m. SE Louisiana at X-Tulane, 8 p.m. North Dakota at X-Idaho, 9 p.m. (13) Eastern Washington at X-Nevada, 9:05 p.m. Western New Mexico at X-Northern Arizona, 9:05 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 3
(1) Villanova at X-Temple, 5 p.m. Sacred Heart at X-Marist, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 04
Central Connecticut State at (10) X-New Hampshire, noon St. Francis (Pa.) at (21) X-Liberty, noon Samford at X-Florida State, noon Youngstown State at X-Penn State, noon (18) Eastern Illinois at X-Iowa, 12:05 p.m. X-Butler at Albion, 1 p.m. (19) Weber State at X-Boston College, 1 p.m. Robert Morris at X-Dayton, 1 p.m. Chowan at X-The Citadel, 1 p.m. Howard at (25) X-Holy Cross, 1 p.m. Lock Haven at X-VMI, 1:30 p.m. North Greenville at X-Charleston Southern, 1:30 p.m. Northwestern State at X-Air Force, 2 p.m. Langston at X-Alcorn State, 3 p.m. Western State at (2) X-Montana, 3 p.m. X-Fordham at Bryant, 3 p.m. (3) X-Appalachian State at Chattanooga, 3 p.m. Fort Lewis at (24) X-Montana State, 3:05 p.m. (17) Jacksonville State at X-Mississippi, 3:30 p.m. (4) X-William & Mary at Massachusetts, 3:30 p.m. Coastal Carolina at X-West Virginia, 3:30 p.m. Adams State at X-Northern Colorado, 3:35 p.m. Edward Waters at X-Bethune-Cookman, 4 p.m. UC Davis at X-California, 5 p.m. Delta State at X-Jackson State, 5 p.m. Montana-Western at X-Idaho State, 5:35 p.m. South Dakota at X-UCF, 6 p.m. Western Carolina at X-North Carolina State, 6 p.m. Brevard at X-Gardner-Webb, 6 p.m. UT Martin at X-Tennessee, 6 p.m. Morehead State at (15) X-James Madison, 6 p.m. Monmouth at (22) X-Colgate, 6 p.m. X-Bucknell at Duquesne, 6 p.m. (6) Richmond at X-Virginia, 6 p.m. Jacksonville at X-Old Dominion, 6 p.m. Savannah State at X-Georgia Southern, 6 p.m. X-Campbell at Virginia-Wise, 6 p.m. Bowie State at X-Morgan State, 6 p.m. Winston-Salem State at X-North Carolina A&T, 6 p.m. X-Georgetown at Davidson, 6 p.m. Sacramento State at X-Stanford, 6:30 p.m. (7) Elon at X-Duke, 7 p.m. Sam Houston State at X-Baylor, 7 p.m. (8) Stephen F Austin at X-Texas A&M, 7 p.m. Alabama A&M at X-Tennessee State, 7 p.m. Lehigh at X-Drake, 7 p.m. Tennessee Tech at X-Arkansas, 7 p.m. Wofford at X-Ohio U., 7 p.m. North Dakota State at X-Kansas, 7 p.m. Grambling State at X-Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m. St. Joseph's (Ind.) at X-Indiana State, 7 p.m. Stony Brook at X-South Florida, 7:05 p.m. Lamar at (12) X-McNeese State, 8 p.m. Texas State at X-Houston, 8 p.m. Nicholls State at X-San Diego State, 8 p.m. Mississippi Valley State at X-Alabama State, 8 p.m. Azusa Pacific at X-San Diego, 9 p.m. Southern Utah at X-Wyoming, 9 p.m. Humboldt State at X-Cal Poly, 9:05 p.m. Arkansas-Pine Bluff at X-UTEP, 9:05 p.m. Portland State at X-Arizona State, 10 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 5
X-Southern at Delaware State (at Orlando, Fla.), noon Texas Southern at X-Prairie View A&M, 5 p.m.
<< Ingram to miss Alabama's opener
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram will miss
Alabama's opener this Saturday against San Jose State after undergoing surgery
on Tuesday morning to repair knee damage.
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said
<< Hoffenheim signs Icelandic midfielder Sigurdsson
Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoffenheim acquired Icelandic midfielder
Gylfi Sigurdsson from English Championship side Reading on Tuesday and signed
him to a four-year contract.
Sigurdsson, 20, scored 16 goals in 32 matches for Read
<< Chelios ends stellar career; joins Red Wings front office
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran defenseman Chris Chelios has officially
called it a career and will move into a front office role with the Detroit Red
Wings.
Chelios played in a record-tying 26th NHL season last year, a brief seven-ga
<< Alabama's Ingram to miss opener with knee injury
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram of Alabama will miss the season opener after injuring his left knee during practice.He was hurt Monday and coach Nick Saban said in a statement the star tailback had an arthroscopic procedure
Tottenham acquires goalie Pletikosa on loan >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham acquired Croatia goalkeeper Stipe
Pletikosa on a season-long loan from Spartak Moscow on Tuesday.
Pletikosa, 31, has played 80 matches for Croatia. He was on Croatia's 2002 and
2006 World Cup team
Jags place rookie D'Anthony Smith on IR >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars placed rookie
defensive tackle D'Anthony Smith on injured reserve Tuesday.
Smith, a third-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, will miss the entire 2010
season because of an A
Quail Hollow gets 2017 PGA Championship >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte has been
awarded the 2017 PGA Championship.
The course, featuring one of the toughest three-hole finishes in golf, has
hosted a popular PGA Tour event since 2003.
I
Birmingham signs Beausejour, Hleb, Jiranek >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Birmingham signed three players on the
final day of the transfer window on Tuesday, adding Jean Beausejour, Alexander
Hleb and Martin Jiranek.
Chile international Beausejour was acquired from Club Amer
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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