Never has a conference been so overwhelmingly celebrated at the beginning of the season, and so completely dismissed at the end of the season as the Big Ten. Every year it seems as if Ohio State is just coming up short or Penn State is losing the big one. The mistake people make is in so vehemently disrespecting the conference once the national championship inevitably goes to someone else after weeks of anticipation that “this could be the year.” Truth is this: the Big Ten is a quality football conference that perhaps receives too much attention and cannot possibly, and with consistency, live up to the pressure. No matter. Getting ready for the 2009 college football season, there are some great bets to be made, and these are the top three football picks from the Big Ten conference you should look out for: 3. Michigan State: Last season, the Spartans logged nine wins and four losses. Running back Javon Ringer kept the Spartans in the conference title mix all season long until a late loss to rival Penn State dashed any and all hopes. Unfortunately for the Spartans, they are losing their quarterback Brian Hoyer and Ringer, but expectations are high for the talent pool coming up. Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Greg Jones makes up for a lot on the other side of the ball in the linebacker position. Look for this team to achieve better than expectations and to beat some teams they probably shouldn’t.2. Ohio State: Coming off an impressive-by-most-team’s standards 10-3 season, the Buckeyes were ultimately disappointed by their 2008-2009 performance ? hardly their first. On more than one occasion they have reached the title game only to flop big-time in front of a national audience. This troublesome history is the only thing keeping Ohio State from a vote of confidence to commandeer this season’s Big Ten class. That, and they have effectively lost all their big guns: James Laurinitis, Malcolm Jenkins, Brian Robiske, and Chris Wells. That is not to say the Buckeyes don’t have talent. They are simply in a “down year” position, and it will require some good old-fashioned “fighting off the ropes” moxie to rise to the top of the heap. 1. Penn State: Penn State is coming off a Rose Bowl appearance and a victory over rival Ohio State. The Nittany Lions may have a young receiving corps, but they’ve got All Big Ten back Evan Royster to carry some of the load. Defensively, they return Sean Lee, a top caliber linebacker, to lead the defense. All it will take is the same tenacity they had last year to clinch the conference and perhaps land another BCS appearance. Whether you agree with these top three Big Ten football picks for the 2009 college football season or not, one thing is for certain: there is money to be made in college football betting. Before placing your bets on the season, however, keep in mind that you should select an established, reputable sportsbook. Watch for reputation, comments, and a bookmaker bonus. Many services that allow you to bet on your football picks will offer you a bookmaker bonus as a courtesy for using their service. A bookmaker bonus allows you to play longer with less risk, and you should take full advantage. So break out the piggybank and the foam #1 finger: football season is here again! (continue reading…)

Continue reading "Top 3 Big Ten Football Picks for the 2009 College Football Season" »

Predicting a sleeper team is always dicey. You know some of the teams have the potential but you do not know enough. Likewise, there are some teams that look promising this year and here are the reasons why: -Oklahoma State Cowboys – Watching the Cowboys now might remind you of the position Texas Tech was in last year. Not only does Oklahoma have the experience but they also have a massive offense lineup this season, which might prove to be unstoppable. All they have to do now is defeat Georgia in Stillwater to have a 7-0 on October 31st when they will host Texas. Only Bedlam in Oklahoma remains beyond that – the season finale.Georgia Bulldog – People might not think much of them at the moment but they do have the potential in the BCS race. Even though they do not have last season’s great quarterback and running back, they might make a come back this year.They have a very strong defense this year and everyone’s overlooking their overall experience. They are almost veterans of the SEC by now. Also, Mark Richt seems to do well when he doesn’t expect much. There are two important games for them this season – one vs. Florida and one vs. Oklahoma State. Once they manage to win at least one and defeat Georgia Tech during the final game, they will have a pretty good chance of making it to the bowl season with a 10-2 or 11-1 mark.Illinois Illini – Whilst people are split between Ohio State and Penn State in the Big Ten Country, the Illini might actually be the best team there. They are going to The Horseshoe on the 26th of September and following that they will play against Penn State and Michigan State. If the Illini can keep the defeat to just one, they might have an 11-1 or 10-2 year in the making. The Illini also have an advantage here – both Penn State and Ohio are starting out with new starters and green hands in the important positions.Mississippi Rebels – The Rebels aren’t being ignored all that much but they are not getting the attention that some of the highlights are getting. That is too bad because they are likely to be quite a force this season. They have brought quarterback Jean Snead beck, who is amongst the 16 starters who are coming back to the team. At least half of these 16 players are three-year starters. With their schedule looking good, they are very likely to play Florida in the SEC title game. They have already beaten Florida last year and with one upset like the one in 2007 – they could be playing for the BCS Title.However, they might be pushed to the BCS Berth of the Big 12′s if they cannot get past OU or UT because those two teams have a chance of playing the National Title game.So that way, some of the underdog (and the not-so underdog) teams might come out and surprise you. So you better watch everything very closely as always.

Continue reading "Sleeper BCS College Football Teams" »