There will be plenty of rushing and little passing on display as Georgia Tech takes on Air Force in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana.  Both teams run the option and rank among the nation’s leaders in rushing yardage–and at the bottom of passing yardage.  Georgia Tech finished 6-6 on the year while Air Force had a record of 8-4.

INDEPENDENCE BOWL

Georgia Tech vs. Air Force

December 27, 2010  2:00 PM Pacific

Georgia Tech finished the regular season ranked #1 in rushing offense with 327 yards per game on the ground, while Air Force was right behind at #2 generating 317.9 yards per game. Not surprisingly, both teams were near the bottom of the passing yardage table—the Yellow Jackets ranked #119 in this category while the Falcons were #117.

This is a matchup between teams that are essentially a mirror image of one another so the question becomes ‘why is Air Force favored?’  The Falcons had a better regular season record at 8-4 compared to Georgia Tech’s 6-6 but when you factor in the Yellow Jackets’ higher class of opposition it’s not quite as clear cut that Air Force is the superior team. Neither team made money against the spread this season—Georgia Tech was 5-5 ATS while Air Force was 4-7. Of particular concern is the Falcons shoddy record as a favorite, posting a dismal 2-6 ATS mark when laying points despite a 7-1 SU record.

Another important component in this matchup is the familiarity of both teams with the option offense. Much of the effectiveness of the option is predicated on the lack of familiarity that most opponents have in defending it. Clearly that won’t be in play in this matchup as both teams not only run the option but have plenty of experience defending it. At first glance, this might seem like an edge to Air Force who plays the other option based service academies during the season but keep in mind that Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson was in charge of the Navy program before coming to Atlanta. Johnson was 3-0 SU/ATS against Air Force while coaching the Midshipmen.

Georgia Tech will likely be without QB Joshua Nesbitt here, but he’s been downgraded to doubtful. His backup, Tevin Washington, was effective in his starts and the interchangeability of its parts is another strength of the option offense. Even without Nesbitt, we’re of the opinion that Georgia Tech’s athletes may be just a cut above their Air Force counterparts. The Falcons’ poor record as a favorite suggests a team that benefitted from a lot of ‘lucky breaks’ in close games and that’s not something that can be counted on continuing.  We’ll look for Tech to win this one outright.

Placing a wager on the outcome of a sports game is similar to playing casino games likeblackjack.  You need to have luck on your side but a good strategy enhances your chance of success.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody in the college football world Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired after just three season in charge of the Wolverines football program on Wednesday.

Rodriguez’ tenure was riddled with setbacks both on and off the field, and ended with the former West Virginia coach posting a 15-22 record overall. He also managed on 0-6 record against the Big 10 power’s two biggest rivals – Ohio State and Michigan State – while finishing 6-18 in conference play and 1-10 against ranked foes.

Where Michigan will turn in the wake of Rodriguez’ firing is anyone’s guess, though there is reason to believe the Wolverines short list of candidates will include Louisiana State head coach Les Miles – a Michigan alum – and San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke. Hoke was an assistant coach at Michigan from 1995-2002 and is an Ohio native.

Despite his struggles at Michigan, which included NCAA sanctions early in his tenure, Rodriguez should have a chance to make a quick turnaround and secure a head coaching position at another program in the coming weeks. Rodriguez became a rising star in the coaching world after leading his alma mater West Virginia to a 60-26 record over seven seasons, including four first place finishes in the Big East and two Bowl Championship Series appearances. Rodriguez could potentially return to the Big East with head coaching vacancies at Connecticut and Pittsburgh.

It would be wise to keep an eye on the Michigan coaching search. The Wolverines could be a sleeper entering next season with low expectations, but have a trump card in quarterback Denard Robinson. Michigan has a favorable 2011 schedule and has the pieces to surprise fans and bettors alike.

Three days out from Sunday night’s Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl it is becoming more apparent that BCS No. 15 Nevada (11-1) will have a sizable home field advantage when it takes the field to face Boston College (7-5) at AT&T park in San Francisco.

Situated just 218 miles northeast of San Francisco by car, Reno, Nevada is a reasonable drive for a fan base full of fervor after the Wolfpack delivered one of the biggest victories in program history when it knocked off then-No. 3 Boise State 34-31 in overtime in front of a national TV audience on Nov. 26.

Recent reports claim that Nevada sold more than 15,000 tickets through university sales. Wolfpack head coach Chris Ault claims that he expects at least 25,000 fans to make the trip from Reno to “The City by the Bay” for the bowl game. Boston College sold approximately 6,000 tickets and returned 2,000 in comparison. AT&T Park seats 40,184 when configured for football.

The penultimate game of the bowl season, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is far from a throwaway matchup scheduled unfashionably late in comparison to the Bowl Championship Series games being played this week. Nevada’s lone loss of the season came in October at Hawaii while Boston College won its final five games.

Led by the No. 1 rushing duo in NCAA history in quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back Vai Taua, Nevada finished the regular season with the third-ranked rushing offense in the country. The Wolfpack averaged 305.9 rushing yards per game, 6.3 per carry, and totaled 52 touchdowns on the ground.

To the surprise of no one, Boston College found its greatest success on the other side of the football. Known for its dominant linebackers, the Eagles found their groove late in the season when it limited its last five opponents to 59 points combined (11.8 avg.). Luke Kuechly led the country with 171 stops for Boston College and finished second in Butkus Award voting while fellow linebacker Mark Herzlich returned from a season off the field battling cancer to contribute 60 tackles.

Boston College enters the game with the nation’s No. 1 rushing defense, limiting opponents 80.1 yards per game on the ground and just 2.6 yards per attempt. The Eagles are the only team to have allowed fewer than 1,000 rushing yards during the regular season. Teams combined for 962 yards on the ground against BC’s stout defense.

The National Basketball Association is the second most popular professional league among North American sports betting enthusiasts. Founded in the mid 1940′s, the NBA is considered to be the highest level of basketball play in the entire world. The NBA consists of 30 teams (29 in the USA, 1 in Canada) that play an 82 game regular season beginning in October and ending in April. That is followed by the NBA playoffs, in which the top 16 teams in the league via for the championship. Historically, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have been the dominant NBA teams. Between them, they’ve won 33 championships (Boston 17, Los Angeles 16). No other franchise has won more than six titles.

The Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles Lakers are the current NBA champions, but are expected to face a stiff challenge this year from the Miami Heat from the Eastern Conference as they seek to defend their title. The Heat recently signed the NBA’s most sought after free agent, LeBron James along with Chris Bosh to compliment Dwayne Wade and is clearly a force to be reckoned with. The Lakers won’t have an easy time in their own conference either, with Portland, Utah, Denver and Phoenix all legitimate challengers for the Western Conference crown.

Many serious sports bettors consider basketball betting to be the best sport to handicap due to the long regular season and parity of talent. Most NBA games offer pointspread bets on the side, with over/under betting on totals. Home court is of paramount value in the NBA, with most teams performing significantly better on their own floor than they do on the road. Some teams even demonstrate a home/away bias with NBA totals, usually as a result of playing a more uptempo style at home and a more defensively focused style on the road.

Scheduling is also an important factor to consider for NBA basketball betting aficionados. The long season and grueling travel schedule obviously leads to fatigue, and this can be particularly evident in ‘back to back’ scheduling situations. Some teams handle these logistical issues better than others, but a sharp NBA handicapper can frequently find spots where good teams aren’t ‘ready to play’ on the road due to their travel schedule and make easy pickings for a less talented host.

The Miami Heat are finally playing up to their potential and are starting to challenge the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.  The Knicks are vastly improved, and are 6 games above .500.  Amare Stoudemire has been even better than anticipated and is putting together a MVP level campaign.

New York Knicks at Miami Heat
December 28, 2010  4:35 PM Pacific

There’s definitely a good case to be made for the Knicks in this spot–the Heat beat them 113-91 at Madison Square Garden on December 17 and Miami is coming off the huge Christmas Day win over the LA Lakers.  The Knicks have been a great investment on the road (12-3 ATS) and as an underdog (11-2 ATS).  They’re also 7-3 ATS against opponents with winning records.  The Knicks last played on Christmas Day, so they should be well rested.

That being said, we’re going to back the Heat here.  The concern about a letdown off the LA game is valid, but it’s not like this team isn’t used to dealing with pressure and high expectations.  They’re the biggest ‘public’ team in the NBA and yet they’ve won 15 of 17 SU going 10-6-1 ATS.  The biggest component of Miami’s turnaround has been their improved defense and they held the Knicks to 39.3% shooting in the previous meeting.  Miami is 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS against New York since 2008 and LeBron James always likes to put on a show for the country’s biggest media market as evidenced by the 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists he dropped on the Knicks in the earlier meeting.  There are several potential ‘flat spots’ for the Heat over the coming weeks facing a couple of uninspiring non-conference foes in Golden State and Houston.  Against the Knicks, however, we expect them to take care of business.