Sports Blog

Bits Of Advice About Living In Alabama

Golden principles are the ones that really apply. You need to have them in mind and don’t ignore them. Like stars to navigate by, they are everlasting markers to direct us and keep us moving in the correct course.

Live and eat by the principles of everyday Alabama life and things will go good for you in dixie.

With that in mind, I thought of life in Alabama along with some of its unspoken “golden rules”. Here are five of the very best “Golden Rules” that are applicable to living in Alabama.

Golden Rule 1 Choose Between AU or UA! (Some folks might say it’s most important!): You have to pick between Alabama verses Auburn. You’ll discover that almost everyone you encounter in Alabama asks you who “you are for” in the Iron Bowl. The rivalry is sizzling, and you must choose sides. Keep in mind, if you don’t pick, folks will think you are weird. So, if nothing else, pick your favorite colors, crimson tide red for Alabama or orange & blue for the Auburn.

Golden Rule 2, You Have To Eat Grits… Grits are one of those awesome southern foods that you’ll discover on the breakfast kitchen tables in Alabama. They’re simply scrumptious with eggs, bacon, and homemade biscuits..  Read more...

Washington Shocks #3 USC With Late Field Goal

USC has won their big game against Ohio State twice in back to back years. Its the next game they have problems with. Last year, USC went on the road and lost to Oregon State immediately after defeating the Buckeyes. This year, it was the Washington Huskies who pulled the upset. The Huskies defense shut down the powerful Trojans offense, and Erik Folk kicked a 22 yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining to give Washington a 16-13 victory in Seattle. U

College football betting enthusiasts who took the Huskies as a whopping +19 home underdog were rewarded with the outright victory. The pointspread triumph also went against Washingtons dismal ATS form in recent years”the Huskies were 8-19 ATS overall and 3-15 ATS in Pac 10 games over the past three seasons. The 29 combined points scored went well UNDER the posted total of 52. USC has now gone UNDER in 20 of their last 28 games overall, as well as 15 of their last 18 conference games. Washington, conversely, has gone OVER in 17 of their last 27 lined games.

USC was undone by a rare display of sloppy, undisciplined play much to the chagrin of coach Pete Carroll:  Read more...

Gamecocks Win Season Opener Over Wolfpack For Second Straight Year

The South Carolina Gamecocks offense didn’t look particularly sharp in their season opening contest at North Carolina State. Of course with the way their defense was playing, they didn’t have to be. Brian Maddox scored on a one yard run in the first quarter for the only touchdown of the game as the Gamecock defense completely shut down the Wolfpack offense en route to a 7-3 South Carolina victory.

College football betting enthusiasts who backed South Carolina cashed their tickets as the Gamecocks won outright as +5 road underdogs.

The Gamecock defense held NC State to 11 first downs and just 133 yards of total offense. Nothing worked for the Wolfpack who were equally as inept running the football (59 yards) as they were passing (74 yards). After the game, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier gave credit for the victory to the effort of his defense:

Our defensive guys played their hearts out. Played good, solid football.

Spurrier has only lost once in his last twenty opening games (19-1). It marked the first time a South Carolina team had won a game while scoring less than 10 points since a 7-3 win over Memphis State in 1971.  Read more...

Gamecocks Slap Top Five Ranked Rebels

The South Carolina Gamecocks used a nasty defensive effort, combined with an efficient and mistake free performance from quarterback Steven Garcia to upset #4 Mississippi 16-10 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC. The Gamecocks ended a 22 game losing streak against top 5 ranked teams, while Ole Miss saw their eight game winning streak come to an end. The Rebels dropped their sixth straight SEC opener.

College football betting enthusiasts who took the Gamecocks as +4 home underdogs were financially rewarded with South Carolina’s outright victory. After falling behind 3-0 after the first quarter, South Carolina led 6-3 at halftime and never trailed again. The 26 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 51. UNDERS may become an even more common occurrence this season with the tenacity of the Gamecock defense.

The last time South Carolina had defeated a top five opponent was back in 1981, when they upended North Carolina. After the game, Gamecocks QB Garcia said that while it may not have been a game full of highlight reel plays, the victory was the important thing:

“It was a pretty ugly win, but a win and we’ll take it every time.”  Read more...

Gators Subdue Bayou Bengals In Tebow’s Return To Action

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow shook off the effects of a concussion suffered against Kentucky two weeks ago and returned to lead the #1 ranked Gators to a hard fought 13-3 victory over #4 ranked LSU. Tebow got a good deal of help from a nasty Florida defense, and the largest crowd in LSU history (93,129) left disappointed as the Bayou Bengals offense was almost completely shut down. Florida improved to 5-0 while LSU dropped to 5-1.

College football betting enthusiasts who backed Florida as a -9 road favorite weren’t able to breathe easy until the final whistle, but eventually enjoyed a payday with the narrowest of pointspread covers. The Gators improved their ATS record over the past three years to a glossy 22-7 and they’ve covered 8 of their last 9 on the road.

After the game, Tebow characteristically explained that he tried to play smart but without fear:

“I tried to play smart. I told him, I said, when we were talking to Coach [Urban] Meyer, I said, ‘I’m not going to go out there and play tentative or scared. That’s not me.’ I did try to play smart but I wasn’t scared or timid at all.”  Read more...

College Football Flashback: USC Finds A Way To Beat Ohio State

While not a vintage performance by their lofty standards, the University of Southern California Trojans overcame a number of mistakes to make big plays when they counted to prevail in a come from behind victory over Ohio State. Stafon Johnson capped a late game drive by scoring the game winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining as the Trojans won by a final score of 18-15. It was the first time the Trojans held the lead since early in the first quarter. The USC victory moved their record on the college football season to 2-0, while the Buckeyes dropped to 1-1. The Trojans have now won ten straight games against Big 10 opponents.

Ohio State did cash tickets for college football bettors, however, covering the spread as a +7 home underdog. USC won and covered last year, but the pointspread setback this year dropped the Trojans to a still impressive 13-5 ATS against the Big Ten conference since 1992. It was also only the second non-cover by a USC team in a non conference game in their last ten opportunities. The 33 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 45. Last years game also failed to exceed the total, and USC continued a strong UNDER tendency of late”the Trojans have now gone UNDER in 19 of their L27 lined games.  Read more...

Football Flashback: Gators Stay Atop College Football With Win Over Vols

Tennessee put up a gutty effort against #1 ranked Florida in The Swamp, but ultimately the Gators defense were too much for the Vols. Florida held Tennessee to 210 yards of total offense en route to a 23-13 SEC victory on Saturday and in the process won their school record 13th consecutive game. The Vols fell to 2-7 all time when playing a #1 ranked team. Florida has now beaten Tennessee in five straight, and has won 10 of the last 12 meetings at home.

Sports gamblers who took the points with UT in their bet on college football were smiling at the end, as Florida never really threatened to cover as -29 home favorites. Despite the ATS setback, Florida’s pointspread records remain outstanding–they’re 20-7 ATS overall in the past three years, as well as 13-4 ATS in SEC games and 10-3 ATS at home. The 36 points scored went well UNDER the posted total of 52.

Florida QB Tim Tebow didn’t have a great day, though he did rush for a touchdown. On the other hand, he failed to put a touchdown pass on the board for the first time in 30 games. He sounded almost disappointed that the Gators weren’t able to dish out more of a beating to their hated rivals:  Read more...

Virginia Tech Earns Hard Fought Victory Over Duke

Duke University is far from being a national college football powerhouse, but they’re no longer a team you can take lightly either. #6 ranked Virginia Tech found that out on Saturday, and what they expected to be an easy afternoon became a tightly contested affair. Ultimately, the Hokies would survive for a 34-26 road victory. Virginia Tech improved their record to 4-1, while Duke dropped to 2-3 on the 2009 college football season.

Despite the straight up loss, Duke won where it counted as they rewarded sports players who bet on college football with the ATS victory as +17 home underdogs. Duke evened their mark at 2-2 in their lined games, while the Hokies dropped to 2-3 against the spread. The 60 combined points scored went well OVER the posted total of 48. Virginia Tech has gone OVER in 3 of 5 games this year, while Duke has gone OVER in all three of their games with posted totals.

The Hokies were saved by the career day posted by their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. Taylor threw for 327 yards on 17 of 22 passing and two touchdown passes. After the game, Taylor modestly downplayed his own impact on the outcome of the game:  Read more...

Houston Upsets #5 Ranked Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State had been riding high in the college football polls, fresh off a decisive victory over Georgia last Saturday. Houston, meanwhile, started its season with a lopsided beatdown of overmatched FCS foe Northwestern State. Perhaps for that reason, Oklahoma State didnt come out with a whole lot of intensity and by halftime found themselves in a 24-7 hole to their opponents en route to a 35-25 loss to the unranked Cougars. The win was Houstons first triumph over a top five opponent since defeating then #3 ranked Texas back in 1984.

College football betting enthusiasts who took the points with the Cougars as a +10 road underdog were rewarded with their outright victory. The victory by Houston broke form with a couple of pointspread trends”the Cougars had failed to cover in 7 of their last eight games played on turf. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, on a 10-3 ATS run as a favorite. The 60 combined points went well OVER the posted total of 35.

The Cougars got a number of lucky breaks in the game, but a win is a win. Second year coach Kevin Sumlin expressed what the victory means to the Cougar program in his postgame comments to the media:  Read more...

College Football Flashback: Seminoles End BYU’s BCS Championship Hopes

BYUs BCS hopes went down hard on Saturday, as the Cougars were no match for the superior team speed of Florida State. Looking nothing like the team that had struggled against FCS Jacksonville State the week before, the Seminoles used 23 second quarter points to blow open the game and went on to defeat BYU 54-28. The opportunistic Florida State defense forced BYU into committing 5 turnovers, and Seminoles QB Christian Ponder threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the blowout victory on the Cougars home field.

College football betting devotees who backed the Seminoles as a +8 road underdog were counting their winnings by halftime, as BYU never led in the game. The Cougars dropped to 11-16 ATS over the past three years, while Florida State improved to 3-4 as an underdog in that same timeframe. The 82 combined points went well OVER the posted total of 54.

After a sloppy victory over FCS Jacksonville State last weekend, the Seminoles looked like a completely different team in Orem, Utah on Saturday. FSU QB Ponder was elated that his team had finally played up to its considerable abilities:  Read more...