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08/11/2010 -
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -There's a spot in the history books awaiting the 2010 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Thing is, their coach doesn't want them to give it a second thought.
Only Woody Hayes' powerhouse Ohio State squads of 1972-77 ever captured all or a piece of six straight conference titles. The Buckeyes, winners of three outright and two shared titles in the last five years, could do it again this fall.
Coach Jim Tressel, entering his 10th year on the job, is wary of using a Buckeye Six-Pack as motivation.
``It might mean something to that guy who's been here four or five years,'' he said. Then he added, ``If that becomes a focal point at all, I'm sure that's not the way any of us should be thinking.''
To Tressel, looking ahead spells doom.
The Buckeyes are stacked with talent, with nine starters back on offense and five on defense. The schedule isn't a killer, despite the dangerous Miami Hurricanes coming to Columbus in Week 2, along with road tests against conference bullies Iowa and Wisconsin.
But Tressel says it's far too early to start comparing his current Buckeyes with those legendary teams from the '70s that included Archie Griffin, Pete Johnson, Cornelius Greene, Tom Cousineau and Tim Fox.
``You have those discussions about streaks and accomplishments and all those kinds of things when seasons are over, and hopefully not during them,'' he said.
Quarterback Terrelle Pryor, coming off an MVP performance in the Rose Bowl, believes he and his teammates not only have the talent but the togetherness to make it six in a row.
``If you're willing to make that play for the guy next to you, that's the biggest thing,'' said the junior. ``We compete like crazy here and we're all willing to get better. Guys are always out after the workouts, doing extra lifting and doing extra running and just getting their technique down. Stuff like that. Working on their hands, guys catching 500 balls a week.''
Pryor had an up-and-down 2009 season, stepping into the background to hand off to running backs Brandon Saine and Dan Herron after injuring a knee late in the campaign. Arthroscopic surgery in February cleaned up the knee and has him bristling to get going this fall.
``It's night-and-day from last year until now,'' he said. ``It's amazing to me and I'm just getting anxious.''
Pryor became the first Ohio State quarterback to lead the team in rushing since the school started keeping records back in the '40s. He also completed 57 percent of his passes for 161 yards a game, for 18 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
He may be the triggerman but he has lots surrounding him. His favorite receivers are both back. DeVier Posey had 60 catches for 838 yards and eight touchdowns with Dane Sanzenbacher adding 36 receptions for 570 yards (15.8 per catch) and six scores.
Saine (739 yards, 5.1 per carry) and Herron (600 yards, 3.9 per) are both back. So is fullback Zach Boren, linemen J.B. Shugarts, Bryant Browning, Mike Brewster and Zach's big brother, Justin Boren. That leaves just one spot on the line, the one filled last year by left tackle Jim Cordle, and the tight end spot vacated by Jake Ballard, to be filled.
There are more losses on defense, but the core players return. Cameron Heyward will anchor the line from his end spot, from which he had 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for minus yardage in last year's 11-2 season. Mobile and active Ross Homan and Brian Rolle are back for their senior seasons at linebacker. Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence once again hold down the corner positions.
Tressel will rely on promising but unproven young players such as John Simon, Solomon Thomas and Nathan Williams up front, Etienne Sabino in the linebacker spot held by the graduated Austin Spitler, and Jermale Hines and Orhian Johnson, among others, plugging the holes at safety.
``As excited as I am about the older group, the younger guys are an unknown,'' said Tressel, 94-21 overall and 59-13 in the Big Ten during his Ohio State tenure. ``I think they're talented. I think our biggest concern is still figuring out who we are as a whole. I think we know who we are from a core, but who are we as a whole group?''
After a Thursday night opener against Marshall on Sept. 2, the Buckeyes host those 'Canes in the first of a home-and-home series on Sept. 11. They open Big Ten play against Illinois and Indiana before a big test at Wisconsin and reigning Big Ten offensive player of the year John Clay. Purdue, which stunned the Buckeyes in West Lafayette, Ind., last year, comes next, this time at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State closes out the year with home games against Penn State and Michigan, with a major showdown at Iowa in between.
This is the last go-round for the 11-team Big Ten, with Nebraska joining the fold in 2011. This is also the final year before divisional play and a conference championship game.
Even though he hopes his team doesn't dwell on extending its string of Big Ten titles, Tressel knows that the rest of the conference is tired of watching the Buckeyes walk off with the biggest trophy.
``We're very aware that the Big Ten is anxious to have someone else be the champion,'' he said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Sheets expected to need year of recovery time following surgery
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Athletics pitcher Ben Sheets had
surgery on Monday to repair the flexor tendon, pronator tendon and ulnar
collateral ligament in his right elbow.
The surgery was the second in two years
<< Cubs rough up Lincecum in win over Giants
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Starlin Castro drove in three runs
to pace the Chicago Cubs over the San Francisco Giants, 8-6, in the second
test of a four-game set from AT&T Park.
Kosuke Fukudome hit a two-run homer
<< Haren solid as Angels down Royals
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Haren threw seven innings to record his
first win since becoming an Angel, as Los Angeles edged Kansas City, 3-1, in
the middle contest of a three-game series.
Haren (1-2), who was traded from Arizona
<< Ludwick powers Padres over Pirates
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Ludwick hit two home runs and Wade
LeBlanc pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, as the San Diego Padres downed
the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-1, in the opener of a three-game series.
LeBlanc (6-10) a
Ravens CB Foxworth undergoes surgery >>
Westminster, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique
Foxworth underwent surgery to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Foxworth posted on his Twitter account that Dr. James Andrews performed the
surgery,
Hetherman joins ODU staff >>
Norfolk, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Old Dominion football coach Bobby Wilder
announced Corey Hetherman has joined the staff as a defensive assistant,
working closely with the Monarchs' linebackers.
Hetherman, a former quarterback at Fitchburg Sta
Cardinals put Suppan on DL >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals placed pitcher Jeff
Suppan on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a sore groin.
Suppan developed soreness running on Monday after his scheduled start Sunday
against the Marlins
Angels shoot for much-needed sweep of Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Time is running out on the LA Angels of Anaheim and their
quest for a fourth consecutive playoff berth. A three-game sweep of the Kansas
City Royals in this afternoon's series finale would help the cause.
The Angels are 8
LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP
With the first NFL preseason game less than two weeks away, it is time to start thinking about football once again at MySportsbook.com. Reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite to win the award again alongside Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after his all out assault on the record books last season. For those suffering from amnesia or were under a rock last football season, all L.T. did last season was set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and total points scored (186) to go along with his 1815 rushing yards and 508 receiving yards. At 6-1, Tom Brady is next in line which isn’t surprising considering all of the firepower the Pats added over the off-season. With the addition of Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker; it would be quite difficult for Brady’s numbers not to improve from last years 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns. There appears to be some decent value in Drew Bees at 10-1 considering he probably would have won the award last year if it wasn’t for L.T.’s record breaking season.
There is no reason to think the Saints will come back to earth this season and playing in a weak NFC, they should have as good a shot as any to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. At 15-1, Donovan McNabb could also be worth a look. Remember, many felt he was the MVP of the first half of the season before going down with a season ending injury. Reportedly, he is in great shape and well ahead of schedule to return to form. Also, he could have some added motivation to put up big numbers this season with the Eagles using their first pick in the draft on McNabb’s future successor Kevin Kolb.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to check out the complete odds for NFL MVP as well as all of the new football related futures. With the popularity of NFL futures, these betting lines will be sure to change as the money comes in; get the early sports lines now.
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In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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