Hamilton QB Glenn among CFL Players of the Week
Football Betting Lines
09/08/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hamilton quarterback Kevin Glenn, Calgary Stampeders defensive back Brandon Smith and Tiger-Cats linebacker Markeith Knowlton were chosen as the CFL's Players of the Week.
Glenn led the Tiger-Cats to a fourth straight win by completing 27-of-33 passes for 313 yards and one touchdown in a 28-13 win over Toronto.
Smith was named the league's top defensive performer by recording the first two interceptions of his young career, returning one for a touchdown, in Calgary's 52-5 demolition of Edmonton on Monday. The two picks by Smith brings Calgary's total to a CFL-best 13 this season.
Knowlton, honored as the best special teams player, blocked a Jamie Boreham punt in the final minute of the first half and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Knowlton is the first player to have blocked a pair of kicks this season.
Also being honored as Hamilton wide receiver Dave Stala as the Canadian Player of the Week. He totaled 90 yards on seven catches, including a 15-yard touchdown reception late in the third quarter of the Tiger-Cats' win Monday.
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When confronted with a media inquiry regarding a team member who is absent due to holdout, injury or suspension, NFL coaches are fond of saying they'd rather talk about the "players that are here." It's s
<< Predators ink Franson
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators signed
defenseman Cody Franson to a two-year contract worth $1.6 million on
Wednesday.
The 23-year-old compiled six goals and 21 points in 61 games during his
<< Red Wings bring back Maltby
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings have signed veteran
forward Kirk Maltby to a one-year, two-way contract.
No terms of the deal were announced.
The 37-year-old Maltby totaled four goals and six points over 52
<< Irish must contain QB Robinson
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Notre Dame will have to buckle down on defense this weekend.Gap assignments, containment and sure tackling will all be essential when the Irish face Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson.Irish defensive back Darrin Walls says R
<< NFL Capsule: Minnesota at New Orleans
MINNESOTA (13-5) At NEW ORLEANS (16-3)8:30 p.m. ET, NBCOPENING LINE - Saints by 4 1/2RECORD VS. SPREAD - Minnesota 11-6-1; New Orleans 10-9SERIES RECORD - Vikings lead 20-8LAST MEETING - Saints beat Vikings 31-28, Jan. 24, 2010VIKINGS OFFENSE - OVER
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Evans' pinch-hit double in the seventh inning drove in the winning run as New York upended Washington, 3-2, to capture the rubber match of a three-game set. Luis Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a
Zvonareva lands in U.S. Open semis >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russia's top player, Vera
Zvonareva, was a straight-set quarterfinal winner Wednesday at the 2010 U.S.
Open.
The seventh-seeded Zvonareva reached her second straight Grand Slam semifinal
by handlin
Warriors sign swingman Carney >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors have signed
guard/forward Rodney Carney, the team announced Wednesday.
No terms of the deal were disclosed.
The 26-year-old Carney played in 68 games for Philadelphia
Swisher's HR in ninth boosts Yankees over Orioles >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Swisher's one-out, two-run homer in the
bottom of the ninth lifted the New York Yankees to a 3-2 victory over
Baltimore in the finale of a three-game set.
Koji Uehara (1-1) began the home
Turkey and Serbia move into semifinals at Worlds >>
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ersan Ilyasova poured in 19 points and
grabbed five rebounds to lead Turkey to a comfortable 95-68 win over Slovenia
in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
Turkey will meet Serbia,
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
| The Bubble Breakdown | |||
| CONFERENCE | LOCKS | SHOULD BE INS | AT-LARGES TAKEN (assuming no auto bid outlier) |
| ACC Betting Odds | 6 | 0 | 5 |
| Big East Betting Odds | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Big Ten Betting Odds | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Big 12 Betting Odds | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Pac-10 Betting Odds | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| SEC Betting Odds | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| MVC Betting Odds | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| MWC Betting Odds | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 28 | 5 | 25 |
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
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