Cornhuskers open season in Lincoln against Hilltoppers

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what figures to be a complete mismatch, the eighth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers entertain the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the season opener for both programs this weekend at Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska begins its 121st season with high expectations after a strong showing in 2009. In their second year under head coach Bo Pelini, the Huskers posted a 10-4 record and were just seconds away from winning a Big 12 Championship before Texas stole a 13-12 victory in the league title game. Now in his third year at Nebraska, Pelini has the program in great shape and ready to compete for another conference title. However, this will be the program's last shot at winning a Big 12 title, as the Huskers announced this offseason their plans to move to the Big Ten in 2011.

As for the Hilltoppers, they are the newest team at the FBS level and it showed in 2009. In their first full-fledged season as a FBS member, WKU went winless at 0-12, and the program brings the nation's longest losing streak into 2010 with 20 straight setbacks. Obviously a change was needed, as Willie Taggart, a former standout quarterback at WKU, was brought in to turn the program around. Taggart, who recently spent time as Stanford's running backs coach, brings a winning attitude and a fresh start for the Toppers.

"I have always followed Western Kentucky University, ever since I was in school here," said Taggart. "When I saw this opportunity, I knew this was the opportunity of a lifetime."

This game marks the first-ever clash between WKU and Nebraska on the gridiron.

The Toppers previously ran a spread-option attack, but under Taggart, they are now set to use a West Coast style of offense. The change is drastic and it should help improve the unit in the long run. Kawaun Jakes was recently named the starting quarterback by Taggart, as the sophomore beat out junior Matt Pelesasa in the offseason.

"Kawaun did the things we were looking for to be the starting quarterback. He was consistent, made plays and became a leader," stated Taggart.

In 11 appearances, eight starts last season, Jakes threw for 1,515 yards and nine scores, while adding 366 yards and five more touchdowns on the ground. The Toppers, though, have a relatively inexperienced group of wideouts and are in need of someone to step up as the top option.

The team however, is settled at running back with the return of Bobby Rainey, who rushed for 939 yard and six touchdowns as a sophomore last season. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry and is clearly the best playmaker on this club.

WKU is also switching schemes on the defensive side of the ball, going from a 3-4 to a 4-3 under first-year coordinator Clint Bowen. A change is certainly needed considering the Toppers ranked 118th nationally in total defense (478.3 ypg) and 119th in scoring (39.6 ppg) in 2009.

The line is anchored by end Jared Clendenin, who had 40 tackles in 2009. He will look to become a better pass rusher for a defense that registered only 10 sacks in '09.

The most experienced part of the defense is the linebacking corps, and Thomas Majors leads the way. Majors paced WKU with 101 stops last season and he will be joined by Chris Bullard and converted safety Orlando Missalefua, who combined for 91 stops a year ago.

The biggest area of concern is the secondary, where WKU brought in many new faces to compete for playing time. Safety Mark Santoro is the most recognizable returnee after ranking second on the team with 91 tackles last season.

If the Huskers are going to build off last year's run, they will need more from an offense that managed only 25.1 ppg and 322.8 total ypg in '09. With that said, Nebraska has yet to announce a starting quarterback, though Pelini doesn't seem to think that is a big deal.

"The team is going to rally around whoever is out there. They've been practicing with all three guys and all three guys have gotten reps with the first unit. It's kind of like any other position."

The three man race is between returning senior starter Zac Lee, sophomore Cody Green and freshman Taylor Martinez. Lee, coming off elbow surgery, played with the injury most of last season and struggled at times, throwing for 2,143 yards with 14 touchdowns against 10 picks. Green, meanwhile, passed for 317 yards and two touchdowns as the back to Lee and he also added 158 yards and two more scores on the ground. As for Martinez, he caught the eye of everyone with his speed and athleticism in the spring.

An offensive line that returns nearly intact should help whomever ends up under center, as should the continued success of senior tailback Roy Helu Jr., who ran for 1,147 yards and 10 touchdowns despite being slowed by a shoulder injury last season. Niles Paul also returns as the team's top target after leading the way with 40 receptions and 796 receiving yards in '09.

Nebraska's defense was the cornerstone of the '09 team, as the unit surrendered a mere 10.4 ppg to lead the nation. Replacing the nation's top defensive lineman in Ndamukong Suh, however, will be no easy task and the Huskers need to prove then can be successful without him.

"I think we have the potential to be really good on defense, but we're not right now," stated Pelini. I think we're getting better. I think we're better in some areas, I think there are other areas we need to work on."

While Suh may be gone, the line does still have a star performer in tackle Jared Crick, who tallied 73 stops, 15 TFLs and 9.5 sacks last year. Crick has All-American potential, but must prove he can be successful without Suh garnering most of the attention.

The linebacking corps isn't as stacked as other positions, and sophomore Will Compton will be counted on to emerge into more of a threat after registering 40 stops in '09.

The Huskers' secondary is deep and versatile and should benefit from the new Peso defense, which uses a hybrid linebacker/safety position. Filling that spot is senior Eric Hagg, who is a key performer that posted 40 stops and seven TFLs last season.

Ppoker NCAA Football Betting News

<< Seventh-ranked Sooners welcome Aggies to Norman in season-opener
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2010 college football season kicks off in Norman this weekend, as the seventh-ranked Oklahoma Sooners welcome the Utah State Aggies to Memorial Stadium. The Aggies are in their second year under head coach G

<< 17th-ranked Hogs host Golden Eagles in 2010 opener
Fayetteville, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 17th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks open up their highly anticipated 2010 season this weekend, as the welcome the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles to Fayetteville. Bobby Petrino is in his third year at the hel

<< Crimson Tide begin national title defense against visiting Spartans
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked atop the AP Poll as the 2010 season gets underway, begins defense of their national title when they play host to the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday evening at Bryant-Denny

<< Nittany Lions set to pounce on Penguins in season opener
University Park, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions lift the lid on the 2010 season against FCS foe Youngstown State in what appears to be one of college football's most obvious mismatches of opening weekend. A n

<< 'Horns and Owls hook up in Houston
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns kick off the 2010 season with an intrastate matchup against the Rice Owls at Houston's Reliant Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Texas, fresh off yet another Big 12 Conference titl

Yellow Jackets begin 2010 campaign against Bulldogs >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reigning ACC Champion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will open the 2010 season in front of a packed crowd at Bobby Dodd Stadium when they host the South Carolina State Bulldogs this weekend. In just his second

Fisher begins reign in Tallahassee as FSU opens year against Samford >>
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jimbo Fisher era in Tallahassee begins this weekend, as the 20th-ranked Florida State Seminoles open up their 2010 football season against the Samford Bulldogs. Legendary coach Bobby Bowden's reign at F

CFL Previews - September 3-6 - Week Ten >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS (1-7) AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (6-2) DATE & TIME: Friday, September 3, 7:30 p.m. (et). GAME NOTES: The Montreal Alouettes find out what life without one of the top offensive st

New Zealand deals Canada another loss at Worlds >>
Izmir, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kirk Penney scored 18 points to lead New Zealand to a 71-61 victory over winless Canada at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Casey Frank added 14 points for the Kiwis, who improved to 2-2 in Gro

Yobo move from Everton to Fenerbahce completed >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Everton defender Joseph Yobo has completed his season-long loan move to Turkish club Fenerbahce, the English Premier League club announced on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Nigeria internationa

Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards

Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.

Bet on NFL Football

Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.

Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.

Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.

Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.

All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.

A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.

2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award

Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1

Ron Brace (NE) 25/1

Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1

Darius Butler (NE) 40/1

Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1

Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1

Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1

Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1

Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1

Larry English (SD) 15/1

Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1

Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1

Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1

Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1

James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1

Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1

Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1

Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1

Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1

Roy Miller (TB) 20/1

Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1

Fili Moala (IND) 30/1

Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1

Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1

B J Raji (GB) 7/1

Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1

Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1

David Verkune (CLE) 20/1

Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 6/1

NFL football gambling

To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Sheets

NFL Office Pool Sheets

MySportsbook.com is considered one of the finest online sportsbook according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is offering a free printable NFL football office pool sheets. Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury. Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football pool sheets needs.