Sacks Beats First-team With Defensive

NCAA Football Betting Lines

Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An attacking defensive line makes all the difference in the world. Disruptive forces up front can control the tempo of a game with a relentless pursuit of the ball. They are a quarterback's worst nightmare, causing havoc with their non-stop pressure and can negate even the best rushing games by holding their ground. Here are the top defensive linemen at the FBS level for the 2011 season.

 

BRANDON JENKINS - The 6-3, 260-pounder burst on the scene as a true sophomore in 2010 and emerged as one of the nation's premier playmakers off the edge, racking up a whopping 21.5 TFLs and 13.5 sacks. Jenkins picked up All-ACC First-Team honors as a result in addition to picking up some All-American consideration. He could use to add some more bulk to maximize his draft status, but another big season on the field may make that unnecessary.

 

DEVIN TAYLOR - After earning Freshman All-American honors in 2009, the 6-7, 250-pound Taylor was tabbed an All-SEC First-Team member in 2010 as a sophomore, leading all downlinemen on South Carolina with 46 total tackles. He registered 12.5 TFLs, 7.5 sacks and seven pass breakups as one of the best all-around ends in the conference. His junior year could be his finest as he is one of the key leaders on a South Carolina team looking to repeat as SEC East champs.

 

ANDRE BRANCH - Ultra-talented Da'Quan Bowers has moved on, but a recent trend of superb athletes at the defensive end position should continue at Clemson, with the 2011 version coming in the form of the 6-5, 260-pound Branch. Developing as a well-rounded end that can play the run or the pass, Branch was overshadowed by Bowers and tackle Jarvis Jenkins in 2010, but still finished with 49 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and four sacks. Those numbers will skyrocket in 2011 as he is now the man up front for the Tigers.

 

JEREL WORTHY - There is a ton of hype surrounding the centerpiece to Michigan State's defensive line. The 6-3, 305-pound Worthy is as good as it gets at the tackle position and is projected as a top-10 pick in the next NFL Draft if he continues to perform for the Spartans. A tough-as-nails anchor up front, Worthy walks the walk and talks the talk. As a sophomore in 2010, Worthy led all defensive linemen on the team with 40 tackles, including 8.0 TFLs and 4.0 sacks, earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. Has played in 26 games in two years at Michigan State with 24 starts. He continues to improve and similar growth in 2011 will result in a monster season and plenty of notoriety.

 

ALAMEDA TA'AMU - A huge anchor in the middle of the defensive line for the up and coming Huskies, Ta'Amu has the ability to dominate down low at 6-3, 330 pounds. Started all 13 games for Washington in 2010 as a junior, earning All- Pac-10 Honorable Mention with 39 tackles, 5.0 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. In the new- look Pac-12, Ta'Amu has the potential to be mentioned among the best the conference has to offer.

 

MARCUS FORSTON - The 6-3, 300-pound Forston has seen both the highs and the lows in his first three seasons at Miami. Forston was a Freshman All-American in 2008, played sparingly in 2009 due to injury (medical redshirt) and returned to form in 2010, starting 12 of the 13 games he played in. As a sophomore last year, Forston recorded 37 tackles, 12 TFLs, three sacks and one interception. New head coach Al Golden has a solid base to work with in his first season and Forston is certainly one of those key players.

 

Honorable Mention: Baker Steinkuhler (Nebraska), Kawann Short (Purdue), Kendall Reyes (UConn), Tydreke Powell (North Carolina), Billy Winn (Boise State).

 

Alabama also took part in the 2008 game, topping Clemson, 34-10.

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American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout

An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.

Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off.  Randy was not impressed though.  Paula thought he started off fantastic.  "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either. 

Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed.  Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact.  He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition. 

Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula.  Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.

Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next.  Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential.  Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell.  He sang "Careless Whisper".

22 year old Chris Richardson was up next.  He was listed with +1100 odds coming in.  He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great. 

Nick was boring and pitchy.  Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week.  Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition. 

Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds .  These of course were the early odds.  He was considered original for picking an "odd song".  He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night. 

Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good. 

Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds.  Great voice and a great sense of humor.  He's a real standout.  Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit.  Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig". 

Jared Cotter followed.  He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition.  The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good. 

22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next.  "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon.  Though the judges felt he performed okay.  Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.

Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition.  He was the last to perform.  He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start. 

Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys.  Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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