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09/08/2010 - Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Spartans continue their early- season trek through some of the most treacherous waters imaginable as a week after taking on the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide, they head north to battle the 11th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.
This is the second straight year that San Jose State has opened the season against two teams in the Top-25, and the Spartans last beat a ranked opponent in 2000 when they topped No. 9 TCU at home in a 27-24 final. The last time SJSU won against a ranked foe on the road was when it knocked off No. 9 Baylor in 1980, 30-22.
Last week's 48-3 shellacking at Alabama spoiled the head coaching debut of Mike McIntyre, who took over for the retired Dick Tomey.
Wisconsin is 1-0 on the young season after beating UNLV last Saturday, 41-21. It was the 26th straight non-conference victory for the Badgers, who will be looking to win their 15th straight home opener this weekend. Under current coach Bret Bielema, UW is 12-0 against non-league foes at home.
This game marks only the second meeting between these two schools in football, the first encounter going to the Badgers, 56-10, at Spartan Stadium on September 13, 1997.
The Spartans gained just 175 total yards in last week's dismantling at Alabama, as senior QB Jordan La Secla completed a mere 7-of-14 passes for 85 yards with an INT. The SJSU ground attack didn't fare much better, accounting for 89 yards on 3.1 ypc. Brandon Rutley finished with 52 yards on 13 totes, and the Spartans were limited to seven first downs, going a paltry 1-of-13 on third-down conversion attempts.
La Secla, while disappointed in the outcome, tried to be optimistic when asked about SJSU's effort on offense against one of the top defenses in the country, "I feel like we did some good things. We showed we had some big play capability and we moved the ball pretty well at times. The score wasn't what we really wanted it to look like. Other than that we answered some questions on offense that we can move the ball. The next step is getting it into the end zone."
Despite the absence of Heisman-winning RB Mark Ingram, the Alabama offense had a field day against the San Jose State defense, scoring on five of its eight first-half possessions and racking up 591 total yards for the game -- 257 rushing and 334 passing. The Crimson Tide averaged 8.3 yards per offensive play, converted 7-of-13 third-down chances and scored on 3-of-4 trips to the red zone.
Linebackers Tiuk Tuipulotu and Vince Buhagiar logged nine tackles apiece for the Spartans in the loss, while CB Peyton Thompson was credited with seven stops and three PBUs.
The Badgers controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in their 20-point win at UNLV last Saturday night. A year after leading the nation in time of possession, the Wisconsin offense held onto the ball for 38:19 in the opener, using a punishing ground attack to hammer the Rebels into submission.
Running backs John Clay and Montee Ball ran for two TDs each and combined with James White to post 261 rushing yards on the night, while QB Scott Tolzien completed 15-of-20 passes for 197 yards with an INT. In all, the Badgers racked up 475 yards of total offense to just 217 for UNLV.
Defensively, Wisconsin permitted the Rebels just 10 first downs with an average of 4.1 yards per offensive play. UNLV finished with 112 yards on the ground, snapping a streak of 10 games where the Badgers held the opposition below 100 yards rushing. They also made plenty of plays in the backfield, logging four sacks and six TFLs, picking up where they left off last season when they led the Big Ten Conference in both categories. The UW defense also got a score of its own when Aaron Henry returned a fumble 20 yards at the start of the third quarter.
Linebacker Jean St. Culme led the Badgers with seven tackles, while fellow backer Chris Borland made two of his five stops in the UNLV backfield. Defensive end J.J. Watt seemed to be all over the field, making four tackles, forcing the fumble that led to Henry's TD, and batting down three passes at the line of scrimmage.
Coach Bielema was pleased with the overall effort put forth by his defense, "My hat goes off to the defense because I thought they played well all day."
<< Bragging rights on line as West Virginia visits Marshall
Huntington, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - State rivals will square off in Huntington
on Friday night, as the Marshall Thundering Herd welcome the 23rd-ranked West
Virginia Mountaineers to town.
On opening weekend, West Virginia cruised past Coastal
<< Cavaliers travel across country to tangle with Trojans
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Virginia Cavaliers will play their
first-ever game in the state of California on Saturday night, as they take on
the 16th-ranked USC Trojans in a non-conference affair.
Last weekend's opener against Ric
<< Hogs host Warhawks in non-conference action
Little Rock, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks of the
SEC will attempt to knock off the UL-Monroe Warhawks, a team from the Sun Belt
Conference set to open its season.
In December, ULM announced Todd Berry as the prog
<< Sunshine State showdown pits Bulls against Gators
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked Florida Gators struggled
a bit in their season opener, and they are undoubtedly eager to get back on
the field this weekend against the South Florida Bulls in a non-conference
affair from The
Bruins host Cardinal in Pac-10 opener >>
Pasadena, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Stanford Cardinal kicks off
its Pac-10 Conference slate against UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Stanford vaulted into the national rankings following a convincing 52-17
victory over Sacramen
Cardinals shoot for needed series win in Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took a lot longer than expected, but Milwaukee reliever
Trevor Hoffman finally picked up his 600th career save. The St. Louis
Cardinals would have preferred that he waited a few more days.
The Cardinals will try to rebo
Aaron `saddened' by Bonds, Clemens steroid stories >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Hank Aaron's verdict on baseball's steroid scandal: ``Saddened.''Aaron, long reluctant to weigh in too strongly on the stories involving steroids and baseball, said Tuesday he'll keep sticking with that tact in the cases of Roger Clem
Vikings-Saints: Great way to get going >>
Maybe this time Brett Favre won't get picked off with victory in his grasp.In as juicy a season opener as the NFL could provide, Favre marches the Minnesota Vikings into New Orleans on Thursday night for a reprise of January's NFC championship game.
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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