Big Ten gives Nebraska no breaks in 2011 schedule

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/01/2010 -

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -The Big Ten's welcome gift to Nebraska looks more like a booby prize.

The football schedule for 2011-12, the Cornhuskers' first two seasons in the Big Ten, pits Nebraska against a lineup no sane coach would envy.

The Cornhuskers open the 2011 conference schedule at Wisconsin. They come home to play Ohio State, then it's off to Minnesota and home games against Michigan State and Northwestern.

Here comes the big finish: at Penn State, at Michigan and home against new border rival Iowa.

Conspicuously absent: Indiana, Illinois and Purdue.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 The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wcnbc NCAA Football Betting News

<< Allen has smashing 2010 debut as D'Backs top free-falling Padres
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Allen belted his first career grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat San Diego, 5-2, to complete a three-game sweep at Chase Field. It was quite a 20

<< Royals activate Meche, Fields from 60-day DL
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have activated pitcher Gil Meche and infielder Josh Fields from the 60-day disabled list. The Royals also recalled catcher Lucas May from Triple-A Omaha. To make room on th

<< Seattle RHP Shawn Kelley gets good surgery news
SEATTLE (AP) -Mariners right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley received good news during exploratory elbow surgery and does not need to undergo a full Tommy John ligament replacement operation.Seattle interim manager Daren Brown says Tuesday that Kelley'

<< Jimbo Fisher anxious as coaching debut draws near
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -Jimbo Fisher's last play on a football field was for Samford. His first play as a college coach will be against the same small Alabama school.After more than two decades as an assistant coach at a handful of southeastern scho

<< Lowe to miss start Friday versus Florida
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Braves starting hurler Derek Lowe will miss his scheduled start on Friday versus Florida with pain in his right elbow. The issue in Lowe's elbow on his throwing arm has caused enough concern to shut him do

Venus, Clijsters reach third round at U.S. Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time champion Venus Williams and second-seeded Kim Clijsters were among Wednesday's second-round winners at the U.S. Open. The third-seeded former world No. 1 Williams got past Rebecca Marin

Astros' Moehler has surgery >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros right-hander Brian Moehler had successful lower abdominal and groin surgery Wednesday. The surgery was performed by Dr. Bill Meyers at the Hahnemann Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA. Moehle

Revs fall to Morelia in SuperLiga final >>
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of second-half goals from Miguel Sabah propelled Morelia to a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution in the SuperLiga final on Wednesday. The Mexican side was the stronger team in the f

Nationals/Marlins involved in brawl >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington center fielder Nyjer Morgan charged the mound and punched Florida Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad in the sixth inning, inciting a benches-clearing brawl Wednesday night. Florida was ahead 15-5 with one o

Redskins give third-string QB Beck contract extension >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins have reportedly given third-string quarterback John Beck a contract extension. The Washington Post on Wednesday quoted ESPN's Adam Schefter as saying Beck agreed to a two-ye

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

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.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.