Category Archives: College Football

In the last of this season’s all-star games, draft eligible seniors that have a high school or college connection to the state of Texas will take on all others in this year’s Texas vs. Nation bowl. This year’s version will be called the NFLPA Bowl, but the format stays the same. The game will be played in San Antonio on Feb 5th., and the Texas All Stars are a two point favorite in the college football betting odds.

The Texas team boasts some incredible talent on offense including quarterback Taylor Potts from Texas Tech and running back Jay Finley from Baylor. Both of these players had strong seasons and are hoping to boost their draft stock with solid performances.

Predicting the success of high school football players at the next level is far from being an exact science, but it is fun. Now that National Signing Day has come and gone, let’s take a look at who came out on top.

Depending on where you look, the rankings of success will be different. No one can argue the SEC looks to be the big winner though, with four schools having their class ranked among the top ten. The Alabama Crimson Tide had a great class, grabbing 15 four or five star recruits according to ESPN. The defending champion Auburn Tigers looked to restock well, with 16 highly touted recruits.

The last few years have proven that not only teams from automatic qualifying conferences can have a major impact on the BCS. Some schools have already made the jump to a bigger conference (Utah), but there are still some teams that play much bigger than their conference might suggest.

The Boise State Broncos have been a thorn in the BCS’ side for several years, always playing so well and challenging for a national title spot. The same should be true in 2011 as the team returns quarterback Kellen Moore and running back Doug Martin along with seven starters from one of the best defenses in the nation. The loss of starting receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis will hurt, but the team is still expected to have a strong shot at the national championship with a line of +1,200 in BCS Futures.

In this wacky year, the Big Ten conference will have 12 teams and the Big 12 will have only ten after the departure of Colorado and Nebraska. The Big 12 landscape will change significantly without those two. Here is an early look at the college football betting odds for who in the Big 12 has the best chance to win the 2012 national championship.

The Oklahoma Sooners top the list as the most likely team in the nation to go all the way this year with 2012 BCS championship odds of +370. The dynamic passing duo of quarterback Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles will be back, along with linebacker Travis Lewis and four starters on the offensive line.

The Big Ten had a very good regular season, but struggled through a bowl season that saw most its teams lose to out of conference competition. That being said, the conference will almost assuredly have some of the top squads in the nation in 2011, and here is an early look at who is most likely to win this year’s national championship.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will be without their top quarterback, running back and wide receiver for the first five games of the season, but that doesn’t stop them from having a 2012 BCS National Championships line of +2,000. Only one of those games should even be close without their starters, based on their perennially dominant defense.

The SEC has dominated the college football landscape in recent memory, winning the last five national championships in a row. The early college football odds for the 2011 title feature several teams from the conference with a good chance to win it all.

The most likely team to win the championship from the SEC, and second most likely in the nation, is the Alabama Crimson Tide at +750. Even though they lost their top quarterback, wide receiver and running back, there is still a lot of talent on the squad. 22 of their players this year were first time starters, and four of their offensive linemen will be returning along with sensational tailback Trent Richardson.

The ACC is not known as a football powerhouse, and that stereotype proved true in 2010. Teams had a hard time competing against out of conference opponents, but that may be different in 2011. There were several major shakeups in the conference that could change the outlook for 2011.

The Florida State Seminoles are the most highly favored team in the ACC in odds to win the college football national title, with a line of +1,200. Head coach Jimbo Fisher did a great job in his first season and it should continue this year. Quarterback Christian Ponder is gone, but the majority of the team will be returning.

2010 was an eventful year for the PAC-10 conference, proving to many doubters that they do have some great teams that can compete against any other conference in the nation. At the top of that list is the Oregon Ducks who lost to Auburn in the national championship game.

While it is barely 2011, 2012 BCS National Championship odds are up now and so we take a look at the Pac-10.

The Ducks will have to replace more than half of their defensive starters, three offensive linemen and their top two receivers. Quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LaMichael James are returning though, so finding the end zone shouldn’t be a problem for the Ducks. Oregon’s odds of winning the 2011 national championship are +1,200.

With the college football season now over, it is time to turn our attention to next season. As is the case every year, players graduate and move on, improving the chances of some teams and diminishing those of others. With potential changes to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement on the horizon, many juniors are taking their chances and leaving their school behind. These moves will have a major impact on the upcoming season.

The most notable player to leave early is Auburn Tigers quarterback Cam Newton” href=”http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011311aab.html”>Auburn Tigers quarterback Cam Newton. The Heisman Trophy winner is leaving his national championship team, and teammate defensive tackle Nick Fairley will likely join him. Two other talented quarterbacks will be coming out, Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett and Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert.

The 2010-2011 college football bowl season was one to remember. Many games were decided in the closing minutes, with some phenomenal upsets and individual performances along the way. While there isn’t enough time to recount all of the best moments, here are three that stick out:

Rose Bowl: The TCU Horned Frogs have been fighting for respect all year, going a perfect 12-0 in the regular season. They finally got the big game they were looking for, against the 11-1 Wisconsin Badgers. After a back and forth game, Wisconsin scored a touchdown with 2 minutes remaining. However, TCU stopped the 2 point conversion to win 21-19.