Alabama earns raves for recruiting class
NCAA Football Betting Lines
02/01/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alabama has the top recruiting class in the country, according to Rivals.com, after getting written commitments from 18 football players on National Signing Day.
The players who signed national letters of intent Wednesday joined eight mid- year enrollees to make up the 2012 signing class for the reigning BCS national champions.
The Crimson Tide have a strong overall group with 14 four-star student- athletes and three five-star players, including Rivals.com's second-rated running back, T.J. Yeldon.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban, while happy with the results, cautioned the perils of bringing in such highly-regarded talent.
"I say this every year, but recruiting is not an exact science," Saban said. "No one knows for sure how these players are going to develop in the future. That's certainly something we work hard on here, as coaches and teachers, is to help these players develop."
Texas, coming off another disappointing season that saw the Longhorns go 8-5 and 4-5 in the Big 12, had Rivals.com's second-rated class with 28 signees, including two five-star commits.
Florida, Ohio State and Stanford rounded out the top five, with the Cardinal building off back-to-back BCS bowl appearances by welcoming three five-star recruits in defensive end Aziz Shittu and offensive linemen Kyle Murphy and Andrus Peat.
"We are excited to welcome one of the best recruiting classes in school history," said Stanford head coach David Shaw. "We say that not because of how high this class is rated, but instead because of the combination of ability, intelligence, toughness and character in this class."
Rivals.com's No. 1 ranked player, 6-foot-6 wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, is staying close to home after the Springfield, Missouri, native chose to attend Missouri.
Florida State, Michigan, USC, Miami-Florida and Oklahoma ranked No. 6 through 10 according to the noted recruiting website.
Conway, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Coastal Carolina head football coach Joe Moglia announced Wednesday that Clayton Carlin has been named the Chanticleers' defensive coordinator. Carlin has spent the last two seasons as defensive coordinator
<< Ticats release RB Cobourne, two others
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats cut running back
Avon Cobourne loose on Wednesday, along with two other players.
Cobourne helped the Montreal Alouettes to a pair of Grey Cup titles in
2009-10, and earn
<< Gronkowski misses another practice
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots tight end Rob
Gronkowski missed another practice Wednesday because of the left ankle injury
he suffered in the AFC Championship Game.
Gronkowski has yet to practice in prepar
<< Inter and Palermo share points in eight-goal thriller
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Diego Milito scored four times for Inter Milan
while Palermo got three goals from Fabrizio Miccoli in a 4-4 draw at the San
Siro on Wednesday.
Andrea Mantovani started the scoring barrage in the 16th minu
<< Charlie Spoonhour passes away
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Missouri State, Saint Louis and
UNLV head coach Charlie Spoonhour has died after his battle with lung disease.
He was 72.
Spoonhour began his coaching career at Missouri State in 1983 -- then kn
Vina del Mar, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina eased into the quarterfinals of the $398,250 VTR Open with a straight-set win Wednesday over Igor Andreev. Monaco needed just 75 minutes to beat the Russian 6
Burke helps Michigan hold off Indiana >>
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trey Burke scored 18 points as No. 23
Michigan held off a late push by No. 20 Indiana to take a 68-56 victory on
Wednesday.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Zack Novak added 13 points apiece for the Wolv
Report: Syracuse C Melo set to return >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Syracuse center Fab Melo has been reinstated
and will return to the court Saturday after missing three games, according to
a report.
Melo will play on the road against St. John's, The Post-Standard report
Bethune-Cookman to open in MEAC/SWAC Challenge again >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bethune-Cookman will kick off its 2012
football season in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and make a trip to the University
of Miami for a second straight season.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference program annou
Snaer leads Florida State past Georgia Tech >>
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Snaer connected on 5-of-7 shots
from beyond the arc, part of a 21-point performance, as No. 21 Florida State
downed Georgia Tech, 68-54, at Tucker Center.
Bernard James totaled 13 points an
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.