NFL Odds Preview - Cincinnati Bengals (-3) @ Cleveland Browns

The sports betting world can already see the results starting to happen in Cleveland. The Browns are 0-3 this season, but the team looked good in the week three 24-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Little sparks of light such as the relentless running of Peyton Hillis who racked up 144 hard-fought yards on 22 carries against a very good Baltimore Ravens run defense.

The Cincinnati Bengals are making a mess of the NFL betting lines this season. When wide receiver Terrell Owens was signed to the Bengals, his receiving counterpart Chad Ochocinco all but guaranteed a Super Bowl berth for Cincinnati. Football betting experts usually do not put a lot of stock in what Ochocinco says, but the Bengals are an improved team over last season and they should be challenging for the AFC North title this season.

The problem with the Bengals is that they are inconsistent . . . again. After getting schooled in week one by the New England Patriots, the Bengals have gone on to beat the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers. But even as badly as the Panthers played in week three, the Bengals could not put the game away until late in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati needs to pick up the pace on offense if Ochocinco’s prediction has any chance of ever coming true.

This week’s NFL pick for the Bengals will be a win over the Cleveland Browns, but it will not be easy and it will not be a guarantee. If the Browns get that offense of theirs rolling by the second quarter, then Cincinnati’s inability to put anyone away this season could come back to haunt the Bengals. The Bengals need to put the hammer down early in this game, and get the Browns down by a couple of touchdowns by the second quarter.

The Browns and their fans can see the improvement already. However the one area that is obviously lacking in Cleveland is at quarterback. The prevailing theory is that Colt McCoy is being groomed to be the starter in Cleveland, but Mike Holgren does not rush quarterbacks. The one thing Cleveland fans will have to learn is patience. Mike Holgren will deliver a winner to Cleveland, it will just take a couple of years to get there. When Holgren got to Seattle not many people thought that Matt Hasselbeck was a starting quarterback in the NFL. By the time Holgren was done with Seattle, Hasselbeck was a Super Bowl quarterback and one of the best quarterbacks to play for the Seahawks.

The Browns will be game in this contest, and it will take everything the Bengals offense has to pull this game out. The Cincinnati offense line is still suspect, and the running game is struggling to support the passing game. The Bengals should have just enough to get past the Browns this week, but look for the Browns to slowly remove that label of NFL doormat as Cleveland moves towards respectability in the NFL.

Pick: Cincinnati Bengals 16-14

NCAA Football Betting – Razorbacks Try to Stem Crimson Tide

NCAA football betting players will have a massive matchup from the SEC on their hands on Saturday, when top-ranked Alabama heads to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks, who are out to prove that they belong in the conference-title discussion.

Alabama Arkansas Betting – Saturday, September 25th, 3:30 PM ET

The No.1 Crimson Tide (3-0) had their 62-13 rout of Duke on the road over by halftime. Actually, they were up 28-3 after the first quarter and it was pretty much on from there. The Crimson Tide racked up 626 yards of offense, including 315 yards on the ground, and those who paid the price per head to see Mark Ingram’s first game weren’t disappointed. The Heisman winner ran nine times for 151 yards and a pair of scores as the Crimson Tide averaged 9.0 yards a carry, and any team is going to be hard to stop with numbers like that. Still, the Crimson Tide had three turnovers on the day, and they gave up 146 yards on the ground, so that’s something they’ll need to work on.

The No.10 Razorbacks (3-0) got a 40-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Mallett in a 31-24 win at Georgia, and Mallett showed all the skills that should make him a Heisman candidate. Mallett was 21-of-33 for 380 yards, three touchdowns and no picks in one of the best quarterback performances of the year to date. The Razorbacks pretty much abanadoned the ground game, but when you have a great pivot, you can afford to do that. The Razorbacks gave up 392 yards of offense, but on the road, especially at a tough place to play like “between the hedges” at Georgia, that’s actually not all that bad.

Online football betting odds have the Crimson Tide as a 7-point favorite on the road, and they’ve won four of their last five meetings with the Razorbacks. They’re 2-3 at Arkansas since the turn of the century, and this is going to be their first real big test of the year as they got Penn State at home. The Arkansas defense has to figure out how to slow down the Alabama ground game, led by Ingram and Trent Richardson, but even if they do that, Greg McElroy has grown into one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country, he just doesn’t get to show it all the time because of Alabama’s fierce ground game. Meanwhile, Mallett will have his hands full going up against an Alabama defense that isn’t as good as last year’s unit, but they’re still a top-10 defense capable of dominating a game. Arkansas will put up a fight, but the Crimson Tide will wear them down.

Online sports betting pick: Alabama -7

NFL Betting Preview: Tennessee Titans at New York Giants Odds

It almost seems as though the sports wagering sites are afraid to say it, but the New York Giants are falling apart and not responding anymore to head coach Tom Coughlin. In the Giants week two loss to the Indianapolis Colts, all-pro running back Brandon Jacobs only ran the ball four times before he was benched. Now the NFL betting experts are saying that Jacobs wants out of New York. When running back Tiki Barber retired in 2006, he caused quite a media frenzy when he spoke out against Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning. It could be that years of having a dysfunctional locker room have caught up with the Giants.

The Tennessee Titans did not look much better than the Giants when the NFL scores for week two were finalized. The Titans turned the ball over seven times, benched starting quarterback Vince Young and handed a game to the Pittsburgh Steelers in week two. Titans head coach Jeff Fisher has announced that Vince Young will start this game against the Giants. Vince Young still represents the best chance that the Titans have to win. Even with seven turnovers, the Steelers won the game by a relatively narrow margin of 19-11.

The Giants looked completely helpless against the Colts, but in the world of NFL predictions it is much different to look helpless against the 2010 Indianapolis Colts defense than it is to look helpless against the 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers defense. The Colts have two of the best defensive linemen in football in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Both Mathis and Freeney had two sacks against the Giants which severely hampered the Giants offense.

The Titans had major problems with the Steelers defense all day long in week two. In a game that Tennessee should have won and dominated offensively, the Titans gave up four sacks and five fumbles. Pittsburgh inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons was able to rack up 12 tackles and all-pro outside linebacker James Harrison had 10 tackles. The Tennessee running game was unable to get past the Steelers front seven and, as a result, Titans running back Chris Johnson only has 34 yards on the ground.

Picking this game comes down to which team you believe can recover better from an embarrassing loss the week before. It can be said that the Titans had a bad week. It happens. Quarterback Vince Young and running back Chris Johnson are extremely talented football players that take success and failure seriously. The Titans can recover from a bad game.

The Giants have been having problems for a couple of years now. Getting dismantled by Peyton Manning is not something new for any NFL team, but the entire Colts team dominated the Giants, and New York looked almost timid in their loss.

The Giants will find that the linebackers in Tennessee, led by Will Witherspoon, offer a challenge similar to the Colts. The difference is that the Tennessee pass rush is not as dominant as the Colts. But it may be enough to stop the Giants.

Pick: Tennessee Titans 27-17

College Football Betting – Gators, Volunteers Get It On Once Again

College football betting players know all about rivalries, so they should be familiar with the “Third Saturday In September”, which is when Florida and Tennessee usually get together for a gold old-fashioned SEC showdown. The rivalry got its start on the basketball court, but it’s getting fierce on the gridiron as well.

Florida Tennessee Betting – Saturday, September 18th, 3:30 PM ET

The No.10 Gators (2-0) looked stunned in the first half against South Florida, but they pulled away for a 38-14 win in “The Swamp”, although Florida fans still won’t be encouraged by this effort. The Gators did managed to cut out a lot of mistakes, and didn’t commit a turnover, but John Brantley was 18-of-31 for 172 yards and two touchdowns, showing that this is definitely a new era in Gainesville. Jeff Demps had 11 carries for 139 yards and a score for the Gators, who also gave up 244 yards on the ground. Yes, those who bet on NFL odds are seeing a lot of last year’s Gators in the league, and there’s a lot of new faces, but Florida is going to have to improve to challenge for the SEC crown this season.

The Volunteers (1-1) got rolled in a 48-13 loss to Oregon at home, and the No.7 Ducks had their way with Tennessee, who allowed 447 yards. It was actually a 13-13 game at halftime before the Ducks stormed out with two big plays in the third quarter (a 72-yard run and a pick returned for a score), and it was a rout from there. Matt Simms was 15-of-29 for 151 yards and the aforementioned pick, while Tauren Poole added 162 yards and a score on the ground for the Volunteers, who were a miserable 2-of-15 on third down.

Online football betting odds have the Gators as a 14-point favorite against the Volunteers, who haven’t beaten Florida since 2004. The last three losses have been by an average of 24.3 points, although the Volunteers held their own in a 23-13 loss in Gainesville last year. The Tennessee program was left in shambles after Lane Kiffin bolted to USC, leaving Derek Dooley with a lot of work to do, and the Oregon game showed that it’s still a work in progress. That being said, we think the Volunteers will keep the Gators from covering the 14-point spread as the Florida offense isn’t anywhere near where they want to be, and the Tennessee defense is better than they showed against Oregon, who is a better team than Florida. School pride factors heavily into games like this, and especially as they got rolled at home last week, the Volunteers will definitely have enough in the tank to keep Florida from covering the betting spread.

Betting pick: Tennessee +14

NFL Betting Preview Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans (-5 ½) Odds

The sports betting world was not surprised at the results of the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders game. The Raiders raised their hopes this season when the team acquired quarterback Jason Campbell, but the Oakland forgot to upgrade their offensive line to accommodate their new quarterback. As a result, Campbell was injured in the preseason and pummeled by the Tennessee defense in the season opener.

The Pittsburgh Steelers new starting quarterback Dennis Dixon has not seen sustained game activity since he was affecting college football betting results three years ago. In his first ever NFL start last week against the Atlanta Falcons, Dixon was efficient but not too awfully impressive. Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall was impressive against the Falcons. Mendenhall has 120 yards rushing which included his 50-yard game winning touchdown run in overtime.

The Tennessee opener against the Raiders can be deceiving. The Raiders not only have a terrible offensive line, but running back Michael Bush was injured which placed the entire game on quarterback Jason Campbell’s already injured shoulders. A defense like the one in Tennessee would have no problem handling a wounded and inept offense.

The Tennessee offense showed that it is something to be reckoned with. Quarterback Vince Young look poised and in control on his way to 154 passing yards and two touchdowns. Young did not need to put the ball in the air much because Chris Johnson had 142 yards on the ground and two touchdowns of his own. Even backup running back Javon Ringer had a touchdown on the ground.

The NFL betting experts were wondering how the Steelers would respond to not having starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the line-up for the first four games of the season. In the weeks since Big Ben’s suspension, Pittsburgh players are starting to speak out about their disappointment in Ben’s decisions. Roethlisberger was not voted a team captain, and he was not nominated to be one when he returns from his suspension. The locker room is not on his side. If Dixon keeps winning, who knows what that could mean.

In this game the football betting line has the Titans as a five and one-half point favorite. The Steelers defense just shut down a very good offense in Atlanta. The combination of quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Roddy White is a normally potent combination. The pass rush of the Steelers was able to pressure Ryan into making mistakes all day long. But Ryan is a pocket passer with no mobility in his game. Vince Young is a different kind of quarterback, and that could be a problem for the Steelers.

Very few people expected a deficient Steelers team to be able to beat a strong NFC contender like the Falcons. It was an interesting statement made by the Steelers defense in this first game of the season. The Steelers offense was conspicuous by its lack of a statement in the game against Atlanta.

Pick: Tennessee Titans 21-10

Betting On NCAA Football – Nittany Lions Go After Crimson Tide

Those betting on NCAA football have a slew of top-25 matchups on their schedule this weekend, and in primetime on Saturday night, the defending national champions from Alabama will host Penn State in Tuscaloosa.

Penn State Alabama Betting – Saturday, September 11th, 7:00 PM ET

The No.19 Nittany Lions routed Youngstown State 44-14 at home in their season opener, and freshman Rob Bolden did a great job in his debut, going 20-of-29 for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns, although he did manage to toss a pick as well. Some Penn State fans were a bit worried after Darryl Clark graduated, and the Nittany Lions have a couple of other quarterbacks waiting to get their shot, but Bolden was solid enough that he’ll probably start this game as well. Defensively, the Nittany Lions allowed 264 yards, including just 34 on the ground.

The No.1 Crimson Tide had little problem dispatching of San Jose State in a 48-3 romp, posting a ridiculous 591 yards of offense. Heisman winner Mark Ingram was held out of this game due to injury, but the Crimson Tide still ran for 257 yards. Those who are betting on NFL odds should watch out for receiver Julio Jones, who caught six passes for 93 yards and a score for the Crimson Tide. Alabama lost a lot of players on defense, but there shouldn’t be much of a drop-off from last year’s group. The Crimson Tide gave up just 185 yards, and they picked off a pass as well.

The Crimson Tide are a 10.5-point favorite at home when you bet football online, and strangely, this is the first time in recent memory that these two powers have faced off. Penn State coach Joe Paterno and his Alabama counterpart Nick Saban are distinctly old-school, and online betting players should expect a hard-hitting affair that likely won’t go over the posted total. We’re going to take the Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium, where they have won 15 in a row. The Nittany Lions have won five straight road games, dating back to last year of course, and Bolden was great against Youngstown State. But the Crimson Tide are an entirely different beast than Youngstown State, and he’s going to have to get off to a good start in Tuscaloosa. The Nittany Lions would do well to go with Evan Royster out of the backfield, and they took it easy on their star running back in Week 1, largely with this game in mind. But still, the Crimson Tide are too balanced and too deep on both sides of the ball, and they’ll be in trouble if they try to single-cover Jones.

Sports Betting Pick: Alabama -10.5

College Football Betting – Horned Frogs, Beavers Go Head-To-Head In Texas

College football betting players have been seeing a changing of the guard in recent years: the teams that were normally considered BCS Busters, like TCU and Boise State, have been rewarded for their fine play with top-10 rankings to open the season. The Horned Frogs of the Mountain West will have a distinct home advantage at a “neutral site” affair on Saturday when they face Oregon State of the Pac-10.

Oregon State TCU Betting – Saturday, September 4, 7:45 PM ET

The No.24 Beavers came up agonizingly short of their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1965, losing at home to rival Oregon in a classic, and that carried over to the Las Vegas Bowl where they routed 44-20 by BYU. They’re powered by the brother duo of Jacquizz (running back) and James (receiver) Rodgers, both of whom will challenge for the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. The question is, will quarterback Ryan Katz be able to get the ball to them? The offensive line also needs to stay healthy to get Katz used to the speed of the game. Seven starters are back on a defense that was 46th in the country, and if the defense can holds its own, the Beavers have a great shot of winning the Pac-10.

The No.6 Horned Frogs lost to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl to finish 12-1, and for the fourth time in nine years, TCU had the best defense in the country. NFL betting players should be seeing end Jerry Hughes in the league with Indianapolis now, but the Horned Frogs still have seven starters back on that side of the ball, and coach Gary Patterson is one of the best defensive minds in the college game, so he’ll have a plan to cover for the loss of Hughes and others. The Horned Frogs have nine starters back on offense, including Andy Dalton, who has won the most games of any active college quarterbacks. As long as he keeps the mistakes to a minimum, the Horned Frogs will be a force.

Online football betting odds have the Horned Frogs as a 13.5-point favorite in this contest, and with the game being played at Cowboys Stadium, TCU will have the home-crowd advantage. Their defense is good enough to come up with a plan to shut down the Rodgers brothers, and if you can do that, you have an excellent chance of beating the Beavers, because Katz doesn’t have the experience yet. The Horned Frogs’ offense has been overshadowed by their great defense in recent years, and they’ll want to make a statement in this game.

BSN Sports pick: TCU Horned Frogs