Ducks take on Huskies in Seattle

NCAA Football Betting Lines

10/17/2007 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks are unbeaten on the road this season and will attempt to remain that way, as they travel to Seattle this weekend for a Pac-10 showdown with the Washington Huskies.

Mike Bellotti's Ducks are very much in the hunt for the Pac-10 title. The team won its first four games of the season, before falling at home to California on September 29th. After a bye week, Oregon found its way back into the win column with a 53-7 rout of Washington State last weekend.

The Huskies are out of the conference race, having lost four games in a row to fall to 2-4 on the season. Last week, it was nationally- ranked Arizona State which got the better of UW in Tempe, 44-20.

Washington leads the all-time series by a count of 58-36-5. In fact, Washington has more victories against the Ducks than any other opponent for UO. The Ducks have won three straight in the series, but haven't won in Husky Stadium since 1997.

The Ducks are an explosive offensive team, thanks to the fourth-ranked rushing offense in the nation. Oregon is churning out a whopping 266.0 yards per game on the ground. The passing game is putting up an almost identical 266.5 ypg. The team as a whole is fifth-nationally in scoring (45.2 ppg) and sixth in total offense (532.5 ypg). Leading this explosive unit is an unlikely Heisman candidate in QB Dennis Dixon. The duel threat is responsible for 21 TDs thus far. He has completed 70.4 percent of his passes, for 1,532 yards, with 15 TDs and just two interceptions. Dixon is also averaging over 50 yards per game rushing and has scored six TDs on the ground. Junior RB Jonathan Stewart has been one of the nation's top ground-gainers, averaging 7.0 yards per carry and 114.8 yards per game. He has scored five TDs on the year. Junior wideout Jaison Williams gives the team yet another explosive playmaker on offense, leading the team in receptions (26), receiving yards (445) and TDs (five).

Like a lot of Pac-10 teams, Oregon's defensive unit takes a backseat to the offense. The Webfoots are giving up 20.7 ppg this year on nearly 400 yards of offense. The unit has recorded 17 sacks and 15 turnovers in the first six games and is paced by a talented secondary with standout safeties Matthew Harper (team-high 60 tackles, one INT) and Patrick Chung (53 tackles, two INTs) and cover corner Walter Thurmond (50 tackles, one INT). The defensive line is led by the outstanding play of junior end Nick Reed. The 6-2, 255- pounder has been unstoppable in getting after opposing QBs, leading the team in sacks (7.5) as well as TFLs (13.0). Junior Jerome Boyd (33 tackles, one INT) leads the way in the linebacking corps.

The Washington offense has been stifled at times in 2007, resulting in a total offensive output of just 325.0 yards per game. The rushing attack is clearly the unit's bread-and-butter, netting 157.8 ypg on 4.5 ypc. Sophomore QB Jake Locker is a key to the productive ground game, as he leads the team in rushing, with 459 yards and six TDs. Tailback Louis Rankin gives the team a second option in the backfield, having amassed 395 yards and four more scores. Locker is a much better runner than passer at this time, with him completing under 50 percent of his tosses, for 936 yards, with seven TDs and eight interceptions. Seniors Marcel Reece (23 receptions, for 339 yards and three TDs) and Anthony Russo (22 receptions, for 291 yards and three TDs) are the only viable options in the vertical game.

The Washington defense has been prone to giving up huge chunks of yardage on a game-by-game basis and that certainly has to be concerning considering one of the nation's top offenses is in town this weekend. The Huskies are giving up a generous 432.7 yards of offense per game in 2007, getting equally torched by the run (203.3 ypg) and the pass (229.3 ypg). Still, this is not a defense void of talent. Junior LB E.J. Savannah has been extremely productive this year, leading the team with 59 tackles, including 5.0 TFLs. Rush ends Daniel Te'o-Nesheim and Greyson Gunheim have been solid off the edges. The pair have combined for 41 tackles, 11.5 TFLs and 8.5 sacks. Making big plays is what has defined the Washington defense over the years, but this year the team is wanting in that area, recording just 11 takeaways and 15 sacks in the first six games.

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines


Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow.  Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season.   Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints.  These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order.  As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS.  The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens.  The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.

MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:

Saints +6 @ Colts -6

Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)

Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)

Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5

Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1

Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3

Patriots -5 @ Jets +5

Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5

Steelers -4 @ Browns +4

Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6

Bears +6 @ Chargers -6

Lions +3 @ Raiders -3

Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5

Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4

Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3

Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3

 Super Bowl line (2008)

NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5

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