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09/29/2011 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On the outside they appear to be two cities a world apart. One built on the American dream and the product that has driven North American industry for about a century - the automobile. The other city built on the less impressive side of the Niagara Falls, responsible for creating a bar food staple - Buffalo wings.
Yet, for all their differences, these towns share a common bond.
For the better half of a decade, the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills seemed destined for failure, as their tortured fan bases can confirm, with neither club qualifying for the postseason since the turn of the century.
Suddenly, however, the Bills and Lions share a connection with the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers that no one else in the league does -- they're undefeated.
In possibly the most unanticipated turn of events, the two floundering franchises appear to have solved their woeful ways and seem poised to return to gridiron greatness, much to the delight of their beloved fans. Yet, how each squad has made its respective transition is worth noting, as both clubs have taken rather distinct routes.
For Detroit, the turnaround is hardly a shock to even the most casual football fan, as the Lions were the darling pick to rise from the ashes to become contenders by a number of insiders and gridiron junkies heading into the season. Looking at the roster, it's hard to argue with popular opinion.
What's not to love? Built around the arm of quarterback Matthew Stafford and his array of weapons -- whether it is one of the league's most dynamic wideouts in Calvin Johnson, or versatile running back Jahvid Best - the Lions' offense is in position to make an impact this year, barring injury, of course.
It doesn't hurt that the defense is anchored by one of the most feared pass rushers in the league, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Mention of his name makes opposing quarterbacks cringe, garnering the respect of his peers in just a single season and setting the table for a dominating force to be on either side of the ball for the Lions.
For all the high expectations thrown on the usual cellar dwellers of the NFC North, the Bills entered the 2011 campaign with the same lack of support from anyone outside of the greater Buffalo area -- Toronto included -- that has followed the club since the days of Jim Kelly came to end.
Foreseeing Buffalo would be the top team in the vaunted AFC East after three weeks would be possible just if a crystal ball were involved. Knowing the Bills would be the conference's lone undefeated team only seems likely with the assistance of a time machine.
Behind a late-blooming QB in Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bills have collected a number of intriguing pieces -- wide receiver Stevie Johnson, running back Fred Taylor and tight end Scott Chandler to name a few -- and appear to be buying into head coach Chan Gailey's approach.
Though they may not have been heralded as the next big thing, like their NFC counterparts, the Bills have been the most resilient unit this year, overcoming huge first-half deficits en route to impressive victories.
Despite what may look like two unique squads simultaneously figuring out their winning dynamic after years of futility, both franchises have made significant improvements in similar categories.
Just a year ago, both teams sat in the bottom half in terms of points scored per game, averaging fewer than 23 points in a contest. In contrast, both sides are now in the top five in points per game, averaging well over 30 points.
Take a deeper look at the offensive breakdown and it becomes apparent that, though these inferior teams acknowledged the need to put more points on the board, they went about it in a very different manner.
Unlike the Lions of old, where running the football was paramount to the team's identity through the Barry Sanders era and Billy Sims before him, the new-look lineup is predicated on getting vertical and converting down field through the air.
Though the Bills have always been known to be able to balance between the run and pass, it's been some time since that blend equated into a winning strategy for the City of Good Neighbors. This season that mix appears to be in order, with a bit more emphasis on wearing teams down with their powerful back Jackson, which in turn opens up more short routes in the middle of the field for slot receivers like David Nelson.
The biggest gap between these two improved sides is clearly on the defensive end, where Detroit prides itself on shutting people down, holding opponents under 16 points a game on average -- good for third overall in the NFL this season.
Both teams have stories of an intriguing tale, climbing through the ranks and making the most out of the situation. But which of them has made the more significant improvement?
Considering the Bills have nearly matched their win total from a season ago -- winners of four games in 2010, they did not collect win No.3 until Week 14 -- suggests the team mainly unscathed in the offseason is certainly better than anyone expected, for the time being.
On the other hand, the Lions continue to develop a complete team on both sides of the ball, overlooking the big name free agents in hopes of landing the special gem for half the price. Of course, that only works in theory and the biggest obstacle for the young team is staying healthy, otherwise a return back to a six-win campaign is in store.
Before either franchise receives its coronation as the tops in the NFL it must be said that for all the losing these teams have endured over the years both organizations have also faltered after promising starts.
It was 2007 when Detroit, led by Jon Kitna, blew a 6-2 record midway through the season only to stumble to the finish line a pedestrian 7-9. Not to be outdone, the fans in Buffalo can hardly forget a perfect start to the first four games in 2008, as Trent Edwards was looking like the player the Bills expected him to be. But the Bills struggled and won only three more contests.
For what it's worth, these two teams could be giving us a glimpse into the future. Fans may get a sense of deja vu reminiscent of the mid-90's during prouder times for the franchises, otherwise history could very well repeat itself, and misery loves company.
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NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.
The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.
MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.
A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.
A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.
Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
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