Tag Archives: college football
The Magic of College and College Football
Photo by CC user Rdikeman on wikipedia.org
One of the biggest draws the major colleges have over the smaller universities is college football game day. At places like Michigan you have more than 100,000 fans packing the stadium on Saturday. Fans and alumni travel from miles away. The sound of the marching band reverberates throughout the campus. There are tailgate parties, before and after the game, and the entire state becomes football obsessed. Indeed, the magic of college and college football in America is spellbinding to the uninitiated.
Also, as a student at one of the major colleges, there is Heisman Trophy hype as football writers and commentators spend countless hours discussing the favorites to win the most storied individual trophy awarded in American sports. You want the full college experience? Choose one of the top programs in the country, and you can’t go wrong. In particular, if you are a student at Alabama, Ohio State, or Clemson, you are in for especially exciting fall. The top betting sites throughout the country think that they’re the best bet to finish the season as NCAA Champions.
The race for the Heisman Trophy, however, might be a little harder to pinpoint. Discussion are in the works to eliminate the kickoff, citing the injuries that are caused by the high-speed collisions that most often occur on special teams plays. But think about former winners like Tim Brown, Desmond Howard, and Charles Woodson, who were all aided in the quest for the trophy by their kick return prowess. It would render their type of on the field stardom obsolete.
The verdict on the kickoff and what might replace it are still to be determined.
Also in the works is Big 12 conference expansion. Forgetting for a moment that the conference currently only has ten members, instead of the twelve it’s named for, its place at the table of the power conferences is solid. So expect the competition to be fierce among the universities on the short-list for addition. And the waves created by a possible expansion would be roll across the country, potentially altering the landscape in the Pac-12 and ACC. For students, fans, and gamblers alike, the more teams that take up residence in the power conferences, the better.
Early candidates being talked about for addition to the Big 12 are the Houston Cougars and the Tulane Green Wave, which would be welcome news for fans in Houston, the nation’s fourth largest television market, and New Orleans. But as with everything done in the Big 12, none of it will happen without the approval of the Texas Longhorns.
Ezekiel Elliott Early Favorite in 2015 Heisman Trophy Betting
As the dust settles following this year’s NFL Draft, the focus has now turned to the upcoming college football season, and the leading candidates to earn 2015 Heisman Trophy honors.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott leads the way as the favorite to win this year’s Heisman, with strong 6/1 odds in college football player props betting at the online sportsbooks.
The 19 year-old native of St. Louis, Missouri had a breakout campaign in 2014, rushing for an impressive 1878 yards and 18 TD’s. But it was his big-game performances that have set Elliott apart.
The six-foot, 225 pound junior racked up 220 rushing yards and a pair of TD’s in the Buckeyes’ 59-0 thrashing of the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten conference championship game.
Elliott followed that up with 230 rushing yards and two TD’s in OSU’s 42-35 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl, but saved the best for last, running for four scores and 246 yards in the Buckeyes’ 42-20 win over the Oregon Ducks in this year’s National Championship game.
Elliott is looking to end a five-year stretch during which the Heisman Trophy has been won by quarterbacks.
Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, who was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in this year’s NFL Draft, took home Heisman honors in 2014, while this year’s top pick, Jameis Winston got the nod in 2013 while leading the Florida State Seminoles to a perfect season and national championship.
A pair of quarterbacks closely trail Elliott in Heisman Trophy props betting at the online sportsbooks.
Mississippi State Bulldogs pivot Dak Prescott is pegged at 7/1, followed by TCU Horned Frogs QB Trevone Boykin at 15/2.
It has been a tough off-season for Prescott, who was the victim of a severe beating by a number of assailants at a spring break concert in Florida back in March. But the 230-pound senior looked in fine form in Mississippi State’s spring game, racking up 231 passing yards and three touchdowns before being given a rest by coach Dan Mullen.
Boykin is coming off an impressive junior year at TCU, where he tossed for 3901 yards and 33 TD’s while leading the Horned Frogs to a 12-1 record and a share of the Big 12 championship.
Boykin underwent wrist surgery during the off-season to repair an injury that was no healing on its own, but is expected to fully recover and be cleared for workouts by the end of May.
A pair of running backs chase the favorites in Heisman Trophy online betting. LSU Tigers’ Leonard Fournette and Georgia Bulldogs’ are listed at 8/1, followed by Buckeyes’ pivot Cardale Jones at 9/1.
Jones enters the new season after becoming the first player in college football history to win a ring in each of his first three starts , as reported by Bettingsports.com, while leading the Buckeyes to the Big Ten title and their two College Football Playoff victories in the Sugar Bowl and National Championship Game.
USC Trojans QB Cody Kessler is next at 12/1, followed by Alabama RB Derrick Henry and Clemson Tigers pivot Deshaun Watson who round out the front of the Heisman Trophy betting pack, each with 14/1 odds.
