Cowboys take on Rebels in Cotton Bowl

NCAA Football Betting Lines

01/02/2010 - Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma State Cowboys of the Big 12 Conference and the Ole Miss Rebels of the SEC will square off in the 2010 Cotton Bowl from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Oklahoma State is set to play in a school-record fourth consecutive bowl game and seventh in the last eight seasons. The program is 12-7 all-time in bowl games, and the club is 2-1 in such tilts under current head coach Mike Gundy. Oklahoma State is 9-3 overall and finished 6-2 in Big 12 play, good enough for second in the rugged South Division. The Cowboys are, however, coming off an ugly 27-0 loss to rival Oklahoma in the finale, a setback that halted a three- game win streak.

"You have to move forward and that's something we talked about after the game," said Gundy after the Oklahoma loss. "I think the coaches have to be enthusiastic about getting back on the practice field and the chance to go to the Cotton Bowl and spend time together. That's the way we've approached it."

As for Ole Miss, it is making its 33rd appearance in a bowl game, and the 20 wins that the program has earned in the postseason ranks 12th in NCAA Division I-A history. The Rebels are 7-1 in their last eight bowl games, and they beat Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl last season in a 47-34 final. This year's squad came into the season with tremendous hype and was ranked as high as fourth in the nation. Despite falling short of expectations, the team finished a respectable 8-4 overall and 4-4 in SEC action. Houston Nutt, the head coach of the Ole Miss program, is a three-time SEC Coach of the Year.

"They can't wait," said Nutt recently of his players, who are excited about the opportunity to play in the brand new Cowboys Stadium.

It is ironic that the only previous meeting between Oklahoma State and Ole Miss took place in the 2004 Cotton Bowl, and Eli Manning led the Rebels to a 31-28 victory in that contest.

The Oklahoma State offense entered the season with perhaps the best trio of quarterback, tailback and wide receiver nationally. Signal caller Zac Robinson's numbers are far off the pace from last season when he posted 33 combined touchdowns. This year, Robinson has thrown for 15 scores while rushing for four touchdowns, and he has a mere 1,966 passing yards in 11 games. It certainly hasn't helped matters that star receiver Dez Bryant was suspended for the season early on, or that standout runner Kendall Hunter has been limited by injury and largely ineffective.

Despite all the problems, OSU is still formidable offensively, as the team is averaging 30.2 ppg and 376.2 total ypg. The best player for the offense has been tailback Keith Toston, who has racked up 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. He is also second on the team in catches, providing a viable outlet for Robinson.

"The Cotton Bowl is one of those bowls if you miss the BCS; there is really no drop off by going there," says Toston. "That's how our team feels."

The Cowboys have been a solid defensive team for much of this season, as they are holding opponents to 21.8 ppg and 329.9 total ypg. They are sixth nationally in rushing defense, allowing a mere 87.7 yards per game at a clip of 2.9 yards per carry. They pass defense has been rather mediocre, but 14 interceptions have certainly helped the cause. Donald Booker leads the Pokes with 86 total tackles, while Patrick Lavine has recorded five interceptions.

Heading into this season, Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead was considered a Heisman Trophy candidate. As the 2009 campaign progressed, however, it became obvious that he wasn't even the best player on his own team. Dexter McCluster, a versatile performer, rushed for 985 yards and six touchdowns on only 147 carries, and he also caught 39 passes for 475 yards and three scores. McCluster threw a touchdown pass on his only attempt and will undoubtedly be the main focus of the Oklahoma State defense in this contest.

Getting back to Snead, he has completed 54.3 percent of his passes for 2,464 yards and 20 touchdowns against 17 interceptions. Shay Hodge is clearly his favorite target, and the wideout enters this bowl game with 63 catches for 1,023 yards and eight scores. Ole Miss is generating 30.2 ppg while gaining 405.6 total ypg, formidable numbers by most standards.

Defensively, Ole Miss has been strong this season, limiting opponents to 18.6 ppg and 319.3 total ypg. The Rebels have allowed just over a 50 percent completion rating to opposing quarterbacks, as they have been solid against the pass. The run defense has been strong as well, permitting 3.8 yards per carry. Greg Hardy, the best player for the defense, will sit out this game with a wrist injury, and his ability to rush the quarterback will be missed. Still, the team has managed to avoid a large number of injuries, something that many other clubs nationally simply can not claim.

Patrick Trahan and Jerrell Powe pace the Rebels with 11 TFLs apiece.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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