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01/31/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The physical talent in North Dakota State's recruiting class is strong enough on its own.
What the Bison gained in the last month might be the difference-maker in putting their recruits, and future classes, over the top.
Or, to put it more correctly, keeping them on top.
That's what winning the FCS national championship does for a program like NDSU's.
"The guys that we're able to probably attract now are guys that have a No. 1 goal of winning a national championship," Bison head coach Craig Bohl said, "as opposed to just playing time."
The Bison, of course, are still basking in their 17-6 win over Sam Houston State in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.
While playing so much longer into the season than even most FBS bowl teams has its negatives, the Bison would take it every year, especially since their convincing win over Georgia Southern in the national semifinals and then the championship game win over Sam Houston State were nationally televised, and kept the program fresh in the minds of recruits.
"We certainly have garnered a great deal of national exposure and that has really been for our institution and our region. Coaches, you live in the present, and we've been out on the recruiting trail trying to compose our squad to the next year," said Bohl, who will be in his 10th season at NDSU this fall.
"I think it's a double-edged sword. Certainly the recognition is great. The challenge is when other schools are sitting in a youngster's living room with mom and dad and you haven't been there because you're preparing the team, that can be a negative side. On the positive side, you do attract a guy that wants to win a championship, so your pool may be changed a little bit."
NDSU coaches tried to be well-rounded with their recruiting class, which will be announced Wednesday afternoon on national signing day, but the focus has been offensive linemen and wide receivers. The senior losses included stud veterans Paul Cornick and Austin Richard up front and leading receiver Warren Holloway.
The recruiting class is expected to feature, among others, 6-foot-1, 253-pound center Austin Farnlof out of Anthem, Ariz., and Boulder Creek High, 6-4, 310-pound guard Zack Johnson from Apple Valley, Minn., and Eastview, and 6-6, 260-pound guard Sam Hahn from DeWitt, Neb., and Tri County School as well as wide receivers DeSean Warren from Overland Park, Kan., and Blue Valley West, and Dee Gray from Aurora, Ill., and Waubonsie Valley.
"We felt like it was important for us to replace some offensive linemen and wide receivers. That's probably the biggest areas," Bohl said.
"I found this out personally (in) winning a national title when I was an assistant coach at Nebraska: people on the outside make the common connection that you win a national championship (and in) your recruiting class you're going to have all these guys jump in the boat. That's really not the case. I think that it certainly positions our program with great visibility in the future, but the immediate impact, I don't know if it's going to be felt for maybe a year or two."
NDSU will get a boost if John Crockett, a potential impact running back, becomes academically eligible this season. He was part of the 2010 recruiting class that delivered linebackers Chad Willson (as a junior college transfer) and Travis Beck, who won outstanding player honors in the national title game, left tackle Billy Turner, and defensive backs Colten Heagle and Christian Dudzik.
While the loss of the Bison's senior class is significant, its other returnees include quarterback Brock Jensen, leader rushing Sam Ojuri and first-team All-America cornerback Marcus Williams.
"It is very, very difficult to get in the championship game. It's very difficult to be a playoff team," Bohl said. "That being said, we feel like the foundation is set to where we should be in contention again next year, where there have been other years where I looked and said this is going to be a rebuilding year. I don't think we're in that position. I think we have a lot of really good returning football players, and those seniors who left left a great foundation as far as team chemistry, work habits, resolve and focus. We're excited about our prospects next year."
AROUND THE NATION
With their high number of two- and three-star commits, it can be argued that James Madison and Portland State are putting together the best recruiting classes in the FCS ... Maybe the Ivy League presidents should rethink their stubborn stance of not sending its champion to the FCS playoffs. In a few years, some of their teams might be outstanding. The Ivies have the most three-star prospects according to the ESPN and Rivals rankings and the most top-rated prospects at different positions according to Scout ... It's hard to believe there will be a bigger FBS transfer than former Iowa running back Marcus Coker enrolling at Stony Brook. As a sophomore last season, Coker rushed for 1,384 yards to finish second to Heisman Trophy finalist Montee Ball of Wisconsin in the Big Ten in rushing. He also scored 15 touchdowns on 281 carries ... Among the top junior college transfers to FCS programs are wide receivers Isiah Ferguson, to Arkansas-Pine Bluff from ASA College, and Kelvin Chatham, to Illinois State from Citrus Community College ... South Dakota State will have to decide on the offensive or defensive line for highly rated tackle Mike Shoff out of Cambridge, Neb.
TOP COMMITMENTS
FCS programs will be embracing the letters of intent that come in on Wednesday.
ESPN, Rivals and Scout provide substantial recruiting information, although it's not as thorough and complete on the FCS level as the FBS level.
Here's some of the analysis:
ESPN.com
According to ESPN.com, the highest-ranked high school seniors to be committing to FCS programs are the following three-star recruits (with school, player, position, height, weight, hometown and high school):
Big Sky
Montana State - Dakota Prukop, QB, 6-2, 185, Austin, Texas, Vandegrift
Portland State - Tyrone Holmes, DT, 6-4, 250, Eagle Point, Ore., Eagle Point
South Dakota - Chris Wiseman, DE, 6-4, 230, Lee's Summit, Mo., Lee's Summit West
Big South
Liberty - D.J. Abnar, ATH, 5-10, 170, Tallahassee, Fla., Lincoln
CAA Football
James Madison - Dylan Stallings, DE, 6-4, 202, Yorktown, Va., Grafton; Ian Fisher, ATH, 6-6, 240, Brunswick, MD, Brunswick
Richmond - Alex Gee, OG, 6-4, 270, Burlington, N.C., Walter M. Williams
Towson - Bryton Barr, OLB, 6-0, 215, Mechanicsburg, Pa., Mechanicsburg
William & Mary - Tyler Claytor, DT, 6-2, 265, Snellville, Ga., Shiloh
Ivy League
Brown - Seth Rosenbauer, QB, 6-4, 235, Lima, Ohio, Shawnee
Columbia - Alec Davison, ILB, 6-1, 225, Sugar Land, Texas, Clements; Austin Stock, C, 6-3, 270, Solon, Ohio, Solon; Nikolas Padilla, DT, 6-1, 275, Dallas, Parish Episcopal
Cornell - Matt Doneth, TE, 6-4, 230, Detroit, Detroit Catholic Central
Harvard - Dayne Davis, OLB, 6-2, 205, Aledo, Texas, Aledo
Penn - Cameron Countryman, WR, 5-11, 170, Beverly Hills, Calif., Beverly Hills
Yale - Cole Champion, S, 6-0, 195, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., St. Thomas Aquinas; Braden Meador, OT, 6-5, 290, Montgomery, Texas, Montgomery
MEAC
Bethune-Cookman - Terry Harden, S, 6-0, 175, Hollywood, Fla., Hollywood Hills; Ray Martin, WR, 5-10, 180, Sanford, Fla., Seminole
South Carolina State - Marquise Jones, CB, 6-0, 185, Columbia, S.C., Eau Claire
Missouri Valley
North Dakota State - Austin Farnlof, C, 6-1, 253, Anthem, Ariz., Boulder Creek
South Dakota State - Mike Shoff, OT, 6-6, 280, Cambridge, Neb., Cambridge
Youngstown State - Nick Wargo, QB, 6-2, 211, Stow, Ohio, Walsh Jesuit
Southern Conference
Appalachian State - Tysean Holloway, RB, 6-0, 190, Asheville, N.C., Asheville; Dante Blackmon, ATH/DB, 5-11, 183, Covington, Ga., Eastside
Georgia Southern - Tre Griffin, DE, 6-2, 232, Kennesaw, Ga., North Cobb; Matt Dobson, QB, 6-1, 206, Tallahassee, Fla., North Florida Christian
Samford - Ben Tamburello, OG, 6-3, 270, Hoover, Ala., Spain Park
Southland
Central Arkansas - Aum'Arie Wallace, S, 6-1, 185, Little Rock, Ark., Pulaski Academy
SWAC
Grambling State - Tray Rabon, WR, 6-1, 195, Dallas, Skyline
Rivals.com
According to Rivals.com, the highest-ranked high school seniors to be committing to FCS programs are the following three-star recruits (with school, player, position, height, weight, hometown and high school):
Big Sky
Northern Arizona - Blair Wishom, DB, 6-0, 195, San Francisco, City College of San Francisco
Portland State - Jamarr Graves, WR, 6-4, 185, Portland, Grant; Daniel Halverson, LB, 6-2, 220, Portland, Grant; Nicholas Rothstein, ATH, 5-11, 207, Portland, Jesuit
CAA Football
Delaware - Jalen Randolph, RB, 6-1, 220, Folsom, Pa., Ridley
James Madison - Stacey Bebell, ATH, 5-10, 180, Mastic Beach, N.Y., William Floyd; Rhakeem Stallings, LB, 6-0, 220, Chesapeake, Va., Oscar Smith
Villanova - Mike Burke, WR, 6-3, 205, Columbia, Pa., Columbia Jr./Sr.; Austin Calitro, LB, 6-2, 220, Danbury, Conn., Danbury; Corey Majors, LB, 6-1, 230, Worcester, Mass., Worcester Academy
Ivy League
Columbia - Trevor McDonagh, QB, 6-2, 200, St. Louis, University
Princeton - Kedric Bostic, QB, 6-3, 180, Jupiter, Fla., Jupiter Christian
Yale - Eric Williams, QB, 6-3, 191, Cleveland, St. Ignatius
Missouri Valley
South Dakota State - Mike Shoff, OT, 6-6, 280, Cambridge, Neb., Cambridge
Southern Conference
Appalachian State - Dante Blackmon, ATH/DB, 5-11, 183, Covington, Ga., Eastside
Georgia Southern - Matt Dobson, QB, 6-1, 206, Tallahassee, Fla., North Florida Christian
Southland
Central Arkansas - Ricky Wyatt, LB, 5-10, 225, Monroe, La., Neville
Samford - Brandon Teeling, DT, 6-3, 260, Seffner, Fla., Armwood
SWAC
Grambling State - Tray Rabon, WR, 6-1, 195, Dallas, Skyline
Scout.com
Scout.com's top-rated FCS commit at each position (with position, player, height, weight, hometown, high school and national ranking at the position):
QB - Dalyn Williams (committed to Dartmouth), 6-1, 190, Lake Dallas, Texas, Lake Dallas, 59
RB - Tysean Holloway (committed to Appalachian State), 6-0, 190, Asheville, N.C., Asheville, 105
FB - Matt Barnett (committed to Wagner), 6-1, 220, Haddonfield, N.J., Paul VI, 17
WR - Malachi Jones (committed to Appalachian State), 6-1, 182, Lawrenceville, Ga., Central Gwinnett, 207
TE - Canon Smith (committed to Liberty), 6-4, 245, Birmingham, Ala., Briarwood Christian, NR
OT - Christian Wilson (committed to Youngstown State), 6-6, 308, McKeesport, PA, McKeesport Area, 134
OG - Braden Meador (committed to Yale), 6-5, 290, Montgomery, Texas, Montgomery, 74
C - Austin Stock (committed to Columbia), 6-3, 270, Solon, Ohio, Solon, 24
DT - Mike Shoff (committed to South Dakota State), 6-6, 280, Cambridge, Neb., Cambridge, 51
DE - Tim Hatfield (committed to Brown), 6-6, 240, Albuquerque, N.M., Volcano Vista, 166
OLB - Marcus Forward (committed to Northern Colorado), 6-2, 195, Flint, Mich., Northern, 106
MLB - Daniel Halverson (committed to Portland State), 6-2, 220, Portland, Ore., Grant, 53
S - Luke Hagy (committed to Cornell), 5-11, 185, Pittsburgh, Mt. Lebanon, 169
CB - Thomas Singleton (committed to Northern Colorado), 5-10, 170, Aurora, Colo., Cherokee Trail, 172
K - Ryan Hawkins (committed to Northern Arizona), 5-11, 175, Peoria, Ariz., Sunrise Mountain, NR
P and LS - None
OH, YES
The season kicks off in seven months.
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NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
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My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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