Bowden among those enshrined into College Football Hall of Fame

NCAA Football Betting Lines

07/22/2007 - South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Bowden, the winningest coach in major college football history, led a group that was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Other notables included former Heisman Trophy winners Mike Rozier and Charlie Ward, as well as defensive standout Bruce Smith and the NFL's all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith.

Bowden turned Florida State into a perennial power since taking over in 1976, guiding the Seminoles to 29 bowl appearances and a pair of national championships while accruing a staggering 286 wins in 365 games. He is the only head coach to guide an NCAA team to at least 11 straight bowl victories.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno was also enshrined as was Bruce Smith, who was a fierce defensive lineman for Virginia Tech before starting a sensational pro career with the Buffalo Bills in 1985. A two-time First-Team All-American, Smith set Hokie records for single-game sacks (four), single-season sacks (22) and career sacks (46). He made 180 career tackles during his college career from 1981-84.

Emmitt Smith had similar success on the offensive end during his playing days with the University of Florida from 1987-89. Smith set 58 school records with the Gators and amassed 3,928 yards and 36 touchdowns in just three seasons. Prior to winning three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, Smith was a unanimous First-Team All-American and an SEC Player of the Year while with the Gators.

Ward is one of the most accomplished college football players ever, winning a national championship, a Heisman Trophy and a slew of other accolades as signal-caller for Florida State from '91-93. He is a two-time ACC Player of the Year winner and broke 19 school records before opting to play for the New York Knicks rather than try his hand at the NFL upon graduation.

Rozier, a former Nebraska running back, ran for 2,148 yards in 1983 alone to become only the second player in NCAA history to reach the 2,000-yard plateau in a single season. He set NCAA records for single-season rushing yards per game (179) and rushing TDs (29) en route to a Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award. Rozier played eight seasons in the NFL with the Oilers and Atlanta Falcons.

The rest of the 2006 Class consisted of running back Bobby Anderson (Colorado, 1967-69); defensive back Bennie Blades (Miami-Florida, '85-87); tackle Carl Eller (Minnesota, '61-63); defensive lineman Steve Emtman (Washington, '89-91); safety Thomas Everett (Baylor, '83-86); defensive lineman Chad Hennings (Air Force, '84-87); offensive lineman Chip Kell (Tennessee, '68-70); quarterback Mike Phipps (Purdue, '67-69); and linebacker Jeff Siemon (Stanford, '68-71).

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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