Giants stun Packers
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01/15/2012 - Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hakeem Nicks' 37-yard touchdown catch at the end of the first half proved to be huge, as the New York Giants stunned the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, 37-20, in an NFC divisional playoff game from historic Lambeau Field.
Holding onto a 13-10 lead with six seconds remaining in the first half, Eli Manning launched a Hail Mary-type pass into the end zone. Nicks managed to come down with the ball, giving New York a 10-point cushion at the break.
Mario Manningham essentially put the game away in the fourth quarter with a four-yard TD catch for the Giants, who dominated the Falcons, 24-2, last weekend in the wild card round. Brandon Jacobs added a 14-yard TD run late in the final period.
The Giants went on to win the Super Bowl the last time they beat Green Bay in the playoffs. New York took a 23-20 overtime decision over the Packers in the 2007 NFC Championship Game, which proved to be Brett Favre's final appearance in a Green Bay uniform. New York followed up by bouncing then-unbeaten New England in Super Bowl XLII to claim a surprise NFL title as a fifth seed.
These teams met in the regular season this season, with the Packers taking a 38-35 decision over New York on December 4.
The fourth-seeded Giants will head to San Francisco next Sunday to take on the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The 49ers beat the Saints, 36-32, on Saturday to advance.
Green Bay, which went 15-1 in the regular season, came into the game with a 13-game home winning streak.
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lenzelle Smith, Jr. scored 18 of his career- high 28 points in the first half, as fifth-ranked Ohio State dominated No. 7 Indiana, 80-63, at Value City Arena. Smith made 10-of-12 field goals -- 4-of-5
<< Braga edges Sporting for fourth straight win
Braga, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Helder Barbosa and Lima scored early in the
second half as Braga beat Sporting Lisbon, 2-1, at Estadio Municipal on Sunday
for its fourth straight win in the Portuguese Liga.
Barbosa opened the scoring afte
<< Marseille snaps Lille's unbeaten streak
Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Loic Remy scored a brace after halftime
as Marseille ended Lille's 17-match undefeated streak with a 2-0 win Sunday at
the Stade Velodrome in Ligue 1.
Defending Ligue 1 champion Lille opened the season
<< Snowden leads Kentucky past South Carolina
Columbia, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Keyla Snowden had 15 points to help No. 9
Kentucky take down 24th-ranked South Carolina, 66-58.
Amber Smith had nine points, six assists and four rebounds and Brittany
Henderson added eight point
<< Barca fends off 10-man Real Betis
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alexis Sanchez and Lionel Messi scored in
the closing stages, after Real Betis had a player sent off, as Barcelona beat
Real Betis 4-2 on Sunday at the Camp Nou in La Liga.
Xavi and Messi scored in a 2-m
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dmitry Orlov's first career goal came early in the third period to lift the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Alexander Semin scored the other goal for the Capitals, wh
No. 8 Duke holds off Clemson >>
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Dawkins scored a game-high 24 points as
No. 8 Duke held off a late surge by Clemson to take a 73-66 victory at
Littlejohn Coliseum.
Mason Plumlee added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Bl
Clippers' Paul has MRI >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul
had an MRI on Sunday which came back negative after he suffered a strained
left hamstring on Saturday.
The injury happened in the fourth quarter of Saturda
Lee leads Warriors over Pistons >>
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Lee scored 24 points and Monta Ellis
had 22, as the Warriors finished strong to earn a 99-91 win over the Pistons
on Sunday.
Brandon Rush added 12 points, Dorell Wright had 11 and Ekpe Udo
Creighton downs Southern Illinois >>
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doug McDermott had 25 points and 11 rebounds,
leading No. 23 Creighton to a 90-71 win over Southern Illinois on Sunday.
Antoine Young added 14 points and Grant Gibbs had 10 for the Bluejays (16-2,
6-1 MVC),
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NCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25NEW 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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