11/20/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Four new candidates have been added to the final Walter Payton Award watch list - running back William Ford of South Carolina State, wide receiver John Matthews of San Diego, quarterback Chris Pizzotti of Harvard and running back-return man Larry Warner of Southern Illinois.
That quartet, which joins 12 other players already on the list, will be among the 16 players who will be on the official ballot distributed to voters next week. The three finalists for the Payton Award will be announced on Dec. 1.
The winner of the 22nd Walter Payton Award, symbolic of the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), will be announced at the annual Sportsbook Betting Lines Awards banquet on Dec. 18 in Chattanooga, TN at the Marriott Hotel. The Eddie Robinson Award, which goes to the top coach in FCS, and the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top FCS defensive player, will also be awarded the night before the NCAA Division I football championship game.
Ford has been the offensive sparkplug for a South Carolina State team that has won its first MEAC championship since 1994, advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1982, and is ranked 15th nationally. He ranks 14th nationally in rushing with 111 yards per game for 1,221 total yards, while averaging 6.1 yards per carry and scoring 11 touchdowns. Ford also has 14 receptions for 63 yards and one kickoff return for 18 yards.
Success as a runner is nothing new for the shifty 5-11, 221-pound junior from Travelers Rest, SC. Last season, Ford rushed for 1,389 yards and averaged 6.6 yards per carry with four touchdowns for a Bulldog team that tied for second in the MEAC with a 6-2 mark and was 8-4 overall. He was second in the MEAC in rushing, and 12th nationally with an average of 126 yards per game.
Matthews, a 6-0, 203-pound senior from Littleton, CO, has been a major weapon for a San Diego passing attack that has ranked among the top teams in FCS in the past four years. He leads the nation in receptions per game (8.9), receiving yards per game (132), total receiving yards (1,317) and touchdown catches (20). His 89 total catches are one behind another Payton Award candidate, Andre Roberts of The Citadel, for tops in the country.
Matthews has had four games with double-figure totals in receptions this season, including a season-high 14 against Butler last week. He had a career- best 231 yards of receiving yards against Azusa Pacific, and posted three- touchdown games against Azusa Pacific and Davidson this year. He had a four-TD performance against Davidson in 2007.
Matthews was second on the team in receptions in 2007 as a junior, with 47 catches for 1,088 yards and 16 TDs and was seventh nationally in receiving yards per game (99 yards).
Pizzotti came back for a fifth year this season, and has led Harvard to the brink of another Ivy League championship. Viewed as one of the top NFL quarterback prospects in the current draft-eligible class. He has thrown for 2,381 yards in just nine games, along with 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
The signal-caller has completed 63% of his passes this season and ranks ninth nationally in total offense, 11th in passing efficiency, 13th in passing yards per game (265), 23rd in completions per game (20) and 24th in total passing yards. The poised 6-5, 225-pound passer from Reading, MA has thrown for 300 yards or more four times this year, including a season-high 370 in the season- opening win against Holy Cross.
Prior to this season, Pizzotti threw for 3,185 yards and 20 touchdowns in just 19 games after beating out returning starter Liam O'Hagen and current LSU quarterback Andrew Hatch for the starting job.
Warner, a 5-5, 169-pounder from Vicksburg, MS has established himself as one of the top running backs and kick returners in FCS this season, ranking near the top nationally in rushing, kickoff returns and all-purpose running for a team ranked 10th in FCS and battling to win a share of the Missouri Valley Football Championship.
Warner ranks second in FCS in kickoff returns (35.5 yards per return, 3 TDs), third in all-purpose yardage (193 yards per game, 1,933 total yards), 12th in rushing (112 per game, 1,123 overall) and 21st in punt returns (11.4 yards). He has averaged 6.3 yards per carry, has nine touchdowns on the ground and has been an effective pass-catcher with 21 receptions for 165 yards (7.9 per catch).
Warner rushed for 525 yards and five touchdowns as a junior in his first year with Southern Illinois, helping the Salukis advance to the FCS semifinals and post a 12-2 record.
Ford, Matthews, Pizzotti and Warner join 12 other candidates on the Payton Watch list - wide receiver Ramses Barden of Cal Poly, quarterback Rhett Bomar of Sam Houston State, quarterback Nathan Brown of Central Arkansas, running back Herb Donaldson of Western Illinois, quarterback Armanti Edwards of Appalachian State, quarterback Cameron Higgins of Weber State, wide receiver Terrell Hudgins of Elon, running back Rashad Jennings of Liberty, quarterback Rodney Landers of James Madison, quarterback Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross, wide receiver Andre Roberts of The Citadel and running back David Sinisi of Monmouth.
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Blanco will join Santos for the Apertura playoffs
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The
Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.
Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.
Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.
Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
Arizona 20-1
Butler 20-1
Duke 30-1
Florida 7-2
Georgetown 30-1
Indiana 35-1
Kansas 15-1
Marquette 25-1
Maryland 40-1
Memphis 50-1
Nevada 50-1
UNC 9-2
OSU 8-1
Oregon 30-1
Pittsburgh 15-1
Texas 30-1
Texas A&M 18-1
UCLA 6-1
Wisconsin 10-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.
2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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