Sports Betting

October/9/2009
By Kevin Taylor

NCAA Previews:
A marquee matchup in college football is set for Saturday evening when the No. 1 Florida Gators head to Baton Rouge to play the No. 4 LSU Tigers. Online sportsbooks have the nation’s consensus top team favored by 7.5-points with a Total of 46.

But the question going into that key SEC matchup is will Florida be able to cover and win without the services of potential 2009 Heisman candidate Tim Tebow?

The Gators last saw action two weeks ago when they hammered the Kentucky Wildcats 41-7, unfortunately QB Tebow was hammered as well and suffered a concussion.

Florida had last week off, allowing Tebow extra time to rest and the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner was able to practice this week but hasn’t been given medical clearance to play and will be a game-time decision.

“After [Tuesday’s] practice, I was told to game plan with the intent that there's a chance that Tim could play. That's all I know,” Florida head coach Urban Meyer told ESPN.

“All the other stuff . . . we'll make a decision as we get closer.”

NCAA Trends:
The Gators are 3-0 against the spread vs. the LSU Tigers during Tebow’s time in Gainesville and are 11-3 ATS against LSU in their last 14.

Florida is also 6-1 ATS in its last seven games in Louisiana.

NCAA Betting:
The sports betting public is still unsure of which way to go on this one, as the Tebow injury causes uncertainty. Online sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.com is reporting even betting action, with 54% leaning towards the Gators.

NFL Betting:
Of the five remaining undefeated teams in the NFL, it’s not surprising to see the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants, somewhat surprising to see the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings and absolutely stunning to see the Denver Broncos.

Denver’s first-year head coach Josh McDaniels was criticized for his treatment of former QB Jay Cutler but four games into the regular season, he has the Broncos at 4-0 SU and ATS.

Denver will be in tough to grab win five this week as they prepare to host McDaniels’ mentor Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.

The Pats are a 3.5-point road faves with a Total of 41.5.

Denver has been quite successful against New England at Mile High going 11-2 straight up and 10-3 ATS and in its last seven home games against the Pats. Over/Under bettors take note, as these “Over” has hit six times in those games.

- Indianapolis will aim to remain undefeated in a Sunday night tilt against the AFC South division rival Tennessee Titans.

The Colts are listed as 4-point road faves with an Over/Under of 45.5.

In the last eight games between the two, the Under has cashed seven times and the Over has paid out only once.

In Indy’s last 10 games in the month of October, they are 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS while Tennessee has struggled in its last eight games overall, going 1-7 SU and 2-6 ATS.

Check the NFL Odds

Enjoy the weekend football action.

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