Changes spice up SWAC competition

NCAA Football Betting Lines

07/20/2010 - Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prairie View A&M quarterback K.J. Black remembers - rather painfully, perhaps - some of the blitzes that came his way during Southwestern Athletic Conference play last season.

"It kind of woke me up," said the field general of the reigning SWAC champions, and the 2010 SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

It's not just Black. Everybody has to be on his toes in the SWAC, because everyone is watching each other.

A lot has been changing in the conference in recent years, starting, of course, with Prairie View winning the SWAC title last year for the first time since 1964. The Panthers' emergence is part of a trend of improvement among the Texas schools, if Texas Southern can raise its play under coach Johnnie Cole the way Prairie View has done under Henry Frazier III.

Yet really what stood out Tuesday at the SWAC Football Kickoff Luncheon and Media Day was how the coaches have been changing around the conference. In decades past, you used to know many of the head coaches would be graduates of their school, or that Eddie Robinson would be collecting black national championships at Grambling State or John Merritt would be winning games at Jackson State.

The trend in the SWAC, and really across college football, is to go younger with the coaches and try to reach for former NFL players and assistant coaches. In the 10-team SWAC, only two head coaches are on the sidelines of their alma maters, Cole and Alabama State's Reggie Barlow. And the 37-year-old Barlow, the former wide receiver and returner with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom he won a Super Bowl ring, could look across the room at former NFL player and assistant coach Stump Mitchell, the first-year head coach at Southern University.

Meanwhile, Alabama A&M's Anthony Jones, who is only his ninth season is the longest-tenured head coach in the SWAC, could look across the room to a former Super Bowl champion teammate, Arkansas-Pine Bluff head coach Monte Coleman, who, like Jones, played for the Washington Redskins.

Change, according to those in the know around the league, has been good.

"Put it this way," Jones said, "any time you make changes, you're making changes because you're expecting expectations to change. So when that happens, guys who are taking these jobs understand what they're walking into. Of course, their energy level will be different, their expectation level will be different.

"Any time you have guys who have played in the NFL, the best way to say it is they've been to the top. So they know what it's like to have some of the best facilities, they know what it's like to have some of the best equipment, some of the best people around, and so on. They know what it takes to win and be successful at a different level. So when that happens, they come into a situation, as they're coming into here, and they are requesting more resources into their programs."

Prairie View has seen what winning does for a program. Once a national laughingstock with a record 80 straight losses, the Panthers are 9-1 in each of the past two seasons and keep gaining national acclaim in the Football Championship Subdivision. They are the team to beat in the SWAC, not surprisingly anointed the preseason pick in the conference's preseason poll. Frazier, now in his seventh season with the Panthers, points to a win-now society for some of the changes across the conference.

The new coaches, Frazier said, are "bringing in their own philosophies and different things that may transcend what the universities have done in the past. It's one of those things that make for an interesting conference."

"The game's a young man's game for the most part because it's a grind," added Grambling State head coach Rod Broadway.

Naturally, the change in coaches brings a change in coaching styles, including more creativity - not the wing-T or options of yesteryear. The game is faster, with quarterbacks and wide receivers the ones to watch more so than the running backs. Defensively, it's all about being aggressive, as Black will attest from the blitzes he faced after he transferred to Prairie View from Western Kentucky of the Sun Belt Conference.

"In this league, which is really different from a lot of other places," Barlow said, "if you have a hundred-yard rusher, you don't turn the ball over, you control the clock, in this league you lose. In most leagues, that usually means you win."

The 51-year-old Mitchell, who spent 21 seasons in the NFL as a player and assistant coach, doesn't come aboard as a younger head coach, but his background is something that aids in recruiting. Mitchell is all business, and young players can see what that has done for him.

"It gives these players that we're coaching the opportunity to just work hard and just dream. That's the bottom line, they have to dream," Mitchell said. "Most of these coaches that have played in the NFL, you see why they played in the NFL because they're big. Now I'm one of the smaller ones. With my guys, they all feel like, well, 'Man, he played in the NFL? I think Google is wrong.' They Google me 10, 15 times to see if I'm the same guy. It just shows them that discipline is real; it can get you places that the undisciplined guy can't get regardless of how talented he is."

"I think it's a positive," Coleman added about the changes in the conference. "It helps the SWAC out, it shows the good brand of football that the SWAC is."

Prairie View, behind Black, led the SWAC with 10 selections on the preseason first and second teams, which were selected by coaches, sports information directors and selected media across the conference. In fact, the Panthers' eight first-team selections surpassed the number that any other school had on both teams.

Grambling senior defensive end Christian Anthony was named the SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and helped the Tigers to seven overall selections, which tied Texas Southern for the second most.

Alabama A&M was selected to repeat as the Eastern Division champion and to again face Prairie View in the SWAC Championship here at Legion Field on Dec. 11.

SWAC PRESEASON POLL (Coaches, Media, and selected Sports Information Directors)

Eastern Division 1. Alabama A&M (15 first-place votes), 98 points 2. Jackson State (5), 86 3. Alcorn State (2), 69 4. Alabama State, 50 5. Mississippi Valley State, 27

Western Division 1. Prairie View A&M (17), 104 2. Grambling State (2), 79 3. Texas Southern (2), 69 4. Southern, 42 5. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1), 37

PRESEASON SWAC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

Offensive Player of the Year - K.J. Black, QB, Prairie View A&M Defensive Player of the Year - Christian Anthony, DE, Grambling State

First Team

Offense

OL- Russell Jackson, Alabama A&M; James Dekle, Prairie View A&M; Tim Tusey, Prairie View A&M; Ramon Chinyoung, Southern; Charles Smith, Texas Southern. RB- Frank Warren, Grambling State; Donald Babers, Prairie View A&M. WR- Nick Andrews, Alabama State; William Osbourn, Texas Southern; TE- Ryan Singleton, Alcorn State. QB- K.J. Black, Prairie View A&M

Defense DL- Frank Kearse, Alabama A&M; Christian Anthony, Grambling State; Donovan Robinson, Jackson State; Quinton Spears, Prairie View A&M. LB- Afu Okosun, Alabama A&M; Cliff Exama, Grambling State; Max Sencherey, Prairie View A&M. DB- Anthony Johnson, Jackson State; Kerry Hoskins, Jackson State; Chris Adingupu, Prairie View A&M; Jason House, Southern

Specialists PK- Ari Johnson, Grambling State; P- Pedro Ventura, Prairie View A&M; KR- Kiare Thompson, Grambling State

Second Team

Offense

OL- Anquez Jackson, Alabama A&M; Bruce Beal, Alabama State; Antonio Colston, Jackson State; Terrael Williams, Jackson State; Chris Browne, Southern. RB- Cornelius Walker, Grambling State; Martin Gilbert, Texas Southern. WR- Edward Johnson, Alcorn State; Shaun Stephens, Prairie View A&M. TE- Larry Donnell, Grambling State. QB- Arvell Nelson, Southern

Defense

DL- Kynjee Cotton, Alabama State; Malcolm Taylor, Alcorn State; Reginald Foster, Mississippi Valley State; Rolando Melancon, Texas Southern. LB- Ryan Rich, Jackson State; Rory Malone, Mississippi Valley State; Dejuan Fulgham, Texas Southern. DB- Korey Morrison, Alabama A&M; Donovan Masline, Alabama State; Markkus Davis, Mississippi Valley State; DB- De'Markus Washington, Texas Southern

Specialists

PK- Brady Faggard, Prairie View A&M. P- Josh Duran, Southern. KR- Mareo Howard, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Ganblenet NCAA Football Betting News

<< Gerrard commits to Liverpool
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England captain Steven Gerrard ended speculation about his future Tuesday, committing to Liverpool following a meeting with new coach Roy Hodgson. Gerrard and Spain striker Fernando Torres have

<< Monmouth Park welcomes Horse of the Year
Oceanport, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra has safely arrived at Monmouth Park in preparation of her start in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile Lady's Secret Stakes. The four-year-old champion filly was taken from h

<< Tottenham, Arsenal ban vuvuzelas
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham became the first English Premier League club to ban vuvuzelas Tuesday, and fellow London side Arsenal followed suit. The vuvuzela, a plastic horn that produces a humming sound, was prominent a

<< Chelsea goalie Cech injures calf in training
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech had to leave training early Tuesday with a calf problem, putting his status for the start of the English Premier League season in doubt. Cech, 28, underwent scans Tuesday a

<< Phils option disappointing Kendrick to Triple-A
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies optioned struggling starter Kyle Kendrick to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, recalling pitcher Andrew Carpenter to take his place. Kendrick suffered the loss as the Phils dr

Kovalchuk happy to return to New Jersey >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils made it official on Tuesday and re-introduced superstar left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, who agreed to a 17-year contract worth a reported $102 million on Monday. Kovalchuk was acquired by

AL West: A's won't go down without a fight >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When it comes to predicting the American League West in recent years, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have done their best to eliminate any uncertainty by monopolizing the division for the past few seasons. Last year, t

Germany coach Loew signs two-year extension >>
Berlin, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany boss Joachim Loew signed a two-year extension Tuesday that will keep him with the team through Euro 2012. Loew, who took over after the 2006 World Cup, has led Germany to second place in Euro 2008

Juve's Iaquinta sidelined with thigh injury >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus striker Vincenzo Iaquinta will miss nearly all of preseason training with a thigh injury, the Italian club said on its website Tuesday. Iaquinta was initially injured in the FIFA World Cup playing f

Westermann to leave Schalke for Hamburg >>
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany defender Heiko Westermann is set to leave Schalke for Hamburg, according to Schalke coach Felix Magath. Westermann missed the recent FIFA World Cup with injury and the 26-year-old wants st

MySportsbook.com is an online sportsbook that aims to keep betting fun. The company sees itself as a premier provider of a top-shelf gambling entertainment experience. MySportsbook knows that this can not be accomplished if gamblers are struggling through the betting process, so the emphasis is put on simplicity and ease of use.

Established in 1997, MySportsbook was the first sportsbook to offer the Instant eCheck method, and has since continued on to be one of the most innovate and fastest growing internet sportsbooks the industry has seen. A player doesn’t have to look very far before coming across one of the many sportsbooks that have cloned MySportsbook’s written policies, web pages and advertising campaign, hoping to bottle some of MySportsbook’s magic.

Although MySportsbook’s growth is largely attributed to their talented in-house marketing team, every successful bookmaker will agree that bringing the players in is only half of the battle. In a time when most internet sportsbook were nickel-and-diming players, MySportsbook was creating ways to make bonuses automatic and absent of fine print, while offering all payouts free of charge. This sportsbook also accepts Visa & Mastercard sportsbook.

Almost everything on the online sportsbook site is set in the model of simplicity, making the CS clerk’s job easy as well. Each account action made online results in an automated email sent to the client. When calling MySportsbook, the player feels as if his call is in the united states as no accents can be heard through a state of the art telecommunications system. Few online sportsbooks can compete with My Sportsbook when it comes to offering a fun and hassle-free experience to the small to moderate sized gambler.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards