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UFC 97: Redemption Is Sold Out

Feb 20, 2009

Ufc97

MONTREAL: For the second time in a row, the UFC® has sold out the Bell Centre in Montreal. Tickets for UFC 97: REDEMPTION are no longer available less than one week after they went on sale to the public. Now the only place to watch this star-studded event on Saturday, April 18, is on pay-per-view.

“I knew going back to Montreal would be another home run,” UFC President Dana White said. “Our Canadian fan base is incredibly strong and continues to grow even in these hard times. UFC events continue to bring a substantial economic impact to the city of Montreal. Tickets for this fight sold out faster than UFC 83 did last year.”

For the UFC’s last trip up to Montreal for UFC 83, more than 13,000 tickets were sold the first day through the UFC® Fight Club™ Presale. The eventual sellout last year and this year’s record sellout cement Montreal as a true hub for mixed martial arts and the UFC.

Unstoppable UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will meet his toughest test to date when he faces submission specialist Thales Leites.

Also on the card, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will trade punches with another dangerous striker when he takes on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

UFC 97: REDEMPTION, presented by TapOut® will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).

In the world of mixed martial arts there is not a more feared striker than Anderson Silva (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil).

While posting an amazing eight-fight win streak in the UFC, the 33-year-old champion has stopped seven of those eight fights within two rounds, with only Patrick Cote seeing daylight in Round 3 before the champion earned the TKO victory at UFC 90.

With two impressive wins over former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, one over Nate Marquardt and a submission victory against former Pride® champion Dan Henderson, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is riding high heading into his match with Thales Leites.

“I’m looking forward to fighting in Montreal,” Silva said. “I have a lot of Canadian fans. Thales is a very tough opponent, and it’s going to be a great fight.”

Winner of his last five UFC matches, 27-year-old Thales Leites (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is truly hitting his stride in the world of mixed martial arts. With a split decision victory against Marquardt, submission victories over Ryan Jensen and Floyd Sword and most recently Drew McFedries, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt could be Silva’s greatest test on the ground to date.

“I feel great about this fight and I will be one hundred percent for sure.” Leites said. “I did my job to get recognized by the UFC, and this will be the fight of my life. I know Anderson Silva is a very, very tough guy, but I know that I can do it.”

There are a few names that are synonymous with the UFC and Chuck Liddell (fighting out of San Luis Obispo) is one of those.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion is coming off a loss to the division’s present title holder, Rashad Evans, and is looking to recapture the magic that saw him win an amazing 14 of 15 UFC matches from 1999-2006. The 39-year-old is now focused on getting back on another winning streak.

“I’m very excited about fighting Shogun,” Liddell said. “It’s another step in getting back my title. I’m going to hit him hard and I plan on knocking him out. The Canadian fans have been great for years. They are some of the most exciting fans in the world.”

With an impressive resume overseas, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) is starting to make a name for himself in the UFC. The 27-year-old is coming off a TKO victory against former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman at UFC 93 and is excited at the opportunity to fight a legend.

“It is an honor to fight Chuck Liddell, one of the greatest light heavyweights ever in the UFC,” Rua said. “I have a lot of respect for him, and I am very excited to fight him. I like to keep myself challenged, and this fight with Chuck is definitely a big fight for me and for UFC fans.”

A Final Word on Pace in 2008 College Football

Feb 20, 2009

The past four days I’ve posted topics on how pace affected football in 2008. The primary impetus for doing the series was to put Oklahoma and Tulsa in their proper historical context.

Oklahoma scored the most points ever in a season, and Tulsa gained the most total yards ever in a season. When two records like that fall in the same season, especially one where a clock rule change reduced plays per game and scoring from the old rules, it’s worth taking a look to see why that might have happened.

The easiest answer is that both OU and Tulsa played in 14 games. The 12th game added to the schedule earlier this decade, when combined with conference championship games and bowls stats counting towards season totals, basically meant that it was a matter of time before some of these records fell. Anything set back when the season had only 11 games and bowl stats didn’t count towards season stats was doomed.

The extra game doesn’t tell the whole story, though. Each of these records, both points scored and yards gained, were set by 2006 Hawai’i. That team played 14 games, and that season’s clock rules lowered plays per game and scoring even more than 2008’s clock rules did. The extra game helped OU and Tulsa pass most teams, but it was not the deciding factor in breaking the records.

That is where playing at a faster pace comes in.

There are distinct advantages to running a hurry-up offense full-time beyond just getting more opportunities to score. When you go at a faster pace, you can disrupt the defense and gain an advantage. The defense may not be set every time, and it will not be able to substitute as often. Plus, your team is better conditioned to play at the faster pace than a team that doesn’t, so you can tire out the other side too.

Whether each team has six drives apiece or 15 drives apiece during a game, you still want to score on more of them than the other guy. Cranking up the pace is done with the idea of gaining an advantage that you cannot get at a normal pace and exploiting it to score more often than the other team.

Oklahoma chose to turn up the pace in response to the new 40-second play clock. Gus Malzahn of Tulsa has long been a proponent of the hurry-up, and you can purchase his book on the topic on Amazon. The end result of each team’s fast-paced attack was two big records falling.

As I mentioned yesterday, 1989 Houston still holds the record for points per game. That 2006 Hawai’i team that used to hold the total yards and points records still holds the yards per play record at 8.6 as well. Since Tulsa and Oklahoma do not now hold the rate records, only the total records, it is reasonable to conclude that the records fell almost entirely because of each team’s fast pace allowing them to run more plays than teams in the past.

I want to be clear about one thing though. I am not trying to bring down either of these teams. Each turned in remarkable offensive seasons that are among the greatest college football has ever seen.

There also is no way of knowing if those Houston and Hawai’i teams of the past could have kept up their rates at the faster pace either. After all, 1970 Notre Dame holds the plays per game record at an astonishing 92.4, but that Irish team doesn’t hold any other records to go with it. It’s one thing to theorize what a team could do, but it’s another to actually do it.

Bill Simmons of ESPN.com wrote a piece recently on the way that Mike D’Antoni’s “seven seconds or less” offense affected stats in the NBA. The most dramatic effect was taking Steve Nash and turning him from a good point guard into one of only nine players ever to win back-to-back MVPs. Simmons then showed that Nash’s stats from this year without D’Antoni are nearly identical to his stats from his pre-D’Antoni Dallas days.

As a fan, I have absolutely nothing against fast-paced offenses. I loved watching D’Antoni’s Phoenix Suns teams, and what I got to see from Oklahoma and Tulsa this year was very exciting as well. Kevin Wilson and Gus Malzahn appeared to maximize the talent they had with their uptempo schemes, and that’s a beautiful thing to see any time it happens.

At the same time, it’s important to realize the distinction between the NBA and college football. What people think doesn’t matter in the team sense in the NBA thanks to the league having a playoff. College football determines its champion largely thanks to opinion polls, so what people think does matter.

I can’t think of a year in which what people thought mattered more than it did with Oklahoma and Texas this year. I don’t mean to rehash old news, but Oklahoma’s impressive scores were largely the reason why it passed up the Texas team that beat it earlier in the year. That then allowed Oklahoma to go to the Big 12 title game and on to the BCS title game.

It’s possible that had OU operated at a slower pace and didn’t put up 60 points in five straight games, it might not have passed up UT. If that doesn’t happen, Texas likely beats Mizzou in the Big 12 title game and goes on to play Florida for the national title.

There’s no way to know, but Texas could have beaten Florida and won the national title. If Texas makes the national title game, then Colt McCoy probably wins the Heisman trophy as well. So, not only did pace potentially affect the Heisman race, as it affected the NBA’s MVP race, but it also potentially affected the championship.

It’s not likely we’ll ever get all of the voters to look at efficiency stats like points per play or points per drive instead of final scores, so as long as the BCS exists, this same thing can happen again. The moral of the story is that cranking up the pace is a fantastic way to game the system if you can pull it off, and for the record, I’m all for gaming the system.

The 2008 Oklahoma and Tulsa offenses are the two most prolific we’ve ever seen at generating points and yards. They were special, and no one can deny that. They were not uniquely special in the annals of the game, though, and that’s the takeaway for thinking about the ‘08 season in historical context.

2008 College Football Yardage at Oklahoma's Pace

Feb 18, 2009

Pace was one of the hot button issues in the 2008 college football season. Oklahoma's highly publicized switch to a fast-paced offense in reaction to the new clock rules was the major reason for it. The Sooners ended up leading the country in plays at 1,106 (79 per game), and they set a record with 716 total points scored.

The Sooners weren't the only team to crank it up. Tulsa, under no-huddle guru Gus Malzahn, was second in plays behind OU, and Houston, TCU, and Nevada also broke 1,000 plays for the season.

The average number of plays per team for the whole season was 858.52. The average number of games played was 12.68. Therefore, the average number of plays per game for any given team was 67.7.

But what if everyone played at Oklahoma's pace? Here is a look at what the top 10 yardage gainers would look like if everyone ran 79 offensive plays a game.

Top 10 Yards per Game at Oklahoma's Pace
Team Total Yds Yds/Game Yds/Play Adj. Total Yds Adj. Yds/Game
Tulsa7,978569.867.278,043574.53
Houston7,316562.777.207,395568.86
Florida6,231445.077.137,885563.21
Texas Tech6,903531.007.057,241557.03
Oklahoma St.6,340487.696.987,171551.61
Oklahoma7,760547.866.937,670547.86
Missouri6,778484.146.907,634545.28
Georgia5,538426.006.706,886529.66
Ball St.6,195442.506.707,407529.09
USC5,911454.696.636,813524.10

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane tops the list at an incredible 8,043 yards for the season. The all-time record, if you're wondering, was 7,826 set by 2006 Hawai'i before Tulsa broke it with its actual 7,978 yards in 2008. However, the per-game record of 624.9 set by 1989 Houston is still safe in theory as well as in actuality.

The appearance of two SEC teams on this list, while not appearing on the actual list, shows that run-first, slower-paced conferences can still produce some efficient offenses. That fact was lost on a lot of people when picking the national title game, as many saw Oklahoma as clearly the better offensive team. The Sooners were definitely more prolific, but we can see here that the Gators were more efficient.

Everyone on this list averaged more than 524 yards a game at Oklahoma's pace. In real life, only four teams averaged that much: Tulsa, Houston, Texas Tech, and OU. Only one other team, Nevada, averaged more than 500 real yards a game.

The presence of Georgia, Ball State, and USC also show that pro-style offenses can be highly efficient, just like the spread offenses that are all the rage. You likely won't hit Gus Malzahn-like pinball numbers, but there is something to be said for doing it the old-fashioned way. It still gets the job done.

I don't know if we can really learn much from this, but it's still fun to look at and think about how close Tulsa was to getting to eight grand. Malzahn may have left Tulsa for Auburn, but Oklahoma returns a lot of tools from its team last season.

What do you say, Bob Stoops and Kevin Wilson? Why not make a run at 8,000 yards next year?

Class of 2010: The Jim Stefani 600 - Kickers & Punters

Feb 18, 2009

Kickers

Report sorting by: Class, Pos-Coll, Rating(descending), Rk-Nat, State, City/School

Name Pos-Coll Ht. Wt. 40 City/School State College Commitment Rk-Nat Rating Top Offers Class
Cody ParkeyPK6′0180 JupiterFloridaAuburn15AUB2010
Cade FosterPK6′12055.03Southlake CarrollTexas 25x2010
Parker FlynnPK5′11170 Orange LutheranCalifornia 35x2010
Nick DiazPK5′9180 Redondo Beach RedondoCalifornia 45x2010
Ronnie DohertyPK6′0165 KleinTexas 55x2010
Kyle FrenchPK6′2205 Menomonee FallsWisconsin 65x2010
Drew BasilPK6′1175 ChillicotheOhio 75x2010
Kip SmithPK5′10165 Broomfield LegacyColorado 85x2010
Jordan WilliamsonPK5′8140 Austin Round Rock WestwoodTexas 95x2010
Mike PalardyPK6′1175 Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas AquinasFlorida 105x2010
Michael HunnicuttPK6′0175 Richardson PearceTexas 115x2010
Justin MoorePK5′10155 Atlanta MaristGeorgia 125x2010
Zach OlenPK5′11208 Richardson BerknerTexas 135x2010
Thomas MoorePK5′11190 Chapel Hill East Chapel HillNorth Carolina 145x2010
Corey AcostaPK6′0176 Memphis Christian BrothersTennessee 155x2010
Jason DannPK6′0160 Dallas Lake HighlandsTexas 165x2010
Craig McMahonPK6′0165 BakersfieldCalifornia 175x2010
Nolan KohorstPK6′0165 Henderson Green ValleyNevada 185UNLV2010
Ross KrautmanPK5′7150 Franklin Lakes RamapoNew Jersey 195x2010

Punters

Report sorting by: Class, Pos-Coll, Rating(descending), Rk-Nat, State, City/School

Name Pos-Coll Ht. Wt. 40 City/School State College Commitment Rk-Nat Rating Top Offers Class
Matt DarrP6′2215 Bakersfield FrontierCalifornia 15x2010
William HagerupP6′4210 Whitefish BayWisconsin 25IA ST, PUR2010
Cole WayP6′8180 Tulsa UnionOklahoma 35x2010
Cody WebsterP6′4180 Harrisburg Central Dauphin EastPennsylvania 45x2010
Brixx HawthorneP5′91634.71CumbyTexas 55x2010
Sam MyersP6′3195 Charlotte LatinNorth Carolina 65x2010
Tyler SousaP6′6215 Pasadena ChesapeakeMaryland 75x2010
Taylor RossomP   HuntingtonTexas 85x2010
Joe MansourP6′2170 LaGrangeGeorgia 95x2010

College Basketball Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: February 14th 2009

Feb 13, 2009

If you are looking for college basketball picks for Saturday, February 14th 2009, you have come to the right place. Touthouse.com basketball handicapper specialize in college basketball betting predictions and have your winning picks today. Take a look below at some of the amazing run our CBB experts are on this year. Visit Touthouse.com today for current college basketball odds as well as free basketball picks from our handicappers each day.

Rocketman is on an 8-2 NCAA Basketball Betting Streak
After winning again Thursday and Friday Night, The Rocket is on a 4-0, 8-2 and long term a 41-26 CBB Run. Rocketman has won 59% of NCAAB Winners this year and is up $34,000 for his CBB Dime Bettors this 2008 CBB campaign. He is also 66% in his CBB Best Bets this year and has not had a big play yet. Last year saw The Rocket go 63-35 64.29% in the regular season and 9-1 90% in March Madness. That’s 72-36 67% winners overall in College Basketball last season. A Dime player made $92,000 last year and Rocketman has won 9 of his 12 years of betting College Basketball with one of those losing years being a break dead even season.

Jay is on a HUGE 26-11 College Basketball Best Bet Run
Jay is one of the nations Top College Hoops Experts, winning his last 6 years and up $18,000 for his CBB 2008/9 dime bettors. Jay is on a 3-1 26-11 CBB Best Bet Run and his CBB Best Bets are 26-14 on the year and 67-44 (61%) in 2 years. His CBB Top bets are on a 9-3 run and his Totals are 62% on the season and on an 19-10 run

Prez has made $66K for NCAA Basketball Dime Bettors
There is no-better NCAAB Expert on the planet and Prez is 99-77 and making dime bettors $66,000 this CBB season. READ THIS: Prez has won 21 of his last 33 Days of CBB Betting and over his 56 days of releasing CBB Plays has cashed over 60% of his cards. Currently, Lawrence is on an 87-64 CBB Run and including last year, a 123-88 College Hoops Run. His College Hoops Side Bets are on a 61-42 CBB sides run and are 60% on the season. His Best Bets are on a 34-21 run and are 43-27 this year and 47-30 (62%) in 2 years of CBB Bests. His Top Bets are on a 4-0 Run and are 4-1 this year and 5-1 in 2 years of CBB Top Winners. Over the last 2 years of CBB, Prez is 58% in all his NCAAB bets and his Side winners are 89-59 (61%) in 2 years. No-one will make more cash than Prez in this sport and you can take that to the Bank.

Burns has won 12 of his last 15 College Basketball Cards
The documented champ brings his winning ways to the hard court. Ben Burns is back at W2BO for another Profitabe season of CBB Betting and he wants you on board. You’ve seen him DOMINATE everything from NHL to NFL, and now Ben is setting his sights on the Easy Profit CBB can Bring. Get your bankroll ready as Ben after winning Friday has won 12 of his last 15 CBB cards and is on a 15-7 CBB run heading into Saturday.

CLICK HERE TO BUY SATURDAY’S WINNING COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREDICTIONS

Exclusive Interview With No. 1 Ball in Golf

Feb 5, 2009

LAST WEEK TITLEIST RETURNED to the PGA Merchandise Show for the first time since 2003. In a telephone interview, ARMCHAIR GOLF talked with the Titleist Pro V1® about its appearance at the show and outlook for the new season.

Q: How was the show for you?

TITLEIST PRO V1: Spending all that time indoors on those synthetic surfaces is always kind of weird, but I do the promotional work without complaint. It’s part of the deal. I accept it.

Q: Any highlights?

TITLEIST PRO V1: Paula Creamer.

Q: Lowlights?

TITLEIST PRO V1: Cuts to the expense account.

Q: Talk about your outlook for this season. Are you concerned about the economy?

TITLEIST PRO V1: Not really.

Q: At the merchandise show, Lorena Ochoa said players need to commit to make an extra effort in the current economic environment.

TITLEIST PRO V1: Who?

Q: Lorena Ochoa.

TITLEIST PRO V1: Oh, Ochoa. Nice kid. But she doesn’t play me, a real shame.

Q: Do you think you also need to make an extra effort?

TITLEIST PRO V1: You’re joking, right? I go to the merchandise show, do all the commercials, compete and win on worldwide tours week in and week out. You want me to do more? I can’t believe my agent agreed to this. I’m the No. 1 ball in golf. I think that speaks for itself.

Q: Just asking the question. Maybe we should switch gears. What’s your favorite grass?

TITLEIST PRO V1: Bentgrass. Nothing feels better.

Q: What about Bermuda? I know you spend a lot of time in Florida, especially in the winter.

TITLEIST PRO V1: I’m allergic to Bermuda. I love Florida, though.

Q: Really? That’s kind of odd, isn’t it? A golf ball allergic to Bermuda grass.

TITLEIST PRO V1: I don’t have any control over how I’m made or what goes on at the factory. All I can tell you is Bermuda makes me itch like a Cub Scout with a bad case of poison ivy.

Q: How are you able to compete in all those tournaments played on Bermuda?

TITLEIST PRO V1: I take something for it. Are we about done?

Q: Last question: What can you tell us about Rory McIlroy?

TITLEIST PRO V1: He won at Dubai, of course. Great kid, great talent and he plays me, so he has a bright future.

Q: Thanks.

TITLEIST PRO V1: You’re welcome.

Related:
Q&A: The No. 1 Ball in Golf

Is it Spring Training Yet?

Jan 24, 2009

The winter feels like an eternity without America’s Pastime. Football leaves fans with one day per week to be excited for, as opposed to the six or seven that baseball programs them to expect. Baseball season also allows for a quicker emotional rebound. It takes just twenty-four hours to wash the bitter taste of defeat from their mouths, as each day leaves their team with another chance.

As the Yankees officially moved their offices across the street to the new Yankee Stadium, fans were reminded that it is almost time to dust off their favorite jersey. It is almost time to stop debating about the upcoming season and successes in free agency, and begin to observe the final product first hand.

Valentine’s Day is centered on true and genuine passion, a day to express how much you love what matters most to you. After all, one-third of all the diamonds sold during the year are given out on February 14th.

What better date could have been chosen for the official start of spring training? Pitchers and catchers will report to Tampa on Valentine’s Day, risking the wrath of a woman scorned as a result of leaving their girlfriends and wives behind. While it may not involve chocolate, roses, and Hallmark cards, fans have the opportunity to show how much they truly care…about baseball.

The abrupt ending to the 2008 season left Yankee supporters with a long list of questions and concerns. Will A-Rod ever translate his MVP status to big games in Sept. and Oct.? Will Jorge Posada ever provide stability at the catcher position again? How will frail veterans Matsui and Damon hold up? Has Cano been exposed? Are Jeter’s best days behind him?

The offseason has helped to quiet many of the concerns, but the free agent frenzy has left fans with a few more. Are injuries going to continue to decimate the pitching staff, especially following the AJ Burnett signing? Will all those extra innings ever catch up to CC’s golden arm?

Regardless of these fears, it is important to remember that this is New York. It is a city with a sports foundation built on confidence, arrogance to a degree, and a steadfast sense of entitlement. Every single baseball season begins with a tunnel vision view toward October.

Yankees fans and players can finally begin to prepare for the long haul that is MLB’s regular season. They can look forward to the opening of their new stadium, otherwise referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World. October dreams once again have the chance to become a reality.

Valentine’s Day will mean much more to New York this year than simply hugs and kisses. The smiles, pounding hearts, love, and possibly even tears of joy will still all be there. The difference is, for the biggest of Yankees fans, Cupid’s arrow hit us when we were standing outside of the House that Ruth Built.

NFL Divisional Playoffs Injury Report from a Chick

Jan 10, 2009


Written by CK0712

The National Football League injury report, as provided by the league .

(OUT — Definitely will not play; DNP — Did not practice; LIMITED — Limited participation in practice; FULL — Full participation in practice):

SATURDAY
BALTIMORE RAVENS at TENNESSEE TITANS
RAVENS: OUT: LB Antwan Barnes (chest). QUESTIONABLE: DT Justin Bannan (foot), TE Todd Heap (back), LB Jarret Johnson (calf), WR Derrick Mason (shoulder), S Ed Reed (knee, illness), CB Samari Rolle (thigh), K Matt Stover (right ankle), CB Fabian Washington (neck).

TITANS: OUT: DE Dave Ball (back), C Kevin Mawae (elbow). QUESTIONABLE: S Tuff Harris (calf). PROBABLE: CB Nicholas Harper (groin), DT Albert Haynesworth (knee), TE Bo Scaife (illness), LB David Thornton (hip), DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (groin).

ARIZONA CARDINALS at CAROLINA PANTHERS
CARDINALS: QUESTIONABLE: WR Anquan Boldin (hamstring), DE Travis LaBoy (ankle), TE Ben Patrick (knee). PROBABLE: TE Leonard Pope (knee).

PANTHERS: QUESTIONABLE: C Geoff Hangartner (ankle). PROBABLE: DT Ma’ake Kemoeatu (ankle), DT Damione Lewis (shoulder), T Jeff Otah (toe).

SUNDAY
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at NEW YORK GIANTS
EAGLES: OUT: G Shawn Andrews (back). DOUBTFUL: RB Dan Klecko (shoulder). QUESTIONABLE: T Jon Runyan (knee). PROBABLE: DE Victor Abiamiri (foot), LB Stewart Bradley (rib), S Brian Dawkins (back), S Quintin Demps (quadricep), G Todd Herremans (shoulder), CB Asante Samuel (hip), TE L.J. Smith (shoulder), RB Brian Westbrook (knee).

GIANTS: PROBABLE: LB Zak DeOssie (back), DE Justin Tuck (lower leg, knee).

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS at PITTSBURGH STEELERS 
CHARGERS: DOUBTFUL: RB LaDainian Tomlinson (groin). QUESTIONABLE: TE Antonio Gates (ankle, achilles). PROBABLE: K Nate Kaeding (right groin), LB Brandon Siler (foot).

STEELERS: PROBABLE: QB Ben Roethlisberger (concussion).

GMAC Bowl: Ball State vs. Tulsa Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions

Jan 6, 2009

The Ball State Cardinals look for their first bowl victory in school history when they play the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the GMAC Bowl on January 6th 2009. This will be the seventh bowl game for the Cardinals, who have an 0-5-1 record in the previous six appearances. Last year the Cardinals didn’t play well against Rutgers in the International Bowl, losing to the Scarlet Knights by a score of 52-30. This will be the 17th bowl game appearance for the Golden Hurricane, who have posted a losing 6-9 record in bowl play. The team’s sixth win came this past season, as Tulsa routed Bowling Green by a score of 63-7 in this same bowl game.

5dimes.com oddsmakers currently have Tulsa set as 3 point betting odds favorites against Ball State in this year’s GMAC Bowl with the games over/under currently posted at 74 total points.

Ball State vs. Tulsa: Click Here for Winning Bowl Game Picks
Visit Touthouse.com for more college football predictions

Here are some betting trends to consider in this year’s GMAC Bowl:
Cardinals are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
Cardinals are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
Cardinals are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a S.U. loss.
Golden Hurricane are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games following a ATS loss.
Golden Hurricane are 3-8 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
Golden Hurricane are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.

Click here for current GMAC Bowl betting predictions

Tulsa-Ball State: Mitch Picks the GMAC Bowl—Jan. 6, 2009

Jan 5, 2009

The GMAC Bowl: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama

Ball State (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3)

Jan. 6, 2008, 8 EST

The Line: Tulsa -3


Overview

For those looking for an offensive show, they may have come to the right place. These are two teams who have put up points all year long and look to finish out the season with more of the same and a bowl victory.

While I'm not sure this is where either of these teams truly wanted to be, as they were both double-digit favorites in their losses in their conference championship games, they are in a nice bowl at least as far as matchups go.

Ball State saw their dream of an undefeated season go down the tubes with three lost fumbles that went the distance for six the other way in the MAC Championship game against Buffalo. While the Cardinals weren't in BCS consideration, as their strength of schedule wasn't considered tough enough, running the table is no small feat when playing an entire D-I schedule.

While Ball State had been tested for a half here and there over the course of the season, QB Nate Davis was always able to rally the team to victory, which in the end was by a comfortable margin. It is important to note that Ball State head coach Brady Hoke left before this game to take the same position at San Diego State and Stan Parrish will take over for this game.

Tulsa started the season looking like no one was going to beat them. It was an air show every weekend, with QB David Johnson putting up gigantic numbers and the offense putting up a lot of points week after week. The Golden Hurricane were somewhat exposed by Arkansas, who looked like they were twice the size of the Tulsa players when they lined up on the field.

While Tulsa's offense never slowed down, it was their defense that let them down in their three losses this season.

See Mitch's GMAC Bowl pick against the spread.

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