Guess Your Number!

Baseball is grabbing a little of the spotlight, but it’s still football that still takes center stage in October.

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 sportsbook 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 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.

Enjoy the weekend football action.

Along with the holiday season comes NCAA bowl season, which kicks off this week and runs through to January 7th, when the BCS Championship game will crown a champion for the 2009 season.

The New Mexico Bowl gets the first taste of the Bowl spotlight with its date this Saturday night.

It features a matchup of the Fresno State Bulldogs taking on the Wyoming Cowboys. sportsbook have installed the Bulldogs as 12.5-point favorites, with an Over/Under of 55.

Bowl Game Trends:

- Fresno State has not thrived when favored by more than 8-points, going 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games with that situation.

- Wyoming has been solid in their last eight games when listed as an underdog in general – the Cowboys are 6-2 ATS in such situations.

SPORTSBETTING.com is reporting 70% of all the betting action on this bowl game so far has come in on the favored Bulldogs.

St. Petersburg Bowl

Also on Saturday, a bowl game that harkens back to the Middle Ages with the University of Central Florida Knights and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights meeting in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

The line in this one is much tighter with Rutgers favored by 2.5-points and the Total at 44.5.

The Scarlet Knights are -140 on the moneyline and in their last 20 games overall are 15-5 straight up.

The UCF Knights (+120 on the ML) are a decent 7-4 SU in their last 11 games overall but have been a very profitable 9-2 ATS in their last 11 starts.

Meanwhile, Rutgers has been atrocious when favored by 4-points or less, going 2-7 ATS in their last nine in that situation.

Central Florida is 8-4 ATS in their last 12 when an underdog of 4-points or less.

Sportsbook Online are reporting a lean to the Scarlet Knights in betting action to this point, with Rutgers getting 57% of the volume.

Maaco Bowl Las Vegas

The 3.5-point favorite Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles will take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders on Sunday in the New Orleans Bowl but a more intriguing bowl takes place the following Tuesday when the No. 18 Oregon State battle the No. 14 Brigham Young Cougars in the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas.

The Beavers are favored by 2.5-points with the Total set at 61.

While Oregon State wanted a spot in a January bowl game (the Rose Bowl) it had to settle for one in December and bettors might want to look at their December numbers, as they are quite impressive.

OSU is 7-1 SU and ATS in their last eight December games and in their last 12 in that month are 9-3 ATS.

The Cougars, on the other hand, are 3-9 ATS in 12 December games dating back to 1996.

In the Beavers’ last 20 games when favored by 4-points or less, they are 15-5 SU.

The appetizers are being served and that should only whet the appetites of bettors leading up to the big January 1st and all the BCS bowl games.

Enjoy the Bowl season kick-off.