Montana ascends to No. 1
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/06/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The move was only one spot, but it was a
big one for the University of Montana football team as the Grizzlies advanced
to No. 1 in The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 on Monday.
Montana was selected second in the preseason poll, but moved to No. 1 following
its 73-2, season-opening rout of Western State and preseason No. 1 Villanova's
31-24 loss to FBS opponent Temple.
Villanova, the defending FCS national champion, didn't fall far as it was
voted second in this week's poll by a panel of sports information and media
relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. Montana had
57 of the 126 first-place votes and 3,052 points, while Villanova collected 46
first-place votes and 2,886 points.
Montana opened its season by tying an NCAA record with four interception
returns for touchdowns against Western State. The Big Sky Conference power has
finished as the national runner-up in each of the past two seasons, including
a 23-21 loss to Villanova last December, and has a new head coach in Robin
Pflugrad.
Appalachian State remained at No. 3, and Southern Illinois moved up one spot to
No. 4. The biggest mover in the Top 25 was Jacksonville State, which rose 12
spots to No. 5 following its 49-48, double-overtime win at Ole Miss. Coach Jack
Crowe's Gamecocks received nine first-place votes for their victory over an FBS
program.
The rest of the Top 10 was New Hampshire at No. 6, followed by Richmond, Elon,
South Dakota State and Stephen F. Austin.
In an opening week in which many FCS programs took on FBS programs, William &
Mary was the only team in the Preseason Top 25 to fall to a fellow FCS program,
a 27-23 loss to CAA Football rival Massachusetts. William & Mary, a national
semifinalist last year, fell seven spots to No. 11. Massachusetts broke into
the poll at No. 18.
James Madison was No. 12, followed by McNeese State, Northern Iowa, South
Carolina State, Delaware, Eastern Washington, Massachusetts, Liberty and Weber
State.
North Dakota State joined UMass as the other new entry into the Top 25,
grabbing No. 21 after its 6-3 win at University of Kansas. The Bison were
followed in the Top 25 by Prairie View A&M at No. 22, then Eastern Illinois,
Montana State and Colgate.
The two teams that fell out of the Top 25 received the next-highest vote
totals - Holy Cross, which won its opener, and Penn, which was idle.
The Top 25 will be released every Monday afternoon during the regular season,
apart from the final weekend when it will be released on Sunday, Nov. 21, due
to its use as an official tool by the NCAA Division I Football Committee in
selecting the 20-team playoff field.
The Sportsbook Betting Lines and Fathead.com will release a final Top 25 following the
FCS championship game, which will be held Jan. 7 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco,
Texas.
The night before the FCS championship game, The Sportsbook Betting Lines will present
the Walter Payton (outstanding FCS player) Buck Buchanan (outstanding FCS
defensive player) and Eddie Robinson (outstanding FCS coach) awards, which are
sponsored by Fathead.
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Pacific-10 Conference odds
Teams that should be in: Stanford
 Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State
 It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do:
Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.
Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.
Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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