Can the Portland Trail Blazers defuse the Rockets in Houston?

The Portland Trail Blazers need to be at the top of their game against Houston.

The Rockets have a six-game winning streak at this stage of the 2007-08 NBA basketball season, and coming to their game against the Portland Trail Blazers this Monday, they should be the heavy favorites to win BIG.

Aside from that six-game winning streak, the Houston Rockets won nine of their last ten games. They are still sitting next to last in the very competitive Southwest division but I’m betting these guys will soon find their way back on top if they keep on playing like the way they did the last few games.

Against the Atlanta Hawks last weekend, the Rockets showed the Atlanta Hawks just how hot they really are heading to the All-Star break. Yao Ming came up with a game-high 28 points in bashing the Hawks down to score their longest winning streak since the 2004-05 season.

Tracy McGrady, on the other hand, dropped 15 points and 8 assists to help his team get back on their feet. You see, Houston was 13-15 in December. How are they doing this 2008? They’ve won 15 of 19 contests.

‘’We’ve put ourselves in a great position to keep on moving up,'’ Tracy McGrady said. ‘’We’re playing extremely well and we didn’t want to take them lightly. It’s all about business and taking care of home court.'’

‘’We understand the task at hand. There’s no reason for us to go out there and blow these games.'’

THAT, if you’re in the Western Conference, could very well be an understatement considering the fact that almost every single team in the West can beat anybody. Not to mention the return of Shaquille O’Neal in this part of the globe.

The Portland Trail Blazers, after simply catching fire the past few weeks, are having all sorts of problems lately. They have only won four of their last six contests after dropping two straight games.

Expect Houston to take advantage.

Who will win the NBA title in the 2007-08 NBA basketball season? AcesAce Sportsbook has the odds.

San Antonio Spurs EVEN +350

Cleveland Cavaliers EVEN +1,300

Boston Celtics EVEN +450

Detroit Pistons EVEN +1,000

Want more odds? Visit Bodog for more basketball betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today’s biggest sporting events.

Houston Rockets Portland Trail Blazers

2007 Las Vegas Bowl: UCLA Bruins V BYU Cougars

Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas! (Or something like that...)

Yep, those college kids will be coming to Las Vegas while their moms probably hope their kids will go there to watch a football game between the UCLA Bruins and the BYU Cougars, staying away from all those blackjack tables and slot machines.

Oh yes, the UCLA Bruins will be playing the Brigham Young Cougars in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl at the Sam Boyd Stadium. Of course, those college kids I mentioned will still be gambling. He he...

The Brigham Young Cougars look to extend a nine-game winning streak when they face the stumbling UCLA Bruins. Considered as one of the nation's most balanced teams, the Brigham Young Cougars posted 458 yards of total offense per game under new quarterback Max Hall, compared to the 465 it averaged during John Beck's final campaign.

Brigham Young Cougars running back Harvey Unga was another dominant new face in the Cougars attack, totaling 1,840 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns in his red shirt freshman season.

Brigham Young sophomore defensive end Jan Jorgensen leads the BYU defense after pacing the Mountain West in both quarterback sacks and tackles for losses.

At the other side of the field, health problems and inconsistent quarterback play have been hurting the UCLA Bruins all season long. ''Certainly the issues of injuries came into play this year, but the concerns that have plagued us just in a general sense relate to inconsistent play,'' UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said.

The UCLA Bruins have been much more consistent in their ground game, rushing for 1,801 yards and 12 touchdowns. UCLA Bruins running backs Kahlil Bell and Chris Markey split time at the HB spot, combining for a total of 1,393 yards.

The UCLA Bruins is the first Pac-10 team to play in three Las Vegas Bowls, having defeated New Mexico 27-13 in 2002 and losing 24-21 to Wyoming two years later.

Who will win the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl Game between the Florida Atlantic Owls and the Memphis Tigers? AcesAce Sportsbook has the odds.

UCLA Bruins +5.5

BYU Cougars -5.5

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more college football betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

UCLA Bruins BYU Cougars

2007 New Orleans Bowl: Memphis V Florida Atlantic

How about that, those guys are still milking the Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans thing...

On Friday, as the New Orleans Saints try to keep their playoff hopes alive, a championship will be decided as the Memphis Tigers take on the Florida Atlantic Owls at the Superdome for the 2007 New Orleans Bowl.

Led by Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Owls will try to help their coach improve to 5-0 since becoming a head coach in bowl games, though he has not appeared in one since leading Louisville to a Liberty Bowl win over Michigan State in 1993. Howard Schnellenberger's most notable postseason appearance was a 1983 Orange Bowl win over Nebraska that gave Miami a national championship.

The Florida Atlantic Owls won their final two games of the season on the road to finish with a 6-1-conference record. They now look to win three straight for the first time since the 2004 season when they go up against the Memphis Tigers.

Florida Atlantic Owls quarterback Rusty Smith was voted the Sun Belt player of the year. Smith led the conference with 3,352 passing yards and a school-record 27 touchdowns while throwing only eight interceptions.

Florida Atlantic Owls wide receiver Cortez Gent has been the beneficiary of course. Cortez Gent had a career-high 155 yards and a touchdown on eight catches in the conference-clinching win over Troy. Gent has 1,030 receiving yards and nine TDs in 11 games after totaling just 66 yards in nine games as a redshirt freshman last season.

Memphis Tigers (7-5) have been going the same way Florida Atlantic has, heading into its fourth bowl game in five seasons and second such appearance in New Orleans. The Memphis Tigers beat Sun Belt foe North Texas 27-17 in that 2003 game, and moved to 4-1 in bowls by beating Akron 38-31 to win the 2005 Motor City Bowl in their most recent postseason appearance.

Memphis Tigers appeared to miss out on a bowl berth for a second straight year after opening 2-4 this season following its 2-10 record in 2006. But, the Memphis Tigers bounced back to win five of their final six games, finishing tied for the second-best record in Conference USA at 6-2.

''What a great reward for this football team, for this team to come together the way it did this year and battle back from so many adversities; this bowl invitation is a tribute to what they have accomplished and overcome,'' Memphis Tigers coach Tommy West said.

The Memphis Tigers capped the regular season by winning the longest game in school history, 55-52 in triple overtime against Southern Methodist on Nov. 24. Let's see they use that momentum against Florida Atlantic at the New Orleans Bowl on Friday.

Who will win the 2007 New Orleans Bowl Game between the Florida Atlantic Owls and the Memphis Tigers? AcesAce Sportsbook has the odds.

Florida Atlantic Owls -2.5

Memphis Tigers +2.5

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more college football betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

Florida Atlantic Owls Memphis Tigers

Can Trent Edwards lift the Bills against the Redskins?

The Buffalo Bills have decided and it's Trent Edwards starting again.

After J.P. Losman went down with an injury against the Patriots back in the early weeks of the 2007-08 NFL football season, the Bills went to their rookie quarterback Trent Edwards, hoping that the kid would be able to lead this team steady until their feature QB returns from his injury.

Trent Edwards did just that and more, leading the Buffalo Bills to win five of their six games with him as a starter. When J.P. Losman went back, ironically against the very team that took him out, the Bills lost.

Last week, it was more of the same story as J.P. Losman failed to lead the Buffalo Bills to win a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, losing in emphatic fashion, 36-13. Losman now led the Bills to TWO straight losses and it was only logical to give Trent Edwards the starting spot back.

''We're definitely looking for a spark, but that's probably not the only reason we're making the change,'' Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron said. ''We fully understand that it's not only J.P. That's not the only reason we've lost these couple of games in a row. But it is the focal point of the offense. We do need consistency from that position.''

Jauron still refuses to see that he needs Trent Edwards at the starting QB spot and not J.P. Losman to give the Bills a glimmer of hope to win football games. As of press time, he says he WILL start Edwards against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on Sunday but Jauron still refuses to name the rookie QB as his starter for the rest of the year.

''We'll just see where it goes,'' Jauron said. ''But when we make a change, we hope that it's not going to go week-to-week.''

AcesAce sportsbook has the odds on who will win Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona.

Indianapolis Colts EVEN +800

Chicago Bears EVEN +1500

New England Patriots EVEN +250

Oakland Raiders EVEN +8000

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more NFL football odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

Buffalo Bills Trent Edwards

NFL Rivalry between Raiders and Chiefs continues Sunday

It's this Sunday and while a Raiders-Chiefs game would be as big as a Giants-Cowboys game a few years ago, it's not the same this year.

Why? For one, both the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs are just struggling this 2007-08 NFL football season. Both teams are on a downward spiral and the only thing both teams will be playing for this Sunday is to not play as bad as the other team.

The Oakland Raiders continue their struggle, having yet another miserable year with a dismal 2-8 stand. After Daunte Culpepper carried the Raiders to a decent 2-2 mark last month, they lost SIX STRAIGHT GAMES, leading them to a familiar place, the bottom of every statistical category there is in football.

The Kansas City Chiefs, on the other hand, have lost three straight games. They haven't won anything since their bye-week last October and after scoring a decent 4-3 mark, they now stand as the second worst team in the AFC West at 4-6, with the Raiders the worst of course.

When these Chiefs host the rival Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium, they will relive one of the better rivalries in football.

And although it doesn't mean anything this year with both teams struggling at this point of the 2007-08 NFL football season, it's still a rivalry game for both teams and winning this game could be the ''push,'' so to speak, each team will be looking for to get back on track.

Who'll win? Well, sad to say but I'm picking the Kansas City Chiefs since they were THAT close from giving the defending Super Bowl champs, Indianapolis Colts, their third straight loss of the year last Sunday.

Sure, Peyton Manning was not himself against Kansas City but since the Chiefs still had the opportunity of becoming only the third team in the league to beat Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts last weekend, I'll be expecting these Chiefs to come into this game with the Raiders, as confident as ever.

The Oakland Raiders, on the other hand, won't have any semblance of momentum whatsoever come game time.

AcesAce sportsbook has the odds on who will win Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona.

Indianapolis Colts EVEN +800

Chicago Bears EVEN +1500

New England Patriots EVEN +250

Oakland Raiders EVEN +8000

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more NFL football odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

Oakland Raiders Kansas City Chiefs

Chicago Bulls visit the New York Knicks at MSG

The Bulls and the Knicks, two struggling teams this season will get it on this Saturday.

The 2007-08 NBA basketball season continues and we have teams finding it rather hard to get a win these days. Two of those struggling teams in the NBA meet on Saturday as the 2-8 Chicago Bulls visit the 2-9 New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The Bulls, after sweeping the Miami Heat in a shocking first round playoff encounter, have only won a couple of games after their first ten. Understandably, the Chicago locals do not like it one bit. After a 2-8 start to what should be a season when they go for a championship, they should be.

Talk-radio callers had seen enough of this season's sorry brand of Bulls basketball. One said he was no longer ''disappointed'' but ''disgusted'' by the team's play on its way to a 2-8 record. ''Embarrassing'' was how another described the Bulls.

And perhaps what's even worse is the fact that Chicago Bulls head coach, Scott Skiles, seem oblivious to all these. Good thing they have the also struggling New York Knicks next.

''That's OK,'' Bulls coach Scott Skiles said after a relatively light practice, 30 minutes of running, followed by a meeting and video review. ''If any fan is calling up and criticizing a player, they ought to be criticizing me, too. I'm the leader. I would never run from that responsibility.''

Their rivals this Saturday, the New York Knicks, still are in disarray with all these issues surrounding their head coach, Isiah Thomas.

''It's not about the players right now. This is where coaching comes in,'' Knicks head coach Isiah Thomas said. ''I have to make sure I give my team enough confidence and courage to go out and compete and execute a game plan.''

''When you're in a hole like this, it's not about the players. It really is about the coach. If I'm depending on a player, then I'm placing responsibility in the wrong place. This is about me doing a better job.''

Who will win the NBA title in the 2007-08 NBA basketball season? AcesAce Sportsbook has the odds.

San Antonio Spurs EVEN +350

Cleveland Cavaliers EVEN +1,300

Boston Celtics EVEN +450

Detroit Pistons +1,000

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more basketball betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

Chicago Bulls New York Knicks

Titans and Broncos meet on Monday Night Football

Week 11 in the NFL culminates with it's weekly primetime offering, Monday Night Football.

Monday Night Football will probably have a ''better'' game this week after that ugly shutout game we saw between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers the last time.

The Tennessee Titans travel to one of those tough places to win a football game, Invesco Field, to play the Denver Broncos in a game both teams desperately need to win.

The Titans are coming off a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars coming into this one despite the superb passing performance from Vince Young, dropping a game-high 257 passing yards in a 28-13 loss to Jacksonville.

You see, Young rarely have games like this as he likes to run with the football instead of letting it fly towards his receivers. Against the Broncos, Young better stick with his game because Champ Bailey WILL BE WAITING if ever the young (no pun intended...) Titan decides to throw it more again.

The 4-5 Denver Broncos sit at the No.2 spot behind the 5-4 San Diego Chargers in the AFC West, similar to the 6-3 Titans who are sitting with the Jags at No.2 behind the 7-2 Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South.

This game should be a good one considering both competing teams are only a game back behind their respective division leaders.

AcesAce sportsbook has the odds on who will win Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona.

Indianapolis Colts EVEN +800

Chicago Bears EVEN +1500

New England Patriots EVEN +250

Oakland Raiders EVEN +8000

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more NFL football odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

Tennessee Titans Denver Broncos

MLS Cup: New England Revolution V Houston Dynamo

The New England Revolution joins in on this trend of dominance from Boston-area teams as they go for the MLS Cup on Sunday.

First, it was the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series, then the New England Patriots start winning every single game in the NFL, the 8-2 Boston College Eagles are also having a surprisingly nice season in college football and the Boston Celtics are now the No.1 team in the NBA.

IN the 2007 MLS soccer season, another Boston-area team is doing good and will be going for a championship this Sunday. The New England Revolution will go for the 2007 MLS Cup against the Houston Dynamo when the 2007 MLS soccer season culminates at RFK Stadium in Washington.

The New England Revolution have become a mainstay, if you will, in the league's championship game. This is now their third straight trip to the title game, their fourth one in six years and although they've been here before, this year could be the most important one with all these Boston-area teams wreaking havoc in their respective sports leagues.

The New England Revolution haven't won ANY of their trips to the MLS championship game, but if they win this one against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday, they'll have their own spot in what is turning out to be a very competitive world of sports in Boston.

''The only way we'll get mentioned in Boston is if we won one,'' Taylor Twellman said with a laugh. ''The Celtics have played three games and we can't even get a lick.''

Taylor Twellman is the man in this Boston-area team. His acrobatic goal in the 38th minute gave the Revolution a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference final on Thursday night and sent them to their fourth MLS Cup game.

Manny Ramirez said Boston is where it's at right now a few days after winning the World Series and if the New England Revolution wins the MLS Cup on Sunday, it will further solidify the revolution in Boston.

AcesAce Sportsbook has the odds on who'll win the 2007 MLS Cup on Sunday between the New England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo.

New England Revolution EVEN -105

Houston Dynamo EVEN -115

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more soccer betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

New England Revolution Houston Dynamo

Who will win the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup title?

It's between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, two teammates from Hendrick Motorsports who found themselves jockeying for position for the Cup.

Jeff Gordon has been dominating the standings before Jimmie Johnson was able to pass him this 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. Sure, Jimmie Johnson is probably regarded by many as a lock to win his second consecutive Nextel Cup title with him having a 30-point lead in this year's Chase for the Cup.

But his win last time he was on a race track could be a fluke and I'm sure Gordon won't let him slide that easily on Sunday when the Chase for the Cup resumes.

The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup championship chase has become unpredictable at this point with both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports teammates, fully capable of taking the title home.

''It came down to a full-blown brawl,'' Jimmie Johnson said. ''And I mean that in a good way. We both wanted that win at all costs. And I knew I could race Matt hard and he wouldn't take me out. He would race me hard, but he wasn't going to run into me.''

Coming to the next race, Johnson probably has all the advantages, that's a brilliant crew chief, a near-flawless pit crew and pristine equipment from the best organization in NASCAR. The problem for Johnson is, his closest rival in the Chase for the Cup, Jeff Gordon, would have EXACTLY THE SAME STUFF.

Jeff Gordon has 81 career wins with a series best average running position of 9.2, that includes six wins and 20 top fives. Jeff Gordon is a force in NASCAR and will continue to be even after he decides to hang up his helmet.

It should be a beauty to watch how the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season will conclude.

Who will bag this year's Nextel Cup? Bodog has the odds on who will win the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

Jeff Gordon 8/1

Juan Pablo Montoya 50/1

Greg Biffle 10/1

Jimmie Johnson 5/1

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for the best NASCAR betting odds and the best lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson

Betting Tips for 2007 NCAA College Football Week 11

This season, we have reliable teams you can still bet on despite the number of upsets we've been having this year.

One of these 'reliable' teams is this powerhouse team from Ohio, the No.1 team in the country this 2007 NCAA college football season. That's the Buckeyes of Ohio State.

The Ohio State Buckeyes continue to remain on top of the BCS rankings despite the wild weeks we've been having on the college gridiron. On Saturday, Ohio State takes on the Illinois Fighting Illini and there's no doubt that the 10-0 Buckeyes will soon score their 11th straight win of the season when they renew their rivalry with Illinois.

Probably dubbed as the ''battle for Illibuck,' both the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini will again be playing for 'Illi Illibuck' that makes this college football rivalry one of the most intriguing ever. Expect the Buckeyes to beat Illinois.

The Michigan Wolverines, after struggling to start the 2007 NCAA college football season, have found themselves ranked No.12 and will probably be going for at least a BCS bowl game at season's end.

They will be taking on the Wisconsin Badgers in a game the Wolverines need more than Wisconsin. Wolverines quarterback Chad Henne was able to lead this team to 8-2, winning EIGHT games in a row and are now looking to win the Big Ten title.

As for the Badgers, let's just say Michigan would just be oozing with momentum for them to be denied on Saturday.

Last but not the least, we have two teams who made such drastic drops in the BCS rankings. The only difference between these two teams is, one was suppose to stay on top while the other team had no business whatsoever being ranked.

Yes, the USC Trojans and the California Golden Bears will vent all their frustrations at each other on Saturday night.

The California Golden Bears were ranked as high as No.2 in the country before making their horrendous freefall. As for USC, many people picked these guys to play on the BCS national championship game but after getting shocked by Stanford last month and then bowing to Oregon the last couple of weeks, many people have stepped out of the Trojan bandwagon and I couldn't blame them.

Nevertheless, the Trojans will still be looking to salvage what's left of their season because after all, they are STILL the USC Trojans. I'll be expecting them to win and let the Golden Bears drop even further down the rankings.

Who will win the 2008 BCS national championship in NCAA college football? AcesAce sportsbook has the odds.

Florida Gators +500

Ohio State Buckeyes +2500

Texas Longhorns +900

Oklahoma Sooners +1000

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more college football betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events

College Football Week 11 2007 NCAA College Football Season