25th-ranked West Virginia opens by blanking Coastal Carolina

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/04/2010 - Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geno Smith completed 20-of-27 passes for a career-high 216 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start and Noel Devine ran for 111 yards and a score to lead West Virginia to a 31-0 drubbing of Coastal Carolina in the 2010 season opener for both schools.

The Mountaineers (1-0) led only 10-0 at the half but got a touchdown toss from Smith to Jock Sanders and a touchdown plunge from Ryan Clarke in the third quarter to break the game open en route to their ninth straight home win.

Tavon Austin added five catches for 86 yards for the Mountaineers, who won their 14th straight game at Milan Pusker Stadium over a non-conference foe.

Zach MacDowall went 13-of-26 for 119 yards and an interception and Eric O'Neal ran for 33 yards for the Chanticleers (0-1), who lost their fourth straight season opener.

Wwwsportsrocket NCAA Football Betting News

<< Ducks dominate in opener against New Mexico
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenjon Barner rushed for 146 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries as 11th-ranked Oregon used a powerful first half to dismantle New Mexico, 72-0, in the first-ever meeting between the schools

<< Hamlin edges Newman for Atlanta pole
Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denny Hamlin earned his first pole of the season by topping Ryan Newman in Saturday's qualifying for the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hamlin turned in a lap of 187.380 m.p.

<< Texans release 21; officially sign RB Ward
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Texans released 21 players, sent three others to various reserve lists, and officially signed running back Derrick Ward as part of their roster maneuvers on Saturday. The Texans released quarterback

<< L.A. escapes Chicago with dramatic draw
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Omar Gonzalez scored in stoppage time and the Los Angeles Galaxy escaped Toyota Park with a 1-1 draw against the 10-man Chicago Fire on Saturday, despite a missed penalty from Landon Donovan and a late go

<< Quality Road rebounds to win Woodward Stakes
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Odds-on favorite Quality Road shook loose at the head of stretch Saturday to win the $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. It was the colt's fourth win in five starts this year. The c

Giants make cuts, QB Bomar among them >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterback Rhett Bomar was among the players released by the New York Giants on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to the 53-player maximum. Bomar, a fifth-round 2009 draft choice out of Sam Hous

Thome passes Big Mac on HR list as Twins rout Rangers >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Thome hit two homers to pass Mark McGwire for ninth place on the all-time home run list, and the Minnesota Twins pummeled the Texas Rangers, 12-4, at Target Field. Thome now has 584 career home

Vikings Release WR Walker, 19 others >>
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran wide receiver Javon Walker was among the players released by the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to the 53-player NFL maximum. Walker, who was signed in August after a

Longhorns begin post-McCoy era with win over Rice >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sophomore running back Tre' Newton rushed for a career-high three touchdowns, as the fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns bounced back from a slow start to defeat the Rice Owls, 34-17, in the season opener for both sc

Wood, Reds handle Cardinals >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Travis Wood turned in seven solid innings and hit his first career home run to lead Cincinnati in a 6-1 victory over rival St. Louis in the middle test of a crucial three-game set at Busch Stadium. Jonny Go

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.