Vikings Release WR Walker, 19 others
Football Betting Lines
09/04/2010 - 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 hip injury sidelined star receiver Sidney Rice indefinitely, had performed well in preseason action. The former Green Bay Pro Bowler, who has previously spent time with the Raiders (2008-09), Broncos (2006-07) and Packers (2002-05), caught six passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in two preseason games.
Also released were safety Colt Anderson, guard Thomas Austin, guard Adrian Battles, wide receiver Taye Biddle, wide receiver Freddie Brown, tackle Patrick Brown, tackle Chris Clark, fullback Ryan D'Imperio, wide receiver Marquis Hamilton, running back Ian Johnson, defensive tackle Tramaine Johnson, kicker Rhys Lloyd, tight end Garrett Mills, defensive end Mike Montgomery, wide receiver Logan Payne, tackle Drew Radovich, cornerback Marcus Sherels, linebacker Nate Triplett and defensive back DeAndre Wright.
Notables among that group include Johnson, the former Boise State star; Lloyd, who was attempting to make the team as a kickoff specialist; and Montgomery, a five-year NFL veteran who played in 56 games with the Packers since 2005.
On Friday night, Minnesota dealt quarterback Sage Rosenfels and running back Darius Reynaud to the New York Giants.
The Vikings will begin their regular season on Thursday, when they travel to meet the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints to kick off the 2010 NFL season.
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
<< 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
<< 25th-ranked West Virginia opens by blanking Coastal Carolina
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
drubbin
<< 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.
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
Eagles send Andrews to Seattle >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly sent
offensive lineman Stacy Andrews to Seattle on Saturday for an undisclosed
draft pick in 2011.
The move was reported on the team's website, although there
Siavii, Octavien among Cowboys' 20 cuts >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defensive lineman Junior Siavii and linebacker
Steve Octavien were among the most recognizable names released by the Dallas
Cowboys on Saturday, as the team pared its roster to the 53-player maximum.
Siavii, a f
Cahill shuts down Angels >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Cahill tossed six scoreless innings to
help the Oakland Athletics defeat the Angels, 3-1, in the second test of this
three-game series.
Cahill (15-6) allowed four hits to go with a career-high six
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
| The Bubble Breakdown | |||
| CONFERENCE | LOCKS | SHOULD BE INS | AT-LARGES TAKEN (assuming no auto bid outlier) |
| ACC Betting Odds | 6 | 0 | 5 |
| Big East Betting Odds | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Big Ten Betting Odds | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Big 12 Betting Odds | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Pac-10 Betting Odds | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| SEC Betting Odds | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| MVC Betting Odds | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| MWC Betting Odds | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 28 | 5 | 25 |
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
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