ProSportsOnlineSports news with a vegas edge.

Lane Kiffin Returns to USC Trojans as Head Coach

In a roundabout way, this is where Lane Kiffin was always destined to be. In the wake of Pete Carroll’s shocking decision to leave the comforts of USC and head to the Seattle Seahawks with a $35 million contract over 7 years, the Trojans were left scrambling to find a new head coach. Almost every major coordinator or coach, including the Jaguars’ Jack Del Rio, were named as the potential replacement in South California. Instead, the program turned to one of its more familiar faces, luring Lane Kiffin away from Tennessee where the 34 year old has served as head coach for the past year.

The last few years have been up and down for Kiffin. After serving as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Trojans between 2001-2006, many believed that Kiffin was being groomed to be the eventual replacement for Carroll. Yet, Pete wasn’t going anywhere at the time, seemingly thriving in his position as head coach.

So Lane did what any coach would do in such a position. When the NFL came calling, he answered. Unfortunately it was the Oakland Raiders that came calling. Kiffin was fired by Al Davis after going 5-15 SU in a little more than one season as the head coach.

That’s when Tennessee, one of the lesser programs in the Big 12, came calling.  In just one year, Kiffin led the Vols to a 7-6 SU/ATS record and the team ranked 32nd in scoring and 27th in points allowed in the country. His tenure at Tennessee was also filled to the brim with controversy as he fired outlandish comments at fellow coaches across the country and questioned league policy throughout the season.

Take into consideration that Kiffin went from an unmitigated disaster in Oakland, to a fairly large failure in Tennessee that was capped with a loss in the Chik-fil-A Bowl in the short span of three years. Now he has one of the best jobs in college football – perhaps in all of sports – and is just 34 years old. How the hell did this happen?

USC panicked. They needed someone familiar with the system to convince the high school recruits to honor their letters of intent. Also of major concern is the current crop of talent that they have. USC currently has a fairly young roster of players, coming of the worst season in nearly eight years at 9-4 SU, and bringing in a new coach with a new system wasn’t going to be part of USC’s immediate success. The school and the boosters knew it, and failure was not going to be tolerated as players and staff adjusted to a whole new way of Trojan football.

The fact that Kiffin is both a fan and a product of the USC system under Pete Carroll will bring stability that will keep bright young stars, like quarterback Matt Barkley and running back Marc Tyler, on board. Hopefully it will be enough to keep young high school recruits on board as well.

What this does for USC’s college football betting hopes in 2010 is bring them back to the forefront. USC finished 22nd in the AP rankings this season, far behind Oregon which finished 11th. The fight in the Pac-10 is going to be tougher than usual, but the arrival of Kiffin in Southern California does a lot to bolster the Trojan’s betting hopes in the upcoming season. The only thing you have to hope for now is that Carroll’s recruits believe the hype as much the current roster of USC football players does.

The 2009-2010 NCAAF Season is in the books, but gamblers shouldn’t let that get them down. April, the traditional month for college football programs to start training camp, is just around the corner.

What will the college football landscape look like when late August rolls around and the 2010-2011 NCAAF Season kicks-off? More importantly, whom will gamblers look to bet in the NCAAF sportsbook? Who knows, but the Top Ten below is a good starting point for gamblers to start preparing for next season.

2010-2011 NCAAF Top Ten

1. Boise State Broncos – - The Broncos return 21 of 22 starters including quarterback Kellen Moore. They lose cornerback Kyle Wilson. On paper it looks like a big loss but the way the Broncos defended TCU and Oregon this year in those two victories has to give gamblers hope if they are planning on betting on the Broncos to win the BCS National Championship next season. This team is going to be very, very good.
2. Oregon Ducks – - The Ducks return all but three starters next season. QB Jeremiah Masoli as well as running back LaMichael James. It will also be Chip Kelly’s second season as the head coach of the Ducks. With Pete Carroll going to USC, expect Oregon to reign supreme in a deflated Pac 10 Conference. An undefeated regular season and a date against Boise State in the BCS National Championship is not out of the question.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide – - Yes, they return Mark Ingram and Julio Jones on offense, but they lose three key players on defense, defensive lineman Terence Cody, Javier Arenas and linebacker Rolando McClain. McClain might stay but the man can shut down offenses and the NFL will be calling. Without those three, the chances of Alabama going undefeated in the SEC aren’t very good. They could still make it into the BCS title game with a single loss during the regular season and a victory in the SEC Championship Game should Oregon or Boise State stumble.
4. Nebraska Cornhuskers – - The Cornhuskers routed Arizona in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl 33 to 0. Expect coach Bo Pelini to really build upon that. Yes, the Cornhuskers lose the best player in college football (in my opinion) during the 2009-2010 season, defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, but that’s okay. The rest of the defense will be pretty much intact and everybody on the offense will return except for center Jacob Hickman. These guys are going to be very, very tough next season. They won’t have an excuse to lose in the Big 12 Championship Game again.
5. Ohio State Buckeyes – - QB Terrelle Pryor returns and the Buckeyes lose only five starters on defense. The most important thing to realize about Ohio State is that their offensive line should be much, much better next season than it was this season. Pryor playing behind a dominant offensive line is a scary thought Coach Jim Tressell should be able to get his defense to play solidly, which he usually does, so Buckeye fans shouldn’t worry. This team could definitely play their way into the BCS title game by going undefeated during the regular season.
6. TCU Horned Frogs – - The Horned Frogs finished the 2009-2010 season with a disappointing loss to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, but that won’t stop them from possibly going undefeated again next season. TCU loses only two starters on offense and only four starters on defense. The schedule will actually be easier next season than it was this season (if that’s possible!) and the Horned Frogs no doubt learned something from the Fiesta Bowl loss.
7. Wisconsin Badgers – - Wisconsin loses only one player from their offense next season. That would be tight-end Garrett Graham. What it means is that the best rushing team in college football in the 2009-2010 season will have their entire offensive line and starting running back returning for the 2010-2011 season. The Badgers will need to replace a lot of players on defense, but who cares? With the type of rushing game they figure to have, Wisconsin is going to be playing keep away in most of their games.
8. Texas Longhorns – - The Longhorns should be okay even though wide receiver Jordan Shipley and quarterback Colt McCoy are leaving. A bigger issue will be replacing three starters along the offensive line. Defensively, Texas figures to dominate the Big 12 as only three starters are leaving. Coach Mack Brown will have this team on the verge of a Big 12 Championship but going undefeated will be tough without McCoy and a revamped offensive line.
9. Oklahoma Sooners – - The Sooners will have to replace a bunch of starters on defense and two offensive linemen, but QB Landry Jones should be ready to dominate Big 12 defenses and does anybody really believe that Oklahoma will suffer through another 8 and 5 season? I don’t. Oklahoma will find a way to contend for the Big 12 Championship in 2010.
10. Virginia Tech Hokies – - The Hokies will have to replace two players on the offensive line, guard Sergio Render and tackle Ed Wang, but other than that, the offense should be set. QB Tyrod Taylor could have an exceptional season and Virginia Tech has more than one running back that can dominate a defense. The key for Virginia Tech will be to get their own defense set as the Hokies will lose seven players from that unit. That, and not losing an early game, is the two biggest things keeping the Hokies from playing into the Top 5.

Sign up now and get FULL access to all of BetUS features!

The Crimson Tide rolled in the BCS Championship game easily as they swarmed Colt McCoy on Texas’s opening drive sending the Longhorns’ leading man to the sidelines permanently. On what will be his final play as a college quarterback, McCoy decided to keep the ball on an option play and injured his throwing arm and watched with frustration and disappointment as he was helpless to help his team rally past the Tide in the championship tilt. It was a heartbreaking end to a great career by the Texas quarterback, but a thrilling end for Alabama which takes home its first national title since 1992.

The injury to the winningest quarterback in college history paved the way for Alabama to seize control of the game. Garrett Gilbert, a freshman backup quarterback, led a furious comeback in the second half as he found Jordan Shipley twice for touchdowns to bring the underdog Longhorns within three-points of the Crimson Tide. Then, with nearly the entire length of the football field to go, Texas gave up its first sack of the night at the worst time imaginable. Eryk Anders blew in to the backfield unhinged and untouched and blasted Gilbert from behind and freeing the ball, allowing Alabama to recover the fumble and secure a touchdown to pad their lead. Alabama eventually won the contest 37-21 with two scores in the final two-minutes of the game.

Texas betting fans may be heart broken as the Longhorns stumbled to their first loss in the worst way possible, at the worst time imaginable. Yet they must find a tiny source of hope in the fact that Gilbert played so admirably under incredibly difficult conditions. He was asked to throw 40 times, and went 15-of-40 with 186 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 picks before the final two minutes of the game. He ended the game with 3 turnovers in the final three minutes of the game, but playing with such poise for much of the second half proved that there’s a reason he’s tagged as the heir apparent to McCoy who is slated to graduate and matriculate to the NFL Draft in 2010.

Of course, none of anything I just wrote is going to serve as comfort reading for the Longhorns.

After the injury to McCoy, the Crimson Tide defense played with confidence and the offense didn’t have to do much as Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram took over the game. Quarterback Greg McElroy threw just 11 passes for 58-yards while Ingram and Richardson did all the dirty work. On 41 carries, the two backs piled up 225 yards and four touchdowns combined. Ingram won offensive player of the game, giving love to his father who remains in jail.

Ingram became only the second Heisman winner in history to also win the BCS Championship in the same year. Alabama secured the SEC’s fourth consecutive national title and covered the spread, while Gilbert’s second half heroics help push the OVER in the game. Alabama improved to one of the best college football betting picks with a final record of 14-0 SU and 9-5 ATS.

As Texas rallied, you couldn’t help but wonder if Saban angering the Football Gods when he jilted the Miami Dolphins for the job in ‘Bama so many years ago was going to come back and haunt him. Yet his disciplined defense bailed him ending each of Texas’s final three drives with turnovers.