Posted on 8/24/2007 9:43:52 PM

NCAA Football Betting - Return Of The 'Noles

By Charles Jay

Atlantic Coast Conference - Atlantic Division

College football betting fans "in the know" are not expecting Wake Forest do pull off another "Cinderella" season as it did in 2006, when the Demon Deacons won the Atlantic Division and beat Georgia Tech in the ACC title game. But they will be a factor again, unless Florida State comes out of the chute like wildfire and dominates as it has in the past. It will be interesting, especially since the Seminoles should be strong across the board this season for coach Bobby Bowden, who presumably endured enough naysayers in a very tough '06 campaign. College football betting fans need to check out this preview and the NCAA football wagering odds and college football betting lines to increase their chances of cashing in.

FLORIDA STATE should be fortified this season, with experienced returnees on the offensive side and new leadership making the calls. Jeff Bowden, son of the head coach, took a lot of heat for his offensive judgment in Tallahassee, and now there is a new offensive coordinator in Jimbo Fisher, who spent seven years in that capacity with LSU. Running back Antoine Smith, who averaged 5.2 yards a carry last year, should have a bigger season, and there is optimism that QB Drew Weatherford (57%, 12 TD, 11 INT) can be more consistent. If all of that turns out to be true, look out. Not many teams will run on the FSU defense, though the Seminoles have to force more turnovers. But with some new blood on the coaching staff, there won't be any quitting like there was in the embarrassing shutout loss to Wake Forest late in the season.

Bobby Bowden must take his team to Clemson, where son Tommy has beaten him the last two years. Florida State also must visit Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and the Florida Gators. But there is clearly enough talent to return to the elite, so it is quite possible the Garnet and Gold will be competing in some "showdown" games this fall.

Whoever winds up being the starting quarterback at CLEMSON will have a potentially dominant running game to work with. Cullen Harper is the projected first-team signal-caller for Tommy Bowden, but freshman Willy Korn may wind up supplanting him. Either way, the Tigers have the backfield that most opposing ACC coaches drool over and dread at the same time. James Davis ran for 1187 yards on 5.8 ypc in '06, while true freshman C.J. Spiller scrambled for 938 yards and a whopping 7.3 yards per attempt! The two combined for 27 touchdowns. Few ACC defenses can stop that, but will Clemson slow itself down, with an offensive line that suffers from inexperience after being hit hard by graduation? Overall, Clemson is young, with five senior starters. But they've got a shot here, because Tommy Bowden has had his dad's number the last two seasons.

The defending ACC champs probably aren't getting a lot of respect from the experts around the country, but after what WAKE FOREST accomplished last season, you simply can't count them all the way out. The Deacons overcame a lot of adversity to win their first conference title in 36 years, and hung tough with Louisville for a while in the Orange Bowl game. An injury to QB Ben Mauk pressed Riley Skinner into service as a freshman, and he responded by hitting 67% of his passes with just five interceptions. The running attack spreads it around pretty well, with six backs gaining 200 or more yards, and all of them averaging at least four yards an attempt. Micah Andrews is expected to carry most of the load this year. The defense has to replace seven starters, including standout LB Jon Abbate. The special teams are strong. And Coach Jim Grobe seems to find ways to win.

BOSTON COLLEGE brings in a new coach in Jeff Jagodzinski, who had been the offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers. He inherits QB Matt Ryan, who had injury problems last year but is ready to become one of the nation's top passers (10 INT in 427 attempts in '06). The Eagles have a talented running back tandem in L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callendar, who combined for 1424 yards. Teams normally don't have a field day running against this defense (3.5 ypc last year) and defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani is sticking with the coaching staff.

Tom O'Brien has moved from Boston College to NORTH CAROLINA STATE, and one of his first orders of business is getting better quarterback play out of Raleigh native Daniel Evans. Evans showed heart when he was thrown into the fray as an injury substitute, but his numbers were not good (53%, 6 TD, 11 INT). The good news is that the top three receivers and all the running backs return - their development will be sorely needed, as the Wolfpack did not score more than 24 points in a game all last season.

Who is going to be the quarterback for MARYLAND? Well, for now it's Jordan Steffy, but Josh Portis, a transfer from Florida, is waiting in the wings. Five wide receivers with 20 or more catches come back for the Terrapins, who ended their season with a 24-7 win over Purdue in the Champs Sports Bowl. Running backs Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore gained 1558 yards between them, and you've got to have some faith in Ralph Freidgen, the former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator who will be calling the plays again this year. The big problem: a defense that gave up 4.6 yards a carry last year and will be challenged to do even that well this time around.

THE CHARLES JAY LINE

Who will win the ACC Atlantic Division?

* Florida State -110

* Clemson +200

* Wake Forest +650

* Boston College +450

* Maryland +750

* N.C. State +650

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(Charles Jay of TotalAction.com can see Wake Forest through the trees. He is also a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)