 A few days after Big 12 powerhouse Texas decided to remain where they are instead of leave for the Pac 10, many fans and experts alike now ponder what this means for the Pac 10. Essentially if Texas had join the Pac 10 with former Big 12 team Colorado, the new super-conference, not only could form divisions and have a playoff before bowl games, but they could have also made a strong push for a national television deal.
Fans betting on the Pac 10 should be none to worried, as the conference still has powerhouses such as USC, Stanford and Oregon to carry the load. Nevertheless, Texas joining the division would have legitimized it, after powerhouse USC was punished by the NCAA by being banned from national title games. By Texas staying in the Big 12, fans betting on a domino effect occurring, should know that with the possibility of expansion looming within the NCAA, it is only a matter of time before the conference crumbles. For all intents and purposes, Texas is the big cheese in the Big 12, as not only does it have the most rights to the Big 12 television deal, but it also holds strong influence on the other schools in Big 12's South division. Had Texas jumped to the Pac 10 and formed the super-conference, the other schools in its division would have tagged along. Also by Texas turning down the Pac 10 offer, it fundamentally, staves off the rest of the NCAA having to form super-conferences just to compete with what would have been known as the Pac -16. Furthermore, although the divisions are set up this way in football, the super-conference's that could have resulted, would have also had an effect on the new format to the March Madness basketball tournament. In April, the NCAA approved altering the format from 64 to 68 teams. Once the super-conference format ends up happening, because it inevitably will, it will be trickier to determine which teams qualify and which ones miss the March Madness tournament.
 Sports betting enthusiasts are almost at that point in the year when they can start making projections for the next college football season. Spring ball is over, and for the moment, the nation's Football Bowl Subdivision clubs are waiting for August training camp. What's in store for the Big 12, you ask? Let's take a look at teams that might be able to surprise some people in the fall. NCAA football betting diehards are aware that Colt McCoy is no longer a Texas Longhorn. The quarterback, drafted by the Cleveland Browns, leaves behind a towering legacy in Austin that new quarterback Garrett Gilbert will be hard pressed to match. Gilbert has the advantage of knowing that he played in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama, following an injury McCoy suffered in the first quarter of that contest. Gilbert should prevent Texas from suffering too much of a drop-off in 2010, but the fact still remains that he's a relatively untested signal caller who will have to endure his share of growing pains this season. Texas's loss should be Oklahoma's gain. The Sooners got knocked around last year on a repeated basis, and were forced to settle for the Sun Bowl as their postseason destination. One of the big reasons why coach Bob Stoops' team fell so far, though, was that OU could not stay healthy. Quarterback Sam Bradford, tight end Jermaine Gresham, and multiple offensive linemen didn't last very long in 2009, and that's why fill-in quarterback Landry Jones had such a tough time piloting the Sooners under center. Jones, a freshman, confronted the speed and complexity of the college game, giving Garrett Gilbert a taste of what's in store for him this year. Since Jones is back as the opening-day starter, OU should have a quarterback who is ready to lead the Sooners back to prominence, provided they stay healthy. Elsewhere in the conference, Nebraska should waltz to the North Division crown. Even though the Cornhuskers are without Heisman Trophy finalist Ndamukong Suh, they'll still boast a fire-breathing defense in a division with generally poor offenses. The one team with a shot at knocking off Nebraska from its North Division perch is Missouri, and the Tigers must travel to Lincoln this season for that all-important battle. Texas A&M has a lot of issues on defense, which any UFC 116 Betting player knows wins match's, but a quarterback in Jerrod Johnson who will light up the scoreboard. The Aggies have a puncher's chance at the South Division flag. Texas Tech - so reliable for so many years under Mike Leach - should struggle in a year of transition under new head coach Tommy Tuberville. Kansas, in the North, will face hard times now that quarterback Todd Reesing is gone. Take Oklahoma and Nebraska to win their divisions (South and North), and take the Sooners to regain the Big 12 crown they lost in 2009.
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 After an improbable season in which the Miami Hurricanes won nine college football betting games, the third straight year in which their record has improved since the arrival of head coach Randy Shannon, the university has made the decision to sign their sideline leader to a four-year contract extension. Many wondered how long it would take the school to give their coach a new deal, and given the success that he has had during his time down south, the move was an obvious one.
The deal is reportedly worth more than the $1.2 million that Shannon has made the past three seasons with the team, although the amount has not been revealed by either side to date. The two sides had been in negotiations surrounding the deal for the past nine months, as long as champions league betting season, and it came as a surprise to many that it took so long before the Hurricanes were able to close the deal. The length of his contract would obviously have a significant effect on the decisions of potential recruits to commit to the university, and Shannon told reporters that was one of the biggest questions that players and their families had for him during the process. Some thought however that after three straight years of demonstrated online sports betting improvement, Shannon would not ink a new deal until after this season with the potential to make even more money if that trend continued. Miami's decision to sign their coach will make sure that is no longer the case.
If you need an illustration of how excited sport betting fans in Alabama are to see their team attempt to repeat as National Champions, take a quick look at the attendance numbers for the team's spring game that went Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, it got as much attention as Preakness betting. 91, 312 Tide fans packed the house to see their team play its annual red-white game. Add the national television audience numbers to those actually in attendance, and you get a glimpse on the building enthusiasm towards the upcoming season. The biggest reason for the excitement is the explosive running back tandem that will see carries in the Alabama backfield in 2010-11, as Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram returns in tandem with Trent Richardson to lead the Tide as they attempt to repeat. The two backs exchanged big plays for scores in the exhibition on Saturday, the same day the NBA playoff betting games started, as Richardson helped his white team to a 23-17 win with a 28-year touchdown catch, upstaging Ingram's 60-yard touchdown run. Both backs ran for over 100-yards, displaying the playmaking ability that has made them an early favorite. Greg McElroy returns to start at quarterback for the Tide, and was efficient in the spring game throwing for 142 yards on 12 of 22 passing, with one touchdown and one interception. McElroy, receiver Julio Jones, and the tandem of Ingram and Richardson are a big part of why head coach Nick Saban's team is the number one ranked team this preseason, in addition to the fact that they are the defending national champions.
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The biggest game of the college football betting opening weekend will likely also be the last one played as unlike most of the other match ups, Boise State clashing with Virginia Tech is actually a match up of two quality teams. Many of the other national contenders will open their seasons with games against division II schools, but that is certainly not the case for these two teams with BCS title aspirations. Boise State is ranked third in the country, with a talented roster and unrelenting desire to prove itself as one of the top programs in the nation. Now the Broncos will need to justify their ranking, which they will do with a huge road win to open the season.