Sports Articles

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

Houston and Air Force battle in the Armed Forces Bowl in Ft. Worth, Texas for the second consecutive year. The two teams made for a very entertaining contest last season, with Houston prevailing 34-28. Oddly, the two teams met earlier in the 2008 season with Air Force coming out on top. The Falcons finished the 2009 season with a 7-5 mark, while the Cougars were an impressive 10-3 on the year. The college football betting pointspread for this game has Houston installed as a -5 favorite with the total set at 63.

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

The matchup between Navy and Missouri in the Texas Bowl is similar in many ways to the Armed Forces Bowl matchup between Houston and Air Force. Like the Armed Forces Bowl, this game will feature a potent passing attack against an efficient option rushing game. This is the first meeting between the two schools in 49 years—while it may not have any significance for college football betting purposes, Missouri took the victory over Navy in the 1961 Orange Bowl. Missouri has been posted as a -6’ point sports betting favorite for this game with the total set at 51’.

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

Stanford was one of the best stories of the college football season as the perennial doormat of the Pac 10 finished 8-4, beating conference powerhouses USC and Oregon in the process. They’ll head to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas to face an Oklahoma team that had hopes of competing for a national championship before the season begun only to have their plans undone by injuries to QB Sam Bradford, among others. Despite finishing 7-5, the Sooners are installed as -10 college football betting favorites in this game with the total set at 55.

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

This game could very well be called the ‘Major Conference Mediocrity Bowl’ as it features a matchup of Big 12 vs. Big Ten teams with 6-6 records. Of the two teams, Iowa State definitely has the most to be excited about by just being here, as the Cyclones were a pitiful 1-10 last year. Minnesota has become something of a fixture in this bowl game, making their third appearance in the Insight Bowl in the past four seasons. The college football betting pointspread for this game has Minnesota installed as a -2’ point favorite with the total set at 48’.

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

Following his dismissal as head coach of the Oakland Raiders last fall, Lane Kiffin landed on his feet when he took over the University of Tennessee program on December 1st. He’s already made an impact as he’s got the Vols back to a bowl game in his first year at the helm. Virginia Tech entered the season with their sights set on a more prestigious bowl game, but stumbled coming out of the gate in a loss to Alabama. They would eventually finish 9-3 after ending the season on a four game winning streak. The Hokies have been installed as -5’ point college football betting favorites with the total set at 49’.

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

New Years’ Day bowl action will get underway bright and early at 8:00 AM Pacific with the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida. The game features a matchup of the SEC and Big 10 as Northwestern takes on Auburn. Northwestern is playing a January bowl game for the first time since 1997, winning five of their last six after a 2-2 start to finish 8-4. Auburn struggled during SEC conference play, but finished with a 7-5 mark to reach their sixth bowl game in eight seasons. The college football betting line on the game has Auburn installed as a -7’ favorite with the total set at 54’.

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

In what is sure to be a very emotional day for everyone involved, Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden will coach his last game. His Seminoles finished 6-6 this season, good enough to get an invitation to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida for what should be a big send off to conclude his 44 year coaching career. Florida State will face a 9-3 West Virginia team that would like nothing more than to send Bowden off on a losing note. The college football betting line for the game has West Virginia installed as a -2’ favorite with the total set at 59’.

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

With Bobby Bowden retiring at the end of this season, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno is now the undisputed elder statesman among college football coaches. He’s earned an impressive 23 bowl victories in 44 seasons of college coaching, and will try to add to that figure as the Nittany Lions face SEC entrant LSU in the Gator Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Penn State finished 10-2, while LSU compiled a 9-3 record this season. The college football betting line for the game has Penn State installed as -2’ point favorites with the total set at 43’.

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

The Rose Bowl this season matches up a couple of teams that overcame early season adversity to play their best football down the stretch. Oregon lost its opening game to Boise State, and then went 10-1 the rest of the way winning their first Pac 10 title since 2001. Ohio State overcame an early season loss to USC and a mid October setback to Purdue en route to their fifth straight BCS bowl appearance. College football betting lines have installed Oregon as a -4 favorite with the total set at 40’.

2009-12-31 | Jim Murphy

This matchup between Cincinnati and Florida at the New Orleans Superdome is full of plot twists and intrigue—and that’s just the coaches. Florida is in the usual role—at least in the recent history of the program—of *not* playing for a BCS championship, having lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Cincinnati went a perfect 12-0 this season, but was passed up for the title game as well. College football betting odds favor the Gators, who have been installed as -12’ favorites with the total set at 57’.

2009-12-30 | Jim Murphy

College football betting fans will welcome the University of Idaho back to postseason play as they make their first bowl appearance in eleven years, taking on Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl. This is essentially a home game for Idaho, with the contest taking place on the blue ‘Smurf Turf’ of Boise State University. Obviously, Idaho will benefit from the motivation of making a successful return to bowl play as well as the home field, but will it be enough to overcome the more talented Falcons? Current line on the game is ‘pick’em’ with the total set at 68.

2009-12-30 | Jim Murphy

It’ll be the Pac 10 vs. the Big 12 in the Holiday Bowl held at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Arizona finished the season 8-4, while Nebraska finished 9-4. The Cornhuskers were a second away from playing in a BCS bowl, only to lose to Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game on a last second field goal. Nebraska had been installed as a -2’ point college football betting favorite with the total set at 40’.

2009-12-24 | Jim Murphy

If you ever needed an argument that the number of college football bowl games is resulting in unqualified teams being invited to postseason play, look no further than the Marshall Thundering Herd. Marshall will take on the University of Ohio in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl despite a 6-6 record and having lost four of their last six games. Ohio, meanwhile, is a competent team that went 9-4 good for a second place finish in the Eastern Division of the Mid America Conference. Ohio has been installed as a -3 point college football betting favorite with the total set at 49.

2009-12-24 | Jim Murphy

This game is something of a ‘letdown’ spot for both teams, as each was on the verge of a higher profile bowl appearance in their final game. Pittsburgh blew a 21 point lead against visiting Cincinnati in their final game, losing 45-44 and in the process costing the Panthers the Big East championship and the resulting BCS bowl spot. North Carolina also blew a double digit lead in their final game against rival NC State, eventually falling 28-27 to the Wolfpack. This dynamic makes for a tricky handicapping situation for college football betting enthusiasts as the two teams meet at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina for the Meineke Car Care Bowl. #17 ranked Pittsburgh is a -2’ point favorite with the total set at 44’.

2009-12-24 | Jim Murphy

To say that the 2009 season was a disappointment for the University of Southern California football team would be an understatement. For a school that won at least 11 games in each of the past seven years, the last place that college football betting enthusiasts would expect to find them is playing in a bowl game on the day after Christmas. That is where they’ve landed, however, after three losses in their final five games and an 8-4 season that saw the Trojans drop out of the top 25 for the first time since 2001. Their consolation prize is a trip to the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, where they’ll play Boston College. The Trojans are a -7 point favorite with the total set at 44.

2009-12-21 | Jim Murphy

It’s amazing that in this era of 24 hour a day sports coverage and myriad statistical resources available via the Internet that a team can go through the entire regular season and still be vastly overrated. Yet that is the case in this bowl game, which pits style and flash versus substance and competence as the University of California plays the University of Utah at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. The result is arguably one of the strongest college football betting plays of the early bowl games. California has been installed as a -3’ point favorite with the total set at 52’.

2009-12-21 | Jim Murphy

First of all, you’ve got to give credit to SMU head coach June Jones for getting his team here in the first place. He took one of the most underperforming programs in college football--off of back to back 1-11 seasons no less—and led them to a winning record in his first year at the helm. This game was supposed to have worked out a little differently, since the only time Hawaii bowl games draw well is when the University of Hawaii is involved. This game would have been an intriguing matchup locally had the Rainbows faced SMU, as June Jones used to coach at Hawaii. Unfortunately, Hawaii wasn’t able to beat Wisconsin in their final game and become bowl eligible, so the resulting contest between SMU and Nevada will likely be played before a largely empty grandstand. Nevada is a -14’ favorite with the total set at a whopping 73 points.

2009-12-18 | Jim Murphy

For the fifth straight season, Brigham Young University makes the 5 ½ hour drive down Interstate 15 to Las Vegas for their postseason bowl appearance. In theory, we get the idea since its close enough to Provo, Utah to get good fan support and Las Vegas has a large Mormon population. At some point, however, the fact that Bronco Mendenhall has taken his team to the same bowl game every year in his tenure makes it less of a ‘special’ experience for his team. Throw in three road games against UNLV at the Sam Boyd Stadium and it’s the 8th time in his coaching run they’ve played here.

2009-12-16 | Jim Murphy

We’re going to repeat this throughout the early part of the bowl season, so get used to it: the best place to begin any handicapping of the early college football bowl games is with the underdog. College football betting experts know that they are often the more motivated side and at this level of bowl game that motivation can often produce an outright victory. In the St. Petersburg Bowl between Central Florida and Rutgers there’s a lot of other factors at work pointing us in the direction of the UCF Knights. Rutgers is a -3 favorite in the game with the total set at 44'.

2009-12-16 | Jim Murphy

Another matchup between a ‘bigger name’ program and a lesser known school is on tap for the New Orleans Bowl. Southern Mississippi has played in this bowl on several occasions in the past few years and, in fact, has never lost a bowl game held in the Louisiana Superdome. They’ll head into this game with a 3-0 SU/2-1 ATS record in the New Orleans Bowl, which has become an almost annual tradition for the school due in large part to the close proximity to their campus and the fan support they bring. Though this is something of a ‘geographical rivalry’, Southern Mississippi and MTSU have never played each other making this something of a blank slate for college football betting enthusiasts. Southern Miss is a -4 point favorite with the total set at 58’.

2009-12-14 | Jim Murphy

The 2009-10 college football bowl season gets underway on Saturday, December 19 with the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, NM. The University of Wyoming from the Mountain West Conference will take on Fresno State from the WAC. Fresno State has been to its share of bowl games in the past, but Wyoming’s presence in any sort of postseason game is in itself a shock. The Cowboys have been the personification of ‘doormat’ in recent years and were picked to finish last in the Mountain West Conference. Fresno State is a -12 favorite with the total set at 55.

2009-12-11 | Jim Murphy

BJ Penn will defend his UFC lightweight title on Saturday night at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee against Diego ‘The Nightmare’ Sanchez. Penn is considered, along with DREAM champion Shinya Aoki, as one of the best in the world at the weight. He’s a sizable favorite in this fight (-285) which reflects not only his intrinsic talents as a fighter but the perception among the wagering public that he’s almost unbeatable at the weight.

2009-12-11 | Jim Murphy

One of the most venerable rivalries in college football, the annual Army vs. Navy game takes place on Saturday, December 12. These teams have met 110 times and, in recent years at least, the Midshipmen have gotten the best of things. Navy enters this year’s contest on a seven game winning streak in the series, with a 6-1 ATS mark in those games. Still, with Army a +14 favorite we think there’s good value on the Cadets for college football betting enthusiasts.

2009-12-11 | Jim Murphy

The FCS/1AA playoffs are down to their ‘final four’ and there’s a good value position in Saturday’s semifinal contest between top ranked Montana and Appalachian State. The other half of the 1AA/FCS final will be determined on Friday night as Villanova hosts William & Mary. Montana has been installed as a +4 favorite in this contest. That relatively narrow pointspread should underscore the respect the linesmakers have for App. State despite the Grizzlies 13-0 record.

2009-12-10 | Jim Murphy

The Arizona Cardinals shut down ‘The Gunslinger’ and looked every bit like a Superbowl level team in beating the Minnesota Vikings 30-17 on Sunday night. Kurt Warner threw for 285 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the victory, while the Cards’ defense bottled up both Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson. After a 1-2 start to the season Arizona has won seven of nine and improved to 8-4 on the year. The Vikings slipped to 10-2.

2009-12-10 | Jim Murphy

The Seattle Seahawks didn’t so much win their game on Sunday as much as the San Francisco 49ers lost it. The Seahawks took advantage of a variety of Niners’ mistakes, before using a last second field goal to pull out a 20-17 victory. The Niners’ unveiled a new spread offense and QB Alex Smith played well statistically, with 310 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. His Seattle counterpart Matt Hasselbeck passed for 198 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Both teams now have identical 5-7 records.

2009-12-10 | Jim Murphy

It might not go down in the Green Bay Packers’ history books alongside Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr and Brett Favre but Aaron Rodgers may very well have saved their 2009 NFL season. A month ago, they had dropped to .500 and looked to be in a downward spiral but they’ve since won four straight games and have a good shot at making the playoffs. On Sunday, the Packers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-14 in a game that everyone involved conceded was ‘ugly’. The Packers improved to 8-4 with the victory while the Ravens dropped to 6-6.

2009-12-09 | Jim Murphy

After several close calls in recent weeks, the Indianapolis Colts had an easier time on Sunday defeating the Tennessee Titans. Indy opened up a 21-3 second quarter lead before coasting to a 27-17 victory to keep their record unblemished at 12-0. It was the Colts’ 21st consecutive regular season win, tying an all time NFL mark. Tennessee lost for the first time since Vince Young regained his starting quarterback role, and saw their record drop to 5-7.

2009-12-09 | Jim Murphy

The Carolina Panthers have struggled this year, in large part due to the high number of interceptions thrown by QB Jake Delhomme. Now Delhomme is on the bench with a broken finger, and on Sunday the Panthers took advantage of another quarterback’s struggles to get in the win column. Carolina played tough defense and took advantage of five Josh Freeman interceptions to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-6. Matt Moore won his 4th career NFL start despite mediocre numbers, with 161 yards passing and an interception. Carolina upped their record to 5-7 while the Bucs slipped to 1-11.

2009-12-09 | Jim Murphy

In the main event of the UFC’s ‘Ultimate Fighter Finale’, Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson knocked out Brendan Schaub to win ‘The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights’ competition. Schaub’s impressive athleticism couldn’t overcome the crafty veteran, and Nelson set up a picture perfect right hook to the temple off the jab. Nelson now wins a ‘six figure UFC contract’ and is an intriguing addition to the depleted UFC heavyweight ranks.

2009-12-07 | Jim Murphy

The New York Jets used a solid defensive effort to beat the Buffalo Bills 19-13 on Thursday night in a game played at Toronto, Ontario’s Rogers Center Stadium. The Bills have agreed to play a number of preseason games and one regular season contest per year at the home of the CFL Toronto Argonauts, but didn’t give their adopted hometown fans much to cheer about here. The Jets’ defense held Buffalo to just 10 first downs and 197 yards of total offense as the Bills slipped to 4-8 on the NFL season. The Jets improved their record to 6-6.

2009-12-07 | Jim Murphy

The United States soccer braintrust was happy with their group seeding after the World Cup draw was announced, though they open the tournament against a formidable foe. The US will play England to open World Cup play on June 12—the first time they’ve faced the ‘Three Lions’ since a historic upset victory in the 1950 tournament. After their game against England, the US will play Slovenia and Algeria—two countries that they’ve never faced.

2009-12-07 | Jim Murphy

The best thing that Badr Hari can say about this year’s K-1 World GP Finals is that he took his loss like a gentleman, as opposed to his unsportsmanlike antics of last year. Other than that, it was déjà vu all over again. After dominating first round knockouts in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the K-1 World GP Final at the Yokohama Arena, Hari was stunned in the finals by veteran Semmy Schilt. Schilt knocked his opponent down three times in the first round to earn a TKO victory and his fourth World GP crown tying the record for most tournament wins held by K-1 legend Ernesto Hoost.

2009-12-03 | Jim Murphy

Many NFL football pundits felt that the New England Patriots would be the team to finally derail the New Orleans Saints’ perfect season. It didn’t quite work out that way. Drew Brees threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions, while New England’s Tom Brady struggled with 237 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions as the Saints dominated the Patriots in a 38-17 victory. New Orleans improved their record to 11-0 while New England dropped to 7-4.

2009-12-03 | Jim Murphy

After a slow start to the season, the San Diego Chargers have turned things around in a big way. On Sunday, they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14 to win their sixth straight game. Chargers’ quarterback Phillip Rivers threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions, while Kansas City’s Matt Cassel could only manage 178 yards with a touchdown and an interception. San Diego improved their record to 8-3 while Kansas City slumped to 3-8 on the year.

2009-12-03 | Jim Murphy

To hear all of the media hype about the New Orleans Saints and their undefeated season, you’d think that they were the only NFL team still without a loss. The Indianapolis Colts might be fine with a lower profile, but they’ve been able to match the Saints win for win and after a 35-27 victory over the Houston Texans also have an unblemished 11-0 record. Trailing 20-7 at halftime, Peyton Manning rallied the Colts in the second half and the team used a 21 point fourth quarter to seal the victory. Manning threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions. Indianapolis improved to 11-0, while Houston slipped to 5-6.

2009-12-03 | Jim Murphy

The Baltimore Ravens finally managed to put away the injury ravaged Pittsburgh Steelers in OT by a final score of 20-17. Despite injuries to starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and backup Charlie Batch, third stringer Dennis Dixon played a solid game to keep the Steelers in the contest. Eventually, Baltimore’s Billy Cundiff hit a 29 yard field goal in overtime to give the Ravens the hard fought win. Both teams are now 6-5 on the season.

2009-12-03 | Jim Murphy

Even with the addition of Brett Favre, it’s unlikely that anyone on the Minnesota Vikings expected their season to work out this well. On Sunday, Favre and the Vikings dominated the Chicago Bears en route to a 36-10 home field victory and ran their record to 10-1 on the NFL season. Favre threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in the lopsided win. The Bears have struggled all season, and saw their record fall to 4-7.

2009-12-03 | Jim Murphy

The Jacksonville Jaguars clearly don’t enjoy their trips to the west coast. On Sunday, they were beaten by the San Francisco 49ers 20-3 to end a three game winning streak. Earlier this season, the Jags lost 41-0 at Seattle meaning they’ve been outscored 61-3 in the Pacific Time Zone this year. Jacksonville’s loss dropped their record on the season to 6-5, while the Niners improved to 5-6.

2009-12-02 | Jim Murphy

The Cincinnati Bengals 16-7 win over the lowly Cleveland Browns may not have been devastating, but it was historic. For the first time in franchise history, the Bengals swept all of their divisional games compiling a 6-0 record in the AFC North. Mercurial running back Larry Johnson ran for 107 yards and Carson Palmer played mistake free football in securing the victory. The win improved Cincinnati’s record to 8-3 while Cleveland dropped to 1-10.

2009-12-02 | Jim Murphy

The New York Jets didn’t beat the Carolina Panthers as much as the Panthers beat themselves on Sunday. Carolina threw four interceptions and posted a season low scoring output as the Jets prevailed at the Meadowlands 17-6. Jake Delhomme suffered through one of his worst games of the season with only 130 yards and no touchdowns to go along with the four picks. Carolina dropped to 4-7 while the Jets improved to 5-6.

2009-12-02 | Jim Murphy

For the second straight week Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb engineered a fourth quarter comeback, this time enabling his team to beat the Washington Redskins 27-24. The Eagles trailed 24-16 heading into the final period, but tied the game on an Eldra Buckley touchdown and two point conversion. David Akers nailed a 32 yard field goal with just over a minute to play to secure the victory. The Eagles improved to 7-4 on the year, while the Redskins dropped to 3-8.

2009-11-30 | Jim Murphy

It’s a long standing NFL tradition for the Detroit Lions to play on Thanksgiving Day, and the franchise used to put a high priority in performing well in front of the national spotlight. Before Matt Millen arrived in 2001, the Lions had won four straight and nine of twelve on Thanksgiving Day. They’ve been on a downward spiral since then, losing six straight and eight of ten on ‘Turkey Day’. This time it was the Green Bay Packers who did the deed, dropping the Lions 34-12 at Ford Field. The Packers improved their record on the NFL season to 7-4 while the Lions dropped to 2-9.

2009-11-30 | Jim Murphy

One week after their offense sputtered against the Washington Redskins, the Dallas Cowboys were back in the groove on Thanksgiving Day. Dallas piled up 494 yards of total offense as they easily handled the lowly Oakland Raiders 24-7. Cowboys’ QB Tony Romo threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in the victory. Dallas won for the sixth time in their last seven games and improved to 8-3 on the season while Oakland slumped to 3-8.

2009-11-30 | Jim Murphy

After losing four straight games, the Denver Broncos displayed a lot of passion on Thanksgiving Day as they got back in the win column with an emphatic 26-6 home win over the New York Giants. Denver hadn’t hosted a Thanksgiving Day game since 1963, but came out with a bang as they outgained the Giants 213-38 yards in the first half. Broncos QB Kyle Orton threw for 245 yards and a touchdown against one interception in the win. Denver improved to 7-4 on the season while the Giants dropped to 6-5.

2009-11-30 | Jim Murphy

The Atlanta Falcons have been hit hard by injuries in recent weeks, but on Sunday they still found a way to win. Backup quarterback Chris Redman hit Roddy White for a touchdown with 23 seconds remaining to give Atlanta a hard fought 20-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Falcons kept their playoff hopes alive as they improved to 6-5 on the NFL season, while the hapless Bucs dropped to 1-10.

2009-11-30 | Jim Murphy

Maybe a coaching change is just what the Buffalo Bills needed. Having fired Dick Jauron two weeks ago and given Perry Fewell the reins as interim head coach, the Bills’ offense is clicking and on Sunday they delivered their new leader his first NFL victory. Buffalo used a 24 point fourth quarter explosion to put away the Miami Dolphins and win by a 31-14 final score. Terrell Owens struck a big blow late in the game as he caught a 51 yard touchdown reception from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Buffalo improved to 4-7 on the NFL season while Miami dropped to 5-6.

2009-11-30 | Jim Murphy

The Seattle Seahawks have been an awful road team all year long, but all it took for them to end their five game losing streak away from home was a trip to St. Louis. The Seahawks made short work of arguably the NFL’s worst team in front of a half full, apathetic Edward Jones Dome to eventually prevail by a final score of 27-17. Running back Justin Forsett was the catalyst for the Seahawks as he ran for a career high 130 yards and two touchdowns. Seattle improved their record to 4-7 while the Rams’ downward spiral continued leaving their record at 1-10.

2009-11-27 | Jim Murphy

Despite losing starting quarterback Kurt Warner for the second half, the Arizona Cardinals made short work of the St. Louis Rams on Sunday with a 21-13 NFL victory. St. Louis scored first to take a 3-0 lead, but Arizona took over from that point to build a 21-3 halftime lead and coasted to the victory. Warner got hit in the head and preliminary indications were that he may have suffered a concussion. Matt Leinart played the second half of low risk, mistake free football to secure the win. The Cardinals are now 7-3 on the year while the Rams dropped to 1-9.

2009-11-27 | Jim Murphy

Buffalo Bills’ star receiver Terrell Owens finally broke out for a big game with 197 yards receiving, but it wasn’t enough as the Jacksonville Jaguars used a late drive engineered by quarterback David Garrard to win their third straight game 18-15. The Jags scored the decisive touchdown in the final minute of play for the second straight week and improved their record to 6-4 while the Bills dropped to 3-7.

2009-11-27 | Jim Murphy

The Philadelphia Eagles ended a two game losing streak on Sunday as they came from behind to defeat the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field 24-20. Donovan McNabb threw for 244 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the victory. The loss dealt a severe blow to the Bears’ playoff hopes as Chicago dropped to 4-6 on the year. The Eagles, meanwhile, improved to 6-4 and are still within striking distance of division leading Dallas.

2009-11-25 | Jim Murphy

The Indianapolis Colts are still undefeated, though it hasn’t been easy in recent weeks. On Sunday, Matt Stover kicked a 25 yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter to give his team a 17-15 road win over the Baltimore Ravens. While the Colts’ offense sputtered, the defense came up big and held the Ravens to only five field goals on offense. The victory was Indianapolis’ 19th straight regular season win, the second longest streak in NFL history, and improved their record on the year to 10-0. The Ravens dropped to 5-5 with the defeat.

2009-11-25 | Jim Murphy

In the first six games of the NFL season, the Denver Broncos could do no wrong as they marched to an undefeated record to start the year. Since then, they’ve been in freefall. Their downward spiral continued on Sunday as they were smashed at home by the San Diego Chargers by a 32-3 final score. The Chargers methodically controlled the game from start to finish, as evidenced by their lopsided advantage in time of possession (37:52 to 22:08). San Diego has taken over the lead in the AFC West as their record improved to 7-3 with the victory. The Broncos have now lost four straight and sit at 6-4 on the season.

2009-11-25 | Jim Murphy

The season started off great for the New York Jets and their rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, but for the past month he’s look every bit like an NFL neophyte. He had another rough game on Sunday as the New England Patriots intercepted him four times en route to a 31-14 home victory. New England scored the first 24 points of the game and basically coasted home from that point. The Patriots improved their record to 7-3 while the Jets dropped to 4-6.

2009-11-24 | Jim Murphy

Tony Romo threw a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to overcome a dismal performance by the Dallas Cowboys offense and earn his team a 7-6 victory over their arch rival Washington Redskins. The Redskins led 6-0 at that point thanks to a field goal each in the second and third quarters. As has been the case for most of the season, the Redskins’ defense played well but received no help from their offense. Dallas was happy to escape with the win by the slimmest of margin, and improved their record to 7-3. Washington slumped to 3-7.

2009-11-24 | Jim Murphy

The old football yarn suggests that ‘On any given Sunday, any team can lose to another in the NFL’. Nowhere was that more evident than in Kansas City this past weekend. Former University of South Carolina standout Ryan Succop kicked a 22 yard field goal in overtime to give the Kansas City Chiefs a 27-24 home victory over the defending Superbowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The win ended a franchise record ten game home losing streak. With the win, Kansas City improved to 3-7 while Pittsburgh slumped to 6-4.

2009-11-24 | Jim Murphy

By this point in the NFL season two things are evident: the New Orleans Saints are very good, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are very bad. This was clearly evident on Sunday as the Saints went into Tampa’s home stadium and blasted the lowly Bucs 38-7. New Orleans spotted Tampa a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and then dominated the game from that point out. Drew Brees 187 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, while his Tampa Bay counterpart Josh Freeman threw for 126 yard and one touchdown with three interceptions. The Saints remained undefeated at 10-0 while the Bucs dropped to 1-9.

2009-11-23 | Jim Murphy

With starting running back Ronnie Brown out for the season, the Miami Dolphins turned to a well known name—Ricky Williams. Williams delivered bigtime, running for 119 yards and three touchdowns as the Dolphins beat the host Carolina Panthers 24-17 on Thursday night. It was the Dolphins fourth win in six games, and improved their overall record to 5-5 on the NFL season. Carolina lost for the fourth time this season when trying to even their record at .500, and dropped to 4-6 on the year.

2009-11-23 | Jim Murphy

For the University of Connecticut, it may have been their biggest win in program history. For Notre Dame, it may have finally been the final nail in the coffin for head coach Charlie Weis. In any case, it was a monumental upset on Saturday as Connecticut topped Notre Dame 33-30 in double overtime at South Bend. In recent years the Irish have struggled with teams they used to beat with regularity—over the past three seasons they’re 1-6 against the Big East and Navy. Overall, they’re 6-5 this season while UConn improved to 5-5.

2009-11-23 | Jim Murphy

Many boxing experts thought that WBC champion Mikkel Kessler was the man to beat in the ‘Super 6’ middleweight tournament, and that Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward got the short end of the stick with such a tough draw in his opening fight. In front of a capacity crowd in his home town of Oakland, Ward turned that dynamic on its head as he dominated the fight throughout en route to a technical decision victory. The fight had to be stopped in the 11th round due to a severe cut around Kessler’s eye caused by a clash of heads, and Ward was well ahead on the scorecards at this point.

2009-11-19 | Jim Murphy

The Green Bay Packers’ defense finally stepped up on Sunday, forcing two fumbles and a Tony Romo interceptions in the process of completely shutting down the Dallas Cowboys to earn a 17-7 victory. The Packers led 3-0 at halftime and stretched that lead to 17-0 late before a Cowboys’ touchdown in the final seconds of the game made the score somewhat respectable. Green Bay snapped a three game losing streak and improved to 5-4, while Dallas had its four game winning streak stopped as they slipped to 6-3.

2009-11-19 | Jim Murphy

The Arizona Cardinals spotted the Seattle Seahawks a 17-10 halftime lead before roaring back in the second half to take a 31-20 home victory. Rookie Beanie Wells rushed for two touchdowns during the second half rally and Kurt Warner threw for 340 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for 315 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice. The victory improved Arizona ‘s record to 6-3, while the Seahawks dropped to 3-6.

2009-11-19 | Jim Murphy

Even in an era of 24/7 sports coverage, it’s very rare that a single play in an NFL game takes on a life of it’s on to be debated and second guessed for days. Such was the case in Sunday night’s battle between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Bill Belichick opted to ‘go for it’ on 4th down rather than punt deep in Patriots territory with plenty of time remaining for the Colts to rally. By now everyone knows how it turned out—the Colts’ defense held and Peyton Manning completed a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with :13 seconds left to complete a 17 point comeback as Indianapolis remained undefeated with an improbable 35-34 win. Indy now stands at 9-0 while New England dropped to 6-3.

2009-11-18 | Jim Murphy

In a matchup of two struggling offenses, it wasn’t a surprise that the better defense would come out on top. Such was the case on Monday Night Football as the Baltimore Ravens shut down the woeful Cleveland Browns en route to a 16-0 victory. Baltimore got two third quarter touchdowns on a Ray Rice 13 yard run followed almost immediately by a Dawan Landry interception return for a score. The victory improved Baltimore’s record to 5-4 while Cleveland slipped to 1-8.

2009-11-18 | Jim Murphy

LaDanien Tomlinson found out before the game that his wife is pregnant, and used the motivation to put together one of his best performances of the season. ‘LT’ ran for a season high 96 yards and two touchdowns as the San Diego Chargers thumped the Philadelphia Eagles 31-23. The win moved San Diego to first place in the AFC West with a record of 6-3. The Eagles lost for the second straight week and dropped to 5-4.

2009-11-18 | Jim Murphy

In a miserable season for both the Carolina Panthers and quarterback Jake Delhomme, they have to take the triumphs where they can get them. On Sunday, the Panthers used a series of blunders by the Atlanta Falcons and the ‘controlled chaos’ of a no huddle offense to knock off their division rivals 28-19. Delhomme threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. The win improved the Panthers to 4-5 on the season, while the Falcons slipped to 5-4.

2009-11-17 | Jim Murphy

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked to be on their way to their second win of the NFL season, but the Miami Dolphins and quarterback Chad Henne had other plans. Henne directed a 77 yard drive as the game wound down, leading to a Dan Carpenter 25 yard field goal as time expired to give the Dolphins a 25-23 home field victory. The victory improved Miami’s record to 4-5 while Tampa Bay slumped to 1-8.

2009-11-17 | Jim Murphy

Even with rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford back in the lineup the Detroit Lions had no answer for Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. Favre threw for 344 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, while Adrian Peterson ran for 133 yards and two scores as the Vikings made short work of the Lions with a 27-10 home victory. Minnesota led 10-3 at halftime and the Lions never really threatened after that. The Vikings improved their record to 8-1 while the Lions slipped to 1-8.

2009-11-17 | Jim Murphy

It wasn’t that long ago when a battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders would have been a marquee matchup. On Sunday, it was a battle between two woeful teams with a combined 3-13 record. Someone had to win, however, and on this day the Chiefs prevailed by a 16-10 score. Jamaal Charles scored on a 44 yard run—the team’s first rushing touchdown of the season—and Kansas City added three field goals from Ryan Succop to take the victory. Both teams are now 2-7 on the NFL season.

2009-11-16 | Jim Murphy

Jay Cutler came to the Chicago Bears hailed as the franchise quarterback the team had been seeking for years. It hasn’t quite worked out that way as Cutler has struggled, with his performance getting progressively worse. He may have hit rock bottom on Thursday night in San Francisco, as Cutler threw a career high five interceptions as the 49ers beat the Bears 10-6. Cutler is now the first Bear to have two games in a season with four or more interceptions since Billy Wade in 1962. The Bears have now lost four of their last five games and are 4-5 on the year. The Niners are also 4-5 having snapped a four game losing streak.

2009-11-16 | Jim Murphy

Tony Romo had another effective game, throwing for 307 yards and a touchdown against one interception as the Dallas Cowboys went on the road and beat the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles 20-16. Dallas has won four straight games and took over sole possession of first place in the division. The Cowboys improved to 6-2 on the season while the Eagles dropped to 5-3.

2009-11-16 | Jim Murphy

The Denver Broncos opened the season with six straight wins. They’ve since begun their first losing streak of the year, dropping their second straight game to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. The Steelers spotted the Broncos a 3-0 first quarter lead and then took over the game en route to a 28-10 road victory. Both teams are now 6-2 on the NFL season.

2009-11-16 | Jim Murphy

Maybe a quarterback change was just what the Tennessee Titans needed all along. Since the change to Vince Young as their starting signal caller, Tennessee has won three straight including a 41-17 blowout of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Chris Johnson ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns, plus caught nine passes for 100 more yards as the Titans improved to 3-6 after a 0-6 start to the NFL regular season. The Bills lost their second straight game and are also 3-6 on the year.

2009-11-16 | Jim Murphy

No one can blame the New Orleans Saints for not being able to ‘get up’ for a road game against the lowly St. Louis Rams, and particularly after back-to-back divisional contests. Fortunately for the Saints, their malaise on Sunday didn’t cost them their undefeated record. Reggie Bush scored two touchdowns to help New Orleans overcome three turnovers and a generally uneven effort to beat St. Louis 28-23 at the Edward Jones Dome. The Saints improved their record to 9-0, while the Rams slipped to 1-8.

2009-11-16 | Jim Murphy

It seems like only yesterday that the Denver Broncos were a perfect 6-0, and quarterback Kyle Orton was the toast of the town. How quickly fortunes can change in the NFL—on Sunday, the Broncos lost their third straight game with a 27-17 setback to the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Denver led 17-14 heading into the fourth quarter before the Redskins scored the final 13 points of the game for the decision. Adding to the Broncos woes, quarterback Orton injured his ankle just before halftime and had to be replaced by Chris Simms. The Broncos dropped to 6-3 on the year while the Redskins upped their record to 3-6.

2009-11-13 | Jim Murphy

The Jacksonville Jaguars bounced back from an embarrassing blowout loss at Tennessee the previous week to get past the Kansas City Chiefs 24-21 on Sunday. David Garrard threw for 264 yards and one touchdown to help his team get back on the winning track. Maurice Jones-Drew chipped in with 97 rushing yards and a touchdown. Jacksonville evened its 2009 NFL mark at 4-4, while Kansas City slumped to 1-7.

2009-11-13 | Jim Murphy

The New Orleans Saints spotted the Carolina Panthers a 17-6 halftime lead before roaring back in the second half to earn a 30-20 victory. Saints’ QB Drew Brees finished with 330 yards and a touchdown against one interception. The Saints are now 8-0 for the first time in franchise history. The best season opening run prior to this year was a 7-0 start for the defensively tenacious 1991 Saints under head coach Jim Mora. The Panthers dropped to 3-5 on the year with the loss.

2009-11-13 | Jim Murphy

The Seattle Seahawks’ fans haven’t had much to cheer about this season, and Sunday looked to be another low point of the season as their team quickly fell behind the lowly Detroit Lions 17-0 on their home field. The Seahawks then proceeded to storm back behind a franchise record 39 completions from quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and went on to defeat the Lions 32-20. The Seahawks improved to 3-5 with the victory while the hapless Lions dropped to 1-7.

2009-11-12 | Jim Murphy

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won a game. With a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start at the helm, the Bucs used a 21 point fourth quarter to put away the Green Bay Packers by a final score of 38-28. The Bucs were the only remaining winless team in the NFL, and the victory ended the league’s longest active losing streak at 11 games. The Bucs are now 1-7 on the season, while Green Bay evened their mark at 4-4.

2009-11-12 | Jim Murphy

The Cincinnati Bengals opened up a 17-0 halftime lead and the defense took care of the rest as they grinded their way to a 17-7 home victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Cedric Benson ran for 117 yards and Carson Palmer played efficient and mistake free football as the Bengals improved to 4-0 in the AFC North. Cincinnati is now 6-2 overall while the Ravens dropped to 4-4.

2009-11-12 | Jim Murphy

The Indianapolis Colts survived a tough test from the visiting Houston Texans on Sunday, escaping with a 20-17 victory as Kris Brown’s 42 yard field goal attempt as time expired went wide right. Indy held a 14-3 lead at halftime, only to see the Texans claw their way back into contention. Ultimately, however, they couldn’t complete the comeback and the Colts remained undefeated. Indianapolis is now 8-0 on the NFL season while Houston is 5-4.

2009-11-11 | Jim Murphy

The New England Patriots used standout performances from quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss to take a 27-17 home victory over the Miami Dolphins. Brady threw for 332 yards and a touchdown against one interception, and Moss caught the touchdown pass—a game breaking 71 yard play. New England improved to 6-2 on the season with a perfect 5-0 mark at home. Miami dropped to 3-5 with the loss.

2009-11-09 | Jim Murphy

Boise State remained undefeated with a 45-35 victory over Louisiana Tech in Ruston, Louisiana on Friday night but the win was anything but easy. The Broncos actually trailed in the first quarter and had to fend off a second half Bulldogs comeback that saw Louisiana Tech draw within two points early in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the host team was no match for the firepower of the #7 Broncos. Boise State is now 9-0 while Louisiana Tech fell to 3-6.

2009-11-09 | Jim Murphy

With a star studded crowd in attendance that included the New York Yankees and rap mogul Jay-Z, LeBron James took advantage of the occasion to put on a show. Worthy of the Madison Square Garden venue that had played host to so many legends—from Frank Sinatra to Muhammad Ali—LeBron and his Cavs came out smoking and led 40-19 at the end of the first quarter. Cleveland would go on to win 100-91 over the New York Knicks as LeBron posted 33 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in the Cavs only visit to ‘The Big Apple’ this season.

2009-11-09 | Jim Murphy

Not happy with his team’s offensive production in the early part of the NBA season, Portland Trailblazers’ coach Nate McMillan decided to shuffle the deck. His revamped, guard heavy starting lineup responded with a 96-84 drubbing of the San Antonio Spurs at the Rose Garden Arena on Friday night. The Blazers improved to 3-3 on the season, while the Spurs dropped to 2-3 and are still winless on the road in the early part of the NBA season. San Antonio has opened their season with three straight road losses for the first time in 16 years.

2009-11-06 | Jim Murphy

Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo had more to say about accusations from his sulky receiver Roy Williams that he’s somehow ‘sandbagging’ his performance by not throwing his balls as accurately or effectively. To his credit, Romo is more concerned with his team’s performance and continued NFL success than his individual performance though enough of a leader to not directly throw Williams ‘under the bus’.

2009-11-06 | Jim Murphy

After a successful regular season last year, the Boston Bruins have struggled this season particularly on offense. They were able to avoid tying a dubious historical mark for scoring futility on Thursday night, forcing overtime with a late goal against the Montreal Canadiens. It wasn’t enough to get the win, however, as Montreal went on to prevail in the shootout for a 2-1 decision. Glen Metropolit lit the lamp for the Habs in the first period, and that was the only score of the game until Patrice Bergeron tied it for the Bruins in the final minute of regulation.

2009-11-06 | Jim Murphy

Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams each scored 27 points, and Boozer added 14 rebounds as the Utah Jazz defeated the San Antonio Spurs 113-99 at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City on Thursday night. The Jazz broke a two game losing streak and atoned for a dismal performance at Dallas on Tuesday where they blew a 16 point fourth quarter lead and eventually lost after the Mavs dropped 44 points on them in the final quarter. It was Utah’s first victory over San Antonio since April of 2008.

2009-11-05 | Jim Murphy

The Dallas Cowboys have won three straight games and moved into a first place tie with Philadelphia. Tony Romo is playing efficient and productive football at quarterback, and backup receiver Miles Austin has produced like a NFL Pro Bowler since entering the starting lineup. So how is the presumptive starter, Roy Williams handling the success of the Cowboys and his teammate as he’s struggled through injuries? He’s decided to whine about it.

2009-11-05 | Jim Murphy

In theory, Florida coach Urban Meyer should be a happy man this week. He’s got his Gators ranked at #1 and the team just demolished their biggest SEC rival in the annual game dubbed ‘The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party’. His quarterback, Tim Tebow, passed former University of Georgia and NFL great Herschel Walker on the SEC all time rushing list. Instead of celebrating the victory, however, Meyer is steaming about what he suggests was a late hit on his star quarterback that wasn’t called by SEC officials.

2009-11-05 | Jim Murphy

For such a tough, physically imposing guy UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar sure has a puny immune system. On Wednesday, the promotion announced that his rescheduled title defense against Shane Carwin that had been set for UFC 108 in January had been postponed indefinitely due to a lingering illness. The UFC has been hit by a spate of injuries to top stars in recent weeks that has forced a frequent reshuffling of their forthcoming events, but none is as significant as Lesnar who is their top PPV draw among the mainstream public and casual MMA fans.

2009-11-04 | Jim Murphy

The Philadelphia Eagles jumped out to a 30-7 halftime lead and went on to brutalize the visiting New York Giants, eventually winning by a final score of 40-17. Donovan McNabb passed for 240 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the victory. Since opening the season 5-0 the Giants have now lost three straight games as quarterback Eli Manning has struggled. Against the Eagles, Manning had 222 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. The Giants dropped to 5-3 on the year while Philadelphia improved to 5-2.

2009-11-04 | Jim Murphy

It was far from a flawless performance by the New Orleans Saints, but in the end they held off a late game rally by the Atlanta Falcons for a 35-27 victory on Monday Night Football. The win kept the Saints’ undefeated season alive despite four turnovers for the second straight week. The Falcons had their share of miscues as well, with quarterback Matt Ryan throwing three interceptions. New Orleans improved to 7-0 with the victory while Atlanta slumped to 4-3.

2009-11-04 | Jim Murphy

The Cleveland Browns have sent their general manager packing after less than a year on the job. George Kokinis has been ‘relieved of his duties’ as of Monday and neither the Browns nor anyone associated with the team is giving much of an explanation. The move was highly unexpected both locally and around the NFL despite the team’s dismal 1-7 start to the season due to Kokinis short tenure on the job and good relationship with those within the organization.

2009-11-03 | Jim Murphy

The Miami Dolphins offense continued to struggle, but their special teams bailed them out in a 30-25 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday. Relegated to kickoff return duty, Ted Ginn, Jr. had a record breaking day scoring two long touchdowns as Miami found a way to prevail in a game in which they were dominated statistically. The Dolphins improved to 3-4 while the Jets evened their NFL record at 4-4. New York has gone 1-4 since a 3-0 start to the season.

2009-11-03 | Jim Murphy

The Baltimore Ravens sent the Denver Broncos to their first loss of the season on Sunday, using 24 fourth quarter points to blow open a close game as they went on to win 30-7. The big blow came on a 95 yard kickoff return for touchdown by Lardarius Webb to start the third quarter and give the Ravens a 13-0 lead. Joe Flacco played an efficient, mistake free game at quarterback as Baltimore improved to 4-3. Denver dropped to 6-1.

2009-11-03 | Jim Murphy

Chris Johnson rushed for a franchise record 228 yards and two touchdowns and Vince Young returned to the starting lineup and threw another touchdown as the Tennessee Titans won their first game of the season with a 30-13 verdict over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville’s Marcus Jones-Drew played well in a losing cause, rushing for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Tennessee is now 1-6 on the year while Jacksonville slumped to 3-4.

2009-11-02 | Jim Murphy

The Columbus Blue Jackets learned a valuable lesson about NHL hockey on Friday night—it’s dangerous to ‘sit on a lead’ and particularly against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Down 3-1, Pittsburgh tied the game late in the third period as Ruslan Fedotenko and Alex Goligoski each lit the lamp with less than three minutes remaining. After a scoreless overtime period, Sidney Crosby scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Penguins an improbable 4-3 victory. It was the 9th win in ten games for Pittsburgh, who are a perfect 6-0-0 on the road. Columbus lost for the fifth time in six games after a 5-1 start to the NHL season.

2009-11-02 | Jim Murphy

After losing the services of starting goalie Roberto Luongo for the indefinite future with a broken rib, the Canucks may have breathed a sigh of relief too soon after backup goalie Andrew Raycroft’s performance in his first game in relief. After an excellent effort in an overtime victory over Los Angeles, Raycroft was torched for four goals in two periods before being pulled from the game. Corey Schneider, recently recalled from Manitoba of the AHL, played the third period in net giving up three more goals as Anaheim cruised to a 7-2 victory. The Canucks scored twice in the first five minutes of the game to lead 2-0 before giving up seven unanswered goals.

2009-11-02 | Jim Murphy

Brett Favre’s return to Green Bay may have been dramatic, but it wasn’t competitive. The Vikings opened up a 17-3 halftime lead before coasting to a 38-26 victory. Favre was booed mercilessly by his former fans at Lambeau Field, but it didn’t seem to bother him a bit as amassed 244 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions. Minnesota improved to 7-1 on the NFL season while Green Bay dropped to 4-3.