Around FCS: Year Of Change For Great West

Cfootball Betting Lines

08/21/2008 - Philadelphia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It hasn't taken long for the Great West Conference to establish itself as one of the top leagues in FCS. But while the GFC has experienced more than its share of success on the field in six years, off the field the league has been marked by instability.

Designed originally as a league for schools without a conference home in football, the Great West was from the beginning a marriage of convenience.

Before the league had played a game, St. Mary's (CA) decided to drop its football program. Northern Colorado stayed for a couple of years before departing to the Big Sky Conference.

The Great West survived those defections, but will be further hurt this season by the loss of North Dakota State and South Dakota State to the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which like Northern Colorado were glad to settle in a league with an automatic playoff bid.

Replacing NDSU and SDSU are two more teams moving up from the Division II ranks, North Dakota and South Dakota. That helps the GWC remain with five football members, but the loss of two teams ranked in the top 25 doesn't help the league retain the same quality of play.

Eventually, North Dakota and South Dakota could develop into solid FCS programs, but the Fighting Sioux and Coyotes probably are not as far along as their Dakota neighbors were when they made the jump.

The Great West made news this summer when it expanded to become an all-sports conference by adding Houston Baptist, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley. North Dakota and South Dakota will also compete as all-sports members, while Cal Poly, UC Davis and Southern Utah will continue their associations with other leagues for the additional sports.

Whether any of those new schools will eventually start football is to be determined, and league officials will continue their search for one or more football-playing institutions with the hope of someday becoming eligible for an automatic playoff berth.

In the interim, Cal Poly and UC Davis should dominate play in 2008, with Southern Utah trying to rebuild under a new coaching staff after last year's 0-11 record. The Mustangs and Aggies were voted to place first and second respectively in the preseason coaches poll

1. Cal Poly (7-4 overall, 2-2 conference, third in 2007)

The Mustangs, who came up one win short of a playoff berth in 2007, return 10 of 11 starters from one of the most potent offenses in FCS.

Cal Poly's new option attack was ranked second nationally in total offense (487 yards per game), fifth in rushing (272 yards) and fifth in scoring (39.3 points per game).

Senior quarterback Jonathan Dally's ability to run (763 yards, 12 TDs) and pass (2,238 yards, 29 TDs) helped fuel this potent group. There are plenty of running threats among James Noble (3,051 career yards, 6.1 average), Jon Hall (449 yards last season, 5.3), Ryan Mole (424, 7.7), Jono Grayson (308, 8.4) and Jordan Yocum (259, 6.0).

But the biggest weapon may be the top receiver in FCS, senior Ramses Barden. Barden has 139 career receptions, including 57 last season, 18 TDs and a 21.2 average per catch, and was voted as the Great West preseason offensive player of the year.

Stephen Field, one of the top offensive linemen in the country, moves from center to guard to anchor a solid front.

The Mustangs stumbled uncharacteristically on defense last year after having three consecutive Buchanan Award winners, Jordan Beck, Chris Gocong and Kyle Shotwell. Cal Poly allowed 370 yards and 25.3 points per game.

Only five defensive players return, but among the standouts are linebackers Mark Restelli and Ryan Shotwell, defensive lineman Sean Lawyer and strong safety David Fullerton.

2. UC Davis (5-6, 1-3, fourth)

The Aggies were excited by the prospects of being playoff-eligible for the first time in 2007. But instead of challenging for a postseason bid, UC Davis stumbled to a losing record, ending a record string of 37 consecutive winning years.

The problem was a defense that ranked 96th overall and 109th against the pass and allowed 31 points per game.

The return from injury of John Faltoese, one of the top defensive tackles in the country, will help a bunch. Faltoese was named the Great West preseason defensive player of the year.

Linebackers Mike Morales (75 tackles) and Tyler Pringle (69 tackles) are among the other starters back.

On offense, the Aggies had a high-flying passing attack, but must replace a graduated quarterback for the second year in a row. Greg Denham is highly touted, but played in only one game last season.

Running back Joe Trombetta (676, 4.8 average, eight TDs) made a strong impression as a redshirt freshman and receivers Brandon Rice (59 catches, 10 TDs) and Bakari Grant (47 catches, 5 TDs) provide a pair of good targets at receiver.

Guard Jonathan Compas, an All-American candidate, anchors an offensive line that returns four of five starters.

3. North Dakota (10-2, 7-1, second, North Central Conference)

North Dakota finished off its final season of Division II play with a run to the playoffs, but the Fighting Sioux are moving up without coach Dale Lennon, who left to take over the Southern Illinois program. Former offensive coordinator Chris Mussman takes over the team after nine years as an assistant at UND.

The offense will revolve around quarterback Danny Freund (2,860 passing yards, 68%, 24 TDs). He was third last year in Division II passing efficiency. Ryan Dressler and Brady Trenbeath should be the top receivers.

But the Fighting Sioux will be hurt by the academic loss of running back Ryan Chappell (1,640 yards, 14 TDs). Josh Murray (530 yards, four TDs) will be asked to take up the slack.

North Dakota lost four all-conference performers on defense, but return the other seven starters, including free safety Rory Manke (73 tackles) and linebacker Brett Holinka (53 tackles).

4. South Dakota (6-5, 5-3, fourth, NCC)

The Coyotes will probably have a steep learning curve as they move into FCS, but they can build this year around versatile quarterback Noah Shepard (2,547 yards passing, 649 yards rushing, 26 total TDs).

There are only three other starters returning, however, receiver Dan Skelly (27 catches, 22.7 average, seven TDs) and linemen Jacob Arthur and Luke Nordquist.

The Coyote defense struggled last season, giving up 27.5 points per game. Linebacker Blake Hojer (80 tackles) will be a key performer, along with defensive lineman Wayne Curry, cornerback T.J. Simmons and free safety Joel Gentile.

5. Southern Utah (0-11, 0-4, fifth)

The Thunderbirds played a lot of teams close in 2007, but couldn't find a way to record a win. Among the losses were games against ranked teams from Montana, Southern Illinois, McNeese State, Montana State, Youngstown State, North Dakota State, Cal Poly, South Dakota State and Northern Iowa.

Ed Lamb moved from San Diego to become the new coach, but faces a big rebuilding project. The offense was 104th nationally in rushing and scoring (16.2 points per game) and the defense was 107th in points allowed (37.3).

Quarterback Cody Stone passed for 1,262 yards and seven TDs as a backup last year, and he has a good receiving corps in Nick Miller (35 catches), Craig Gritton (35 catches) and Tyson Poots (29 catches, 14.6 average).

Seven starters return on defense, including linebacker Ron Takeno (82 tackles) and cornerback Dewayne Lewis.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds

Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it. Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.