2011 Senior Bowl Odds
(The Spread) – The 2011 Senior Bowl is Saturday at 4:00PM ET and according to oddsmakers, the North is a slight favorite over the South. Continue reading for odds, matchups and more on this college football all-star game.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com, the North squad is a 1-point favorite over the South in today’s Senior Bowl. The over/under total for this game is currently 44 points.
The staff of the Cincinnati Bengals (led by head coach Marvin Lewis) will coach the North today, while the Bills’ coaching staff (lead by head coach Chan Gailiey) will oversee the South.
The player receiving the most attention at this year’s Senior Bowl is North quarterback Jake Locker, who had a disappointing season at Washington. Had he came out after his junior year, he may have been the top player selected in last year’s NFL draft. But he stayed in school, struggled and now needs a couple of great pre-draft workouts to bust his stock.
But what’s interesting is that Locker isn’t the North quarterback receiving the most praise this week. That honor belongs to Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, who has blown scouts away with his size, athleticism and arm strength. He also has surprised scouts with his accuracy, which was one of the question marks on him coming into the Senior Bowl. If he plays well on Saturday, Kaepernick could be the QB that improves his draft stock the most this week.
Other North players to keep an eye on are Outland Trophy winner Gage Carimi of Wisconsin, Oklahoma tailback DeMarco Murray, Boise State receiver Titus Young (who has also drawn rave reviews this week) and Nebraska running back Roy Helu, Jr.
For the South, defensive players like Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller (the Dick Butkus Award winner) and tackles Pernell McPhee of Mississippi State and Phil Taylor of Baylor are just three to watch out for. Alabama’s Greg McElroy, TCU’s Andy Dalton and Florida State’s Christian Ponder will lead the South offense. D.J. Williams, the nation’s top tight end from Arkansas, will also be heavily featured, while running back Noel Devine will see plenty of action as well.
When betting the 2011 Senior Bowl, keep in mind that since 2002, there has only been one game that has been decided by single digits (2008: South 17-16). In that span, the average margin of victory is 15.6 points per game so if you think you have a winner, you’ll probably cruise to an easy cover.
As for the total, the points have exceeded 38 only three times in the last eight years, so you may want to consider the under 44. It’s hard for college players to grasp systems in only a week, so the defenses have an advantage.
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