It wasn’t all that long ago that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Florida State Seminoles were bitter rivals. This time around, they square off on the Champs Sports Bowl odds, and we are set to make our college football bowl picks for the big time game on December 29th/

Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Florida State Seminoles
Champs Sports Bowl Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
Champs Sports Bowl Date/Time: Thursday, December 29th, 5:30 p.m. (ET)
Champs Sports Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: The good EJ Manuel has to show up for FSU
Manuel really proved to be the difference maker for Florida State this year. Before the middle of November, in games in which he played from start to finish, the Noles went 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS. In games in which he was injured and either didn’t play at all or didn’t play the entire game, they went 0-3 SU and ATS. That all really changed against the Virginia Cavaliers though, as Manuel only went 18-of-31 for 200 yards with a TD in a brutal 14-13 loss in the final home game of the season. The next week against the Florida Gators, the Noles had nine penalties for 85 yards, and the offense only mustered 95 yards on a total of 59 plays. Sure, FSU won that game and essentially won it going away to reach the Champs Sports Bowl for the second time in recent history, but it definitely wasn’t a pretty game to say the least.

Champs Sports Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Notre Dame Fighting Irish +3
Florida State Seminoles -3
Over/Under 46.5
Click Here to Bet The Champs Sports Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Michael Floyd has to prove to be a tremendous threat for the Irish
The Seminoles have done a nice job this year taking away some of the best receiving options in the ACC. That being said, Floyd is one of the truly tremendous talents in college football at the wide out position. He is wrapping up his outstanding career in which he has 266 receptions for 3,645 yards and 36 TDs. He needs five receptions in this game to reach 100 for the season, and he clearly has to get there if the Irish are going to compete. Normally speaking, when Floyd really isn’t a key part of the offense, Notre Dame doesn’t play all that well. The Noles ranked No. 19 in the country against the pass at 192.8 yards per game, but remember that they rank No. 2 against the rush at 82.8 yards per game, something has to give. If it isn’t Floyd, Notre Dame is in a heck of a lot of trouble.

Key #3: Head Coach Jimbo Fisher needs to keep doing what he has been doing
This isn’t nearly the first time that the Seminoles have stumbled a bit down the stretch entering the bowl season. Heck, before the last two years, they had consistently lost their last game of the year to the Gators before coming bowling. Yet somehow, the garnet and gold always seem to show up for their bowl game. The team has won three bowl games in a row, all of which have come by more than a touchdown, and all three games of which were truly dominating. The last time that the Seminoles played in a bowl game in which they just didn’t play that well was in the 2002 Sugar Bowl against a significantly better Georgia Bulldogs team, and the time before that was the National Championship Game against the Oklahoma Sooners in 2000. This is a team that is used to playing in bowl games, having done so every year since 1977.

Click Here to get the best college football picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Champs Sports Bowl picks and the NCAA football picks for the rest of the bowl game odds.

Last season, the Florida State Seminoles looked completely outclassed on the road against the Oklahoma Sooners. This year, with both teams starting off ranked in the Top 5 of the country, the Noles will look to exact some revenge for what might amount to be the start of a National Championship season for both.

Oklahoma @ Florida State Picks & Info
Oklahoma Sooners @ Florida State Game Date: Saturday, September 17, 2011
Oklahoma @ FSU Location: Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
Oklahoma @ Florida State Game Line: Florida State Seminoles +2

The Sooners have some high hopes this season after a few years of relative disappointment after the injuries and departure of QB Sam Bradford. However, it wasn’t the offense that was the problem last year. QB Landry Jones tore apart defenses to the tune of over 4,700 yards, and he very well could be in for even better numbers this year with more emphasis coming on the passing game. WR Ryan Broyles had a field day in this fixture last year, going for 124 yards and a score on a dozen receptions. The defense was an issue for the most part, but not against FSU. This unit held the Noles down to just 345 total yards, a true accomplishment after racking up 500 yards of offense.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Florida State Seminoles Past Games (Since 1995)
2010: Oklahoma 47 – Florida State 17
2001: Oklahoma 13 – Florida State 2 (National Championship Game)

FSU has never really had any luck against the Sooners, getting beaten twice relatively badly. Now, Head Coach Jimbo Fisher is going to hope that QB EJ Manuel has the goods to get the job done this year in what could amount to be the biggest game that the Garnet and Gold have had in quite some time. The defense picked up the slack over the back half of the season until the ACC Championship Game, and Fisher knows that this unit is going to be the key at home to stopping the Sooners’ mighty attack. Look for DB Greg Reid, who had a terrible game last year, to have a significantly better showing. He could be the difference maker in this one.

Oklahoma Sooners @ Florida State Seminoles Game Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/26/11):
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Oklahoma Sooners (-2) @ Florida State Seminoles

Many believe that this is a season that belongs to the Florida State Seminoles in the ACC. However, if history is any indication, the Clemson Tigers are once again going to put up a big time fight to try to put a crimp in the style of the garnet and gold en route to an Atlantic Division triumph. This game might be for all of the marbles in the conference when it’s all said and done this year.

Florida State Seminoles @ Clemson Tigers Picks & Info
Florida State Seminoles @ Clemson Tigers Date: Saturday, September 24th
Florida State Seminoles @ Clemson Tigers Location: Clemson Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
Florida State Seminoles @ Clemson Tigers Spread: Clemson Tigers +5

The Seminoles have really had very little luck playing in Death Valley, and this year really could be no exception. The question is going to be whether or not QB EJ Manuel, the new kid on the block, is going to be able to go into a hostile environment and win a game. There will be 82,000 packed into Clemson Memorial Stadium, and this is definitely the one game on the slate that every single player, coach, and fan clad in orange and purple wants to win. This will be the first road game of the year for the Seminoles, and it comes on the heels of what could be the biggest win that the program has had in quite some time if they can knock off the Oklahoma Sooners the week before, so this is most certainly a big time trap spot.

Florida State Seminoles vs. Clemson Tigers Past Games (Since 1995)
2010: Florida State 16 – Clemson 13
2009: Clemson 40 – Florida State 24
2008: Florida State 41 – Clemson 27
2007: Clemson 24 – Florida State 18
2006: Clemson 27 – Florida State 20
2005: Clemson 35 – Florida State 14
2004: Florida State 41 – Clemson 22
2003: Clemson 26 – Florida State 10
2002: Florida State 48 – Clemson 31
2001: Florida State 41 – Clemson 27
2000: Florida State 54 – Clemson 7
1999: Florida State 17 – Clemson 14
1998: Florida State 48 – Clemson 0
1997: Florida State 35 – Clemson 28
1996: Florida State 34 – Clemson 3

Clemson has never really had a dominating side in the ACC; in fact, it has never won the conference title since the Noles have joined the league. However, this is one field and one team that it has always played well at and against respectively. The Tigers have actually won five of the last eight meetings in this series and have covered six of the last eight, and they haven’t lost a game here in Death Valley against the garnet and gold since 2001. This will be the first big test for the no huddle, up tempo offense that new Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris is going to implement this year, and it should be a real test for new starting QB Tajh Boyd. Dual threat QBs have usually had decent success against FSU, especially in the past, and Boyd will hope to add to that level of success by pulling off another upset at home against it.

Florida State Seminoles @ Clemson Tigers Game Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/5/11):
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Florida State Seminoles (-5) @ Clemson Tigers

Even when the Florida State Seminoles and the Miami Hurricanes didn’t share the ACC together, their annual rivalry was always one to be remembered, and it was a game that had a ton of bowl game and National Championship implications. This year could be no exception, as both teams have their sights set on not just bragging rights in the Sunshine State, but in the ACC as well.

Miami Hurricanes @ Florida State Seminoles Picks & Info
Miami Hurricanes @ Florida State Seminoles Date: Saturday, November 12th, 2011
Miami Hurricanes @ Florida State Seminoles Location: Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
Miami Hurricanes @ Florida State Seminoles Spread: Florida State Seminoles -8

The Canes could be in some trouble in this duel if QB Jacory Harris doesn’t play better than he historically has in this series. Yes, he did manage to pull off the upset in Tallahassee two years ago on Labor Day night to kick off the season, but he really needs to get on his high horse this year to make sure that he can pick up the slack for an offense that really is lacking a lot of star power. This is going to be the first taste for Head Coach Al Golden in this series, and he could be in for quite a rude awakening, especially if he defense, which was ranked No. 21 in the country last year, struggles.

Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida State Seminoles Past Games (Since 1995)
2010: Florida State 45 – Miami 17
2009: Miami 38 – Florida State 34
2008: Florida State 41 – Miami 39
2007: Miami 37 – Florida State 29
2006: Florida State 13 – Miami 10
2005: Florida State 10 – Miami 7
2004: Miami 16 – Florida State 10
2004 (Orange Bowl): Miami 16 – Florida State 14
2003: Miami 22 – Florida State 14
2002: Miami 28 – Florida State 27
2001: Miami 49 – Florida State 27
2000: Miami 27 – Florida State 24
1999: Florida State 31 – Miami 21
1998: Florida State 26 – Miami 14
1997: Florida State 47 – Miami 0
1996: Florida State 34 – Miami 16

The Noles have had to suffer a ton of catastrophic losses at the hands of the Hurricanes. Kickers have had nightmares about last second field goals in Tallahassee for well over a decade, and only recently, has Florida State really gotten its footing back in this series. Of course, there is only one win against the Canes at the Doak since 1999, and that was on Labor day 2005 in an ugly 10-7 win. Of course, Head Coach Jimbo Fisher made a great impression last year on this series, winning 45-17 down in South Beach. This one is a heck of a lot later in the season than it normally is, making the stakes even higher. However, this should be an advantage to FSU, knowing that QB EJ Manuel, assuming that he stays healthy, will have a ton of games under his belt and should be accustomed to being the man of the hour for the garnet and gold.

Miami Hurricanes @ Florida State Seminoles Game Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/20/11):
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Miami Hurricanes (+8) @ Florida State Seminoles

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The storylines between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Florida State Seminoles are very, very deep for the final game played in 2010 in the college football betting campaign. These two will lock horns in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome as the losers of the SEC and ACC Championship games respectively. But which team will recover and post a win to finish up the calendar year? We have the three keys to the game for your Chick-Fil-A Bowl picks.

Key #1: Christian Ponder needs to prove that he is healthy and ready to go against a stout defense
These Gamecocks were no joke this year defensively, as they held teams to just 356.5 yards and 22.9 points per game this year. However, if you can beat this team, you have to do so through the air. If your name wasn’t the Auburn Tigers, you only averaged about 70 yards per game on the ground against SC this year, which puts the onus on the FSU passing game. Ponder has missed some games this year due to some various ailments, but right now, he is fighting with a bursa sac injury that cost him the 2010 ACC Championship Game against the Virginia Tech Hokies. The senior has probably cost himself a lot of money in the NFL Draft this year, but he did throw for 20 TDs on the campaign and is absolutely a capable signal caller. Ponder does have some explosive receivers at his disposal as well, though none of his top four targets had even 600 total yards on the season. The ball is spread around to four different targets, led by WR Bert Reed, who had 55 grabs for 589 yards and a pair of scores.

Key #2: Mark Stoops has to find a game plan to get into the face of Stephen Garcia
Florida State Defensive Coordinator Mark Stoops has done a tremendous job this year getting his defense back in the saddle after a horrifying few seasons. This was the second best team in the ACC in terms of sacking the quarterback, and there were some fantastic games that this unit played up front. LB Mister Alexander is always terrorizing QBs, and he’s going to be tabbed with getting in the face of QB Stephen Garcia in this one. Garcia has been prone to throwing picks in his career, as he has 11 for the season in 315 pass attempts. The pressure needs to get into the South Carolina backfield in a hurry to keep the corners from having to guard the entire field against WR Alshon Jeffrey. It’s bad enough that Jeffrey can go and get a jump ball anywhere on the field. But to give him more than just a couple seconds to get open really just isn’t fair. Jeffrey caught 79 passes for 1,387 yards and nine TDs this year, and he is really one of the best ball catchers in the entire country. If FSU can’t stop him, it can’t stop this offense.

Key #3: Marcus Lattimore needs to be a workhorse
The Seminoles still have some problems stopping ground games at times, allowing 126.8 yards per game in 2010. Meanwhile, you won’t find a better freshman back in the game than Carolina’s RB Marcus Lattimore. Lattimore really made a name for himself this year against the Florida Gators, when he carried the ball 40 times for 212 yards and three TDs to help SC win the SEC East. The frosh wasn’t just a runner either. He had 26 catches for 364 yards and two TDs out of the backfield. However, when Garcia needs to get some of the pressure off of his shoulders, he turns around and hands the ball to No. 21. Lattimore had 248 carries this year for 1,198 yards and 17 scores, and he is likely to be the big time scorer on the day for the Gamecocks if they are going to beat the Chick-Fil-A Bowl odds.

By the standard set by the Florida State Seminoles. they have never had much in the way of luck against the NC State Wolfpack, particularly in Raleigh. Nor have they ever really played that well on primetime football, especially during the week. However, if they want to win the ACC Atlantic Division, they are going to have to put those demons aside and come forth with their best effort on Thursday night to take care of the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Here are our NCAA football props picks for this nationally televised game on ESPN!

Russell Wilson Over/Under 3.5 Touchdowns + INTs
Florida State has a ball hawking secondary that is really one of the most athletic units in the nation. However, unless Wilson plans on throwing oodles of INTs, we have no idea why the oddsmakers are asking him to get to four TDs + INTs in this one. Wilson has 18 touchdown passes this season in just seven games, which is a remarkable number. However, the majority of these TD tosses have come against iffy defenses, save the three TD game against the Virginia Tech Hokies a few weeks ago. Wilson is up against it now, perhaps against the best defense in the ACC. Yes, the Noles will probably get their INT, possibly even two. After all, Wilson has tossed nine picks in his last four games. Remember that this was also a man who only threw one INT in his entire freshman season. Florida State isn’t allowing three TDs passes, and if that’s the case, we’re banking on Wilson to not throw at least three picks again. We’ll take our chances on Wilson going Under 3.5 TDs + INTs (+125 at Hollywood Sportsbook) on Thursday night.

Will Willie Haulstead Score a Touchdown?
QB Christian Ponder loves to throw the ball all over the field to a number of different receivers, but Haulstead, at best, is option No. 3. You’re talking about a man that has only scored in two different games this year, and has only had four total catches in FSU’s last two games overall. Aside from that, the Wolfpack have a secondary that is better than what the Noles are used to seeing on average. The sophomore is a big time deep threat, but asking him to score a TD in at least one out of three games to beat us is ludicrous. There’s no way that we aren’t on the right side of this prop more often than not. Go with a Haulstead Not to Score a Touchdown (-180 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Will Jermaine Thomas Score a Touchdown?
Here we go again with another prop that the oddsmakers don’t really know what they’re doing. Thomas really became the “feature” back in this FSU offense when RB Ty Jones got hurt a few weeks ago. However, Jones came back into the fold last week against the Boston College Eagles, and as a result, Thomas only ended up with five carries for the entire game. We expect to see him touch the rock a solid 12-15 times between receptions and carries in this one, but that doesn’t mean that he is finding pay dirt even half the time. There is no real rhyme or reason for who HC Jimbo Fisher elects to deploy down by the goal line, and we aren’t so sure that Florida State won’t be doing more throwing the ball in tight in this game anyway. Once again, the oddsmakers don’t know what they’re doing with this one. Go with Thomas Not to Score a Touchdown (+120 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Some of the biggest programs in college football have seen changes right at the top this year. The odds to win the 2011 BCS Championship have altered as well, as there have been hirings, firings, and replacements, along with some surprise changes that could shake the entire core of the NCAA football betting world. A number of schools have made changes at the top in what has been a very, very interesting offseason. Here is the list of the schools that are heading in new directions with their football programs and their 2011 BCS Championship odds.

Akron Zips (+700000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Akron has been a train wreck in the MAC for a number of years, and last season was no exception. The Zips went just 3-9 and just 2-6 in conference, and a 4-8 ATS record didn’t make many college football betting friends either. Now, there is a huge quarterback battle going on in Akron, as QBs Patrick Nicely and Matt Rodgers are both candidates for the job. Rodgers’ injury last year might’ve been the final straw to getting JD Brookhart fired. Rob Ianello, the new man in charge, has a long way to go to get this program back to the form that it was in back in 2005 when it won the MAC Championship.

Buffalo Bulls (+500000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Without a doubt, Turner Gill was the most beloved coach in the history of Buffalo Bulls football. He really helped put the program on the map, especially two seasons ago when the Bulls upset the previously unbeaten Ball State Falcons to win the MAC Championship Game when no one gave them even the remotest of chances. If the name Jeff Quinn sounds familiar to you, think back to both Central Michigan and Cincinnati. Both of those teams lost Brian Kelly right before their bowl games. Quinn was the man in charge of both a bowl win for the Chippewas over Middle Tennessee in 2005 and last season’s Bearcats loss to the Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl. Getting back to a bowl game would be a triumph for Buffalo, which fell a game short of eligibility last year.

Central Michigan Chippewas (+120000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): The Chippewas had a chance to really make some noise last year, the final season with QB Dan LeFevour. However, just as has been the case in quite a few instances when a legendary coach leaves a program, Butch Jones decided that LeFevour’s departure was the best time for him to try to move on to a big time coaching gig. Now, the Chippies are left with Dan Enos, the former running backs coach for the Michigan State Spartans. Enos has never been a head football coach at any level, clearly showing that CMU didn’t have a heck of a lot of options. No one wanted to be the man that followed Jones in Mount Pleasant, especially without LeFevour there to quell the pain of transition.

Cincinnati Bearcats (+15000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Shame on Brian Kelly for leaving the Bearcats right before their bowl game after a perfect regular season and a Big East championship! The team made the right call by going after Kelly’s successor at Central Michigan, Butch Jones as a replacement. We already know that Jones knows Kelly’s system after taking over for him without missing a beat at Central Michigan, and several teams were eager to grab his services. Jones made a good call as well, as he knows that QB Zach Collaros might actually be better than the departed Tony Pike. Collaros can win this team the Big East title this year, which might immediately put Jones in line for an even better position.

East Carolina Pirates (+160000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): ECU was on the verge of something special with Skip Holtz in charge, but when South Florida came calling for the second generation coach, he had to move on to the bigger named school. Ruffin McNeill has been an assistant at Texas Tech for a number of years. Many thought that he would be a logical successor to Mike Leach, especially after guiding the Red Raiders to a 41-31 Alamo Bowl win over Michigan State last year. Will the spread offense work at East Carolina, though? It is certainly a huge shift from the traditional, “take care of the football and play good defense” mentality that Holtz had. There could be a bit of a transition period for the Pirates, but ultimately, McNeill should make a good director of the ship there.

Florida State Seminoles (+7000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): For the past three seasons, Jimbo Fisher has just been waiting patiently for Bobby Bowden to retire so he could take over command at Florida State. Truth be told, the Noles have been under Fisher’s watchful eye ever since he stepped foot in Tallahassee, so this might not be a huge transition for the garnet and gold. Fisher has transformed this offense into a train wreck from the Drew Weatherford/Xavier Lee days into one that is genuinely feared with QB Christian Ponder at the helm. It’s going to be fun watching this team grow once again, especially with the QB of the future, EJ Manuel already waiting in the wings. A defense still needs to be picked back up to get Florida State back on the map. Fisher has huge shoes to fill from the second winningest coach in NCAA FBS history.

Kansas Jayhawks (+35000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Kansas had to think that last season was the year that it could really contend for a National Championship. However, Mark Mangino, who helped resurrect the program and turn it into a national contender in the first place, failed miserably, as he wasted the talents of seniors like Dezmon Briscoe, Kerry Meier, Todd Reesing, and Jake Sharp. Turner Gill was the hottest young coaching commodity on the planet, and KU was sure to snatch him up. He is already looked at as a hero in Lawrence, as very few of the players and even fewer of the alumni had any care for the way that Mangino treated his team at all.

Kentucky Wildcats (+50000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Rich Brooks deserves a lot of credit for keeping Kentucky football relevant for a number of years. Still, it was time for him to go, as it seemed as though the program hit a peak under his direction. Head coach in waiting Joker Phillips is set to unleash his offensive talents on the rest of the SEC in a move that is probably going to take a few years to get perfected. The Cats are always going to be a second rate team in the SEC, particularly in the East, where programs like Florida and Tennessee will always be the hottest recruiting beds. Phillips has his work cut out for him to make the Wildcats more than Music City Bowl honorary members on an annual basis.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (+150000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Here’s a team that wasn’t so certain that it was really changing coaches. La Tech was shocked when Derek Dooley left for Tennessee, and they had to scramble to try to replace him at the last second with most of the best coaching options already off the board. Little known Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes is the man that was suddenly put in charge on January 20th. He is bringing in a spread offense which will bring La Tech essentially into the 21st century of WAC football. This program has bigger problems, though… trying to figure out what conference it is going to be playing in once the WAC finishes falling apart.

Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (+750000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Mired in the middle of a bad conference for a number of years, the Warhawks are just trying to figure out how to get to a bowl game and to challenge the top teams in the Sun Belt. Signing Todd Berry made a lot of sense though, as he is very familiar with the system at Louisiana-Monroe having served under previous head coach Charlie Weatherbie as an assistant for two years. He has bounced around as assistants in other locations since 2005, but he’ll return to the Bayou and try to get the Warhawks on the map for the first time in the history of the school.

Louisville Cardinals (+50000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Simply put, the firing of Steve Kragthorpe was an absolute must in Louisville. Kragthorpe single handedly destroyed the program that Bobby Petrino turned into a Top 10 program year in and year out in the Big East. Kragthorpe couldn’t find a way to win in the senior year of QB Brian Brohm, one of the most decorated players in the history of the school’s football team, and since then it has been all downhill. Charlie Strong comes in from Florida, where he will bring a spread offense that should at least spark a bit of promise for a program that has been dropped into the doldrums of the Big East for the past few years.

Marshall Thundering Herd (+140000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Mark Snyder was one of the many coaches that were essentially forced out of their positions. Snyder wasn’t even allowed to hang around for the team’s bowl game, a 21-17 win in the Little Caesar’s Bowl over Ohio. John “Doc” Holliday has been the associate head coach at West Virginia for a number of years, and many are surprised that it took this long for him to land a head coaching job. The cupboard certainly isn’t bare at Marshall, and many think that Holliday can be the man that can bring this program back to prominence in its new conference, C-USA.

Memphis Tigers (+350000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Simply put, Memphis is in terrible shape right now. The Tigers might not be favored in any game which they play this season, and if that’s the case, the prospects of a one or two win campaign is a real possibility. Former coach Tommy West blasted the program on the way out the door, which might cause us to never hear his name again. Larry Porter is going to be taking over, but even he knows that this is probably nothing more than a temporary stop before he gets fired as well. The Tigers are going nowhere fast, and unless the school pumps some more money into the facilities there, this program is closer to being gone than being relevant.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+11500 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Notre Dame football has been on a steep decline ever since Lou Holtz retired. Coaches like Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie helped wreck what was once one of the most proud programs in the history of college football. Charlie Weis didn’t help matters any either, though he at least took the team to a BCS game in his reign. Former Cincinnati HC Brian Kelly accepted the Irish position just days before his Bearcats tried to complete an undefeated season with a Sugar Bowl victory over the Florida Gators. Cincinnati’s players elected to play without their skipper, and the end result was a huge loss to mar an otherwise fantastic campaign. Kelly probably has three years to turn the Irish into winners.

San Jose State Spartans (+800000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): There aren’t many programs that have been as inept as San Jose State in recent years. The Spartans really were never in a position to let Tomey, a legendary coach in West Coast college football go. However, he announced his retirement, which is leading way to Mike MacIntyre to come across the country from Duke, where he was the team’s defensive coordinator. Working on the defense would be a good start for the Spartans, as they were one of the worst ‘D’s in the land last year… Of course, they had one of the worst offenses as well. A couple home wins would be a huge triumph this season.

South Florida Bulls (+50000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Jim Leavitt was the only head coach that the Bulls ever knew, even when they were just a tiny I-AA school just trying to make ends meet. However, amidst some off the field issues, the university decided to get rid of their head coach and sign Skip Holtz to replace him. The move made a lot of sense, as Holtz has been leading East Carolina up the ranks of Conference USA, the same conference that South Florida came out of from back in the day. With QB BJ Daniels and a host of returning starters, the Bulls might be the most BCS ready hire of the bunch, especially with a proven coach like Holtz on the sidelines.

Tennessee Volunteers (+50000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): The poor Volunteers finally looked to be heading in the right direction, as the family of Kiffins, Lane and Monte were finally starting to round this program into shape after several lousy years with Phil Fulmer in charge. Kiffin decided to bolt to USC when the opportunity arose this year in spite of the fact that the program could be in shambles. That left the men on Rocky Top scrambling. Though it wasn’t a sexy hire, Derek Dooley was about the only name that the Vols could come up with. No one is expecting this hire to work, and if someone better becomes available next year than a coach that was mediocre with a WAC school, expect Tennessee to jump on it.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (+17500 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): In one of the more bizarre stories in a very awkward offseason, Texas Tech fired Mike Leach following allegations surrounding one of his players. Leach is still sitting out this season to sure up some legal matters against the university, but hiring Tommy Tuberville was a huge coup for the program. The biggest question that is yet to be answered is whether Tuberville will let the Air Raid continue, or whether he will instead install a more run first offense which is similar to the ones used in the SEC where he came from at Auburn two years ago. Texas Tech was on the verge of being a real national power under Leach. Tuberville is expected to, at minimum, keep that up.

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (+300000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): One of the two FCS coaches that took the jump into the FBS this year was Montana’s Bobby Hauck. Hauck takes over for Mike Sanford, who went just 16-43 overall in five years with the Runnin’ Rebs. Not only did Hauck have a lot of success at the FCS level, but he also coached under one of the great FBS coaches of our time as well in Rick Neuheisel both at Washington and Colorado. The Rebels might have themselves a real winner coaching them up, but reaching a bowl game would be a huge accomplishment for a program that has been a wreck since turning over its coaching staff the last time.

USC Trojans (No Line to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Pete Carroll saw this one coming. He knew that USC was about to get hammered by the NCAA for recruiting violations which saw RB Reggie Bush lose his Heisman Trophy. Before the dust settled though, the university successfully conned Lane Kiffin into coming back to Southern Cal, the place which he became a highly coveted assistant coach just a few years ago. Kiffin is upset about the punishments, which make the Trojans ineligible for the National Championship or a bowl game for the next two years and costs the program a number of scholarships. Still, this is clearly a very, very talented team that could run the table… if it wanted to. It’s Kiffin’s job to make sure that his team is ready to play and isn’t worried about the fact that it won’t be in a bowl game this year.

Vanderbilt Commodores (+60000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Bobby Johnson actually had the Commodores ranked for the first time in their history just two years ago, but since that point, they have fallen upon relatively hard times. He elected to resign just a few months ago, which was a shocking move to the program which he helped assemble. Assistant head coach Robbie Caldwell was immediately named the interim coach of the team, and just a few weeks ago, he had that tag removed. Still, Vandy isn’t going to be competing in the SEC East any time soon, and six wins would be a massive, massive triumph any year.

Virginia Cavaliers (+60000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): Be careful what you wish for, Cavaliers fans. UVA at least had a lot of great recruits coming to Charlottesville under former head coach Al Groh, and for quite awhile, it was a relevant team in the ACC. However, the Cavvies got tired of Groh and got rid of him this year, bringing in Mike London, a former assistant and the previous head coach of the Richmond Spiders, making London the other FCS coach to leap up to an FBS program as a head coach. However, the cupboard is entirely dry for Virginia. This could be the worst BCS conference school in the land this year.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (+900000 to win 2011 BCS Championship at 5Dimes Sportsbook): With the transition to the Sun Belt now fully complete, the Hilltoppers decided to go in another direction this season, firing David Elson after an 0-12 season in which the team really wasn’t competitive at all. Taggart is a WKU alumnus and has since been the running backs coach at Stanford. His key project? Toby Gerhart, who became one of the top running backs in the nation last year. The Hilltoppers hope that Taggart can bring just a shadow of respectability to this program over the next few seasons as they try to establish themselves as a legitimate member of the FBS.

The 2010 college football betting season is almost here! In order to prepare you for the start of the season, we are analyzing the college football odds to win the ACC at Bankroll Sports, courtesy of BetUS Sportsbook.

There are several teams in this conference capable of taking home a championship, but Florida State Seminoles (+300 at BetUS) is the best choice. The offense returns ten starters, including junior quarterback Christian Ponder. He will have plenty of talented options to throw to, as three top junior receivers in Bert Reed, Jamar Fortson, and Taiwan Easterling will take the field. The Seminoles also have plenty of playmakers at tailback, with Jermaine Thomas and Ty Jones being the primary workhorses. New defensive coordinator Mark Stoops will provide a spark for a unit in need. Expect a big showing from cornerback Ochuko Jenije and a much improved run defense, with three returning linemen and two returning linebackers. The conference schedule shapes up nicely, with Boston College and Clemson coming to Tallahassee. The only road challenge will be in Miami.

Also strong contenders for the ACC crown are the Virginia Tech Hokies (+300 at BetUS.com). The offense features eight returning starters, including 2009 ACC Rookie of the Year Award winning RB Ryan Williams. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor will have a core of three junior WRs at his disposal, with Jerrett Boykin, Danny Coale, and Dyrell Roberts. On defense, the team only has five returning starters, but has plenty of talent to build around. The team returns its starting linebackers and senior cornerback Rashad Carmichael will again provide a big impact in the interceptions department. Of course, no analysis of Virginia Tech is complete without mentioning Beamer Ball. Expect plenty of blocked kicks, while Dyrell Roberts will provide numerous yards on kick returns. The Hokies open their season against Boise State and have a history of losing their first game of the season. However, after that, they have an easy run until November when they face Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Miami.

Not far behind these two giants are the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+1000 at BetUS). Of the seven returning starters on offense, the most important is quarterback Josh Nesbitt. He was one of the team’s two 1,000 yard rushers from a year ago. The defense may be a slight problem, with limited depth on the line. However, a deep core of linebackers and a switch to the 3-4 system greatly helps the situation. The schedule is not going to be easy, with road games at Clemson and Virginia Tech, followed by Miami coming to town. However, if Nesbitt can keep up his dual threat capability and the defense can gel in its new scheme, Georgia Tech could surprise.

As always, there are those conference teams who won’t be so lucky. For the ACC, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+3000 at BetUS Sportsbook) fit the bill. The Demon Deacons need to find a new quarterback and have implemented a new, option-based offensive system. The line is inexperienced at best. If the team has to rely on the ground game, the damage could get worse, as neither of last year’s top running backs in Josh Adams and Brandon Pendergrass averaged more than 4.8 yards per carry. The defense has a few strengths, but is not deep. Two starting linebackers in Hunter Haynes and Matt Woodlief will be relied on heavily with the loss of tackles Boo Robinson and John Russell up front. The strong secondary will be offset by a weaker run defense, along with the added pressure that comes with a new offense trying to gel. All this plus a tough schedule with road games at Virginia Tech and Florida State makes for a two win ACC campaign at best.

ACC Odds @ BetUS Sportsbook(as of 7/20/10):
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Miami +250
Florida State +300
Virginia Tech +300
North Carolina +500
Boston College +800
Georgia Tech +1000
Clemson +1200
North Carolina State +2500
Wake Forest +3000
Virginia +5000
Maryland +6000
Duke +7500