SPORTS BETTING

• Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Clemson Tigers 8:00 ET

  Posted on Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT by North Shore Sports, INC

  
  

  Week 1 NCAA Football betting kicks off this weekend, and Bookmaker.com is your home to get in on all the action. The Clemson Tigers (9-4 in 2007) will begin their hunt for a national championship Saturday night when they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (7-6 in 2007) in the neutral site of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM, and sportsbettors can see the game nationally on ABC. The Tigers are the pre-season favorites to win the ACC and were tabbed the #9 team in the country in the AP’s first poll of the season, while the Crimson Tide were garnered the #24 team in the nation by the AP.

  College football bettors backing the Crimson Tide last season were left bitterly disappointed by their 3-9 ATS effort for the season. They were road underdogs just once last year, and the betting line in their game at Auburn saw the Tide tagged as six-point pups; Alabama went on to lose that game 17-10. They went just 1-4 ATS away from Tuscaloosa, and 1-3 as underdogs in 2007. Thirteen starters will return from the 2007 edition of the Crimson Tide, none more important than QB John Parker Wilson. Alabama’s hopes to spring the upset in this match-up will rest on the arm of Wilson, who threw for 2,590 yards and 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions last year.

  Auburn bettors didn’t have much luck in 2007 either. They went 6-6 ATS for the year, which included a 3-3 mark against the spread in the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium. They were favored in 11 of their 12 lined games, but covered the spread in just five of them. They took on two SEC opponents last season. They beat South Carolina 23-21 in the regular season finale, but lost to Auburn 23-20 in the Chik-Fil-A Bowl. They failed to cover the spread against both opponents and haven’t beaten the football betting line against an SEC foe since beating the Gamecocks 13-9 in 2005. Sixteen starters return to the Clemson lineup from 2007, making this one of the more experienced teams in the ACC. All of the key components on the offense return for HC Tommy Bowden and his Tigers. QB Cullen Harper and RBs James Davis and CJ Spiller must all have massive seasons if Clemson is to compete for a spot in the BCS in ’08.

  Betting trends don’t really suggest that either team has much of an advantage. Alabama is just 1-4 ATS in their L/5 non-conference games and are 2-9 ATS overall since the opening game of the ’07 season. Clemson doesn’t look much better, going 0-4 ATS against SEC teams since ’05, and 1-5 ATS in their L/6 non-conference games overall. If the CFB betting trends do point anywhere, it’s towards the ‘under’. The Crimson Tide have played 13 of their L/19 games under the ‘total’ outside of SEC play. The Tigers own the same trend, going 6-1 to the under in their L/7 against the SEC, and its cashed in 12 of their L/17 non-conference battles.

  Offshore Oddsmakers installed the Tigers as five-point favorites in this ACC/SEC showdown with the ‘total’ sitting pretty at 48. Bookmaker.com can handle all of your football betting needs, including spread, ‘total’, and moneyline wagering. Be sure to login to your account and get down your football bets on this game and all of the Week 1 NCAA Football betting action before kickoff!