March Madness 2010

Chick-fil-A Bowl

Dec. 31, 2010. 7:30 pm EST - ESPN

Atlanta, Georgia Dome

Virginia Tech 37 - Tennessee 14

The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply (and perhaps more familiarly) called the Peach Bowl, is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. Between 1971 and 1991, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium hosted the game. Since then, the Georgia Dome has played host. Seven of the first ten meetings (all but the 1968, 1971 and 1974 games) pitted an Atlantic Coast Conference team against an at-large opponent. Since 1993, the game has matched a Southeastern Conference team against one from the ACC. In 2005, the bowl reached a new landmark in prestige with its first-ever matchup of top 10-rated teams.

The game was originally created as a fund-raiser by the Lions Clubs of Georgia but in 1986, after years of lackluster attendance and revenue, the game was taken over by the Chamber of Commerce. Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A became the title sponsor of the event with the 1998 game. Beginning with the December 2006 game, Chick-fil-A assumed complete naming rights to the game in a five year, $22 million, sponsorship deal, ending almost forty years of the Peach Bowl name. A new logo was unveiled April 6, 2006. The funds from the deal will be used to increase payouts for the participating teams in hopes of further enhancing the bowl's stature. In response, the ACC has given the committee the first pick of its teams after the BCS beginning in 2006. The bowl currently has the fifth overall selection from the SEC (including the BCS). The 2007 game was a sellout, the eleventh consecutive year as such, making the Chick-fil-A Bowl the best-attended non-BCS bowl for the last decade and marking the 3rd longest bowl sellout streak behind the Rose and Fiesta Bowls.

The 2007 game was played on December 31, 2007 featuring the second Chick-fil-A/Peach Bowl matchup between #15 Clemson and #21 Auburn. Clemson lost to Auburn 23—20 in the first ever Chick-fil-A or Peach Bowl to require overtime play. With a 5.09 share (4.92 million households), the 2007 game was the highest-rated ESPN-broadcast bowl game of the 2007-2008 season as well as the highest rated in the game's history. The rating was also higher than two New Year's Day bowls, the Cotton and the Gator.

Football Betting News

NBA Friday/Saturday Outlook

Posted on 3/17/2010 12:00:00 AMby Getchalk

Need a break from the madness of March? The NBA has plenty of wagering options this weekend starting with a busy schedule Friday night. Here's a look at the best bets in pro hoops this weekend:

Friday - Washington Wizards at Portland Trail Blazers

For a few brief moments the Washington Wizards were the best bet in the NBA. After shipping out their top two stars during the trade deadline, while also suffering through the suspension of Gilbert Arenas, oddsmakers pitied the Wizards to the point where you couldn't bet against them.

However, things are back to normal in D.C. - which means Washington is losing and failing to cover the spread. The Wizards have lost nine games in a row, going just 3-6 ATS in that span and conclude their current four-game road trip in Portland and Los Angeles.

Washington comes into Friday's game off a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. The Wizards actually led by six points after the first quarter but were overwhelmed by the Nuggets on both ends of the floor. They gave up 32 points in the fourth quarter but managed to stay within the 14.5-point spread, losing 97-87. Andray Blatche, who led Washington with 23 points, tweaked his ankle in the loss but is expected to play Friday night.

The Blazers are heading in the opposite direction, winning four straight games and improving to 8-2 in their last 10 outings. Portland has covered the spread in six of those contests including its two most recent wins over Sacramento and Toronto.

The Trail Blazers face the Wizards before taking to the road for a one-game swing to Phoenix on Sunday. They are 22-13 at the Rose Garden this season but books have sucked most of the value out of their home court, leaving backers to go 16-18-1 ATS in those games.

Portland got a great all-around effort from their starting five against the Raptors on Sunday. All five starters scored in double figures while Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Nicolas Batum each scored 20 or more points.

The Blazers' offense is on fire, averaging almost 110 points per game in their last three outings while playing over the betting total in all three games. On the season, Portland scores 98.4 points a night and boasts a 38-31 over/under record.

Saturday - Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks

Boston heads west for three games, starting with Houston on Friday then visiting the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. The Celtics are solid on the road, posting a 22-12 record away from Beantown heading into Friday.

They are 17-16-1 against the spread in opposing gyms and have gone 2-1-1 ATS in their four most recent away games. Dallas knocked off Boston inside the Garden back in January, winning 99-90 as a 4.5-point road underdog.

The Celtics are under a lot of scrutiny in the past week after losing three of their last five games heading into Wednesday's meeting with the New York Knicks. Former teammate Leon Powe, who now plays for the rival Cleveland Cavaliers, told the media he thinks Boston looks old. These comments came after the Cavaliers beat Boston 104-93 last weekend.

However, the Celtics' Big 5 continue to produce, including veterans Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Heading into Wednesday, Boston's offense had averaged more than 104 points per game in the past four outings – playing over the total in each of those contests.

Dallas is enjoying a four-game homestand which wraps against the Celtics on Saturday. The Mavericks welcome the Chicago Bulls to the American Airlines Center on Wednesday before getting the rest of the week to prepare for Boston.

Dallas will be trying to put a loss to the Knicks behind them after giving up 128 points to New York on Saturday. They hope to have high-scoring shooting guard Jason Terry back this week after he missed most of the month with a broken orbital bone in his face.