1st Overall – Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The sportsbook favorite at this point would be Ndamukong Suh, who is the best defensive tackle in the nation, but as we all know, a quarterback has more value than a tackle. Jimmy Clausen has arguably been the best quarterback in the nation this year, even if the Fighting Irish have been struggling. He’s smart, he’s efficient, he comes from a pro style offense and he’s worked with a coach who was an excellent offensive coordinator in the NFL. That will appeal to many teams.

2nd Overall – Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers

This might be high for Suh, who is an excellent defensive tackle. The NFL has turned into a passing league, and NFL betting fans have to agree that a great defensive end is more valuable than a great defensive tackle nowadays.

3rd Overall – Russell Okung, Oklahoma State Cowboys

Going with the previous point, a potential bookend left tackle will provide plenty of value to NFL teams. When you look at who may be drafting near the top of the board – teams like the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs – you quickly see that they would snatch up a star like Okung. Although Oklahoma State has been a huge disappointment this year, their stud left tackle has been as advertised.

4th Overall – Eric Berry, Tennessee Volunteers

Internet betting cappers are well aware of Eric Berry, who is one of the best defensive backs in the nation. On top of that, he spent his last season at Tennessee under the tutelage of a great defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, which is only going to help his value out even more. There isn’t much that Berry doesn’t do on the football field: he’s a ball hawk, he’s a sure tackler and he’s got blazing speed. He is the type of player that will be a Rookie of the Year candidate early on.

5th Overall – Jake Locker, Washington Huskies

We all know the value of quarterbacks, so online betting cappers shouldn’t be too surprised to see Locker in the top five. Teams like St. Louis, Cleveland, Washington and maybe even Oakland will be looking for a new starter and Locker will provide a good option. Even the Buffalo Bills might be in the mix. If Sam Bradford were to leave college early and if his healthy concerns checked out, he could be in line for this slot instead of Locker.

Everyone in the sportsbook world thinks that they know who the participants in the BCS Championship Game will be: Texas, and the winner of the possible Florida-Alabama showdown for the SEC crown. Who else could sneak in through the back and overcome some major NCAA football odds?

Iowa (+1500)

The No.4 Hawkeyes are one of the biggest surprises of the year, and they don’t win pretty: seven of their nine wins have been by 11 points or less. This could come back to bite the Hawkeyes, especially as the Big Ten isn’t known as the power conference it once was (thanks for getting blown out in two straight BCS title games, Ohio State). The Hawkeyes first have to get past their visit to Ohio State next weekend, and then if they make it to the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten champions, they’ll most likely have to blow out their opponents for their NCAA football odds to be considered.

TCU (+2000)

The No.6 Horned Frogs, out of the Mountain West, should thank Utah for making a fuss about the smaller conferences being left out of the BCS title race after last year, and they’re powered by the No.1 defense in the country. They beat Clemson and Virginia on the road, and they also went to then-No.16 BYU and spanked the Cougars 38-7. Their last tough game comes next weekend at home against Utah, and if they get past the Utes, keep an eye on their NCAA football odds.

Boise State (+2000)

The No.7 Broncos are praying that Oregon keeps winning, because their season-opening win over the Ducks is their only strong victory. The Broncos are balanced, coming in 10th in defense in 21st in offense, but their schedule is weaker than a child with swine flu. Their conference, the WAC, has just hired a PR firm to help the Broncos’ bid for the BCS, but will that help Boise State be one of the NCAA football picks for the big bowls?

Cincinnati (+3000)

The No.5 Bearcats are quietly rolling through the Big East, even with an injury to quarterback Tony Pike. Their signature wins came on the road at Oregon State and South Florida, which isn’t all that great. But they have a great chance to sway from voters when they host West Virginia next Friday night, as well as their road trip to No.13 Pittsburgh to end the season. A win over the Panthers would surely boost their online betting odds.

LSU (+5000)

The Tigers have a loss to No.1 Florida, but they can blow the title race wide open if they were to upset No.3 Alabama on the road this weekend. Even the loss to Florida was only by 10 points at home, so it’s really not that bad. The Alabama game is their last chance to show voters what they have, because the road trip to Ole Miss isn’t as important due to the Rebels, well, sucking this year. Still, this weekend’s clash with the Crimson Tide could definitely shake up the internet sports betting lines in the NCAA.

Southern California Trojans @ Arizona State Sun Devils

New England Patriots @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints

With the Cincinnati Bengals being 4-1 with three credible wins that NFL betting fans can’t nitpick with, it might mean that there is a changing of the guard in the NFL. Sure, the Bengals could lose this week in typical Bengal fashion and lose their credibility, but they are a favorite in the sportsbook and they are expected to move to 5-1 with a win over the hapless Houston Texans.

So that begs the question: who are the new Bungles? Who are the new lovable losers of the NFL that find new ways to lose? Here are four options:

Houston Texans

People making their NFL predictions are going to start hating this team. The Texans are 2-3 on the year but could easily be 4-1. They lost at home to Jacksonville when they were stuffed for a last-second, game-tying field goal on their one-yard line. And then against the Arizona Cardinals last week, the Texans scratched and clawed to climb back from a 21-0 deficit only to throw a pick-six with less than three minutes to go, and then again get stuffed on the goal line for a game-tying touchdown. This team is a pain to watch.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders have to be in the conversation here. After all, they are simply pathetic. Horrible quarterback? Check. Potential legal troubles? Check. Abysmal defense? Check. Lack of effort? Check. The only thing the Raiders don’t have going for them is that they aren’t losing games in heartbreaking fashion –they’re losing them in a very ugly fashion.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins deserve some credit among the worst teams in the NFL. Why? Because they have done the least with what is one of the easiest schedules in NFL history. The Redskins have yet to face a team that had a win in the week they played them. In Week 1, the Redskins faced the Giants. In Week 2, they faced the Rams. In Week 3, they faced the Lions. In Week 4, they faced the Buccaneers. In Week 5, they faced the Panthers. And this week, they face the Kansas City Chiefs. Their record so far? 2-3. Simply pitiful.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Speaking of the Bucs, which no sports betting blog even wants to talk about, they are embarrassing. For starters, they have the most salary cap space in the NFL and ownership doesn’t even care to help the team out. On top of that, the team on the field is horrible. The defense is pitiful and the offense has no direction. Also, head coach Raheem Morris looks like he might be coaching in the UFL very shortly. They are the worst team in football.

Everyone is paying attention to the Florida vs LSU lines, waiting to see how the health of Gators’ star Tim Tebow affect the betting spread for this massive SEC showdown that takes place on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, as known as Death Valley. These two have won the last three national championships and four of the last six overall. Here’s a look back at their last five meetings, three of which was well worth the price per head for fans who went to the games.

1) Tigers get Swamped – 2008

Last year’s matchup was a beating, as the then-No.11 Gators racked up 265 rushing yards en route to a 51-21 mauling of the then-No.4 Tigers in Gainesville at “The Swamp”. Jeff Demps had 129 yards on just 10 carries, while Tebow had 210 passing yards and a pair of scores, along with a rushing touchdown.

2) “The Greatest Game Ever Played” – 2007

In the run-up to this game, LSU fans got Tebow’s phone number and flooded him with calls the night before the game. When Tebow scored in the second quarter, he made a telephone gesture to the LSU fans at Death Valley. But the Tigers fought back from a 17-7 halftime deficit in this clash of unranked teams, and LSU ran for 247 yards in a 28-24 win, en route to their second BCS championship since 2003.

3) Tebow introduces himself to the Florida faithful – 2006

Before Tebow was an offshore sportsbook favorite for the Heisman, he was a freshman pivot sharing time with senior Chris Leak, who was much more of a passer. But it was Tebow who threw for touchdowns on his only two pass attempts in a 23-10 win over the Tigers, and he also ran for one as well. The Gators went on to win the BCS title.

4) Addai carries LSU at Death Valley – 2005

In a hard-hitting game at Tiger Stadium that featured 21 penalties for both teams, the difference was a 3-yard run by Joseph Addai, who ended the day with 156 yards on the ground. Somehow, the Tigers managed to overcome a whopping five turnovers in their 21-17 victory, while not forcing a single one out of the Gators. Still, with future NFL picks such as Addai, JaMarcus Russell and Dwayne Bowe on the squad, LSU pulled it out.

5) Tigers shock Gators with comeback – 2004

In another wild meeting in which the Tigers committed three turnovers, they fought back with ball control as they held the pigskin for over 36 minutes. Marcus Randall replaced the ineffective JaMarcus Russell, who threw two picks, and brought the Tigers back from a 21-7 deficit to beat the Gators 24-21 in “The Swamp”. Randell threw two touchdowns, including one of four yards to Addai with 27 seconds remaining on the clock.

Honorable mention: LSU beats a No.1 team for the first time when they upset the Gators at Death Valley. LSU won as a 14-point underdog at home, making some sports picks look really bad.

Last Monday’s Packers-Vikings game offered tons of drama and excitement. Monday Night Football doesn’t necessarily deliver the goods week-in and week-out, but sportsbook bettors usually get treated to one or two instant classics every year. Let’s review some of the more epic Monday Night Football games of the past few years.

Cowboys 41, Eagles 37
September 15, 2008
This was a wild one that included lead changes, highlight reel efforts and ridiculous bloopers. The first 17 minutes saw a 70-yard touchdown by Terrell Owens, a 98-yard kick return touchdown by Felix Jones and back-to-back Philly scores just 14 seconds apart. The most memorable moment came when DeSean Jackson raced toward the end zone for a would-be touchdown. His celebration came prematurely, however, as he dropped the ball in celebration just before he crossed the goal line.

Cowboys 25, Bills 24
October 8, 2007
When heartbreak is involved, the Bills usually aren’t far behind. Thanks to a positively absurd six turnovers by Tony Romo—including two picks for touchdowns—Buffalo held a 24-13 lead entering the fourth quarter. Yet Romo rallied, leading the Cowboys to nine points in the final 20 seconds. He drove Dallas 80 yards for a score with just 20 ticks left on the clock; one onside kick and a few pass plays later, Nick Folk’s 53-yard kick crushed Buffalo’s soul. If you had the Bills’ NFL betting line, we feel sorry for you.

Bears 24, Cardinals 23
October 16, 2006
Yes, this game gave us Dennis Green’s famous “They Were Who We Thought They Were” tirade. Chicago turned the ball over six times and scored just three points on offense yet, despite trailing 23-3 with a few minutes left in the third quarter, staged an absurd comeback. Three touchdowns later—two on fumble returns, another on a punt return—and the Bears put on a show for anybody who bothered to stay up and finish the game. We’re betting management knew there and then that Green was finished.

Colts 38, Buccaneers 35
October 6, 2003
Largely thanks to a three-touchdown effort by Keenan McCardell, the Buccaneers enjoyed a huge lead almost all night, including a crushing pick-six by Ronde Barber that made the score 35-14 with about four minutes left. It wasn’t enough; Peyton Manning guided the Colts to three quick touchdowns and sent the game to overtime. Mike Vanderjagt missed a game-winning kick but—after being bailed out by a dubious penalty against Tampa—he made his second attempt to finish off one of the greatest comebacks that no NFL bet could have predicted.