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The countdown to the 2009 College Football Season is nearly just one month away. While the anticipation continues to build, college players around the nation prepare their first practices of the 2009 season which kicks off in the next two weeks. The weeks leading up to the season is the time when you can always find the biggest variety of preseason college football betting odds on the web. BetUS Sportsbook (100% match play bonus when using this link) and Superbook (50% cash signup bonus using this link) have nearly every preseason betting opportunity imaginable; from wins totals, championship odds, division winners, props, and more. Our writers here at Bankroll Sports have provided free picks along with some general advice on cashing in on these odds, and we will continue to do this over the next few weeks. In today’s addition, I will break down some of the best college teams in America and give my predictions on the amount of wins they will capture in 2009.

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#1. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-7 record)

Over 7 ½ Wins -140
Under 7 ½ Wins +125

Illinois had a big letdown season in 2008 with a dismal 5-7 overall record. However, the offensive production was among the best in the Big Ten and this year’s unit could be among the best in the nation. Quarterback, Juice Williams threw for 3,173 yards and also rushed for 713 yards a year ago. The offensive line looks to return a solid group, meaning that Williams could be in for another big year. The senior quarterback should provide the leadership to put this team over the hump. Standout wide receiver, Arrelious Benn could be on the verge of a huge season after racking up over 1,000 receiving yards last year as a sophomore. Expect this offense primarily the passing attack to be the best in the Big Ten. The defense definitely has some question marks, but if they can just be decent, the Illini should be able to make a lot noise flying under the radar this season. Coach Ron Zook’s 2009 class could be even more talented than the 2007 unit that produced 9 wins and a trip to the Rose Bowl. Anything less than 8 wins would simply be inexcusable.

Pick – Over 7 ½

Consensus:

#2. West Virginia Mountaineers (9-4 in 2008)

Over 8 ½ Wins -125
Under 8 ½ Wins -115

Is it just me or can you hear the nail biting over in Morgantown? The Mountaineers had a very promising approach to 2008, but the 9-4 record was a bit of a letdown in coach Bill Stewart’s first year. However, there are a ton of concerns this season on offense that could make matters a lot worse. Not only does West Virginia have to replace the elusive Pat White, but new quarterback, Jarrett Brown has very little experience despite entering his senior season. Brown has yet to attempt over 50 passes in one year in his previous 3 seasons and he will have to prove himself on the field. The biggest concern could be on the offensive front, which will nearly have an entire new appearance. Not only will that affect Brown’s level of comfort, but it will take away from the Mountaineer’s best offensive threat in tailback, Noel Devine. Offensive productivity could be in jeopardy here. The defense should be very solid and perhaps even the best in the Big East. There will be many who pick the Mountaineers to win the Big East, but this actually could be a disaster in the making on the offensive side of the ball.

Pick – Under 8 ½ Wins

Consensus:

#3. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-3 in 2008)

Over 9 ½ Wins -115
Under 9 ½ Wins -125

If you happened to catch some of our other preseason articles, then you will know we keeping the Buckeyes on the lookout alert. Ohio State really came on strong at the end of 2008, and nearly beating the Texas Longhorns in the Fiesta Bowl. Terrelle Pryor destroyed defenses with his legs last season, but we believe he will do a lot more with his arm in 2009. The youngster was able to keep defenses on their heels in his freshman season while only showing flashes of his passing ability. Giving the time he has had to work on his throws, there could be a big upgrade in the air assault, giving a huge lift to the offense this season. Many experts try to argue that the defense lost too many big players, but Ohio State has had very little problems reloading on talent over the last few years. Expect those guys that were not on the field last season to be very skilled players who will take to the gridiron come kick off time. While the defense may take a step back, don’t expect it to be a big step by any means. The Buckeyes biggest test will be the trip to Happy Valley late in the season. Outside of their showdown with the Nittany Lions, Ohio State should be favored in every game.  And, we don’t expect them to be upset more than once this season which is what will have to happen in order for them to finish under 9.5 wins.

Pick – Over 9 ½ Wins

Consensus:

#4. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-4 in 2008)

Over 8 ½ Wins -120
Under 8 ½ Wins -120

The Yellow Jackets were the biggest surprise team in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season. New coach Paul Johnson implemented his famous rushing offense and the affects surpassed all expectations. Jonathon Dwyer is among the best running backs in the nation and he has good company. Backup tailback, Roddy Jones and quarterback, Josh Nesbitt are both very solid athletes who only making the rushing attack more dangerous. Look for WR Demaryius Thomas to become a bigger focus the few times Nesbitt drops back to pass. Thomas caught for just 39 passes last year for 637 yards, but there numbers could take a drastic impact as the Yellow Jackets will catch defenses off guard with a few more passing attempts. However, the offense main production will come from the rushing attack. The offense excelled on the ground as the year progressed in 2008 and as they continue to get accustomed to the new offense the improvements will only continue. Georgia Tech will also return one of the best defenses in the ACC as well. The Yellow Jackets defense ranked in the top 25 in college football during the 2008 season and they return 8 starters from that impressive unit. With all the ingredients for more improvement, Yellow Jackets fans should be anticipating making a legitimate run at an ACC crown.

Pick – Over 8 1/2 Wins

Consensus:

#5. USC Trojans (12-1 in 2008)

Over 10 ½ Wins +120
Under 10 ½ Wins -160

The USC Trojans will enter the 2009 season with a lot of question marks surrounding the most important position on the field. Quarterbacks, Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain will be fighting for the starting spot.  However, neither quarterback possesses any experience. The defense may have been the best in college football last season, but after losing 8 starters there are some legitimate concerns. The defense will likely be alright as the Trojans reload talent like no other team in the country. However, we just don’t see this team ending with the same record from 2008 with such a big question mark behind center. The offense will struggle at times and there will be some better teams in the Pac-10 ready to throw a big punch. The Trojans make some scary road trips to Notre Dame, Oregon, and California, giving a lot of opportunity for mistakes. The Trojans seem to give up one big upset a year, but this season they could let a few more slip away.

Pick – Under 10 ½ Wins

Consensus:

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As our expert handicappers continue to prepare for the upcoming football season, my fellow Bankoll Sports bloggers and staff writers will continue to find the best preseason odds and picks for all your football props and futures.  And, we will continue to offer up our picks.  My colleges have already broken down the conference previews and given you full explanations of what you might expect to see from the NFL in 2009. However, we will now take this a step further and make our over/under picks for how many wins some of these teams will accomplish this season, taking advantage of the odds that some of these books (including; Superbook / 50% cash signup bonus using this link & BetUS Sportsbook – 100% match play bonus when using this link) have posted.  As always, the Bankroll Sports website continue to bring to you free football picks picks that are sure to beef up your bankroll for the 2009 post season. 

You also can get the premium football picks from our expert handicapping team for the entire (regular & post) season along with every baseball release for the rest of the (regular & post) season for just $349.95 by checking out our 2009 Football Season Special Promo.  This is the lowest price in 15 years that our bosses have put on their complete football season special.  It’s also the earliest that they have ever offered this early bird season special as it includes all of our expert handicappers’ baseball releases for the entire second half of the season.  This is, by far, the best offer you are going to find for our complete football package.

Check our what the writers and I have come up with for our 2009 NFL team win totals.

Free Pick #1: New Orleans Saints

Over 9 Wins -115
Under 9 Wins -115

The New Orleans Saints return the NFL’s best offense from 2008. Drew Brees racked up over 5,000 yards to lead the best passing attack in the NFL. The Saints offense will again be among the best in the NFL this season, but they still have concerns on defense. The defense ranked in the bottom 7 in scoring defense last season allowing nearly 25 points per game. However, the defense should be much improved this season. Defensive ends, Charles Grant (triceps) and Will Smith (hernia) both played with injuries last year and the Saints struggled to get and pressure at all on the quarterback. Both of these key players should be healthy heading into the season, making the defensive front stronger. Also, the secondary will get the addition of Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins. Despite not having any experience, Jenkins will play immediately. The Saints also added CB Jabari Greer from Buffalo to their secondary that gave up 221 yards per game. New Orleans may not have one of the best defenses this season, but they should be highly improved. Even with the horrible defense in 2008, the Saints were a factor in nearly every game. Their 8-8 record can be a bit misleading considering 6 of those losses were by 5 points or less. Expect some things to fall their way this year and watch for a breakout season from the highly talented New Orleans Saints.

Pick – Over 9 Wins

Free Pick #2: Chicago Bears

Over 8 ½ Wins -140
Under 8 ½ Wins +110

Basically if you are going to try and get me to believe the Bears will win less games than they did in 2008 I would love to hear your explanation. Chicago landed one of the best young quarterbacks in the game over the off season in Jay Cutler. The problems that have plagued the Bears for the last few years are finally over behind center. Sure, the Bears may not have any big play-maker at wide out like most experts like to say or is that argument legit? Devin Hester has tremendous speed but we have never been able to see how effective his speed is because there has not been a quarterback that could hit him down field. Cutler can make all the throws on the field including the bombs down field so we will really get to see what the receiving core can do. Plus there are some talented young receivers in the stable as well. The Bears defense is popularly known for being strong every year. The defense did not have the season expected on paper in 2008, but a lot of that could be blamed on the offense which gave up 27 turnovers. There is just no way the Bears will be worse than last season with Cutler behind center. In fact they should be focusing more on the winning the NFC North than having to worry about improving their record.

Pick – Over 8 1/2

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Free Pick #3: Detroit Lions

Over 4 ½ -125
Under 4 ½ -105

This line maybe a sucker bet, but I will bite. The Detroit Lions will definitely be improved behind new coach Jim Schwartz. The Lions loaded up on talent during the NFL draft landing the number 1 overall pick with quarterback Matthew Stafford and also grabbing tight end Brandon Pettigrew late in the first round. However, they still have the worse offensive line in football and they are not going to be able to protect Stafford. The offensive line gave up 52 sacks in 2008 and they have yet to sign the first player that could turn that around. Plus the biggest problem last season was not only the offense, but perhaps even bigger the problem lie on the defensive side of the ball. The Lions allowed 404 yards per game last season by far the worse in the league. Detroit also ranked dead last in scoring defense allowing 32 points per game. The Lions added some players on defense like cornerbacks Phillip Buchanon (Tampa Bay) and Anthony Henry (Dallas). Detroit also drafted Louis Delmas (Western Michigan) to add support in the weak secondary. However, these players are not the ones that will turn things around. They still have major issues up front and stopping the run. I believe the Lions win a few games, but 5 wins may be a bit too optimistic.

Pick – Under 4 ½

Free Pick #4: Baltimore Ravens

Over 8 ½ -175
Under 8 ½ +145

The odds on this line may not be the most profitable, but I believe this bet is probably the best of them all. I had the Ravens to upset the Steelers this season in the AFC North despite getting beat 3 times by the Steelers in 2008. The Ravens defense ranked 2nd in nearly every category behind Pittsburgh last season. They may have some aging veterans on that side of the ball, but I would expect no less than a top 3 defense again this season. Rookie Joe Flacco had a tremendous season behind center and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to progress. Flacco really controlled the ball well towards the end of the season and you could also see the confidence building behind Flacco through the play calling. The Ravens attempted a good bit of deep balls towards the end of the season and I’m guessing they will attempt even more early this season. WR Derrick Mason is one of the best in the league even though he may not get the credit he deserves. LeRon McClain led the team in rushing with 902 yards in 2008. However, McClain will be making the move to fullback this season. Willis McGahee and Ray Rice will get the bulk of the carries in the backfield. However, having McClain in the back field as well should give defenses extra concern in the running game. The Ravens may become a much bigger offensive force this season and that is one reason I predicting them to take down the AFC North. The defense would have to fall apart and the offense become motionless for the Ravens to be held under 9 wins.

Pick – Over 8 ½

Free Pick #5 (Best Bet): Carolina Panthers

Over 8 ½ -105
Under 8 ½ -125

I have the Carolina Panthers listed as a team that could really be in some serious trouble this season. Do not get me wrong, they do have some talented personnel that can perform. However, they are a team with a lot of issues. One of these issues is quarterback Jake Delhomme. I have believed Delhomme has held this team back for years. My theory was backed up in the playoffs last year against Arizona when he threw 5 interceptions. If it wasn’t for the playmaking ability of Steve Smith, the passing game in Carolina would be non-existent. The Panthers strength last season was the ground attack led by Jonathon Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. The two combined for nearly 2300 yards as one of the best duos in the league. The offensive line should get a lot of that credit for the strong running attack. Carolina will have another strong front five again this season. However, the offensive line will have very little depth heading into this season, meaning if the big guys start going down, then so will the running game. Another reason the unit maybe heading for destruction in 2009, is their very poor run defense. The rush defense allowed over 120 yards per game ranking in the bottom of the NFL. Star defensive end Julius Peppers signed a one year deal even though it was obvious he wanted out of town. However, the Panthers franchised Peppers for a one year deal worth just under 17 million. Rookie Everette Brown will be the long term replacement for Peppers, but it will take him a while before he is terrorizing quarterbacks and turning heads. The defensive front could really take a step back this season which is a bad combination with the already shaky secondary. Those combinations on offense and defense will just be too much for the team to overcome this season. History shows that the NFC South usually flip flops every season. The Panthers may have won the division in 2008, but do not be surprised if they are at the bottom of the NFC South in 2009.

Pick – Under 8 ½