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Drogba's double sinks ArsenalSoccer Betting Lines02/07/2010 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Didier Drogba's first-half brace allowed Chelsea to claim an important 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, returning the Blues to the top of the Premiership table. Drogba opened the scoring inside of eight minutes and he added a second goal 15 minutes later, giving Chelsea a two-goal lead they never looked like giving away. Chelsea moves two points clear of second-placed Manchester United with the win, while Arsenal's title hopes have all but disappeared as they are now nine points off the pace. John Terry endured a terrible week leading up to the match as he was stripped of the England captaincy amid a scandal involving former teammate Wayne Bridge, but he had a hand in the opening goal early in the match. A corner kick was played to the near post and Terry was able to flick it on to Drogba at the back post, where the striker easily stuffed it home from two yards out. Arsenal responded well and they had Chelsea pinned back following the goal, but their best chance came in the 17th minute when Andrei Arshavin's volley eight yards from goal was hit into the legs of goalkeeper Petr Cech. The hosts sat back and soaked up the Arsenal pressure before hitting the Gunners on the counter attack in the 23rd minute to take a 2-0 lead. Frank Lampard carried the ball through midfield and played it wide to Drogba, who cut back past two defenders inside the area and lashed a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Manuel Almunia. Arsenal wasn't able to create any real good opportunities until the 69th minute when a Cesc Fabregas free kick made its way past the wall and through traffic, only to be turned away by a good save from Cech. It would be Arsenal's last decent chance as Chelsea easily cruised through the final 20 minutes, with Drogba nearly completing his hat trick six minutes from time with a 30-yard free kick that came back off the crossbar. Sunday's other match saw Birmingham's Kevin Phillips come off the bench in the second half and score two goals in the final 10 minutes of a 2-1 Birmingham win over Wolverhampton.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTINGNCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.) "To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good." Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida. Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October. USC Trojans - 10.5 wins A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention. Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2 "There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach." Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1 The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1 If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J. Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines . |
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