Appalachian State, Villanova stars headline All-America team

NCAA Football Betting Lines

07/26/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Appalachian State may have lost two-time Walter Payton Award winner Armanti Edwards, but it boasts a national-best seven players on The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com Football Championship Subdivision Preseason All-America Team, led by senior linebacker D.J. Smith and senior safety Mark LeGree on the first team.

Defending FCS champion Villanova has the most players on the first team with three - senior wide receiver Matt Szczur, senior offensive tackle Ben Ijalana and senior linebacker Terence Thomas.

Smith, LeGree, Szczur and Ijalana were voted to the All-America first team at the end of the 2009 regular season by a national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. Other 2009 first-team selections appearing on this year's preseason first team are Eastern Washington senior linebacker J.C. Sherritt, Grambling State senior defensive end Christian Anthony, Liberty sophomore place-kicker Matt Bevins and Arkansas-Pine Bluff junior kickoff returner Mareo Howard.

Szczur and Ijalana are two of 20 players on the Walter Payton Award Watch List of nominees for FCS player of the year. Sherritt, Anthony, LeGree and Smith are four of the 20 players on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List of nominees for FCS defensive player of the year. The FCS' two biggest player awards, plus the Eddie Robinson Award which honors the national coach of the year, are presented by The Sportsbook Betting Lines and sponsored by Fathead.com.

The Big Sky Conference dominates the offensive backfield of the Preseason All- America First Team. The quarterback is Northern Arizona senior Michael Herrick and the running backs are Montana senior Chase Reynolds and Eastern Washington junior Taiwan Jones. Herrick's 3,356 passing yards were the fifth-highest total in the FCS last season. Reynolds rushed for 1,502 yards and 22 touchdowns and helped lead Montana to its second straight appearance in the FCS championship game, while Jones averaged 7.5 yards per carry and was second in the FCS in all-purpose yards per game (195.4).

Furman junior Tersoo Uhaa is the fullback, while seniors Jason Caldwell of Fordham and Tysson Poots of Southern Utah are the wide receivers, and senior Stephen Skelton is the tight end. Poots and Caldwell ranked Nos. 2 and 3 in the FCS in receiving yards per game at 120.1 and 113.8, respectively. Poots also finished No. 2 nationally in receptions per game (9.4) and points per game (10.0).

Joining Ijalana at tackle is South Carolina State senior Johnny Culbreath, while Missouri State senior David Arkin and Texas State junior D.J. Hall are the guards, and South Dakota State senior Ryan McKnight is the center.

Defensively, Anthony is joined at defensive end by Sacramento State senior Christian Clark. The defensive tackles are seniors Kenrick Ellis of Hampton and Martin Parker of Richmond. Stephen F. Austin senior Jabara Williams joins Sherritt, Smith and Thomas on the linebacking corps. The cornerbacks are Southern Illinois senior Korey Lindsey and Montana junior Trumaine Johnson, and LeGree is joined at safety by Dayton senior James Vercammen.

Joining Bevins (No. 3 nationally in points per game at 9.7) and Howard (No. 1 nationally in kickoff return average at 31.0) on special teams are Old Dominion sophomore punter Jonathan Plisco and Grambling State senior punt returner Kiare Thompson. Plisco's 44.8-yard average on 62 punts led the FCS.

Appalachian State is replacing Edwards, its four-year starting quarterback, but the returning talent on the team is vast. In addition to LeGree and Smith, the Mountaineers' national-leading total of Preseason All-America selections consists of senior running back Devon Moore, junior wide receiver Brian Quick, junior tight end Ben Jorden and senior defensive end Jabari Fletcher, who made the second team, and junior defensive end Lanston Tanyi, who made the third team.

Southern Illinois is second with five selections: Lindsey on the first team; junior fullback John Goode and junior tackle David Pickard on the second team; and senior safety Mike McElroy and senior place-kicker Kyle Dougherty on the third team.

In all, 87 players were selected to the Preseason All-America Team. The Southern Conference leads all leagues with 15 selections, followed by the Big Sky Conference with 12, including a national-best six on the first team. The Missouri Valley Football Conference has 11 overall selections and the Colonial Athletic Association has 10. Next are the Southland Conference with seven and the Southwestern Athletic Conference with six.

The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com All-America Team will be announced on Dec. 22. In addition to the Payton, Buchanan and Robinson awards, TSN and Fathead.com team up for the FCS's most widely recognized weekly Top 25 poll and weekly awards honoring the nation's top offensive player, defensive player and special teams player. The Sportsbook Betting Lines will present its 24th annual FCS Awards Presentation, sponsored by Fathead.com, on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 in Frisco, Texas - the night before the FCS Championship Game.

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American Idol Betting Odds: Season 6  

The online gambling websites are in the process of deciphering each American Idol contestant and his or her chances of winning Season 6 to come up with the early American Idol betting lines.

Tim Dalton of MySportsbook.com has been locked away in a soundproof room coming up with all the latest tallies, we are told. "American Idol has become one of the most significant betting events of the year," claims Jack Black of MySportsbook.com.  "Last year, millions were bet during the season across the globe, not just in America.

It's tough early on since we really do not have a glimpse as to how well each of these individuals will perform solo on a week-to-week basis.  It's like Week 1 of the NFL.  Pre-season means nada!

We do know the 24 finalists however.

Sanjaya Malakar is the young man whose sister failed to make it into the Top 24.  He's very low key but - unless he totally flubs - will probably win over the young girlie vote for a few weeks anyway.  He's too young to go all the way, according to Payton O'Brien. 

Brandon Rogers - Who?

Phil Stacy is the military guy who missed his daughter's birth because of the Memphis audition.  He should go a good distance.

Chris Sligh - He's got the humor and in many ways he's the Anti-American Idol much like last year's winner Taylor Hicks was.  And this is why he'll probably get pretty far in this competition.  He's chubby, white with a big curly afro....but more importantly, a great voice!  People love "real", not "real cute" to go all the way. 

"Blake Lewis should go far because of his uniqueness and looks.  He's the boy next store with a twist - he beat boxes.  But on top of this, he's a great singer, and I adore him," Payton O'Brien relayed.

A talented beat-boxer Blake Lewis was a hit during the group sing in Hollywood but Simon explained that this is a singing contest just before he told him he was “in.”

Paul Kim has caught our own roving reporter, Jenny Woo's eyes. 

"I love the fact that there is a Korean American on the show and he is bound to get more Asians tuning into the show," Woo said from her Miami Beach estate.  "There has never been a major presence of Asian-Americans on American Idol in the past.  He's a hottie with a nice voice so that should help to take him far.  Expect heavy betting action from the Asian community."

Sundance Head - He's not perfect, but he's got the personality that will take him through a few weeks, plus he's got the lineage (son of Roy Head - whose 1965 single, "Treat Her Right," hit No. 5 in the charts) 

And the others:

Rudy Cardinas
AJ Tabaldo - the 5th time is the charm
Nicolas Pedro
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter

The girls

"Melinda Doolittle has one of the best voices," says MySportsbook.com Reporter and an acclaimed dancer in her own right, Destiney Lewis.  "It is great to see a back up singer step out like she has.  The girl needs to gain more confidence but that can also be a positive.  I think she will go far."

Alena Alexander - Those tears (she never seems to stop bawling) should get her far.

"Single mom Lakisha Jones I suspect will be a pretty big favorite entering Week 1 of the competition," says Destiny Williams.  Jones is an excellent singer and down to earth.  "She'll have a wide appeal," echoed O'Brien.

Nicole Trellis - Seems to exert confidence.

Amy Krebs - a powerful singer.

Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Hailey Scanardo
Jordan Sparks
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Sabrina Sloan

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Last two contestants will be?

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