A legend is laid to rest
NCAA Football Betting Lines
01/27/2012 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Few college coaches embody an entire
university and everything that the program, school and community as a whole
stands for. Like Paul "Bear" Bryant in Tuscaloosa and Knute Rockne in South
Bend, Happy Valley's rich history was carved out by the larger than life
persona of Joe Paterno.
The Hall of Fame coach passed away last Sunday due to complications from lung
cancer and although his abrupt dismissal from his post in November due to a
child-sex scandal that rocked the foundations of the once teflon-coated
school, we should never lose sight of one man's quest to do things the right
way.
Paterno was born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York. He went on to play
football at Brown University (1946-49) and landed at Penn State in 1950 under
then head coach Rip Engle, Fifteen years later, Paterno took over for the
retired Engle and remained at that post up until this past November.
Paterno amassed an FBS-record 409 victories in his 46 years at the helm, was
named the National Coach of the Year five times, winning two national titles
(1982, 86) and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
The man with the coke-bottle glasses, rolled up pant legs and classic wind-
breaker, manned the sidelines in Happy Valley for nearly half a century,
coaching five undefeated teams and two national championshps.
There were certainly times over the years that it seemed like the game had
passed JoePa by, but he stayed the course and continued to build a program
that achieved both on and off the field. He mentored thousands of young men
that have gone on to live richly fulfilling lives. He stayed loyal to his
university and although he certainly made his fair share of money, he funneled
a good portion of it back into the school.
"His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled," his family
said in a statement.
"He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought
only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had
been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave
this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his
university, his players and his community."
A well crafted statement that tells Paterno's tale far better than the events
of the last few months.
The final chapter in the man's life should not be taken out of context and
erase a lifetime of achievements.
Paterno's loyalty, although one of his greatest assets, was also a huge reason
for his downfall.
It was in November that former PSU defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was
arrested for a child-sex abuse scandal that tore apart a university that was
up to that point, scandal-free.
Regret is something Paterno admitted in a Washington Post interview published
a few days before his death.
"In hindsight," Paterno told the Post reporter, "I wish I had done more."
In the interview, Paterno said he was "afraid" to jeopardize university
procedure after he was told by assistant coach Mike McQueary what McQueary had
seen in a university locker room.
McQueary left out graphic details of the event according to Paterno, who then
passed the information he had on to his superiors at the school.
"So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought
would have a little more expertise than I did," Paterno said. "It didn't work
out that way."
Certainly in looking back at the events that unfolded, it was naive on his
part to "pass the buck" and hope for the best. However, naivety does in no way
make him complicit in Sandusky's alleged crimes.
Being able to separate all the good from the obvious bad of late will be for
each individual to decide and obviously there will be plenty of people at
opposite ends of the spectrum when Paterno's name comes up in conversation.
For me, the indelible mark Paterno leaves on Penn State University, college
football and academia as a whole, far outshines the Sandusky scandal that
ultimately brought his extraordinary career to an abrupt end.
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Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
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Big East Conference odds
Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com
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