2010 FBS Positional Analysis: Linebackers

NCAA Football Betting Lines

07/30/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They are free to roam the middle of the field, looking to lay the lumber on the ball-carriers and receivers that dare to enter their domain. The job of the linebacker is to be instinctual, to be in the right place at the right time and deliver punishing hits.

Here are the top linebackers in the FBS heading into the 2010 season.

INSIDE LBS:

GREG JONES, MICHIGAN STATE

While this Spartan looks a little small for a linebacker (6-1, 228), there is no denying that he plays much bigger and is regarded among the best in the country. Jones has earned All-American honors in each of his first three seasons at MSU, including being named a consensus first-team member in 2009. The 2009 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year finished third in the nation in tackles (154), with 13.5 TFLs and nine sacks. The ultimate defensive playmaker Jones heads into his senior season ranked eighth on the school's all-time tackles list (359). The Spartans may not be lifting the Big Ten trophy at the end of the season, but that won't stop the accolades from raining down on Jones.

QUAN STURDIVANT, NORTH CAROLINA

On one of the best defenses in the entire country, Sturdivant stands out as the leader. Perhaps the most NFL-ready LB heading into the 2010 campaign, this Tar Heel has the ability to do it all. The 6-2, 230-pound senior can make plays all over the field and is rarely caught out of position. He earned First-Team All-ACC honors in 2009, finishing with 79 total tackles and 12 TFLs. UNC's offense definitely plays second-fiddle to the defense, which is chock-full of All-American talent throughout. The Tar Heels aren't ready to win the ACC, but opponents will definitely know they are in a fight week-in and week-out.

CHRIS GALIPPO, USC

Following in a long line of stellar LBs at USC, Galippo had a strong sophomore season in 2009, earning some All-American honors, while being a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. The 6-2, 250-pound middle linebacker finished last year with 70 total tackles, eight TFLs, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. The Trojans are under new management and will begin serving a postseason ban this year, but that shouldn't prevent Galippo from once again putting up big numbers, as the team's defensive leader.

MIKE MOHAMED, CALIFORNIA

Mohamed is a veteran LB who has played in all 39 games for the Golden Bears over the last three seasons. The 6-3, 245-pounder came into his own last year, becoming a full-time starter, earning All-Pac-10 First-Team honors, leading the conference with 112 total tackles, with 8.5 TFLs, two sacks and three INTs. On quite a few preseason All-American lists, expect big things from Mohamed in 2010. The Golden Bears are always in the mix when talking about the Pac-10 title, and this senior LB will do everything in his power to keep that going.

ALEX WUJCIAK, MARYLAND

A throwback type of LB, this Maryland Terrapin just keeps getting better. Regarded as one of the top playmakers at his position in the entire country, the 6-3, 245-pound Wujciak followed up Second-Team All-ACC honors in 2008, with First-Team honors in 2009. As a junior last season, he ranked second in the ACC with a team-high 131 tackles (eighth nationally), with 8.5 TFLs and two interceptions. The Terps are not in a position to return to the top of the ACC standings, but expect to hear Wujciak's name mentioned often regardless of where Maryland finishes up.

OTHERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON: Kelvin Sheppard (LSU), Casey Matthews (Oregon), Josh Bynes (Auburn), Tank Carder (TCU), Mario Harvey (Marshall).

OUTSIDE LBS:

MARK HERZLICH, BOSTON COLLEGE

The legend of Herzlich will follow him forever, as the standout LB, who was the ACC Player of the Year, an All-American and a finalist for the Butkus Award in 2008, missed the entire 2009 season while battling and beating a rare form of bone cancer. In 2008, he amassed 110 total tackles and led all LBs nationally with six interceptions, two of which he returned for TDs. While Herzlich is expected to play this season, it remains to be seen if he can return to form. At less than 100-percent, he will still be a driving force on the BC defense. If he makes it all the way back, he will stockpile most of the defensive awards by season's end.

TRAVIS LEWIS, OKLAHOMA

After breaking Brian Bosworth's school record for tackles by a freshman in 2008 (144 stops), the 6-2, 232-pound Lewis once again picked up All-Big 12 First-Team honors with 109 total tackles as a sophomore in 2009. As instinctual as they come at the linebacker position, the third-year Sooner might not remain in school after the 2009 campaign, as he has everything needed to excel at the next level. The Sooners took it on the chin in 2009, but expect Lewis to be one of the main reasons the team returns to form among the Big 12 elite in 2010.

BRUCE CARTER, NORTH CAROLINA

Another extremely gifted Tar Heel, the 6-3, 235-pound Carter has a complete skill set. With above-average strength, speed and athleticism, this senior will surely be mentioned among the best OLBs in the country. Carter has started 33 career games, including all 13 as a junior in 2009, where he racked up 65 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, two sacks and an interception returned for a TD, en route to All-ACC Second-Team honors. If he stays healthy, it will be difficult to keep him off the First Team this season.

VON MILLER, TEXAS A&M

The first Aggie to be tabbed a First-Team All-American since cornerback Jason Webster in 1999, the 6-3, 240-pound Miller led the nation in sacks (17), while amassing 21 TFLs. Miller is regarded as a hybrid player, who can also line up along the defensive front with his hand on the ground. He projects to be a big- time pass rushing threat in a 3-4 system in the NFL. The Aggies aren't exactly stacked with All-American talent throughout the roster, but Miller is as good as it gets at his position.

ROSS HOMAN, OHIO STATE

The linebacker position at Ohio State has become a launching pad for many a talented player of late, and this year may be no different. Compared favorably to 2007 Butkus Award winner James Laurinaitis, the 6-0, 227-pound Homan may just carve out an award-winning career in Columbus as well. As a junior in 2009, Homan was a Second-Team All-Big Ten member, racking up a team-high 108 total tackles. With above-average speed and playmaking ability, the sky is the limit for this Buckeye, as he should be a driving force in Ohio State's run toward a Big Ten title and perhaps much more.

OTHERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON: Akeem Ayers (UCLA), Michael Morgan (USC), Chris Walker (Tennessee), Wayne Daniels (TCU), Lawrence Wilson (UConn).

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Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.

As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.

Bet 2010 Super Bowl Odds

The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.

Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).

But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.

Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.

Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1

Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2

New York Giants - 9 - 2

Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).

Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.

So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.

And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.

They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.

Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.

But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.

Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.

Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.

Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.

Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?

Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.

In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.

Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.

Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.

The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.

The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.

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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.

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