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Big Ten announces realignment

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - Park Ridge, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Big Ten unveiled its plan for divisional realignment Wednesday and the controversial split of longtime rivals Michigan and Ohio State is in place.

There will be two divisions of six teams each starting with the 2011 season, with the winners meeting in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game, scheduled for December 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. As in the past, the Big Ten champion will either participate in the Rose Bowl or BCS National Championship Game should that be the case.

The divisional splits for football is as follows:

Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan State, Iowa, Northwestern and Minnesota will make up one division while the other will house Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois.

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany made the announcement live on the Big Ten Network and cited competitive equality, geography and preserving rivalries in making the decision process.

With regard to the altering of annual rivalry games, which have caused a firestorm in some football circles, Delany laid out that there will be three games against schools from the opposite division in a given year and one protected "crossover" game to be played on an annual basis in addition to games within teams' own divisions.

The protected games include annual matchups between Ohio State-Michigan, Penn State-Nebraska, Illinois-Northwestern, Purdue-Iowa, Wisconsin-Minnesota and Indiana-Michigan State.

"We focused on competitive equality, traditional rivalries and geography. We considered multiple models and countless permutations in an effort to achieve the most competitively balanced divisions while at the same time respecting our traditions, preserving existing rivalries, and creating opportunities for the establishment and growth of new rivalries. We have listened to the feedback from our institutions, alumni and fans, and while we understand that no final alignments could possibly satisfy all of our constituents, we believe that we have achieved a very exciting result," Delany said.

Delany added that the conference hopes to unveil names for the divisions some time in the next 10 months. The Big Ten also announced updated conference schedules for the 2011 and 2012 football seasons as a result of the realignment.

While the changes are expected to be fully implemented for football, it remains unclear whether the divisions will be used for basketball or rather a single 12-team division.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.