Time to take the Sixers' temperature

Basketball Betting Lines

01/29/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (The Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Back when I was covering the NFL, Bill Parcells was a constant source of wisdom for me.

One of my favorite Parcells' quotes is his famous "You are what your record says you are" rant.

If that's true the 2011-12 Philadelphia 76ers are pretty darn good.

Open up the newspaper on Sunday and you will find Doug Collins' club with a 14-6 mark. That's good enough to lead the Atlantic Division and for third in the Eastern Conference behind powerhouses Chicago and Miami.

For the most part I buy Parcells' thinking but only when everyone has crossed the finish line. A sample size of 20 contests during a truncated 66-game schedule is certainly statistically significant but there can be anomalies.

For instance entering Saturday's game against Detroit, the Sixers had played the easiest schedule in all of the NBA, facing opponents with a winning percentage of just .436. That type of thing, however, tends to even out over the balance of a full season and sure enough Philadelphia's upcoming schedule is a bear. The Sixers will face teams with a combined winning percentage just south of .700 over their next seven games.

Of course, it's not the Sixers fault that the NBA's schedule maker lined up a bunch of patsies during the first 20 games of the season. You can only play who is put in front of you and Doug Collins has done a wonderful job getting his team ready.

Philadelphia has rarely played down to its competition. In fact the 76ers haven't just beaten the NBA's also-rans, it has destroyed them.

The Sixers are outscoring opponents by a league-high 11.7 points this season and all of their 10 home wins have come by 10 points or more. The team has won eight games by 20-plus points this season after having just seven in all of last season and the 76ers lead the NBA in fewest turnovers (11.6) and assist- turnover ratio (1.92-1).

"[You can only] play the teams in front of you," Collins said of watching his team dismantle the 4-17 Pistons 95-74. "We've got 10 home wins. Win at home and that's what we've got to try to keep doing. We know we've got some great teams coming in. We've just got to be ready to play."

The Sixers tough stretch begins with home games against the Magic, Bulls and Heat next week. Then comes a road game in Atlanta before Philadelphia returns home to play the Lakers, Spurs and Clippers after that. Those seven teams are almost guaranteed to play in the postseason and it's hard to imagine Philly blowing them out of the building.

So it's time to take the Sixers' temperature and see just how good this club really is.

Philadelphia constantly glosses over the one glaring weakness the team has, the lack of a true closer. Forget about Mariano Rivera, the Sixers don't even have a Brad Lidge and are 0-5 in games decided by seven points or less.

Collins' has piecemealed it at the end of tight affairs thus far. Sometimes it's Andre Iguodala and others it's Jrue Holiday or Lou Williams -- options that hardly strike fear in opponents.

Win one next week and everything is OK, win two and Philly fans should be ecstatic. Sweep Orlando, Chicago and Miami and we might be talking about a serious contender.

The following week features both LA teams and San Antonio, who all look imposing on paper but have been paper tigers on the road.

So at the end of this stretch you will be able to look at the Sixers' ledger and say for sure "They are what their record says they are."

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NCAA Football Betting

Many 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
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"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.

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