Marseille eyes top spot against Lyon

Soccer Betting Lines

12/12/2008 - Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marseille can overtake Lyon for the top spot in France's Ligue 1 on Sunday when the top two teams meet at Stade de Gerland.

Marseille has won two times in its last five visits to Lyon, but the seven-time defending league champions haven't lost at home this season in eight games.

Marseille, which tied Atletico Madrid 0-0 on Wednesday in the Champions League to make the UEFA Cup, is unbeaten in its last three league matches. The team is unbeaten on the road this season in Ligue 1 play.

Ex-Lyon star Hatem Ben Arfa will make his first trip to Lyon since transferring in the summer, and start a rivalry against former teammate Karim Benzema.

The two goalscorers exchanged verbal jabs recently, but the young French stars will have to do their talking on the field this weekend.

"He's not my friend, but I respect him as a player. He's a very good player, in fact," Benzema said. "He achieved some good things at Lyon, and he's started the season well at Marseille.

"He can cause us a lot of problems."

Ben Arfa is tied for the team lead at Marseille with six goals, a total equaled by teammates Bakari Kone and Mamadou Niang - who won't play after breaking his foot against Nice.

Niang's absence leaves a void in the top offense in Ligue 1. Marseille has 33 goals through 17 matches, nine more than Bordeaux and Lille.

Benzema leads Lyon with nine goals in league play but the club has just 22 this season. Benzema also has five goals in the Champions League, tied with Bayern's Miroslav Klose, Barcelona's Lio Messi and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard at the top of the scoring chart.

Lyon has struggled in league play recently, going winless in its last three and in four of its last five. Lyon also lost to Bayern in the Champions League this week, 3-2.

"I'm not disappointed," Lyon coach Claude Puel said after the defeat, which saw his side slip to second in the final group standings.

Lyon fell behind 3-0 in the game and played much better in the second half, and Puel hopes that play carries into the league this weekend.

Lyon's proven it can contain good offenses at times, allowing just 12 goals all season in league play. But this weekend's test against its top title rival will go a long way in determining whether an eighth title awaits.

On Saturday, Toulouse hosts St. Etienne, Le Mans hosts Bordeaux, Sochaux hosts Caen, Auxerre hosts PSG, Nancy hosts Grenoble, Valenciennes hosts Monaco and Rennes hosts Nantes.

Also Sunday, Le Havre hosts Lorient and Nice hosts Lille.

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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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