SEC Freshman Of The Year, Teammate May Miss Primetime Opener

Sports Betting News - September 2nd, 2009 - Written by John

With feature players Julio Jones and Mark Ingram's playing status in question, the scales for Saturday night's blockbuster game may have tipped a little bit toward Virginia Tech.

The fifth-ranked Crimson Tide are favored at home by 6 1/2 points, with a payout of -110, over the no. 7 Hokies. They also have a moneyline of -270. With defensive end Brandon Deaderick already ruled out of the game after being shot Tuesday night, Alabama sophomore wideout Jones and sophomore running back Ingram being investigated for possible NCAA infractions stemming from a fishing trip. The general feeling is that they will be cleared to play come game time, but if they aren't, the SEC West Champions will be sure to lose at least a few points off the line, having to rely on less explosive backups to fill their place.

The over/under for the first half is at 20, essentially assuming that neither team will break away from the other early on. That may be a little more likely with Jones and Ingram in the lineup to go with the nation's top-rated defense.

The pair was taken on a fishing trip (date) by Georgia businessman Curtis Anderson and the NCAA is investigating whether or not the trip goes against their rules of special treatment towards collegiate athletes. Anderson said that he is simply a friend of the two and is not an Alabama booster.

The AP named Jones as the SEC Freshman of the year after a terrific first season, catching 58 balls for 924 yards. Ingram is a talented back attempting to fill the void left by All-SEC member Glen Coffey.

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