Sunday, August 20, 2006

While the kickoff to the 2006 NCAA football season isn't for another two weeks, fans can already get in on the action on all of the season's big games at PinnacleSports.com. The largest sports betting site on the Internet, PinnacleSports.com has already opened wagering on every game taking place during the first week of college football, as well as on several marquee match-ups taking place each week of the NCAA season.

The first day of college games takes place on Thursday, August 31, with Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks traveling to conference rival Mississippi State where PinnacleSports.com lists the host Bulldogs as 6 point underdogs in Starkville. On the first Saturday of games, Heisman hopeful Brady Quinn and Notre Dame kick off the second season of the Charlie Weis regime at Georgia Tech where the Fighting Irish are 7.5 point favorites. The biggest match-up of the opening week pits in-state rivals Miami (Florida) and Florida State squaring off in the Orange Bowl where the Hurricanes are favored by 3.5 points over the Seminoles.

In addition to posting betting lines on the full schedule of games taking place during the first week of the NCAA season, PinnacleSports.com is also taking wagers on several of the most anticipated games taking place each week during the entire 14-week regular season. These marquee match-ups include:

* Ohio State (pick 'em) at reigning national champion Texas on September 9

* Michigan (+6) visiting Notre Dame on September 16

* October 7th's "Red River Shootout" between Texas (-2.5) and Oklahoma

* Florida (-4) vs Georgia at "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" October 28

* Louisville (-3.5) hosting West Virginia on November 4

* Michigan (+6) at rival Ohio State November 18

* "The Iron Bowl" November 18 with Auburn (-3.5) facing in-state rival Alabama

* Notre Dame (+3) hoping to avenge 2005's last second loss to USC November 25

* Florida (+1.5) traveling to Florida State on November 25

* Cross-town rivals USC (-12) facing UCLA December 2

"It's simply not enough to give our players the opportunity to bet on the first week of college games, so for the second straight year we've offered lines on the best match-ups of each week throughout the entire season," said Simon Noble of PinnacleSports.com. "Whether bettors like Ohio State to beat reigning national champs Texas in Austin on September 9, or favor Notre Dame avenging last season's last second loss to USC, they'll find lines on all of the biggest games at PinnacleSports.com."

PinnacleSports.com also has compiled odds on a number of NCAA teams winning the BCS Championship Game where Notre Dame is a slight favorite at +684 (i.e., win $6.84 for every $1 bet) to win their first title since 1988 over surprise West Virginia (+703) and top-ranked Ohio State (+730). In addition, the online sportsbook lists Brady Quinn as the early favorite to become the seventh Heisman Trophy winner in Notre Dame history at 7/4 odds. Bettors can also place wagers on the total number of regular season wins by every Division IA NCAA team exclusively at PinnacleSports.com.