MLB Betting – Chicago White Sox @ Detroit Tigers

Edwin Jackson (6-10) vs. Armando Galarraga (3-3)

Jackson vs. Tigers Hitting

Edwin Jackson will be making his glorious return to the American League in this matchup, and he’s not entering on a high note. Since his eight-walk, zero-hit performance on June 25^th, Jackson has been a very sub-par pitcher. In five starts he’s gone 1-5 and has allowed at least four runs in each outing. He didn’t pitch through the seventh inning in any start. The White Sox didn’t give up that much to acquire Jackson at the deadline, but he’ll be expected to produce much better than he has been.

Jackson is lucky to be facing his former team while they’re experiencing a host of injuries. Magglio Ordonez, Brandon Inge and Carlos Guillen are out, while Johnny Damon is day-to-day and may not be ready to play. Jackson still has to deal with MVP-candidate Miguel Cabrera and super-rookie Austin Jackson, but after that there is a drop off in legit offensive talent. A slumping Jackson couldn’t have picked a better time to pitch against the Tigers.

Galarraga vs. White Sox Hitting

Armando Galarraga has been nursing a hurt ankle since his last start, as he was hit by a ball and forced to leave the game, though he is expected to be healthy enough to pitch against the White Sox. Galaragga hasn’t won a game since June 24^th, and is 0-2 in five starts since. He hasn’t been pitching horribly, but isn’t giving his team enough chances to win games. His low strikeout-to-walk ratio and high WHIP isn’t helping the Tigers climb back into contention in the AL Central.

There is definitely offensive talent in Chicago, but there is a reason why management pushed hard for Adam Dunn at the trade deadline. Outside of Paul Konerko, Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios, there is a lack of legitimate offensive prowess on the team. While Galaragga has had his way with Quentin (0-for-8 lifetime) and Rios (3-for-11 lifetime), but if you’re betting online make sure you look at Konerko. The first baseman is 4-for-8 lifetime with three RBI’s and five walks.

Bullpen Comparison

The Bobby Jenks roller-coaster continues in Chicago. Last week Jenks blew two straight saves and received a temporary demotion from the closers role. Then he goes out and converts two straight saves, looking like the all-star reliever the White Sox like to see. His inconsistency will hurt the White Sox; however bullpen talent like Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz can step in nicely if needed too.
Detroit boasts a solid bullpen loaded with an elite closer and a bunch of solid arms. Jose Valverde, despite a recent slipup, remains one of the most dominant closers in the American League. Phil Coke is enjoying his role as a set-up man, but after him the talent level drops a bit. The rest of the bullpen is littered with high-ERA’s and low-strikeout rates.

Outlook

Jackson pitched poorly in his time with the D-Backs, and the track record for struggling NL-pitchers switching to the AL is not a very good one. In the long run that may be true with Jackson, but in this game he’s facing a reeling Detroit team desperate to stay in contention. I’m betting Jackson pulls out a gem and beats his former team.

Pick: Chicago White Sox

The easy part for NCAA football betting professionals? Tabbing the four teams that won’t win the Big 12 South Division title. The hard part for online betting aficionados is picking the team that will win the classic confrontation known as the Red River Rivalry.

First, let’s safely establish who won’t be winning the South crown.

Baylor will get Robert Griffin back at quarterback, but the Bears – bereft of depth and power as you go through their roster – are just not resourced enough to become an upper-division team. Coach Art Briles is immensely creative and has BU headed in the right direction, but that hardly means Baylor is primed for a major upward move in the college football world.

Texas Tech is another team that can be counted out of the South sweepstakes before the season even starts. After a solid decade of Mike Leach, the Red Raiders hired Tommy Tuberville to lead them into the next decade. No coach is exactly like Leach, but there are several people in the football industry who possess at least a piece of Leach’s ultra-aggressive aerial approach to offense. Tuberville isn’t one of those fellows, and that’s an indication Texas Tech is in the midst of a substantial cultural change. It will likely take multiple seasons for the Red Raiders to recruit and coach a different kind of player with abilities tailored to a Tuberville offense. In 2010, Tech will be moving toward a new identity, and that’s no way to win a title… not at a school which is left with the players Texas and Oklahoma refuse to select.

Oklahoma State also won’t be found pushing the heavyweights for the South championship. Coach Mike Gundy loses nine starters on defense, and he’ll also step onto the gridiron this year without some of the offensive studs who have powered his team over the previous few seasons. Offensive tackle Russell Okung is a Seattle Seahawk, and receiver Dez Bryant is now a Dallas Cowboy. Zac Robinson is no longer the quarterback, but Brandon Weeden filled in well at certain points of the 2009 season and should be okay. Nevertheless, it will be hard to expect OSU to be as formidable on offense as it was last season. Given the substantial numbers of players lost on defense, it’s really hard to think this team can remain in the South race long enough to be a true contender.

If an upset winner of the South is to emerge, Texas A&M could be the surprise team in the division. Coach Mike Sherman doesn’t have a defense that’s worth writing about, but if sensational quarterback Jerrod Johnson maxes out in every game he plays, the Aggies will be rolling up 40-plus points against their foes and will not need much defense at all. Johnson is a very fast open-field runner with agility and pocket savvy. He made Texas’s defense look foolish on Thanksgiving Night last season, and if that’s the man who will regularly surface in 2010, the rest of the Big 12 is going to get smoked. A&M can’t be considered a division favorite, but it can certainly make a charge for the South title with Johnson at quarterback.

As always, the battle for bragging rights in the South will come down to Texas and Oklahoma. Last year, the starting quarterbacks for each team were legends Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford. This year, Garrett Gilbert and Landry Jones are the gunslingers for the Horns and Sooners. Gilbert gained valuable experience in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama, but Jones acquired even more battle testing when Bradford got hurt on opening night of the 2009 season against BYU. Jones is the more game-conditioned signal caller, and if Oklahoma can avoid the many injuries which proved to be lethal last season, the feeling here is that the Sooners are better positioned to win the annual two-team shootout with Texas. It’s true, though, that many sports betting junkies will disagree and side with the Longhorns.

Time to settle the issue on the field. You’ll just have to wait until October for the big month to arrive.

The ranks of NCAA football betting diehards will find it relatively easy to pick the champion of the SEC West and the two bottom-rung teams in the division. It’s the second through fourth spots that will prove hard to peg.

Ole Miss – without Dexter McCluster and John Jerry, just to name a few stars from the disappointing 2009 team – is going to be a wafer-thin outfit in 2010. This is the unanimous view of online betting experts. Last season gave the Rebels their big chance to bust through the threshold and win their first-ever SEC West crown, but that window came and went. Coach Houston Nutt will have his hands full this season.

Mississippi State and coach Dan Mullen are also staring at a long and arduous campaign in 2010. The Bulldogs will give it the old college try, but they lack top-tier offensive ability at every position. They’re pushing uphill in a division that is loaded with skill-position studs. The outlook is still stark in Starkville, and the Bulldogs will almost certainly remain handcuffed to the bottom realm of this six-team collection.

There’s some reason for concern at LSU, a program that generally intends to compete for national championships and expects to win 10 games on an annual basis. Only 10 starters return overall, and only four on the defense that powered the team in 2009. The defense does return its leading tackler, linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, plus All-America candidate Patrick Peterson at cornerback. Head coach Les Miles and defensive coordinator John Chavis have to be alarmed at the substantial amount of flux on a defense that delivered the goods last year

As good the Auburn offense was in 2009, it may be even better in 2010 as seven starters return. The biggest offseason addition was quarterback Cameron Newton. He’s the strong-armed and mobile weapon who can make coordinator Gus Malzahn’s offense hum at a high level. If Auburn’s offense can reach the ceiling of its capabilities, this team could go a long way and maybe claim the West.

The same can be said for Arkansas, which will also lean on offense to win games. Ten of 11 starters return on the offense including heralded quarterback Ryan Mallett, four of the top five rushers, and all four for the top receivers. Many preseason magazines have listed the Arkansas receiving triumvirate of Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, and Joe Adams as one of the top groups in the nation. With coach Bobby Petrino’s playcalling, Mallett’s lethal arm, the skill position weapons, and four of five offensive linemen returning, the Razorbacks will be a matchup nightmare for every opponent on the offensive side of the ball.

However, for all that Arkansas (and Auburn, and LSU) might do to mount an insurrection, the team that won the SEC West in 2008 and 2009 should return to the mountaintop this year. Sports betting junkies know that this division will be colored Crimson – the Tide will not ebb or fade in 2010.

Alabama, though coached by a defensive guru in Nick Saban, will also put its best foot forward on the offensive side of the ball. The dynamic running back combo of Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson returns, plus quarterback Greg McElroy, omnipresent wide receivers Julio Jones and Darius Hanks, and three starters on the offensive front. Look for the Tide to maintain the physical, ball-control style that resorts to a mix of the running game and play-action passing.

All in all, Arkansas is in good shape to make a run at the brass ring, with Auburn having an outside shot. Yet, it’s difficult to think that Alabama – the two-time defending champion – won’t hold onto its position as the owner of unquestioned supremacy in the SEC West.

After losing six straight coming out of the All Star break, which was preceded by wins in five of eight, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally broke out of their streak of futility on Wednesday night with a online sports betting win over the San Francisco Giants. Although their offense was still somewhat sleeping, a brilliant pitching effort from starter Chad Billingsley, who pitched just his second career shutout, was enough to temporarily halt the bleeding. Now the Dodgers welcome the New York Mets to town, a team experiencing their own slump as losers of three straight, and with wins in just two of their last ten games, for a three-game set.

New York Mets @ Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers Stadium

Friday July 22, 2010 – 10:10 PM ET

MLB Betting Line: Dodgers – 120

Team Betting: Mets Preview

Starting Pitcher: Johan Santana (7-5) – L

Forget waiting for the NFL betting New York Giants and New York Jets to begin play next month, fans in the big apple just missed out on Lebron James and company and want to see a winner now to help drown their sorrows. It has been a tough month for the city however, including their beloved Mets who have just two wins in their last 10 contests. Their recent skid has dropped New York to three and a half games back of the Atlanta Braves for the top spot in the division, and if they are going to remain competitive for a chance at that spot, they must find a way to break out of their skid and fast. The Mets will end their six-game road trip here in Los Angeles before heading home to take on the St. Louis Cardinals, and with the regular season winding down, now is the time to make a move.

Team Betting: Dodgers Preview

Starting Pitcher: Vicente Padilla (4-2) – R

Right beside the Giants and San Diego Padres in the division race leading in to the All Star break, the Dodgers are now six games back of top spot and thanks to a win last night only two and a half back of the Wild Card spot. Another excellent pitching performance from an average thrower may be just what Los Angeles needs, and they will look to Vicenta Padilla to put on a show against Santana.

Who To Bet On?

The Los Angeles offense can only sleep for so long before it finally wakes up and brings in some run support, and although Santana hasn’t been bad this season, the Dodgers will need to take advantage of a pitcher that has been inconsistent in a situation where they can’t afford to lose. The Mets once again continue to fall from grace, and although they will likely find the win column some time during their California stay, it likely won’t be on this night.

Bet On Sports Online Pick: Dodgers – 120

The betting online is getting a little more frantic as the teams head towards the playoffs in MLB. The NFL betting is just about ready to get under way, and NCAA football betting is just around the corner. But for now, the sports world is focused on the upcoming baseball playoffs, and every game from here to October is extremely important.

The San Diego Padres wound up being the best of a division that did not feature a whole lot of promise. Aside from glimpses of brilliance by the San Francisco Giants, and moments of strong team play from the Colorado Rockies, the NL West was a pretty wide-open division that anyone could have taken at any time. The MLB betting may have favored the Los Angeles Dodgers in the pre-season, but the Padres have a four game lead in the NL West and they just keep on winning.

The Atlanta Braves are not only holding off the surging New York Mets and the pre-season NL East favorite Philadelphia Phillies, they are doing so with great ease. Right now the Braves enjoy a five and a half game lead in the NL East, and they are giving no indications of letting that lead go before it is time to award the NL East pennant.

The MLB playoffs are all about momentum. The team that has it, can ride it all the way to the World Series. The Padres are on a four game winning streak that came just in time as they were losing fairly consistently for a little while. The Braves have won six of their last 10, including their last game of the series with the Milwaukee Brewers. So both teams are pretty strong coming in to this game.

On the mound for the Padres is Joe Garland. He has a 9-6 record and a 3.45 ERA. Garland is known for his bad starts to games, and equally as known for his great finishes. He tends to get himself in trouble early and either pitches out of it, or gets pulled before it is too late.

The Braves will be putting Tommy Hanson on the mound with his 8-6 record and 4.19 ERA. Hanson is incredibly inconsistent. In two starts in June he gave up a total of 15 earned runs, but in two games in July he only have up two runs total. He has control problems that sometimes he can fix, and other times he just loses his aim.

The Padres rank at the bottom of just about every hitting category. They get by with their defense and great pitching. Garland is enough to keep the Braves at bay, and Hanson may be just the medicine the ailing Padre bats are looking for. If the Padres want to make some noise in the playoffs, they will need to get their offense going. This game could be the perfect chance for San Diego to put some pop in their bats as they move into the playoffs.

Pick: San Diego Padres 4-2

MLB Betting – Seattle Mariners @ Los Angeles Angels

Felix Hernandez (7-5) vs. Jered Weaver (8-5)

Hernandez vs. Angels Hitting

Those into online betting and fantasy leagues know that because of the Cliff Lee trade, Felix Hernandez is now the only passable star in the Mariners pitching staff. Whether or not he falters under the pressure of that responsibility is one of the only storylines Seattle faces in the second half of yet another disappointing season. Hernandez’s numbers (7-5, 2.88 ERA) are impressive for someone who pitches on a team with virtually no support on either side of the ball. He entered the All-Star break on a hell of roll; 4-0 in his last six starts, including three straight complete games. He also did not allow more than two runs in any of those outings.

Hernandez has twice face Los Angeles in 2010, with mixed results. In his first start he was rocked to the tune of seven runs allowed in just 3 1/3 innings. However he settled in his second start, allowing just one run over eight innings, striking out seven. The Angels offense has been solid, but not great. Torii Hunter leads the team in most offensive categories (average, home runs and RBI’s), and guys like Bobby Abreu, Howie Kendrick and Mike Napoli can cause fits. Hernandez has played amazingly and terribly against this offense, no way of knowing which will show up in this game.

Weaver vs. Mariners Hitting

Jered Weaver was tapped as the de facto ace of the Angels when John Lackey left in the offseason, and he’s done a pretty good job in his new role. He’s 8-5 with a 3.20 ERA and leads the majors with 137 strikeouts. However he stumbled going into the All-Star break, losing his last two starts and allowing a total of nine runs and 14 hits in just 12 innings of work. He needs to be much better for the Angels to catch Texas in the AL West.

Weaver has pitched against Seattle twice this year, and those into MLB betting know he was brilliant in both outings. In two starts Weaver is 2-0 with zero runs allowed and 13 strikeouts. Thanks to the ineptitude of the Mariners offense it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Weaver pitches another great game. Ichiro Suzuki is the only regular hitting over .260, and the oft-psychotic Milton Bradley leads the team with just eight home runs. Outside of Suzuki, there just aren’t any real threats in the Mariners lineup.

Bullpen Comparison

A shaky bullpen is one of the reasons the Angels may miss the postseason for the first time in what seems like forever. No regular reliever has an ERA under 3.50, and closer Brian Fuentes has blown 20% of his save opportunities to go with his 4.26 ERA. The usually reliable Scot Shields has an abhorrent 4.85 ERA.

Like Anaheim, Seattle’s poor bullpen is one of the reasons the team has been struggling (although in Seattle’s case there are much more reasons as well). Closer David Aardsma has a 5.40 ERA, the worst among regular closers in the AL. However the worst of the bunch is Sean White. The righthander has a 6.86 ERA, worst among team relievers, and a 2.10 WHIP (!), an absolutely excusable number.

Outlook

Right now Hernandez is the only saving grace on the Mariners, and I’m guessing that pressure will eventually get to him. He’s still a brilliant pitcher, but I wouldn’t count on him repeating his numbers from last season. Weaver, on the other hand, has great success against Seattle this year and great success at home as well. I’m betting that success continues.

Pick: Los Angeles Angels

With August fastly approaching, that means we are entering the most popular time of the season for everybody to make their picks, and back their favorites, football season. While NFL betting may rule the roost, and be the most popular sport in the world to wager on, it’s counterpart in the college game is also chalk full of money making opportunities sure to keep you on the edge of your seat for the season to come. The Big Ten is one of the power BCS conferences. A conference loaded with such big names may be tough to sort through, so that’s why I am going to do it for you.

Ohio State is the class of the league, coming off of their win in the Rose Bowl last season. When you are placing your sports bet online, I would take a long hard look into Ohio State as the winner of this conference. Terrelle Pryor is the best player in the nation, and I expect him to lead the Buckeyes to an undefeated season, and a national championship game berth. Pryor was always a threat on the ground, but his throwing ability will open up things even more for the running game. They also return many starters, and bring in impact players, all around the defense. They are the class of the league.

Michigan State and Iowa are fighting for the second best in the league. Iowa was a breakout team last season, returning 6 starters on an offense that was 10^th in the nation. The defense is what anchors the team, led by Adrian Clayborn who returned for his senior season. I expect Michigan State to be the breakout team. They finished 6-7 last season, but lost four of those games by 5 points or less. I expect them, with the strength of QB Kirk Cousins, to close out those close games this time around. The defense looks improved as well.

Purdue is another team that is a surprise candidate. Their schedule is easy, and neq QB Robert Marve, a transfer from Miami, is an ever dangerous dual threat, with the ability to score running or throwing. One thing that may slow them down is a secondary that may struggle a bit at first. Penn State may take a step back, but Joe Paterno, as always will have the team ready to compete. Kevin Newsome needs to step in and take over for incumbent QB Daryll Clark. This is the big key to their story for the year. The linebacking corps will be strong as usual.

Wisconsin has a dynamic offense but appears to fall short defensively. They return 10 out of 11 starters from an offense that put up  31.8 points per game last season. With more time to gel, that number will only get bigger. The question is if they can keep anyone out of the end zone. The defensive line is undersized, linebackers have been injury prone, and secondary seems week. If you are betting Wisconsin games, take the over, that’s for sure.

Michigan, I feel is one year away from really being back near the top. Rich Rodriguez has built an elite running back corps, but the offensive line may not be strong enough to block as effectively as needed. The switch to a 3-3-5 defense, and another new quarterback, may be too much for Big Blue to overcome this season.

Indiana, Northwestern, Illinois and Minnesota round out the bottom of the pack in the Big 10. Perhaps Indiana is the only one with the goods to maybe finish .500 on the season, thanks to a weak schedule. There is nothing to write home about any of these teams, the clear bottom feeders of the Big 10.

College Football Betting Favorite: Ohio State

Possible Value Pick: Purdue

When sports betting experts make the odds for the coming baseball season, they take into account past performance and off-season changes. Just like with NFL betting, if a team did nothing to improve themselves, then you can expect a similar performance from year to year.

As the betting world starts to shift to focusing on NCAA football betting and the baseball All-Star game is approaching, the Toronto Blue Jays find themselves in familiar territory. When the season started the odds makers had the Blue Jays as +5000 to win the World Series. A strong start by Toronto soon faded, and now the Blue Jays are +7500 to win it all. What happened? The MLB betting experts know that the Blue Jays fade as the season wears on, and trading away the best pitcher in the game does not help either.

The Boston Red Sox had a tough start to the 2010 season, but they have since got themselves back on track and are chasing down the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. But the Red Sox have hit their own patch of rough road and they find themselves in third place; four and half games behind the first place Yankees and two and a half games behind the second place Tampa Bay Rays.

The Red Sox are in desperate need of a winning streak to take them into the All-Star break. They are .500 in their last 10 games, and that includes a current four game losing streak. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, a series with Toronto could be just what the Red Sox need at this point.

The Blue Jays are putting Ricky Romero on the mound for this game. Romero is 6-5 this year with a 3.39 ERA. Romero has been having a rough time lately with only one win in his last six tries, and giving up eight earned runs in his last start that only lasted two and two-thirds innings.

The Red Sox are second in the AL in home runs, and they trail the Toronto Blue Jays in that category. However, in team batting average the Red Sox are fourth in the AL with a .275 average, and the Blue Jays are last in the AL at .238. The Jays do not hit the ball as often as other teams do, but when they make contact they usually make it count.

Jon Lester will be pitching for the Red Sox and he is having another excellent season. He has a 10-3 record and an impressive 2.76 ERA. Lester is making his first career All-Star appearance in this year’s All-Star game. In his last start he went seven innings and struck out seven batters while only allowing one earned run. Lester can help to set a tone for this series that the Blue Jays may not recover from. He will exploit the Blue Jays’ tendency to swing for the fences, and his wide array of pitches will keep the Blue Jays frustrated all night long.

Pick: Boston Red Sox 5-2

MLB Betting – Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays

Tim Wakefield (3-6) vs. David Price (11-4)

Wakefield vs. Rays Hitting

Wakefield hasn’t been great this season, but is coming off one of his best starts of the season. The knuckler pitched eight innings, allowing two runs and striking out four in a win against Baltimore. Unfortunately for Sox fans, those good starts by Wakefield are just peppered in-between bad outings that have defined his season so far. He’s never going to be consistently dominant, but a little improvement wouldn’t hurt the Sox postseason ambition.

Wakefield hasn’t pitched against Tampa this season, a welcome change-of-pace for Rays fans. Those who bet on MLB know Wakefield has dominated Tampa in his career, going 20-5 in 42 appearances against his Florida rivals. Some Tampa hitters have success (Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria), while others have been handcuffed by the 44-year olds specialty pitch (Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton). Regardless, Wakefield knows how to win against Tampa, and must never be ruled out when playing them.

Price vs. Red Sox Hitting

Price has spent all season justifying his number one overall selection in the 2007 draft, and it’s resulted in a fantastic season and an All-Star birth. In his last six starts, Price is 4-2 and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any appearance. He has the look and the stuff of a future ace, and is using 2010 as a major coming out party. You want a good sports bet? Start Price on fantasy rosters every time you can; he is the real deal.

Price has limited career action against Boston, and has had mixed success as well (1-1, 4.50 ERA). Nobody on the Sox has faced Price all that much, although Kevin Youkilis does have success in limited at-bats (4-for-6, two doubles). The Boston offense as a whole has been heating up as of late, with Youkilis, Adrien Beltre and David Ortiz providing the major pop. Despite guys like Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia on the DL, the Red Sox are a dangerous team to face for any pitcher.

Bullpen Comparison

Outside of Daniel Bard (1.99 ERA in 40 IP), there isn’t a single dominant reliever in the Red Sox bullpen. Jonathon Papelbon is no longer the dominant closer he once was (19 saves is good, a 3.71 ERA is too high), while the rest of the regular relievers all have ERA’s over 4.00. If Boston wants to be a legit postseason contender, their bullpen will have to improve; they may need outside help for that.

Rafael Soriano has been everything the Rays wanted and more when they traded for him in the offseason. The former Brave has 22 saves and a 1.42 ERA while anchoring a solid bullpen. Grant Balfour (2.06 ERA) and Joaquin Benoit (0.73 ERA) have been magnificent in their set-up roles. It’s the others guys in the ‘pen, guys with high-ERA’s like Randy Choate and Lance Cormier, that create headaches for the Rays coaching staff. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for Tampa to trade for another reliever before or at the deadline.

Outlook

You can never overlook Tim Wakefield against the Tampa Bay Rays, but I’m not betting he comes out on top in this one. While he’s strung together a couple of strong performances in a row, teams are getting hits off of him; it’s a ‘bend-not-break’ strategy. Against an offensive team like Tampa that may not fly. Against an offensive team like Tampa with a dominant pitcher like Price on the mound, the odds are definitely stacked against Boston. Go with the odds on this one.

Pick: Tampa Bay Rays

Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg

Friday July 2nd, 2010: 14:30 EST

Most years, summer sports entertainment is focused around MLB betting as America’s pastime dominates June and July.  This year, however, those who wish to bet on sport other than the norm, have an exciting change. World Cup betting takes charge as the globe’s most popular sport undertakes the most exciting competition.  Football’s championship is nearing the quarterfinals from South Africa, and you can follow all the action at the World Cup blog

The second match of the day features two teams that were not predicted by many to make it this far. Considered a weaker end of the bracket, Uruguay downed South Korea 2-1 and Ghana edged the United States 2-1 in extra time and move on to the quarterfinals.

With Ghana, the hopes of an entire continent rest.  Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Nigeria, and hosts South Africa all failed to move on from the group stage, leaving Ghana as the lone African representative. They were underdogs going in against the U.S., but proved the superior team, taking advantage of weak Americand defense, conceding just one goal on a penalty to Landon Donovan.

Ghana has proven opportunistic and considerably lucky. They beat Serbia 1-0 in their opening match on a penalty after a handball near the goalkeeper gave the Black Stars the chance to go ahead late. Despite their second place finish, their performance against the underachieving Americans showed clearly they have the passion and talent to continue on.

Uruguay, meanwhile, have played convincing football under the radar of other big name squads. An 0-0 draw against France to open the tourney, was followed by a 3-1 victory over South Africa, and a 1-0 triumph over Mexico to win the group.

In their round of 16 match-up, they were just as powerful, with Luis Suarez notching both Uruguay goals, including a brilliant strike that curled just past the keeper that would be the game winner.  Goalkeeping has also proven exceptional for Uruguay, as they have conceded only two goals this tournament.

It stands to be that Uruguay’s biggest challenge will be the crowd and the noise.  South African fans and those who are neutral have joined the last African representative in hopes that a team from the home continent will make it to the semi-finals for the first time in FIFA World Cup history.

Betting lines:  Uruguay is favoured in the match as well they should be. They have proven to be strong offensively, getting production from the aforementioned Suarez, as well as star man Diego Forlan.  Despite the impressive run by the Black Stars of Ghana, there run will be over this weekend.  It shouldn’t take extra time to settle this one, Uruguay will strike first and hold on the to lead, winning 2-0 and sending home the last African team.