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One of the best parts of the college football betting season is right before the action gets underway. Everyone has a clean slate, and projections can be made with conviction given that nothing anyone has said up until that point has been proven wrong. Here is one of those predictions: North Carolina will be a national championship contender in 2010.

Despite being favorites to win the ACC Coastal division, the Tar Heels are just 60-1 favorites to win the BCS Championship. The biggest reason for their high online sports betting odds however, is that prognosticators have not given the North Carolina defense its due as what is shaping to be one of the best in the country. The Tar Heels allowed an average of just 17-points per game a year ago, and return a solid six All-Conference starters. A pair of defensive linemen, a pair of linebackers, and at least one of their cornerback are all projected to go in the first three round of next year’s NFL draft, and with that kind of talent returning for a unit that already ranked among the best in the sport, there is no reason to think that head coach Butch Davis’ team can’t be a contender as long as the offense can hold its own. In his fourth season at the helm, Davis will need to help returning quarterback TJ Yates and an offense that averaged 24 points per game improve, and as long as he can do so, the Tar Heels will be contending for a national title in 2010.

Basketball betting has two niche markets, professional and college ranks. Of the two, the college ranks has more online betting options, as the March Madness basketball tournament tends to attract more sports bettors outside of the regular basketball gambling audience. However for fans that bet on football and enjoy to place their money on the March Madness tournament, this is no problem, as basketball and football wagering are very similar. Basketball like football uses two types of bets, the point spread, and totals. Below we offer tips on all three forms and describe how they are used in basketball.

1. Point Spread - This form of betting is predetermined by the bookies in order to even out the wagering line. Essentially the favorite is team chosen by a number of points to defeat the underdog who is the team chosen to lose by that number of points. If the favorite wins by the amount of points the bookie lays, or exceeds the points, then that is called covering. If the underdog keeps the spread close for example Celtics are favored by -13 over the Raptors and the Raptors lose 97-93, fans betting on the underdog to cover will win the bet. Tip: Look at offensive statistics prior to choosing a side for point spread betting. By doing so, it allows you to make a better decision on which teams looks like it will cover the spread and make you the most money.

2. Totals - Similar to all other big four sports, basketball uses a totals over/under system in which the bookie sets an expected total amount of points accumulated by the combined final score of the game. The bettor's job is then to wager on whether or not the point total will go over the bookies prediction or under the bookies prediction. Tip: See where teams rank in terms of defense as this will factor on the overall total of the game.

Outside of 2010 World Cup betting, the big news in the sports world comes from the NCAA, where realignment is happening and teams are jumping conferences. So far, the biggest switch is Nebraska leaving the Big 12 for the Big Ten, but just because they're not playing with Texas and Oklahoma anymore, won't make life easier for the Cornhuskers.

The Cornhuskers still have to deal with Ohio State, the kings of the Big Ten in both football and basketball (the two major sports we'll be talking about), and the Buckeyes don't look like they're ready to hand over the crown. The potential is there at Michigan to be good in both programs, but it's do-or-die time for the football program, and coach Rich Rodriguez may be out if the Wolverines go through a losing season. Penn State and Wisconsin will be tough to deal with on the gridiron, along with last year's surprise, Northwestern, while they'll have to go through Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois and the Badgers again to make it on the basketball court.

Their best bet would be to hedge their bets on the football field, as Nebraska was 15-18 last year in hoops, and a miserable 2-14 in conference play. The football team is obviously what is carrying this move from the Big 12 to the Big Ten, but they're going to have to through Columbus, and coach Jim Tressel won't be ready to hand over the crown just yet. It's going to be a very intriguing year for sports betting players in the Big Ten.