College football can throw some mismatched teams together and a tight defense can be the deciding factor in a game. Whilst no one really wants to see a low scoring game looking at totals and picking the teams that leak the least can be a very profitable angle.

With that in mind we take a look at the teams that hit ‘under’ the posted total last season to give a betting edge in the upcoming 2011/2012 battles. Topping out our list are the MAC champions the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (3-11). Going ‘under’ the total eleven times takes a combination of factors. Namely an offense that is under performing and a defense that over performs. They ranked 81st and 98th for total yards gained and points scored respectively and QB Zac Dysert, who returns for the upcoming season, threw for 15 interceptions (25 career TD passes and 28 career interceptions).

Hot on the heels of the Redhawks is the Clemson Tigers with 10 of their 13 games hitting ‘under’. An offense that ranks 87th combined with a defense at 17 is a sure fire recipe for low scoring games. However the Tigers have lost their stuttering QB, Kyle Parker, who was picked up in the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies as the 26th overall pick. They had a very poor third down conversion at 37.2%, if they sort the QB position then they might not fail so much in the coming season, however keep an eye on them.

Another ACC Atlantic Division team, the Boston College Eagles, hit the same 10 of 13 ‘under’ mark. Just like their conference brothers over at Clemson, the Eagles had a huge difference between offensive stats and defensive stats. Way down in 109th place on offense and soaring high in 10th in defense with a poor third down percentage (getting the picture?) they were and still are a team to look for when college football betting on totals.

We round out our top ‘under’ teams with the Iowa State Cyclones. However here is a team that was statistically poor across the board, offense, defense and third downs. They were a spoiler team last season, making games tough and breaking up opposition rhythm. Their games often threatened to go ‘over’ but they ended the season 3-9. It will be interesting to see how they go in the new season, watch their odds closely.

So what have we learned? Well there is a fairly simple formula it seems for finding those teams which should be a good play on the low side of the total. First up a poor offense and strong defense is obviously pretty essential, so look for these traits first. Also you want to find a team with a QB who does not look comfortable and who creates turnovers and throws interceptions and of course keep an eye on that third down efficiency. If you think you have spotted a team that ticks these boxes then put some coin on them, they are highly likely to be profitable.

It’s a tough situation. Get invited to New York, get put up by the NFL, parade on national television after being chosen by one of the 32 NFL teams. Then what? There’s a lot of speculation whether the 15 or so top NFL prospects invited to the draft will even show up. It’s a tough decision and the NFL Player’s Association hasn’t made it clear whether it wants the incoming rookies to attend the draft.

Many union organizations, when striking or locked out, show unity and that’s what is expected from the incoming rookies. They need to show respect for the current and former players that played in the past. The argument for the players to show up is the glamor and honor of shaking hands with Commissioner Goodell and walking across the stage at Radio City Music Hall. Friends and family also get to attend the event, it’s a once in a life time opportunity.

Something is going to happen behind the scenes, whether the rookies decide to go or whether the NFLPA strongly encourages them to not attend the event. They shouldn’t attend, it’s a great sign of unity and above that, respect for those who came before. The next collective bargaining agreement is going to direct the game for at least another decade, the players need to show solidarity now or they’re going to get a bad deal. Disappointment can be had by the incoming rookies, but there’s a bright future when the player’s get a better CBA out of it.

Front seven defenders dominate the 2011 NFL Draft class. The quarterback class isn’t as strong as recent seasons. Doesn’t mean that your team cannot find their QB of the future. Blaine Gabbert is the best prospect. Heisman trophy winner Cam Newton is the most intriguing QB prospect. Reports leaked state that Newton will work out for the Carolina Panthers, the team that holds the number one pick.

Gabbert is the more ready starting QB. Newton has more success on the field. Teams became infatuated with Newton because of his physical skills, size, running ability and solid throwing arm. He’s only had full season with stellar starts. He can’t show it was a fluke because he came out before another year at Auburn. That’s fine, he’s going to get a lot of chances to prove he’s a top talent at the NFL level. It only takes one team to choose him in the first round and he has more upside than last draft’s rising darling, Tim Tebow.

Gabbert started at Missouri for two seasons. He had a higher completion percentage in 2010 than 2009, but threw for more yards in 2009. It’s a trade off, lower completion percentage means the team’s always going for the home run touchdown. The major thing Newton and Gabbert have to overcome is the spread offense system both played in college. NFL quarterbacks need to take snaps from under center. It’s becoming a throw first league, but there needs to be disguised by going under center. It’s why neither QB is going to start the season as the starter, both guys need to learn the NFL game before starting.

The roasting has begun. The NFL owners and NFL players association are going to do so much name calling towards, the damage will almost be unrepairable. The NFLPA decided to de-certify, allowing individual players to sue the NFL in anti-trust court. 10 players are listed on the document already, including Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. The battle moves from the negotiation table to the court room.

Jeff Pash, an NFL executive, began the war of words yesterday. He doubted the integrity of the player’s union and union head DeMaurice Smith. Pash is going to be the guy dishing out the owner’s disgust through the negotiation process. Jim Quinn called Pash a liar after Pash provided highlights to the owner’s latest offering to the players. It’s now in federal court, filed with Minneapolis judge David Doty. Doty has a long history of siding with the union, stating that the owner’s wouldn’t get their piece of the television contract money, $5 billion.

It’s uncharted territory as the owners decided to lockout the players at 11:59 p.m., the first league work stoppage since 1987. Analysts and experts now expect there to be no offseason activities and the start of training camp is in jeopardy with a date of late August or September when an agreement will be reached. For now, enjoy the draft talk, because after the last weekend in April, it’s all court legalese until a collective bargaining agreement is reached.

There’s a quality debate going on between NFL analysts, commentators and the fanbase. What type of player has a larger impact, a solid, three down defensive tackle or a monster defensive end that can get to the quarterback? Da’Quan Bowers is is the highest rated defensive end prospect. The Carolina Panthers might select Bowers number one overall. The results have worked in recent years, Mario Williams is one of the most feared defensive ends. On the interior, Nick Farley and Marcel Dareus are the top ranked tackeles availalbe. Fairley was the highly rated before the combine. Dareus’ performance at the combine allowed him to leap frog Fairley according to many analysts.

They’re different tackles, both can play three downs. Fairley does a better job of penetrating the backfield. Dareus is a space eater tackle. He still has the athleticism to play every down. He was even quicker than Fairley at the 10-yard split during the 40-yard dash at the combine. Dareus could go within the top three picks. The Panthers, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills hold the top three picks in that order. All teams could use Fairley or Dareus. It’s going to be interesting to see which team entertains offers for teams looking for their quarterback of the future.

The three teams aren’t in dire need of a quarterback. Jimmy Clausen’s only had parts of one season as the starter in Carolina. John Fox declared Kyle Orton as the starter for next season. The Broncos also have Tim Tebow in reserve. The Bills are the most expected to take a QB. They have veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, but have been linked to Cam Newton. It’s going to be interesting to see if teams trade during the 2011 Draft. There’s still no collective bargaining agreement and it’s unclear how trades would work. There would be no players involved, it would be pick-for-pick.

Fairley, Bowers and Dareus are all going to be top 10 picks. A solid defensive end can disrupt the passing game. A stout defensive tackle can have a bigger impact because penetration up the middle forces quarterbacks to move to the outside, for the ends to pick up the sack or forced throw. It’s why defensive tackles are more valuable than ends. Tackles force the play towards the end. Which one do you want your team to pick? It’s going to be a debate right up until the draft.

Intimidation and threats lead to a swifter outcome. The NFL and the NFL Player’s Association agreed to extend the collective bargaining agreement 24 hours, then they extended the deal to an addition 7 days. It means that a deal is closer and more work was done in a couple of days than an entire two years. It’s a solid sign that a deal will be reached and there’s no lockout, lawsuits or de-certification by the player’s union.

NFL commission Roger Goodell and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith each spoke to the media throng camped outside the negotiating office. Both sides want a deal and didn’t want to see a repeat of 1987. That’s when games were missed and scab players were used for a few games. A lockout meant that no games would’ve been played in the fall. Under the agreement, no player transactions will occur, meaning free agents cannot sign with teams and the players’ health insurance is still in place.

A judge recently ruled that all the money from the television contract, roughly $5 billion won’t all go towards the owners. The players union would receive a portion of the money. It was a minor blow towards the owners, but helped facilitate the continuation of negotiations. The threat of de-certification by the players union was a smart move. It can still happen if no deal is reached by next Friday at 5:30 p.m. It allows the players to sue the NFL owners, resulting in a ton of potential animosity between the players and owners. The news leaked that the union wanted to extend talks, so in a public relations move, the owners had to agree to the continuation of the current CBA. It’s far from a deal, but the progress is encouraging and it looks like no work stoppage.