Florida’s Tebow earns a surge

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has made the biggest move in the odds race for this season’s Heisman Trophy, according to nsawins.com.

With the Gators off to a 4-0 start, Tebow is now listed at 7-2 to win the award after he accounted for four touchdowns in Florida’s 30-24 victory at Mississippi last week. Tebow’s ability to pass (261 yards against the Rebels) and run (166 yards) has made his stock climb.

But Tebow still trails Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, who has held on to his position as favorite at 3-1. McFadden rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown in the Razorbacks’ loss at Kentucky last week.

USC quarterback John David Booty and Michigan running back Mike Hart are next at 5-1, followed by Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan at 6-1 and West Virginia running back Steve Slaton at 7-1.

If you’re looking for two interesting wagers, Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson is at 15-1 and it’s also 15-1 that two players will share the award.

The Boise State bandwagon lost a few members after its 14-game winning streak ended at Washington early this season, but the Broncos still have juice with oddsmakers. Boise State (2-1) is a 10 1/2 -point home favorite against Southern Mississippi (2-1) tonight.

The Broncos are 5-2-1 in their last eight games against the spread when they have been home favorites of 10 1/2 points or greater, and the Golden Eagles are 0-6 against the spread in their last six games as road underdogs.

Here’s something of note for USC supporters to watch. Over the previous two seasons, the Trojans have started strong but then hit a midseason wall when it comes to beating the spread.

Thanks to inflated numbers -- as a result of their fast starts -- USC failed to cover from Week 4 to Week 9 (five consecutive games) last season, and in 2005 the Trojans came up short against the spread four weeks in a row after covering their first three games.

USC is a 20 1/2 -point favorite at Washington on Saturday.

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Baseball

The Angels may not know their first-round playoff opponent, but they will have a better opportunity of advancing if they face the New York Yankees instead of the Boston Red Sox.

According to AccuScore.com, whose simulation engine played every game 10,000 times, the Angels have a 55% chance of defeating the Yankees with home-field advantage and 44% chance of knocking off the Red Sox without home-field advantage.

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