At least during Super Bowl, football overshadows futbol in Mexico

Football Betting Lines

02/03/2007 -

MEXICO CITY (AP) -Even in a country dedicated to futbol, all eyes will be on football for ``Super Domingo.''

Nearly 20 million Mexicans will watch the matchup between the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at home, restaurants, bars and movie theaters.

In fact, soccer has stepped aside for the Super Bowl.

For the first time, no ``futbol'' match is scheduled at the same time as the big game. America, one of Mexico's most popular teams, will play two hours earlier Sunday to avoid a conflict.

Some people in the United States might be surprised by all the attention the Super Bowl gets in Mexico. Others know better.

``The passion for the game is great in Mexico. I don't see a difference in the fans,'' Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez said during a recent visit to the country, where his grandfather was born.

``The game has grown a lot in Mexico, and I'm very happy for it,'' he said.

Francisco Mendez knows it firsthand. He manages the Beer Factory Cuicuilco bar, which has broadcast Monday Night Football since 2004. This weekend, it'll be wild inside his place.

``It's crazy. We always have a packed house for that Sunday,'' Mendez said. ``I'll tell you this, only when Mexico plays in the World Cup do we see this type of atmosphere.''

The Super Bowl is so popular that it will also be shown at 13 movie theaters in Mexico City. The Cinemex movie chain also broadcast Monday night games throughout the regular season.

``All the Monday night games this season drew nearly 14,000 fans. In the movie theater, you see more families than in a bar. The dynamic is different, but very successful,'' said Joaquin Del Rivero, director of NFL Mexico.

There's a passion for seeing the game in person, too.

The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers set an NFL record in 2005 when they drew 103,467 fans for a regular-season game at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

According to the league office based in Mexico City, one out of five Mexicans has knowledge of the game. The favorite teams are the Cowboys, Steelers, 49ers, Raiders and Dolphins.

``Mexican television began broadcasting nearly 40 years ago. That's when Pittsburgh and Dallas had their greatest years, and that's why they're now the most popular teams. It's a tradition that has gone from generation to generation,'' Del Rivero said.

And while none of the most popular teams will be playing Sunday, the two teams still have followers in Mexico.

``I'm a Bears fan, always have been, and always will,'' said Enrique Marin, who was 4 years old the last time Chicago played for the NFL crown. ``I barely remember the last time they played in the Super Bowl. My memories are more bad than good, so you can imagine how excited I am.''

Marin is not alone.

``A lot of people remember the great Chicago team from the 80s. Also, (Chicago) is a city where many Mexicans have relatives living, so they feel a connection. If you add that to the fact that they have a Latin player in Roberto Garza, they're probably the team that people will be rooting for next Sunday,'' Del Rivero said.

Just as in the United States, the media frenzy begins weeks before kickoff.

Both major networks, Televisa and TV Azteca, will broadcast the game live and transmit daily setup pieces from Miami. All major newspapers, radio stations and Web sites have had journalists in Miami since Monday. NFL Mexico reported that 40 Mexican media companies received press credentials.

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

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