Andrew Luck should be this year’s sports betting odds favorite to win the Heisman trophy. Just ask the Stanford Cardinal. The school launched a full campaign to lobby for Luck as this year’s winner in what has been termed as an “absolute P.R. blitz” in favor of arguably the most popular player in the nation this season. The campaign included head coach David Shaw conducting a teleconference with the national media in which he was able to give reporters a rare look inside the Cardinal playbook and relay just how well Luck has been able to handle the challenges he has faced this season in regards to his learning and adjustments. While this isn’t the first time that a school has lobbied in favor of one of their player’s winning the award, the circumstances under which Stanford has began its campaign are blatantly obvious.

The favorite to win the Heisman and consensus first overall pick for next year’s NFL draft all year, Luck has lost some of his momentum in recent weeks and is now considered to be in a three-way battle for the honor. The conversation about this year’s Heisman now includes Baylor’s Robert Griffin III and Alabama’s Trent Richardson, both of whom the case can be made deserve the award just as much as Luck does. The pay head bookies that have studied Luck all year will not that he doesn’t even have the best quarterback stats in the country, nor does he play for the best team in the best conference. Just don’t tell that to the Cardinal staff, which are lobbying harder than they have all season for Luck to be awarded the Heisman trophy.

With no NBA and no end in sight to their labor strife, sports betting basketball fans have to be happy to finally have their college ball back, and with it the March Madness tournament that decides the national champion every year. The road to the Final Four can be a difficult one, even for the most talented teams in the country, but if early performances are any indication, here are four pay head favorites to reach the NCAA Final Four in 2012.

One team that has made all the headlines this offseason for their talent, depth, and experience is the North Carolina Tar Heels, which come in to the season ranked first in the preseason polls. With the presence of veterans such as Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes, and a strong freshman class, the Tar Heels should have no problem in the ACC before they launch their attack on the national title. When it comes to talented players, there won’t be anyone better than Jared Sullinger of the Ohio State Buckeyes, who opted not to go to the NBA even with the opportunity to be among the top picks. With William Buford providing the perfect outside compliment to his inside game, the Buckeyes should roll to the Final Four. Beyond the Tar Heels and Buckeyes, things get a little more complicated with Pittsburgh, Kentucky, and Kansas all expected to contend. The Wildcats won round one of their betonline heavyweight fight against the Jayhawks with an early-season clash, but it could be a different story in four months when it counts the most. The Panthers once again are a big team that gets a boost from the breakout of Travon Woodall, but once again these three teams have to be considered in a second tier behind the Tar Heels and Buckeyes.

If there was one sports betting team that has shown that they have the depth to compete for a Stanley Cup championship this season, it is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Even without captain Sidney Crosby and for the most part of the early year no Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins have started strong with eight wins through their first 11 games to take over first place in the Eastern conference. Malkin has drawn into the lineup in recent games although the team isn’t pushing him while Crosby is expected to be back soon, and when you consider the play of some of their depth performers there really is little doubt that Pittsburgh is once again a Stanley Cup contender out of the NHL Eastern conference.

While Crosby and Malkin are considered to be two of hockey’s biggest pay head offensive stars, the Penguins still rank 10^th in the NHL in goals per game without them as they have scored an average of 2.8 goals. Their powerplay and penalty kill percentages both rank in the top-10, while defensively they are third in goals against with an average of just 2.1 against. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been sporting an incredible 1.96 goals against average in a strong start, while James Neal and Kris Letang have provided a boost in scoring with nine goals and 11 assists respectively. There is still a long way to go before the playoffs even get underway, but with a ton of depth and their two superstars ready to make an impact in the lineup, the Penguins could be the team that lifts the Stanley Cup this season.

All season the sports betting horse racing spotlight has shifted from one horse to another, to another and then back again. With the Breeders’ Cup Classic now just a couple of weeks away, that spotlight has shifted back to Uncle Mo, the horse that many considered the favorite to win the 2011 Kentucky Derby. While the horse failed at Churchill Downs the first time around as a three-year old, some feel that trainer Todd Pletcher has it on track to come up with a much better effort at the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 5^th.

Uncle Mo spent nearly four intertops months recovering from a major injury, but impressed with a strong showing at the King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga in August, and has looked strong again with a couple of phenomenal training runs. After a seven furlong dash and mile test, Uncle Mo will be tested in the 1 ¼ miles run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, especially considering the impressive field around him. Some feel as though it would be best for the three-year old to rest over the next couple of weeks so that it isn’t too exhausted by the time that it returns, but that isn’t something that Pletcher has expressed any worry about. One of the best trainers in the world, Pletcher will also has Stay Thirsty entered in the biggest race of the fall season, and both that horse and Uncle Mo should have a good pay head shot at coming out with the desired results.