The first week of the year is a very special time on the sports betting calendar. Business is brisk on the football odds for the BCS Championship Game and the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. College hoops enters the second semester with an opening salvo of key conference matchups. And there's no shortage of NBA and NHL games on the menu.

Let's get 2010 off to a profitable start with a look at the top five betting games of the week. All times are Eastern, with the freshest lines available at Bodog Sports.

1. NCAAF: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.)

This is the big one. Our college football odds at press time had the Crimson Tide favored by 4.5 points (-105) in Pasadena, where the weather looks great for Thursday night's title game. The Tide (13-0 SU, 8-5 ATS) roll into this contest with a healthy roster and a 5-1 ATS record in their last six games against Big 12 opponents. The Longhorns (13-0 SU, 5-7-1 ATS) might have an ace up their sleeve: safety Christian Scott, a strong run defender who has rejoined the team after being ruled academically ineligible in August. Texas is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 bowl games.

2. NFL: Philadelphia at Dallas (Saturday, 8:00 p.m.)

This NFC Wild Card game was made possible when the Cowboys (-3) blanked the Eagles 24-0 in the season finale at Cowboys Stadium. That left the two NFC East rivals tied at 11-5 SU and 9-7 ATS; Dallas gets the division title with two wins over Philadelphia, covering both times. The Cowboys look pretty healthy going into the postseason, although DB Terence Newman took a hit to his left knee on Sunday and left the game. The Eagles have a handful of injuries, most recently to center Jamaal Jackson (torn ACL).

3. NBA: Boston at Atlanta (Friday, 8:00 p.m.)

The Eastern Conference has four of the best teams in the NBA and not much else. We'll see two of them in action when the Celtics (24-8 SU, 14-18 ATS) visit the Hawks (21-11 SU, 22-10 ATS) in a rematch of their classic seven-game playoff series in 2008, where Atlanta swept all three of its home games as a sizeable underdog. The Hawks (+9) struck first blood this year with a 97-86 victory at the Garden in November. This was during one of Boston's frequent ATS slumps; the overvalued Celtics are 3-6 ATS in their last nine. Three of their starters (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo) are considered day-to-day with various injuries. Atlanta is at full strength.

4. NCAAB: No. 10 Connecticut at No. 13 Georgetown (Saturday, 12:00 p.m.)

The Huskies (10-3 SU, 4-7 ATS) may be higher in the polls than the Hoyas (11-1 SU, 5-3 ATS) at press time, but that might not last beyond Monday's new rankings. UConn lost its Big East opener 71-69 at Cincinnati (-2.5) before coming back to Storrs and drilling Notre Dame (+7) by 12 points. But at least the Huskies have covered three in a row after a slow start. Georgetown is one of four Big East teams at 2-0 SU after picking off St. John's (+10) and DePaul (+9), although the Red Storm were able to cash in. The UNDER is 4-1 in the last five games for the defensively minded Hoyas.

5. NHL: Boston at N.Y. Rangers (Monday, 7:00 p.m.)

Things look a lot better for both these Original Six clubs after the holidays. The Bruins (21-12-7, 2.74 units) have won four of their last five games, while the Rangers (19-17-5, 5.91 units) have stopped the bleeding at 6-1-2 in their last nine. Boston is coming off a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over the Flyers (+125) at the Winter Classic. New York has one fewer day of rest after losing at home by the same score to the Hurricanes (+145). The Rangers will be without first-line forward Vaclav Prospal (eight goals, 24 assists in 38 games) for the next 10 days or so after he had his knee scoped last week.

Honorable Mentions

NCAAF: No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m.)
NFL: Baltimore at New England (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
NBA: L.A. Lakers at L.A. Clippers (Wednesday, 10:30 p.m.)
NCAAB: No. 7 Duke at No. 20 Georgia Tech (Saturday, 7:00 p.m.)
NHL: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.)


This information is provided in partnership with BoDog Sportsbook

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