Air Force Falcons Betting - 2011 Air Force Falcons College Football Preview
2010 was, as a whole, a year of mid-level achievements and mixed results for Troy Calhoun’s Air Force Falcons. The Cadets finished the year with an Independence Bowl win over Georgia Tech, and lost three games to credentialed opponents - Oklahoma, San Diego State, and Utah – by a combined 10 points. This team put up a good fight, but two losses to entirely beatable teams within the Mountain West Conference cast something of a pall over the rest of the regular season.
However, when viewed in a more specific context, albeit one that sports betting experts would not have focused on, Air Force had a brilliant season last fall. The centerpiece of the Academy’s coveted breakthrough came in the realm of competition against its military brethren. The Falcons won the Commander-In-Chief Trophy for the first time since 2002, a real feather in the cap for anyone and everyone around the program. A home-field win over Navy wrested control of the prestigious prize from the Midshipmen, making the offseason a special one in Colorado Springs, albeit for reasons completely removed from Mountain West Conference play.
Quarterback Tim Jefferson returns to lead an Air Force option attack which ranked second nationally in rushing last season. Jefferson, along with all-conference tailback Asher Clark, will fill a void left by fullback Jared Tew. Clark rushed for over 1,000 yards last season, a statistic that MLB baseball betting number crunchers following the Colorado Rockies would be able to appreciate. Air Force returns six offensive starters, including three offensive linemen, led by all-conference guard A.J. Wallerstein. The pieces are very much in place for Air Force’s offense to continue to flummox opposing defenses. The Falcons will need to present the kind of passing game that can keep other secondaries off balance with a little more regularity. Jefferson can lose form as soon as he gains it; he’ll need to maintain top form if Air Force is to challenge for the Mountain West title.
The defense returns seven players from a defense that was in the top 30 in scoring defense last year. Gone is defensive back Reggie Rembert, who roamed the Falcon secondary for what seemed like ages. Surprisingly, the defense took a small step back in 2010 as the Falcons broke in some new players. With more than half of the defensive starters returning in 2011, experience shouldn’t be a factor on that side of the ball.
Air Force has a home contest with perennial national power TCU scheduled for the second week of the season. Beginning in October, the Falcons travel to Navy, Notre Dame, and Boise State in matter of four weeks. Sandwiched in between those tough tilts is a home matchup with the San Diego State team that rose to prominence a year ago. With a favorable final half of the schedule, we won’t learn about this team’s merits in November. We will know just how capable Air Force is in 2011 by the middle of October. How this team handles early challenges, and more specifically, how it is able to find change-of-pace passing plays to keep defenses honest, will tell the tale for the Falcons on the gridiron this autumn. In the end, no honest sports bet can realistically expect Air Force to win the conference this season.
