College Football Betting Odds

Louisiana Monroe @ Auburn - August 30th, 2008

By Jordan Walters
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said he would go right up until game time on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe before announcing his starting quarterback between Kodi Burns and Chris Todd.

The Tigers are 26-point betting favorites on WagerWeb.com.

Todd, a JuCo transfer, and Burns, a sophomore, both expect to play in the No. 10 Tigers’ opener, as confirmed by offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. Both say they have no idea when they'll find out who gets to take the first snap.

Tuberville said the down-to-the-wire competition is a good thing.

"It hasn't been that both have done bad or both have done great," he said. "It's just that both have been very consistent. The players rally around both of them. It's a great situation for us. Both will be hungry to play, and I want it that way.”

The quarterbacks admitted that not knowing the starter could be frustrating.

"It does get to you a little bit, but you can't worry about that," Burns said. "When your chance comes, you've got to be able to perform."

Said Todd: "I guess it's always in your head. But you're still out there competing and it's making us both better."



Todd said his sore shoulder still isn't 100 percent, but it hasn't limited him during the last month of preseason practice.

"It's getting closer and closer all the time," Todd said. "I think it's probably been about 90 percent now through camp, I'd say. It's continuing to get stronger. The more we throw, the more it keeps building itself back up. I'm happy with where it's at."

Meanwhile, at least eight true freshmen are likely to play Saturday for Auburn, according to the team’s depth chart, which had one surprise: Senior WR Robert Dunn, considered a starter only days ago, has been demoted to fourth-string inside receiver.

Tuberville said he's hoping more emphasis on a quick start will translate into early-season success, and that "You can't rest on experience. You can't rest on, `Hey, I've been here.' You better play and you better perform."

The Tigers lost two of their first three games in 2007. After reviewing things during the summer, Tuberville concluded Auburn allocated too much attention toward the SEC portion of its schedule.

"Last year we just had a poor start in execution and coaching and turnovers," he said. "This year is going to be different. We're going to play much better and we're going to play much more consistently because we've worked at it."

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