While University of Georgia AD Damon Evans and his "just a friend" Courtney Fuhrmann are about to forfeit significant funds, sports bettors continue to acquire them.
World Cup soccer betting continues with the quarter-finals starting on Friday. We have two very different matchups to bet on: a clash between two Cinderella stories and a battle of top contenders. The fun part for bettors is that both matches are tough to call.
Note: in elimination rounds, any game that goes to extra time or a shootout qualifies as a "draw."
Netherlands vs Brazil – 10:00 a.m. ET
Vegas odds: Netherlands +330, Brazil -120, Draw +240
The Netherlands' +330 odds show that the Dutch still aren't getting a ton of respect in the soccer world. The Oranje haven't lost a game in two-plus years, went 8-0 in qualifying and have dominated in South Africa so far, winning all their matches.
Holland hasn't really played the role of "Flying Dutchmen" so far – instead using a 4-3-3-1 formation to totally suffocate opponents and maintain ball possession. The scary thing is that Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben haven't even caught fire yet on the attack.
Now – there is a legit reason why the Dutch are sportsbook underdogs in Friday's action. They're playing a little team called Brazil. In a way, the 2010 incarnation of Brazil is more dangerous than many other recent versions, as it's less dynamic offensively but more organized, better defensively and more of a true "team." Their counterattacking, led by superb ball-mover Kaka in the midfield, has given opponents huge headaches. When they want to, they still have great finishing ability with guys like Luis Fabiano and Robinho on board.
Uruguay vs Ghana – 2:30 pm. ET
Betting odds: Uruguay EVEN, Ghana +285, Draw +220
At every World Cup, a few magical surprise teams win our hearts. But it makes for a tough cheering and betting decision when two of those squads finally meet in a knockout match, Uruguay and Ghana will on Friday.
Uruguay has been "surprise" but it hasn't played anything like an underdog in this tournament. It's riding a three-game winning streak and opposing defenses haven't figured out how to stop the dynamic offensive duo of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, who potted two goals in Uruguay's win over Korea Republic.
Ghana was up and down in the group stage but seemed to take its game to the next level against Team USA. It will rely on its size, toughness and depth on Friday. Kevin-Prince Boateng finally busted out in the round of 16 and will pair with Asamoah Gyan – who has all the other goals for Ghana – on the attack.
