(Tom Scott's column will return Monday.)

Tuesday, July 21, 2009.

Colin Cowherd talked about this on ESPN Radio--the Las Vegas over-under lines for college football victories this season. Las Vegas Sports Consultants released its 2009 win totals yesterday, and only four teams are given double-digit numbers for bettors, who decide whether schools will exceed or fall short of that total. Florida is given an 11, and Boise State and Texas a 10.5. So they're saying the Broncos will be 11-2 or 10-3, trying to tempt you to go with the "over." If you're sure BSU will beat Oregon and/or Tulsa and/or Nevada, go for it. If you're a gambling person, that is (which I'm not). The other team in double-digits according to LVSC is Southern Cal at 10.

There are only two other WAC schools with over-under predictions among the 75 teams on the list, Nevada at 7.5 and Hawaii at 5.5. Fresno State is conspicuously absent. As is, I guess, Louisiana Tech (considering how many prognosticators are in its corner this year). Maybe those two are just too unpredictable. Here's the interesting one: Oregon's over-under win total according to this Vegas group is only 7.5.

San Jose State has a unique fundraising program going. It's called "pay us to play." A month after dropping a game against Stanford to pick up a $1 million check at Alabama next season, the Spartans have done the same thing to Arizona State. SJSU will have to pay a $250,000 buyout on its 2010 game at ASU, but it'll get $900,000 for going to Wisconsin instead. That's a net gain of about $200,000. These moves are being made for one reason: to save football at San Jose State.

Now comes the game the Boise Burn have waited for: the season finale against a team they've never beaten. Perennial af2 power Spokane comes to town having handed the Burn two of their three losses this season. All-time, the Shock lead the series 7-0. Sacks will be a sidebar Saturday night. On the one hand, former BSU star Alex Guerrero now holds the franchise record with 10½ sacks this season. One the other hand, the Burn offense is coming off a night at South Georgia that saw three sacks allowed. The Burn had yielded just four sacks in the previous 14 games combined. Spokane is tied for the lead in af2 in sacks this season with 38 while allowing only seven.

There is a sense of urgency, but not desperation as Idaho Stampede managing investor Bill Ilett searches for a replacement for departed coach Bryan Gates. Ilett said yesterday on Idaho SportsTalk he has about 60 resumes, of which 25 or so are worth reviewing. That's a lot of interest for a D-League job, but Ilett points to the Stampede's status as now the third-oldest franchise in minor league basketball in North America, and--most importantly--the fact that the past four Stampede coaches have gone on to NBA benches. Ilett didn't tip his hand on the possibility of Randy Livingston, the Stampede assistant last season who had been mentioned as a candidate with the Dakota Wizards and the expansion Maine Red Claws. Former Stampede coach Rory White got the job at Dakota yesterday.

Salem-Keizer has long had the Boise Hawks' number. And why should this year be any different? The Volcanoes came to Boise in their accustomed spot in the Northwest League West Division, in first place with a 20-7 record. And the Hawks are in recovery from one of their slowest starts ever. But the Hawks have taken two of the first three in a five-game series with Salem-Keizer after a 4-3 victory last night. Reliever Dionis Nunez gets a lot of the credit for the Hawks' sixth win in their last seven games. The 20-year-old Dominican came on with the Volcanoes threatening in the bottom of the seventh and closed it out, retiring all seven batters he faced.

This is a big day for Sergio Mitre, who was a starter on the 2001 Boise Hawks pitching staff that included Dontrelle Willis. Mitre takes over Chien-Ming Wang's next two turns in the Yankees' starting rotation, tentatively against Baltimore and Oakland at home this week. He'll get the ball against the Orioles tonight. Mitre, who was suspended for 50 games at the beginning of the season after testing positive for a banned substance last August, has been impressive in Triple-A, going 3-1 with a 2.40 ERA. This will be his first appearance in the majors since 2007 when he was a Florida Marlin. Mitre sat out last season, undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right forearm.

Former Boise State golfer Graham DeLaet, the pride of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, who now lists his residence as Boise, is tearing it up in his homeland. DeLaet won the Canadian Tour Players Cup Sunday, shooting a two-under-69 to take his second tournament victory of the season. He won $32,000 and climbed to the top of the Canadian money list, called the "Order of Merit." DeLaet thus secures a spot in this week's RBC Canadian Open on the PGA Tour.

This Day In Sports...July 21, 1968:

Perhaps the most popular boxer in Idaho history is born. His name is Kenny Keene, and he would parlay a great run through the Golden Gloves ranks into what you might call a "controlled" pro career. It started modestly with raucous bouts at Caldwell's O'Connor Fieldhouse and evolved into some national television appearances and the IBF cruiserweight championship. But he was always true to his Idaho roots. Keene first retired in 2000--and hung 'em up for good in 2006. Kenny is 41 years old today.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB's Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 1350 KTIK/The Ticket. He also handles color commentary on KTVB's telecasts of Boise State football.)

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