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The PGA Tour’s fourth addition of the Fedex Cup will get underway this week at The Barclays tournament in New Jersey. For the opening leg of the cup, the top 125 players in Fedex points are eligible. The top 100 players will advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston in the following week.

In two weeks, the top 70 golfers will move to the BMW Championship in Illinois. On the final weekend of September, the top 30 players will vie for the Tour Championship in Atlanta to wrap up the Fedex Cup slate. While Tiger Woods has won two of the three prior Fedex Cups, he is currently outside the top 100 heading into The Barclays. He is 112th in points entering this week. Still, he is one of the favorites in the event at odds of +1215. The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey is hosting the tournament for just the second time. Vijay Singh won at Ridgewood in 2008. Phil Mickelson is also in the mix at +1215. He is fourth in the Fedex standings heading into The Barclays. Youngster Rory McILroy (+1215) is 21st in Fedex points this year.

Clijsters moves into favorite role for US Open

With Serena Williams on the shelf for this year’s US Open, Kim Clijsters (+350) is now the favorite to capture the women’s singles title in the final major of the 2010 tennis calendar. Clijsters will be seeking to defend her US Open title when the tournament gets underway next week in Flushing, New York. The 4th-ranked player in the world also won the US Open in 2005.

Maria Sharapova is the next choice at +500. She is 12th in the world rankings. Sharapova won her only US Open crown back in 2006. On the men’s side, there is also a top player that will not be able to compete this year due to injury. Defending champion Juan Martin del Potro is out of the event due to a wrist injury. Five-time US Open champion Roger Federer is the favorite at +220. Rafael Nadal is the next choice at +270.

Johnson favored to win fifth straight Sprint Cup title

With only two races to go before the start of the Sprint Cup chase on the NASCAR circuit, Jimmie Johnson is a +375 choice to win his fifth consecutive title. The top 12 drivers in points are eligible to compete for the cup. Johnson is in 9th place in the Sprint Cup standings. Kyle Busch (3rd in standings) is the next choice at +450.

The kickoff of the 2010 college football season is less than four weeks away. Here’s a look at some of the matchups involving squads that are ranked in the top 25 to begin the year:

9/2: Marshall at #2 Ohio State (-29)

The Thundering Herd were able to handle Ohio University in a bowl game to finish off a 7-6 campaign in 2009. Now, Marshall will have to deal with a much tougher squad from the Buckeye State. The Thundering Herd’s offense will have to overcome the loss of running back Darius Marshall. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his last two collegiate seasons. Ohio State could be looking ahead to a showdown with the Miami Hurricanes on September 11th.

9/4: Miami-Ohio at #3 Florida (-34.5)

The Redhawks were one of college football’s worst teams in 2009 after posting just a single win. Florida fans will get to watch junior quarterback John Brantley make his first start for the Gators. Florida has won each of its last three season openers (Western Kentucky, Hawaii and Charleston Southern) by more than 45 points.

9/4: #4 Texas (-28.5) at Rice

With this game being played at Reliant Stadium, Texas fans are likely to dominate the crowd at the NFL site. The Longhorns are 39-1 against the Owls since 1966. In four meetings since 2005, Texas has won on each occasion by more than 40 points. Sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert will make his first start for the Longhorns. The Owls went 2-10 last year with one of the worst defenses in the nation.

9/6: #5 Boise State (-2.5) vs. #6 Virginia Tech (@ Landover, MD)

The most highly anticipated battle in the opening week of the season. The Broncos have gone undefeated in each of the last two regular seasons. Boise State junior quarterback Kellen Moore (39 TDs, 3 INTs in 2009) will face one of the biggest tests of his collegiate career against a dangerous Hokies defense. The Virginia Tech offense will counter with dynamic sophomore running back Ryan Williams. He was fifth in the nation in rushing as a freshman with 1,655 yards.

9/4: #22 Oregon State at #7 TCU (-13.5)

In a top 25 matchup, the Beavers and Horned Frogs will square off at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Oregon State must replace quarterback Sean Canfield this season. In five of the last seven years, TCU has won 11 or more games.

While Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were unable to mount a challenge in golf’s final Grand Slam event of the year, there was still plenty of drama at the 2010 PGA Championship. In the end, Germany’s Martin Kaymer defeated American Bubba Watson in a 3-hole playoff at the Whistling Straits Course in Wisconsin.

It appeared that there were going to be three players in the playoff. Dustin Johnson walked off the 18th green on Sunday with an apparent score of 11-under par to match Kaymer and Watson. However, Johnson was hit with a controversial two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker on his approach shot at the final hole.

Entering the week, Mickelson was the favorite to claim his second PGA title. He was never able to mount a serious charge and finished in 12th place. After a horrible effort at the World Golf Championship tournament in the prior week, Woods wasn’t a favorite in a major for the first time in recent memory. He rebounded a little bit but was still well back of the leaders in 28th place.

While many casual golf fans weren’t familiar with Kaymer prior to his PGA win, he was ranked 13th in the world heading into the tourney. Watson and Johnson are also emerging young players on the PGA Tour. Each golfer was able to secure one of the eight automatic spots for the United States Ryder Cup team this week.

Most big names skipping this week’s PGA stop

With the first of four Fedex Cup tournaments set to get underway next week, most of golf’s top performers will take this week off. The PGA Tour is heading to Greensboro, North Carolina this week for the Wyndham Championship. A couple of recent winners at the event are viewed as the top contenders this week. Carl Pettersson is a +1850 choice to win in Greensboro. He won the Wyndham title two years ago. Defending champion Ryan Moore (+2250) is the next option in the field.

Mickelson favored to win Fedex Cup

After the Wyndham Championship, the top 125 players in Fedex Cup points will qualify for next week’s opening Fedex Cup tournament. Mickelson is a +500 favorite to capture the Fedex title. He is fourth in the point standings heading into this week. Woods (+1500) is just 108th in the standings. There is an outside chance that he could be outside the top 125 after this week. The Barclays tournament in New Jersey will be the first event of the Fedex Cup.  

West Virginia Mountaineers (Ov/Un: 8.5)

Head coach Bill Stewart has posted a 17-7 regular season mark in his two years with the Mountaineers. Senior running back Noel Devine has rushed for over 2,700 yards for West Virginia in the last two years to lead the offense. The club will get an early test in September with a trip to LSU. In conference play, West Virginia’s toughest road games will be at Connecticut and Pittsburgh. The team will host Cincinnati and Rutgers in 2010.

Pittsburgh Panthers (Ov/Un:

The Panthers have gone 9-3 in the regular season in each of the last two years. While the club will have to go with an inexperienced quarterback in 2010, Pittsburgh will have one of the top runners in the nation in its backfield. Sophomore running back Dion Lewis gained 1,799 yards on the ground as a freshman. Pitt will face some tough battles outside of the Big East. The Panthers will meet Utah, Miami-Florida and Notre Dame in non-conference action. Its final four games of the year will be difficult as well. The Panthers will face Connecticut, South Florida, West Virginia and Cincinnati to conclude its regular season. In the stretch, only the West Virginia game will be at home.

Cincinnati Bearcats (Ov/Un:

In his final two years at Cincinnati, head coach Brian Kelly posted a 23-2 record in the regular season. New head coach Butch Jones will try to keep things on track for the Bearcats. Junior quarterback Zach Collaros showed plenty of ability in 2009 filling in for injured starter Tony Pike. A late September home game against Oklahoma could set the tone of the season for Cincinnati. The Bearcats toughest road games in the Big East will be against West Virginia and Connecticut. At home, Cincy will face Rutgers and Pittsburgh.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Ov/Un: 7.5)

After his success at Cincinnati, Kelly will try to turn around the fortunes at Notre Dame. Previous head coach Charlie Weis managed to win only 15 regular season games in his final three years with the program. The losses of quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wideout Golden Tate will likely be felt by Kelly in his debut year with the Irish. The schedule appears to be reasonable for the club in 2010. With the exception of the regular season finale at USC, the road slate isn’t too challenging. At home, Notre Dame’s most difficult game will likely be against Pittsburgh.

While Tiger Woods is still the number one ranked player in the world, his closest challenger is the favorite at golf’s final major of the year. Phil Mickelson, the world’s 2nd-ranked player, is a +950 choice to win this week’s PGA Championship at the Whistling Straits Course in Wisconsin. Mickelson’s only prior title in the event was five years ago. He is third on the PGA Tour money list heading into this week but hasn’t recorded a win since a victory at the Masters in April. In the previous PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2004, Mickelson finished sixth.

McILroy heads next group of contenders

Youngster Rory McILroy is just behind Mickelson at +1000. The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland is the 8th-ranked player in the world. He finished third in last year’s PGA Championship. After missing the cut at the first two majors of 2010, McILroy recorded a third-place effort at the British Open.

Woods (+1500) is the next option in the field. The four-time PGA Championship winner is looking to rebound from a humbling performance at last week’s World Golf Championship event in Ohio. At a tournament that he had won on seven prior occasions, Woods posted the worst score of his pro career at 18-over par. In the 2009 PGA Championship, Woods failed to protect a lead after three rounds for the first time in a major after being overtaken by Y.E. Yang. In the 2004 PGA, he came in 24th-place. 2008 PGA Championship winner Padraig Harrington is just behind Woods at +1600. Harrington was won 3 of the last 13 majors but has struggled in Grand Slam events in 2010. He failed to make the cut at the Masters and British Open while posting a 22nd-place finish at the US Open. Harrington is ranked 16th in the world heading into the PGA. He finished in 45th-place at the 2004 PGA.

Nadal favored to win US Open

The final Grand Slam tennis tourney of 2010 will get underway at the end of August in Flushing, New York. On the men’s side, Rafael Nadal is a +250 favorite to win his first US Open. Five-time champion Roger Federer is just behind Nadal at +275. Federer was upset in last year’s final by Juan Martin del Potro in a bid for six straight US Open crowns. On the women’s side, Serena Williams is a +200 favorite. She has captured three US Open championships in her career. Kim Clijsters (+400) is the next choice. She is the defending champion and also won the event in 2005.

While golf’s three most important majors are already in the books for 2010, there are several upcoming tournaments and events that are quite significant. The stretch will begin with this week’s World Golf Championship event in Akron, Ohio. In an elite field, Tiger Woods is the overwhelming favorite to win his first tournament of the season at odds of +400. He won his 7th WGC title at Akron in last year’s tourney at the Firestone Country Club. Woods is just 79th on the PGA Tour’s money list in 2010 in seven tournaments.Since becoming a full-time professional in 1997, Woods has led the tour in prize money on nine different occasions and has never finished lower than fourth in earnings. He recorded his only top 10 efforts of the season at the Masters and US Open.

Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood are the next options on the wagering board at +1200. Mickelson’s lone victory in this event was back in 1996. While he is second on the money list, Mickelson’s only win in 14 tries this year was at Augusta in the Masters. The WGC will be a prelude to the final major of the year next week. The PGA Championship will be contested at the Whistling Straits golf course in Wisconsin. Woods is a +505 favorite to win his fifth PGA. In the last three PGA Championships that he has played in, Woods has finished either first or second. Mickelson is the next choice in the PGA at +1015.

Fed Ex and Ryder Cups around the corner

Shortly after the PGA Championship is concluded, a couple of other significant events will take place to wrap up the main portion of the 2010 golf season. In late August, the first of four tournaments that comprise the Fed Ex Cup will get underway.

The stretch of Fed Ex tournaments will conclude with the Tour Championship in Atlanta in late September. Mickelson is a +350 favorite to win this year’s Fed Ex Cup. Woods is just behind at +450. However, he will need to be among the top 30 in points to qualify for the Tour Championship. If he doesn’t step up in the proceeding five tournaments, there is a possibility that Woods could be out of the top 30 due to his limited schedule early in the year.

Since the Fed Ex Cup format was introduced in 2007, Woods has won the title twice. After the Tour Championship, the Ryder Cup will get underway in the first week of October at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. While the United States won the event two years ago in Louisville, the Europeans are 5-2 in Ryder Cups since 1995. Europe is a -165 favorite to take the cup back from the US this year.     

In not much of a surprise, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is a +150 favorite to capture the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award heading into the final two months of the regular season. Pujols will be seeking his third straight MVP award. He also won the honor in 2005. While his .296 batting mark is well below a .331 career average, Pujols is still putting up some big power numbers in 2010. He is tied for fourth in the NL with 23 home runs while ranking in a tie for second with 70 runs batted in.

Another first baseman in the NL Central is making a strong push to unseat Pujols as the MVP. Joey Votto (+250) of the Cincinnati Reds has posted some similar numbers to Pujols this season. He tops the NL with 25 homers and is fifth in RBIs at 68. With a .318 batting average that is third in the league, Votto has a shot to pursue a Triple Crown in the weeks to come.

San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is the next option at odds of +600. As the lone power threat in the San Diego lineup, Gonzalez has led his club to the best record in the NL through July 27th. He has smacked 21 homers for the Padres this season while driving in 64 runs.

Cabrera, Hamilton are co-favorites in AL

In the American League, two players have separated themselves from the pack in the MVP race. First baseman Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers and outfielder Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers are the co-favorites in the AL at odds of +100. Like Votto, Cabrera is in the running for a Triple Crown. Cabrera leads the majors with 88 RBIs. He is second in the league in homers (24) and batting average (.349).Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox was the last hitter to win the Triple Crown back in 1967. Hamilton’s .358 batting average is the best in baseball. He has slugged 23 homers and driven home 74 runs for a Texas squad that has opened up a commanding 8.5-game lead in the AL West. Hamilton is hitting .434 since the month of June.

Second baseman Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees is the third choice at +1200. He is batting .329 for New York with 18 homers and 68 runs batted in.

While many of golf’s legendary players have been able to capture British Open titles at St. Andrews, it was a relative unknown from South Africa that stepped up to dominate the field in this year’s championship. Louis Oosthuizen cruised to a seven-stroke victory at the Old Course in golf’s third major of the year.

The 27-year-old was a 200/1 longshot to win the British Open when the tourney got underway. While he has been a respectable player on the European Tour, his prior efforts in golf’s grand slam events didn’t yield much hope heading into the 2010 British Open. Oosthuizen had made the cut on just one occasion (2008 PGA Championship) in eight previous majors. After taking a five-stroke lead into Saturday’s third round, he was never seriously challenged during the course of the weekend.

Tiger Woods, who was trying to win his third straight British Open at St. Andrews, was unable to build any momentum after an opening round of 67. The pre-tourney favorite at odds of +540 went two-over par in the final three rounds to finish in a tie for 23rd place. Phil Mickelson’s struggles at the British Open continued. He finished in a tie for 48th place. Mickelson has recorded only one top 10 finish in his career at the British Open. Lee Westwood, who was viewed as one of the top 3 contenders entering the week at odds of 14/1, finished in second place behind Oosthuizen. Westwood also came in second to Mickelson at this year’s Masters.

Woods favored at PGA Championship

Golf’s final major of the year will be contested next month. The 2010 PGA Championship will be held at the Whistling Straits Course in Kohler, Wisconsin beginning on August 12th. Vijay Singh won the previous PGA Championship at the course in 2004. Woods is the early favorite for the PGA at odds of +450. He has won four previous PGA titles.

In last year’s PGA Championship, Woods was unable to protect a lead after 54 holes for the first time in a major as Y.E. Yang rallied for his first win in a grand slam event. Mickelson is the next choice behind Woods at +815. He won his only PGA title in 2005. Westwood is the third option at +1215. He has now finished in the top 3 in four of the last five majors. Westwood recorded a third place effort in the 2009 PGA Championship.  

While Tiger Woods has yet to win on the PGA Tour in 2010, he is still a strong favorite for this week’s British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews. Woods is a +540 choice to win his third British Open in as many tries at St. Andrews. He won at the Old Course in 2000 and 2005.

Woods has come up empty in the last eight grand slam events since capturing the 2008 US Open. This is the longest majors drought for Woods since going ten straight grand slam tourneys without a victory from 2002-04. Since missing the cut in last year’s British Open, he has finished in the top four in each of the last three majors. Woods is just 77th on the PGA Tour’s money list in 2010 in six events.

McIlroy heads next group of contenders

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is the next choice at +1100. The 21-year-old is looking for his first win in a major. He broke through to win his first PGA tourney event at the Quail Hollow Championship earlier this year. Mcllroy has failed to finish in the top 40 in his prior two appearances in the British Open in 2007 and 2009. His best finish in a grand slam event was a third-place effort at last year’s PGA Championship.

Lee Westwood (+1400) is the next choice at St. Andrews. The 37-year-old Englishman is arguably the best active player to have never won a major. He has finished in the top 3 in four of the last nine majors. Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Justin Rose are also in the mix at odds of +1600. While Mickelson has finished in the top 10 in a total of 31 majors, he has only been a factor at the British Open just once in his career. With the exception of a third-place finish in 2004, he has failed to crack the top 10 in the tournament. Els, who won the British Open in 2002, has had a resurgent year in 2010. He leads the PGA money list with nearly $4 million in winnings heading into this week’s event. Els recorded eight top 10 finishes at the British Open in the last decade. Rose is the hottest player on tour heading into this week. He has won two PGA Tour events since June.

With NFL training camps set to get underway in about three weeks, the defending AFC champion Indianapolis Colts are the favorite to win Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.

The Colts are at odds of +525 to win the 2010 NFL title. Indy’s 2010 club is basically the same one that rolled to a 14-0 start in the 2009 campaign. The team that knocked off the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV is the next choice. Like Indianapolis, the New Orleans Saints (+760) haven’t made too many personnel changes in the offseason.

Three other NFC teams are just behind New Orleans at odds of +875. The Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings are looking to build on playoff appearances in 2009. Minnesota’s odds could take a hit if Brett Favre retires but it appears that he will be coming back for his second season with the Vikings. The New England Patriots (+900) and San Diego Chargers (+1000) round out the field of top Super Bowl contenders. Former Chargers standouts LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromartie are now on the east coast with the New York Jets.

Brees Favored to win 2010 NFL MVP honors

Saints quarterback Drew Brees is a +500 favorite to unseat Colts signal-caller Peyton Manning as the winner of the AP’s 2010 NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. While the award is based on the results of action in the 2010 regular season, Brees will certainly have some extra juice among voters after taking down Manning and the Colts in the Super Bowl. Manning (+600) has won MVP honors in each of the last two seasons and has captured four trophies over the last seven years.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (+800) is the next option. He was the league’s MVP in 2007. Off of a 2,000-yard rushing campaign last season, Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson is in the mix at odds of +1000. Over the last 23 years, only quarterbacks and running backs have captured MVP honors.

New York Giants Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor was the last defender to win the MVP back in 1986. New York Jets All-Pro cornerback Darelle Revis is the top defensive option at odds of +2500. Since the award began in 1957, a wide receiver has never walked away with an MVP trophy. Arizona Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald (+2800) is the top choice at the receiver spot.