Top three stay the same in FIFA Women's Rankings

Soccer Betting Lines

12/22/2006 - Zurich, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany finishes the year as the world's top women's team for the fourth year in a row in the FIFA World Rankings which came out Friday.

The USA and Norway hold the second and third place spots, the same as the last list of rankings that came out in September.

Sweden and North Korea both moved into the top five while Brazil and France fell to six and seven.

Denmark, China and Japan round out the top ten while Canada dropped out of the top 10 into 11th.

Germany holds the top spot after suffering only one defeat in 13 matches played all year - a friendly match against China. The European squad also beat the USA in the final of the Algarve Cup on penalties.

The USA also had a good year except for the loss to Germany, winning 22 matches while winning the Gold Cup and the Peace Queen Cup.

In general, women's football has celebrated a highly successful year, highlighted by the record-breaking number of matches played (currently at 448, previous record was 367 in 2003) and number of teams ranked (140).

The rankings are calculated on the basis of a number of factors, including match results, home advantage, significance of a match and strength of the opposition. The ranking is published four times per year.

The next FIFA Women's World Ranking will be published in March of 2007.

Wwwohmygoodness Soccer Betting News

<< Bucks need some road work
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks can just forget about their five-game home winning streak because it's on the road where this team struggles. Milwaukee, which resides in last place in the Central Division, has lost four straight o

<< Patriots sign P Sauerbrun
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots signed former Pro Bowl punter Todd Sauerbrun on Friday. Sauerbrun, who was released by the Denver Broncos in October after serving a four-game suspension for testing positive for t

<< Playoffs Or Bust
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The final two weeks of the regular season are upon us, and now is the time to bet against teams that already have locked up playoff bids. Indianapolis and Seattle combined for a 1-5 ATS mark in the last th

<< Palermo hopes to close out solid 2006 run with a win
Siena, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a strong 2006 campaign, Palermo looks to close out the year on Saturday against a Siena team that has not seen a win in eight Serie A games. "We have to make the last effort in order to try to clo

<< Aberdeen, Rangers battle for second place
Aberdeen, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With league-leaders Celtic a whopping 14 points clear of the rest of the pack, it is time to start playing for second place for the rest of the Scottish Premier League. On Saturday, second-pla

Playoffs Remain a Possibility for Rams >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoffs are still on the minds of the St. Louis Rams, and they will try to do whatever it takes to stay afloat in the crowded waters of the NFC postseason race. St. Louis will shoot for its second straight win on Sund

Titans, Bills, Seek to Maintain Momentum >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans didn't need rookie quarterback Vince Young to lead them to their fifth straight win last week, because the defense did all the work. The Titans are likely to require more of Young's services on Sunday, wh

Browns, Bucs, Play for Pride, Draft Position >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a year where it seems like every team has a shot at the playoffs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns meet this Sunday in a battle for draft positioning. With two weeks left in the regular season, Tampa Bay an

Raptors eyeing division lead >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors are in the midst of a four-game road trip and will need to keep pace with Boston and New Jersey in the Atlantic Division standings. The Raptors have won four of their last five games and are tied

Seahawks can Wrap up NFC West Vs. Chargers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year's NFC Champions and one of the favorites to win this season's AFC title get together Sunday in Seattle, as the Seahawks welcome the powerful San Diego Chargers to Qwest Field. The AFC West champion Chargers curre

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse racing . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.