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Fireworks likely in showdown between Ducks and VolunteersNCAA Football Betting Lines09/08/2010 - Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off perhaps the most impressive performance in week one of the 2010 college football season, the seventh- ranked Oregon Ducks take to the road, as they invade SEC Country to battle the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. Chip Kelly's Ducks won the Pac-10 a year ago and definitely carried that momentum over into this year, as they completely destroyed the New Mexico Lobos in the season-opener for both squads last weekend, 72-0. It was the most points scored by any team in any game involving one or two FBS programs. The 72 points tied the school's modern scoring record (72 against Nevada in 1999) and was the most points scored overall since a 97-0 shutout of Williamette (Ore) in 1916. The Volunteers provided new head coach Derek Dooley with a similar result in his debut with the team, as Tennessee blanked UT-Martin last weekend, 50-0. It was the team's first shutout in a season-opener in 17 years and certainly got the Dooley era off on the right foot. These two teams have never met before on the gridiron. The Ducks lost their starting quarterback before the season began and played the opener without the services of the Pac-10's leading rusher in LaMichael James (suspension), yet still rolled up 720 yards of total offense in a blanking of New Mexico. James, who rushed for 1,546 yards last year, was replaced in the lineup by sophomore Kenjon Barner, who made the most of his opportunity, rumbling for 147 yards and four TDs, while adding a fifth score on a reception. Replacing Barner in the return game was fellow sophomore Cliff Harris, who also had a huge game, taking two punt returns back for scores. While the ground game hummed to the tune of 369 yards, the passing game, under new signal-caller Darron Thomas, who replaced Jeremiah Masoli, was responsible for 351 yards. Thomas was 13-of-23 passing, for 220 yards and one TD. The Oregon offensive line definitely did its job in the opener, allowing no sacks and paving the way for 6.4 yards per carry. It couldn't have gotten much better defensively for Oregon either, as the team completed the shutout while effectively stopping the run (25 yards) and the pass (82 yards) to lead the nation in total defense after one week. In addition, Oregon allowed just eight first downs and recorded five takeaways and eight TFLs in the game. This very opportunistic unit was led by players like senior LB Spencer Paysinger (four tackles, one sack), senior DT Brandon Bair (four tackles, 2.5 TFLs) and senior LB Bryson Littlejohn (two fumble recoveries). Coach Kelly still isn't sure what to expect from the new look Volunteers. "You don't know and that's why we gotta play.It's a big unknown. They beat Tennessee-Martin 50-0 and you can look at their tape and they didn't get very deep into their playbook." While not as prolific as Oregon's offensive outburst, Tennessee's start to the season wasn't far off the mark, with the Volunteers racking up 50 points and 537 yards of total offense. In all, the team recorded 23 first downs and got great balance with 332 yards rushing and 205 yards passing. Quarterback Matt Simms played well enough, completing 14-of-24 passes, for 181 yards and one TD, but it was the three-headed monster in the backfield of Tauren Poole (110 yards, two TDs), Rajion Neal (79 yards, 8.8 ypc) and David Oku (77 yards, 12.8 ypc, one TD) that stole the show. Throw in a 58-yard TD scamper by Denarius Moore and there is certainly no shortage of talented ball-carriers in Knoxville. Once again, the defense was every bit as good as the offense, with Tennessee giving up a mere 142 yards of total offense, with 56 yards coming on the ground (1.9 ypc) and 86 through the air. Sophomore safety Prentiss Waggner got his season off strong, with a team-high six tackles. Waggner also intercepted a pass that he took 54 yards to the end zone. Linebackers LeMarcus Thompson (five tackles, one TFL) and Austin Johnson (five tackles, one INT) came up big in the middle of the field, while NT Montori Hughes (four tackles, 2.5 TFLs, one sack) was solid up front. Coach Dooley knows that Oregon will present a whole different challenge to his defense this week. "Oh, man. If there's a more explosive offense in the country -- I don't know if there's a more explosive one. There's probably plenty of them that are as explosive. Them and Bama, probably the two best running back combinations that you'll see in the country. They had the best runner out, and you see how bad that hurt them last week. So, yeah. Nobody ever stops them. You've just got to slow them down, and try to be sound fundamentally, and try to get some breaks here and there."
<< 13th-ranked Hokies seek quick turnaround against Dukes
Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a heart-breaking loss, the 13th- ranked Virginia Tech Hokies now set their sights on the James Madison Dukes this weekend at Lane Stadium. In the most anticipated game of the opening week, it was
<< Instate rivals clash as ninth-ranked Hawkeyes take on Cyclones
<< Idaho hits road for test against No. 6 Nebraska
<< Hurricanes blow into Columbus to battle Buckeyes
<< LSU visits Vanderbilt in SEC lidlifter
Yellow Jackets and Jayhawks square off in Lawrence >>
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets take their act on the road for the first time this season, as they invade Lawrence this weekend, for a showdown with the Kansas Jayhawks in an ACC/Big XII non-conferenc
Sooners and Seminoles meet in Top-25 showdown >>
No. 4 TCU hosts FCS foe Tennessee Tech >>
Utes open Mountain West slate against visiting Rebels >>
Sunshine State showdown pits Bulls against Gators >>
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later. While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better. For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory. 1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season. 2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped. How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number. Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules. Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically. How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games). Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition. Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Football Betting Sportsbook Accepts Credit CardsMichael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football. As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL. The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago. Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996). But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side. Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show. Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East: Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1 Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2 New York Giants - 9 - 2 Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1). Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship. So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume. And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top. They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy. Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday. But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division. Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS. Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS. Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162. Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense? Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS. In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS. Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division. Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do. The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20. The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550. Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs. |
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