Wwceltics Basketball Betting News

<< Out of the tank: Sharks hit the road to battle Stars
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks kick off a four-game road trip tonight with a visit to Dallas to take on the the Pacific Division-rival Stars at American Airlines Center. The Sharks had dropped three straight on the road (0-1-2) befor

<< Streaking Jazz host Hawks in Salt Lake City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz will try to keep a pair of streaks intact this evening versus the Atlanta Hawks in the finale of a five-game homestand at EnergySolutions Arena. Utah has won the first four tests of the residency and seven in

<< Nets host Sixers at Izod Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets will try to stop their five-game losing streak tonight against a team they have enjoyed recent success against, as the Atlantic Division-rival Philadelphia 76ers pay a visit to the IZOD Center. New Jers

<< Pacers, Knicks meet in MSG
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers will try to match a season high with their third consecutive win tonight when they take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Indiana has won two in a row and is aiming for three straight vict

Cardinals and Hoyas meet in nation's capital >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Louisville Cardinals invade the nation's capital tonight, as they clash with the Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East matchup at the Verizon Center. Since being blown out at Notre Dame on Febr

Crucial Big 12 clash features Kansas at Oklahoma >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top spot in the Big 12 is on the line this evening in Norman, as the Kansas Jayhawks take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the battle of top-25 rivals at the Lloyd Noble Center. Kansas is seeking its fifth straigh

Arteta suffers season-ending knee injury >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everton have confirmed that Mikel Arteta ruptured the cruciate ligament in his right knee during Sunday's scoreless draw at Newcastle and will play no more football this season. The influential Spa

Bruce blames scoring woes on duo's departure >>
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wigan manager Steve Bruce believes his team's current dearth of goals can be traced back to last month's sales of Emile Heskey and Wilson Palacios. The Latics have managed to find the net only on

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.

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