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Als seek return to win column in clash with Tiger-CatsFootball Betting Lines09/08/2010 - Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Alouettes continue to compete without the services of quarterback Anthony Calvillo as the team challenges the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this weekend at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Calvillo, who suffered a chest injury several weeks ago and sat out last week's loss to British Columbia, says he is on the mend and feels better, but the coaching staff has decided that sitting the superstar signal-caller would be the in best interest of everyone involved, especially with the second half of the season being so critical. With Calvillo taking a seat again the Als are set to go with a backup, but instead of letting Chris Leak handle the action it will be Adrian McPherson who himself is fresh off the injured list after getting cleared to play following a torn MCL suffered during training camp. McPherson had some solid efforts for Montreal late last season and finished 2009 with six touchdown passes and a completion percentage of 68.1. More importantly, as long as he is not tentative in the pocket and slowed too much by a knee brace, his mobility at the position is more than the team is used to with Calvillo. McPherson gained 351 yards on the ground, averaging close to six yards per attempt a year ago and that's something the Tiger-Cats have to plan for, even if the Montreal coaches want to limit how many times McPherson puts himself in harm's way. Last week the Als hosted British Columbia, one of the weakest clubs in the league with just a single win at the time, but it just so happened that the Lions picked that week to put together a strong effort on both sides of the ball to come away with the overwhelming 38-17 victory at Montreal. Leak started at quarterback for the Als, hitting 15-of-27 passes for 135 yards, but he was sacked three times and intercepted twice, prompting the team to insert Ricky Santos. Santos, a former Walter Payton Award winner, stepped in and converted 10-of-12 passes for 93 yards and a pair of majors, but by then the help was too little, too late for a Montreal squad that lost for the second time in the last three outings and is just hanging on to first place in the Eastern Division over both Hamilton and Toronto which enter this week with identical records at 5-4. As for those Tiger-Cats, winners of three of their four home games this season and a solid 5-2 within the division, they managed to take care of the Toronto Argonauts last week by a final of 28-13 at home, even though the visitors held them to a paltry 34 yards rushing on 14 attempts. While the run game was stalling, Hamilton turned to Kevin Glenn to get them through and he didn't disappoint as he hit on 27-of-33 passes for 313 yards and a score, shaking off an interception and a sack along the way. Defense was a mixed bag for Hamilton as the group allowed Cleo Lemon to light up the airwaves for 350 yards, but at the same time the Tiger-Cats held the opposing gunslinger without a major, sacked him three times and also picked off a trio of passes. Aside from making interceptions, Hamilton's pass defense is one of the weakest in the league at the moment, allowing opponents to complete 65.8 percent of their attempts, a mark that is second-to-last behind only Toronto (70 percent) which has had trouble stopping everyone this year. Were it not for the three INTs last week by Hamilton, the group would be even further off the pace in the league given that they are bringing up the rear in that department with a mere seven interceptions through nine games. Nevertheless, Hamilton is still third in the league at the moment in terms of turnover margin with a plus four. Ahead of the Tiger-Cats in the turnover department is Montreal which is a plus eight, mainly because Calvillo has been so careful with his throws this season and has but three picks in 288 attempts. Unfortunately for the Als, they'll have to wait at least one more week to get Calvillo's magic arm back in the lineup. The loss of Calvillo against BC shouldn't have brought down the Als, but maybe the Lions saw the opportunity to score a huge victory and took advantage of the situation. Even though McPherson is coming off the injured list and is somewhat inexperienced, at this juncture he gives the Alouettes their best chance at winning, despite what Santos was able to accomplish in mop-up duty last week. Unfortunately for the signal-callers available for the Als this weekend, not one of them has yet to even attempt a pass against Hamilton and that can't be a good omen. Montreal's lack of experience at the QB spot against Hamilton might also mean the Tiger-Cats won't be ready for what the Als throw at them this time around. It should also give Avon Cobourne reason to think he might gets his hands on the ball more for Montreal as well, after gaining just 57 yards on 13 attempts last week. One of the most dominant runners in the CFL a year ago, Cobourne is currently seventh in the league with just 460 yards and three TDs, averaging less than five yards per attempt. With respect to the all-time series between these two clubs, Montreal owns an 84-74-7 in the regular season dating back to 1950. The Alouettes have taken five in a row against Hamilton and 13 of the last 14 encounters, including a 37-14 romp in Montreal back in July.
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New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino. The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1. MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5. Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs. Stanley Cup Odds
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.
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. |
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