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03/13/2010 - Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon missed out on a chance to join Bordeaux and Montpellier at the top of the Ligue 1 table on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by St Etienne.
With the top two teams in the league both having drawn their respective games earlier in the day, Lyon took the pitch knowing that three points would be enough to see them climb to the top.
However, a 38th-minute goal from Emmanuel Riviere put Lyon behind and they weren't able to recover until 10 minutes from time, when Lisandro Lopez pulled the home side level.
Gonzalo Bergessio set up the opening goal with a cross that was met by a diving header from Riviere, who put the ball well out of the reach of Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
St Etienne netminder Jeremie Janot needed to be on top of his game in the second half as Lyon heaped on the pressure but was only able to beat the keeper once as Lopez nodded home the equalizer to keep his team within two points of the top spot.
Bordeaux's struggles in the league continued as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Monaco, stretching their winless streak to three games.
The club still sits on top of the table on goal difference, and they have a game in hand after top-three sides Montpellier and Auxerre played to a 1-1 draw.
Auxerre entered the game having won its last four matches and they went ahead just before the break with a goal from Dennis Oliech. However, Alberto Costa's goal in the 66th minute was enough for Montpellier to claim a share of the points and keep them one point above their opponents.
PSG got a big 4-1 win over Sochaux as Mevlut Erding scored a hat trick, Lorient downed Lens, 1-0, with the lone goal coming from Sylvain Marchal in the 79th minute, Nice beat Le Mans, 1-0 and Boulogne recorded a 3-1 win at Nancy.
<< Bengals sign S Williams
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals and safety Roy
Williams have reportedly agreed to a one-year deal on Saturday.
The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that the eight-year veteran will be
coming back with t
<< Turner, Buckeyes drop Illini in 2-OT to reach Big Ten final
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Turner continues to steal the show in
Big Ten Tournament, scoring 11 of his game-high 31 points in a pair of
overtime sessions to lead No. 5 Ohio State to an exciting, 88-81, victory over
Illinoi
<< Bears capture second straight MEAC title
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Thompson paced the Bears with 18
points and 12 rebounds, and Morgan State captured its second straight Mid-
Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 68-61 win over South
Carolin
<< Texas A&M deals Nebraska first loss in Big 12 semis
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danielle Adams poured in 22 points and
grabbed nine rebounds, as 11th-ranked Texas A&M spoiled third-ranked
Nebraska's bid for a perfect season with an 80-70 victory in the semifinals of
the
Weight done for season >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Islander captain Doug Weight will
miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury that will require
surgery.
The 39-year-old tore the rotator cuff and labrum in his left shoulder
Mississippi State downs Vandy, heads back to SEC final >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Stewart had 14 points and eight
rebounds to help Mississippi State upend No. 20 Vanderbilt, 62-52, for a
return trip to the SEC Tournament title game.
Jarvis Varnado was his usual domina
Mallorca stumbles at Getafe >>
Getafe, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mallorca's troubles away from home continued
on Saturday as the club suffered a 3-0 defeat at Getafe.
Mallorca entered the weekend in fourth place, level on points with Sevilla and
only four behind third-p
Odysseus rallies to win Tampa Bay Derby >>
Oldsmar, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Odysseus, ridden by Rajiv Maragh, rallied down
the stretch to win Saturday's $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs.
In recent years, the event has become an important prep for the Triple
Crown r
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
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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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