Cowboys and Crimson Tide roll into Shreveport
NCAA Football Betting Lines
12/24/2006 - Shreveport, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Alabama Crimson Tide are set to collide in the PetroSun Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Oklahoma State owns a mediocre 6-6 record, but the team has been much better than that mark suggests. Four of the games were decided on the final play, and the six teams that have defeated the Cowboys are all headed to bowl games with combined records of 53-21. They are 10-6 all-time in bowl games and will attempt to halt a two-game postseason losing skid. Oklahoma State is making its fourth bowl appearance in the last five years, the most successful stretch for the program since the 1980s. The Cowboys have played only five games against SEC opponents since 1981.
Alabama, a member of that SEC conference, also owns a 6-6 overall record, and the team will be led by interim coach Joe Kines, as he is taking the place of the fired Mike Shula. The Crimson Tide won their first three games of the season, but things seemed to fall apart from that point on. When the squad lost its final three outings, including a setback to arch-rival Auburn, Shula paid the price. Alabama is set to take part in its NCAA-leading 54th bowl appearance, and it has more bowl wins (30) than any other team. This Independence Bowl marks the third straight postseason appearance for the Crimson Tide, a feat that has not been accomplished since the program reached 10 straight bowl games from 1985 to 1994.
This game marks the first-ever meeting between the Crimson Tide and the Cowboys on the gridiron.
Oklahoma State has had no trouble moving the ball and scoring points this season, as the squad is racking up 35.3 ppg, good for eighth-place nationally, while gaining 409.0 total ypg to rank 16th. The Cowboys are gaining over 200 ypg both on the ground and through the air, and that balance puts a great deal of pressure on opposing defenses. The offense has generated 51 total touchdowns through 12 games, with 26 coming through the air and 25 on the ground. Rather than rely on one player to carry the rushing load, Oklahoma State gets contributions from several runners. Dantrell Savage has been the most effective of the bunch, as he has run for 708 yards and seven touchdowns on only 107 carries. Keith Toston, Mike Hamilton and quarterback Bobby Reid have all rushed for at least 466 yards and four touchdowns, providing Oklahoma State with a wealth of rushing options. Speaking of Reid, he has completed 55.9 percent of his passes for 2,054 yards with 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. While he did suffer a shoulder injury late in the season, Reid is expected to be fine for this bowl game. Adarius Bowman is the most dangerous wideout on the Oklahoma State team, as he has made 57 catches for 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns. D'Juan Woods is a solid second option on the outside.
The Cowboys do a tremendous job of pressuring opposing quarterbacks, as they are averaging three sacks per game to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss per outing. Still, the defense is a rather mediocre unit. Oklahoma State is surrendering 25.2 ppg and 371.4 total ypg, and shaky defense has played a major role in many of the six losses. Opposing offensive units have racked up 34 total touchdowns against the Cowboys, including 19 through the air. Oklahoma State has forced 23 turnovers to go along with the high sack totals, and those big plays have helped throughout the season, but sure tackling and sound coverage will be needed to knock off Alabama in this bowl showdown. Victor DeGrate has registered 8.5 sacks, and Nathan Peterson is close behind with eight sacks. As for Andre Sexton, he leads the Cowboys with 75 total tackles.
Alabama sophomore quarterback John Parker Wilson has received some criticism for the team's mediocre season, but he put up some impressive numbers that rival some of the best to ever play quarterback for the storied institution. Wilson has thrown 16 touchdown passes this season to tie the school record, and he owns the outright single-season record for total offense, passing yards, pass attempts and 200-yard games. He needs just eight completions to break that single-season record as well. Entering the season, the Tide expected to feature a punishing ground attack led by tailback Kenneth Darby, but he has failed to even approach those expectations. In fact, Darby's average of 68.3 rushing yards per game is good for just 71st nationally. Although Darby does not get goal line carries, it is still concerning that he hasn't reached the end zone as a rusher on 200 attempts. The most dangerous player on offense for Alabama is wideout DJ Hall, as he has racked up 1,014 yards and five touchdowns on 57 catches.
Alabama ranked 29th nationally in scoring defense and 18th in total defense, as it is surrendering 18.0 ppg and 287.6 total ypg. No opponent has scored more than 28 points against the Tide, and the fact that the team held Hawaii to 17 points in the season opener speaks volumes. Against the run, Alabama is yielding only 3.8 ypg and has permitted only nine rushing scores to date. The club has yielded 14 passing touchdowns, but it has also come up with 15 interceptions. A key for the defense has been its ability to get off the field on third down, as opponents are making good on only 33 percent of their conversion attempts. Jeffrey Dukes leads the with 74 total tackles, and Juwan Simpson is close behind with 73 stops. Keep an eye on Simeon Castille, as he has five interceptions and three fumble recoveries to his credit.
Considering the fact that Alabama ended the season on a down note and has had an extremely difficult time finding someone to replace Shula, it is hard to pick the Tide in this contest. Expect Oklahoma State to take care of business behind a balanced offensive attack.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Oklahoma State 27, Alabama 13
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Nabokov made 21 saves as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Calgary Flames, 4-1, at HP Pavilion. Marcel Goc, Milan Michalek, Mark Smith and Scott Hannan all scored for the Sharks, who won their seco
<< Allen, Sonics outlast Raptors
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen returned from a nine-game absence and
scored 28 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to lead
Seattle past Toronto, 110-97, at KeyArena.
The All-Star guard missed time with a
<< Yao fractures bone in knee, will miss 6 weeks
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Rockets center Yao Ming suffered a non-
displaced fracture in a bone under his right knee in Saturday's 98-93 loss to
the LA Clippers, an injury that Houston officials say should not require
surgery
<< Williams leads Bucks over Nets
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mo Williams posted 32 points, eight
rebounds and eight assists, as the streaking Milwaukee Bucks downed the New
Jersey Nets, 115-104, at the Bradley Center.
"I feel much better," Williams said. "
<< Clippers edge Rockets; Yao suffers knee injury
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Thomas scored 21 points and grabbed six
rebounds to lead the LA Clippers past Houston, 98-93, but the Rockets
suffered a potentially season-killing blow early on when Yao Ming left with a
knee in
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Life Holiday Bowl will pit the 21st-ranked Texas A&M Aggies of the Big 12 against the 20th-ranked California Golden Bears of the Pac-10 in San Diego. Texas A&M finished the seaso
Florida State and UCLA meet in the Emerald Bowl >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida State Seminoles and the UCLA
Bruins meet for the first time ever on the gridiron, as they hook up in the
Emerald Bowl from AT&T Park in San Francisco.
The Seminoles have had an off ye
Rutgers seeks fitting end to magical season >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights are
set to make their second straight bowl appearance for the first time in
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from Re
Saints' Horn out against Giants >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe
Horn was inactive for the third straight week on Sunday because of a groin
injury.
Horn missed the club's game against the Giants. He has been battling
NFL Inactives (Sunday, December 24, 2006) >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of the players
placed on the inactive squad for this week's NFL games.
TENNESSEE TITANS AT BUFFALO BILLS, 1:00 P.M. (ET)
Titans - CB Andre Woolfolk, RB Chris Brown, C/G Justin Gei
Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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