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Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edgar Gonzalez belted two solo home runs, the second as part of a seven-run ninth to break open a tie game, as the San Diego Padres outslugged the Colorado Rockies, 15-8, in the opener of a three-game set bet

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Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Eric Byrnes left Monday's 6-3 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers with a strained left hamstring. The ailment comes a week after Byrnes was recalled from the dis

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Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Golden State Warriors point guard Baron Davis has reportedly opted out of his contract with the team, leaving $17.8 million on the table and choosing to become an unrestricted free agent. The Oakland Tribun

<< Willingham blasts Fish past Nats
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Willingham's lead-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted the Florida Marlins to a 6-5 win over the Washington Nationals in the first of a three-game series at Dolphin Stadium. Washin

Jays' Halladay silences Seattle bats in 10th career shutout >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay threw a four-hitter for his 10th career shutout as the Toronto Blue Jays stymied the Seattle Mariners, 2-0, in the opener of a three-game series. Halladay (9-6) gave up only four singles, didn't

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Garza outduels Wakefield as Rays top BoSox >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Garza twirled seven strong innings and Dioner Navarro drove in two runs, as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox, 3-1, at Tropicana Field. Garza (7-4) allowed one unearned run and

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Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rockies outfielder Willy Taveras left Tuesday's 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres in the sixth inning with soreness in his left quadriceps. The 26-year-old Taveras was 1-for-3 with an RBI

MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win 2007 BCS National Championship

According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, 2007 the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.

Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football 2007 BCS National Championship, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet.  The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.

MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.  In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State.  Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the 2007 ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship game.

Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL.  In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the 2007 SEC Championship odds at 5-2.

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ODDS TO WIN THE 2008 BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

ODDS TO WIN 2007 ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

ODDS TO WIN 2007 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

ODDS TO WIN 2007 SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.

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 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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