12/03/2008 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts linebacker and defensive captain Gary Brackett will miss at least a couple of weeks with a fibula injury to his right leg, head coach Tony Dungy said Wednesday.
Brackett, who has started all 12 games played this season and recorded 100 tackles, suffered the injury in Sunday's 10-6 triumph over the Cleveland Browns.
Dungy added the Colts hope to have Brackett back this season, and did not place him on the injured reserve list for that reason.
Second-year linebacker Buster Davis likely will start in place of Brackett this week against the Cincinnati Bengals.
<< Jags CB Mathis out for season
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Rashean
Mathis will miss the rest of the season after injuring his knee.
Mathis, who leads the team with four interceptions, sprained his medial
collateral ligame
<< Seattle places center Spencer on IR
Renton, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Seahawks center Chris Spencer was
placed on injured reserve Wednesday.
Spencer started all 11 games played this season, and 35 consecutive, before
being sidelined with a back injury during the
<< Line of Scrimmage: Week 14 - Weighing in on StarCaps
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After his team defeated the Chicago Bears
to take over first place in the NFC North this past Sunday night, Minnesota
Vikings head coach Brad Childress told the media he celebrated by having "a
vodka as big a
<< Flyers center Briere out 4-5 weeks
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers center Daniel Briere
will miss the next four to five weeks with a groin strain.
Briere left Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning after
taking a hit in the se
Rice accepts bid for Texas Bowl >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rice University accepted a bid to the Texas
Bowl on Wednesday.
The Owls finished the 2008 season with a 9-3 mark, including a 7-1 record in
Conference USA.
It is the second bowl selection for the s
Mariners name pitching, bullpen coaches >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners Wednesday named Rick Adair
pitching coach and John Wetteland bullpen coach.
The two additions to new manager Don Wakamatsu's 2009 staff join bench coach
Ty Van Burkleo and first base coac
Wie five back after first round of Q School >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shiho Oyama, ranked 42nd in the Rolex
Rankings, fired an eight-under 64 on Wednesday to take the first-round lead of
the 90-hole LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
Amateur Mika Miyazato shot a six-unde
Report: Tuberville era ends at Auburn >>
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Tuberville will reportedly no longer
be roaming the sideline for the Auburn Tigers football team.
The report, from the Birmingham News on Wednesday, did not indicate whether
the longtime coach w
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
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.
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting