Washingtunnationals NCAA Football Betting News

<< No. 3 Syracuse tops WVU amid controversy
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No. 3 Syracuse snuck past West Virginia, 63-61, but Saturday's finish at the Carrier Dome was marred by controversy. With West Virginia down by two, Darryl Bryant missed a three-pointer for the Mountai

<< Waldow leads No. 21 Saint Mary's over BYU
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Waldow had 19 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 21 Saint Mary's to an 80-66 win over BYU. Clint Steindl had 16 points and Rob Jones added 13 points and nine rebounds for Saint Mary's (21-2, 10-0 WCC), wh

<< Dudley helps Phoenix down Memphis
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jared Dudley hit the deciding free throws with three seconds left, as the Suns halted a three-game skid with an 86-84 win over the Grizzlies on Saturday. Dudley finished with 20 points and Steve Nash ha

<< Hayward, Miles help Jazz edge Kings
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gordon Hayward scored 21 points, C.J. Miles had 20 and the Utah Jazz survived a tailor-made three-point attempt by Jimmer Fredette in the final seconds to beat the Sacramento Kings, 96-93, on Saturda

Rock wins in Abu Dhabi; Tiger ties for 3rd >>
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Rock trumped some of the best players in the world Sunday, including fellow third-round co-leader Tiger Woods, to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Rock shot a two-under 70

Djokovic outlasts Nadal in epic Aussie final >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Novak Djokovic became only the fifth man in the Open Era to win three straight major titles when he outlasted Rafael Nadal in Sunday's marathon final at the 2012 Australian Open. Djokovic and Nadal battl

Bulls kick off monster road trip in Miami >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Eastern Conference heavyweights square off on the shores of Biscayne Bay Sunday afternoon when LeBron James and the Miami Heat play host to Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls in a rematch of last season's conference

NHL's best clash at All-Star Game in Ottawa >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 59th edition of the NHL All-Star Game is on tap for today, as Team Alfredsson's hometown favorites take on Team Chara at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place. This marks the second straight year that the NHL has forgone the Easte

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.

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