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07/20/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is now just one team in the West with a perfect record, but their latest win looked far from perfect. The Saskatchewan Roughriders pulled another rabbit out of the hat in week three, this time storming back from a first half deficit to dominate in the final quarter against the Edmonton Eskimos.
Every other west team lost last week, meaning the Riders sit alone at first in the league. Calgary looked sloppy in a three-point loss to the Toronto Argonauts, particularly Henry Burris, who got picked off four times. Meanwhile. the BC Lions went out of their way to hold up to the CFL's image of a passing league with a mighty seven total rushing yards.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
A fan can be forgiven if they thought they were watching a classic Alberta matchup between Calgary and Edmonton in week three. The Saskatchewan Roughriders donned burgundy and black in celebration of their centennial as a franchise, but looked an awful lot like the Stampeders in the process. Perhaps an unfamiliar look in Riderville, but the result of the game was not: The Riders won their third straight game, 24-20, and are the only team in the league with a perfect 3-0 record.
While getting the win was huge in an always tight division, the Riders need to work on getting out of the gates quicker. Against Edmonton, Saskatchewan was down 14-10 after the first half before coming alive in the fourth quarter, where they scored 11 unanswered points.
In the two weeks previous, the Roughriders put up 23 combined points over the first two quarters, while scoring 54 in the second halves.
Though it may take a while for Saskatchewan to get rolling, the team does perform best at the most crucial stages later in the game, so for now the Riders get a pass.
The Riders are on a high, but face their toughest opponent of the season when they travel to Calgary to take on the Stamps.
Offensive key for next game: Durant and the deep receiving corps get all the attention, but Wes Cates has been a big part of what Saskatchewan brings to the table. Calgary has shown tough defense against the rush, but in its one loss, they allowed Cory Boyd of the Argos to run for 142 yards. If Cates can find the wiggle room that Boyd found last week, the Riders will be able to keep the Stampeders on their toes and go 4-0.
Defensive key for next game: Calgary's Henry Burris has looked very sloppy so far this season, trying to force plays rather than go with the flow of what's developing in front of him. Burris has been picked off six times already, four more than any other quarterback, something the Riders should be able to exploit. With the likes of Luc Mullinder and Brent Hawkins pressuring Burris, the Riders could get some picks and really tighten their lead as best in the west.
Look ahead: The Roughriders face a tough opponent in Calgary this week, but can look forward to a home date with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. With the way the Riders' offense has been going - they lead the league in several categories, including touchdowns scored (12) and points per game (38.3) - it's entirely possible to improve to 5-0, provided they keep up their efficient play with the ball.
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
Edmonton fell to 0-3 for first time in 45 years in its loss against Saskatchewan. Certainly not what they planned to happen back in training camp, but then again, not many teams can predict experiencing two fourth quarter meltdowns in a row.
The Eskimos have yet to score a single point in the fourth quarter this season. Not a field goal, safety, or even a rouge: just a huge zero points for.
Combine that with allowing 26 points allowed in the final frame of the past two contests, and you not only have a recipe for disaster, but an entire home- cooked meal made for hungry opposing teams. And those teams aren't shy to have their fill.
The Riders were the latest team to feast on the Eskimos, capitalizing on two forced fumbles that halted any hopes for Edmonton's first win. Instead, the Riders scored 11 unanswered points against a bewildered Edmonton side.
A big reason for Edmonton's slow start is its inability to score touchdowns. Ricky Ray is getting the yards, but not when it counts the most, as he has just one touchdown pass all season.
It is not all his fault, however, as Edmonton dropped two catchable touchdown passes in its loss to the Riders.
While Edmonton came close against two of the best teams in the league, they need to figure out how to put points on the board if they want to get back in the thick of things.
Offensive key for next game: Though the game will be played in Manitoba, a struggling Winnipeg Blue Bombers club without their starting quarterback may just be what Edmonton needs to get in the win column. Ricky Ray should outclass Winnipeg's backup QB Steven Jyles, but needs to find the end zone - and for his receivers to catch the ball - to get his team on the right track. Ray's best option is Fred Stamps, who caught for an impressive 203 yards in their week three loss to the Roughriders.
Defensive key for next game: With Buck Pierce out of the lineup, Bombers running back Fred Reid will be called upon to carry the load. There's no telling how well backup QB Steven Jyles will perform in just his second career start, but there's a good chance that if the Eskimos shut down Reid, Winnipeg's offense will flounder for the second week in a row.
Look ahead: Edmonton's opportunity to take advantage of an injured Winnipeg side will be followed by two home games against BC and Toronto, respectively. This three-week stretch may make or break the Eskimos. Though a 0-3 start does not sit well with Edmonton fans, it is entirely possible to claw their way back into the race.
BC LIONS
BC was another team that could not get it going offensively, especially on the ground. Running back Jamal Robertson had one of the worst games of his career, rushing for just four yards on six carries. Worst of all, he gave up two fumbles, one of which led to a Montreal field goal.
Robertson did catch a TD pass for the Lions' lone major score, but that's not enough for one of the league's premier running backs.
Furthering BC's struggles is Casey Printers, who has yet to come close to finding the form that made him the Most Outstanding Player back in 2004.
Printers is a distant 7th overall in passing yards with 591, nearly 400 behind leader Darian Durant.
Though offense has been a major problem, the Lions have been decent defensively this season. They gave up just 10 points in their first game, and allowed only 16 against the defending Grey Cup champions in week three.
Giving up 37 points against the Riders in week two is certainly not something to brag about, but allowing just 13 points in the first half should have head coach Wally Buono pleased with what his team can do without the ball.
Offensive key for next game: At the beginning of the season, a date with the Toronto Argonauts would have been a probable win. But with the way the Argonauts have been able to pull out close wins, the Lions should not fall asleep on this resurgent franchise. Jamal Robertson will face his former team for the first time, and after a bad game last week, expect the running back to seek some redemption on a couple of fronts. If Robertson shows what he's capable of doing, the Argonauts are in trouble.
Defensive key of the game: Toronto's Cory Boyd has been getting better every game, and is a big reason behind their surprising 2-1 record. The Lions have to shut down Boyd, but also need to keep an eye out for Jeremaine Copeland. He is Toronto's best receiver, and after three so-so weeks, is due for a big game.
Look ahead: With a 1-2 record, BC can't afford to fall further behind. The Lions' next two games are on the road, but one is against the worst team of the past two seasons while the other is the last place Edmonton Eskimos. After dropping two at home, the Lions are seeking answers for a lot of question marks, but this relatively easy road trip might help shake the sputtering offense.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
Henry Burris and the Stampeders may lead the league in time of possession, but they are also tops in turnovers. Burris's six interceptions are a telling statistic for his style of play right now: way too forced and risky, like a slow-footed baseball player trying to stretch a single into extra bases. Sure, the effort's there, but you're only hurting your team by getting called out.
Calgary took one too many outs last week in a three-point loss to Toronto, a game that was there for the taking. Calgary was up 24-15 heading into the fourth quarter, but two Burris interceptions, at a time where all Calgary had to do was eat up the clock and defend their lead, gave Toronto all the momentum.
Toronto deserves a lot of credit for its defense in the final quarter, but one suspects that if Burris played it a little safer, this wrap-up might be about how Calgary is one of two teams with a perfect record.
Offensive key to next game: Losing a heartbreaker to the Argonauts does not help a team's spirit when they have to face the league's best squad the following week. Given Durant's rise into one of the game's best quarterbacks, combined with Burris's propensity to throw, this game has the potential to be a shootout. In a game of who can outscore whom, Burris has to rein in his sloppy errors in order to win the battle.
Defensive key to the game: Calgary's defensive backs will have their hands full against the league's best all-around receiving corps. Cut Durant's flow downfield and the Stampeders will go a long way in slowing this offensive juggernaut.
Look ahead: Calgary begins a two-game homestand at the perfect time. The Stamps need to refocus in preparation for their biggest test of the season in the Riders, which will then be followed by a game with Winnipeg, which could still be without starting QB Buck Pierce. Both games can potentially be wins, but their performance against the Roughriders may go a long way in determining how close this team is to finding their Grey Cup-winning form of 2008.
<< Piniella to retire at the end of the season
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella has decided
to retire at the conclusion of the 2010 season.
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Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany defender Heiko Westermann is
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Defending champ Davydenko advances at Hamburg >>
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It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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