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10/27/2007 - Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers have waived linebacker Hannibal Navies and signed fullback Zak Keasey from the practice squad to the active roster.
Navies played the first five games of the season, starting two, and registered nine tackles with one sack and a forced fumble. The 49ers signed Navies last November after Manny Lawson was lost for the season with a knee injury.
Keasey has appeared in three games for the Niners this season, bouncing back and forth from the practice squad to the active roster.
<< Derksen holds tentative lead at suspended Mallorca Classic
Mallorca, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert-Jan Derksen held a tentative one-
shot lead when the third round of the Mallorca Classic was suspended Saturday
night due to darkness.
Derksen, who shared the lead with Jean-Francois Lucquin whe
<< Chelsea hammers City behind Drogba double
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Didier Drogba scored two times as Chelsea
pounded Manchester City, 6-0 on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
City entered the match in third place, just three points behind league-leaders
Arsenal. However, the
<< Knicks exercise option on Lee, three others
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks exercised the fourth-year
options on contracts for forward David Lee and guard Nate Robinson and the
third-year options on forward Renaldo Balkman and guard Mardy Collins on
Saturda
<< Capitals sign Semin to two-year deal
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals have signed right
wing Alexander Semin to a two-year contract extension.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Semin has played just three games this season because of
Busch powers past Hornaday Jr. for truck win >>
Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Busch captured Saturday afternoon's
EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The
No.51 Chevrolet crossed the finish line 0.971 second ahead of Ron Hornaday Jr.
but Hor
Kip Deville powers to victory in Breeders' Cup Mile >>
Oceanport, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stalking the pace through most of the race,
Kip Deville took the lead in mid-stretch and went on to win the $2 million
Breeders' Cup Mile on the Monmouth Park turf course. The win was the second of
the day
West Virginia pounds Rutgers...again >>
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pat White accounted for 300 yards with a
touchdown and Steve Slaton scored three times, leading sixth-ranked West
Virginia to a 31-3 rout of No. 25 Rutgers.
White ran 22 times for 156 yards with
Dixon, Mississippi State upend No. 14 Kentucky >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Dixon ran for a touchdown and caught
another, leading Mississippi State to a surprising 31-14 victory over 14th-
ranked Kentucky.
Dixon galloped for 75 yards and caught a short touchdown p
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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