11/06/2008 - McKinney, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darron Stiles posted a seven-under 64 Thursday to take a one-shot lead after one round of the Nationwide Tour Championship.
Stiles, who stands No. 7 on the money list, is the only player in the top 10 on the money list that has not won this season.
Jeff Klauk, who is one spot behind Stiles on the money list, is one stroke behind the leader at the TPC Craig Ranch.
Spencer Levin and Garrett Osborn both opened with rounds of five-under 66. Osborn, No. 41 on the money list, needs no worse than a two-way tie for second this week to get into the top 25 on the money list and earn his PGA Tour card for next season.
This is the final event of the year, and players are battling to get into the top 25 on the money list. After one round, six of the top 16 players on the leaderboard are outside the top 25 on the money list.
Stiles had a steady, bogey-free round. He birdied the third and fifth to get his round going. After a birdie on the eighth, Stiles turned in minus-three.
Around the turn, birdies on 10 an 12 gave Stiles a share of the lead at minus- five. He took the lead with a birdie on the 14th before closing with a birdie at the last.
"There are still three more days, but it's nice to get out of the gate this well, especially this week," said Stiles, who played with Klauk in the first round. "It looks like we'll be paired together for round two and it would be nice to keep Florida Southern one-two for the rest of the week."
Klauk, like Stiles a Florida Southern graduate, dropped in back-to-back birdie efforts from the third. He also made the turn in minus-three after he birdied the ninth.
After parring the first five holes of the back nine, Klauk converted three straight birdie efforts from the 15th to get within one of the lead. He parred the final two holes to remain one back.
"I got it going early, then kind of stalled out there and then got it going there at the end. It was nice to finish well," said Klauk, who is guaranteed to finish inside the top 25 on the money list, earning his PGA Tour card for the first time.
"It's been seven years out here and I've been close a few times. The hard work is starting to pay off. Sunday, it will really sink in."
Bryce Molder, who is No. 32 on the money list, opened with a four-under 67. He was joined in a share of fifth place by Bill Lunde, Marc Leishman and Colt Knost, who have all won this year on the Nationwide Tour.
Hunter Haas, No. 26 on the money list, No. 33 Matthew Every, No. 37 Bryan DeCorso and No. 50 Gavin Coles are tied for ninth at minus-three. They were joined there by Greg Owen, Matt Bettencourt, Rick Price and Peter Tomasulo.
Chris Tidland, who is 25th on the money list, fought back from an opening triple-bogey top post an even-par 71 and he is tied for 32nd. Tidland also carded a bogey, a double-bogey, two birdies and two eagles.
<< Atlanta recalls Wolves' defenseman Valabik
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers have recalled defenseman
Boris Valabik from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves,
it was announced on Thursday.
The 22-year-old has notched a goal and two assists
<< Burrell, Moyer, Penny file for free agency
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia outfielder Pat Burrell and
pitcher Jamie Moyer, as well as Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny all filed for free
agency on Thursday.
Burrell, 32, played in 157 games for the World Series-winnin
<< Slumping Jags hope to get back on track vs. lousy Lions
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's safe to say that the Jacksonville Jaguars are
suffering through a meltdown this season after going deep into the playoffs a
year ago. The team was pegged by some insiders to supplant mighty Indianapolis
in the AFC South
<< Matteson tops crowded leaderboard in Disney World
Lake Buena Vista, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Matteson fired a nine-under 63
Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Children's
Miracle Network Classic.
Matteson's 63 came on the Palm Course at the Walt Disney W
Houston LB Diles out for season >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Texans linebacker Zac Diles will miss
the remainder of the season after breaking his leg in the team's practice on
Wednesday.
Diles, who tallied 66 tackles and an interception in nine games this s
FCS Previews: Week 11 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Here are the predictions for the top 25
games and other notable contests from week 10 of the FCS season.
THURSDAY NIGHT'S GAME
Howard (1-7,1-6 MEAC) at No. 19 South Carolina State (7-2, 6-0 MEAC), 7:30 p
NFL Inactives (Thursday, November 6, 2008) >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive players
for tonight's NFL game.
DENVER BRONCOS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS, 8:15 P.M. (ET)
Broncos - LB D.J. Williams, WR Glenn Martinez, WR Chad Jackson, DE Tim Crowder,
S M
Semin's late goals help Caps stun Hurricanes >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alexander Semin -- the other Alexander in a
dynamic Capitals duo -- scored a pair of goals in the final three minutes to
give Washington a stunning 3-2 victory over Southeast Division rival Carolina.
Semi
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere.
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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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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