03/06/2007 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens signed running back Musa Smith to a one-year contract on Tuesday.
Smith, 24, has played in 33 games with Baltimore and averaged 4.1 yards per carry. Since being drafted in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft, Smith has rushed for 232 yards on 57 carries with two touchdowns.
"Receiving this contract and being back in Baltimore means a lot," Smith said. "I'm thankful for the Ravens sticking with me throughout a tough year. I'm really planning on having a great season next year. I'm glad they wanted me back."
<< Jets acquire Jones from Bears
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets have acquired running
back Thomas Jones from the Chicago Bears in exchange for one of the Jets
second-round picks.
In the deal, the Jets received Jones and the Bears second-r
<< Younger Stastny making his own mark with Avs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fans of the Colorado Avalanche never had the opportunity
to watch Peter Stastny, widely considered the greatest player in franchise
history during the team's tenure in Quebec, on a daily basis. It looks like
they'll have ple
<< Mutuel Field favored in second Derby Future Wager
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second of three Kentucky Derby future
wagering pools has been set with 24 betting interests, including 23 individual
horses. The pool opens Thursday at noon (et) and closes Sunday at 6 p.m. (et).
The
<< Don't forget about the Spurs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns are the talk of the
Western Conference, but San Antonio is still having a great season and may be
peaking at the right time.
The Spurs (42-18) trail the top-seeded Mavericks by 8
Cowboys lasso QB Johnson >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys officially signed veteran
quarterback Brad Johnson to a three-year, $7.5 million contract on Tuesday.
Johnson, 38, who is expected to back up and mentor starting quarterback Tony
Romo,
Youthful Trail Blazers are learning how to win >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers (25-35) are still alive in the
Western Conference playoff race. They are four games behind the Los Angeles
Clippers for the eighth and final playoff.
The red-hot San Antonio Spurs go for
Magic fall victim to rough road stretch >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic had to have been wondering what they did
to deserve their recent four-game road trip.
Either the victims of just plain bad luck or excellent foreshadowing by the
NBA, the Magic recently completed a bruta
U.S. drawn into Group B for Gold Cup >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States Men's National Team (MNT)
was drawn into Group B for the 2007 Confederation of North, Central American
and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup taking place from June
6-24, t
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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