Bobcas NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Jazz use balanced attack to beat short-handed Nuggets
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deron Williams recorded 22 points and nine assists to lead a balanced Utah attack in a 116-106 victory over the short-handed Nuggets in a Northwest Division battle at EnergySolutions Arena. Andrei Kirile

<< Deng, Rose lead Bulls over Heat
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luol Deng had 25 points and Derrick Rose scored 24, as the Chicago Bulls got by the Miami Heat, 95-91, at the United Center. Deng was 9-of-11 at the foul line and Rose hit 6-of-8 at the stripe as the Bulls snap

<< Bogut leads Bucks over Pacers
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrew Bogut finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, as the Milwaukee Bucks took a 93-81 win over the Indiana Pacers. Luc Mbah a Moute added 18 points and 11 boards for the Bucks, who have won

<< Khudobin, Wild stymie Flyers
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anton Khudobin's first career start was a successful one, as the Russian stopped 38-of-39 shots to lead Minnesota over Philadelphia, 2-1, at Xcel Energy Center. The 23-year-old earned his second pro vic

Kobe sits, but Lakers finally win in Portland >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Artest poured in 21 points and Lamar Odom contributed 10 points and tied a career-best with 22 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence of Kobe Bryant to win in Portland for the first time in

Hill, Spurs continue recent dominance over Clippers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - George Hill scored 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and the San Antonio Spurs notched their 15th straight win over the Clippers with a 98-81 win at Staples Center. Tony Parker added 14 points and 14 ass

Freeney sits out Colts' final walkthrough >>
Fort Lauderdale, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney sat out the team's final walkthrough Saturday but is still hopeful he can play in Super Bowl XLIV against New Orleans. Freeney has not practiced with the

Westbrook's all-around effort carries Thunder over Warriors >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant had 29 points and eight rebounds in Oklahoma City's 104-95 win over the Golden State Warriors. Russell Westbrook had an incredible all-around performance with 21 points, 10 assists, a career-best e

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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