CFL East: Hamilton finally delivers

Football Betting Lines

07/21/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats looked the best of any team in week three, something that will have head coach Marcel Bellefeuille smiling - at least until their next game. One game won't solve everything, but at least Hamilton, and in particular quarterback Kevin Glenn, knows the spark from the latter part of last season isn't entirely snuffed out. Meanwhile, the Toronto Argonauts continue to surprise with a second straight victory, and Montreal sits atop the eastern standings with a 2-1 record of their own.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

It took a little longer than expected but chants of "oskee wee wee" were finally heard last week in Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats pulled off their first win of the season, displaying a great all-around brand of football against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a 28-7 win.

It was a much-improved performance from week one, when the Bombers ran away offensively against Hamilton scoring 49 points. The Ti-Cats had a renewed focus on defense in week three's rematch, as they didn't allow a first down until midway through the second quarter.

The offensive line stepped up big time, giving up just one sack compared with a monstrous seven in week one.

The key for Hamilton, however, was Glenn. If he continues to limit his interceptions - he had none against Winnipeg in week three - and spreads the ball around amongst his receivers, Hamilton will make its way back to being the top team in the east as projected before the season began.

Offensive key for next game: Getting revenge against Winnipeg was good, but now comes a much more important test - a road game against the Montreal Alouettes. Glenn will need to play his absolute best against a defense that limited the Lions to just 12 points in Week 3. Canadian David Stala has emerged as the best option amongst receivers and he'll need another huge game if the Ti-Cats want to get back to .500.

Defensive key for next game: Anthony Calvillo is as good as any quarterback to have played in the CFL, and though the Als have not dominated the way many were expecting, Hamilton can't afford to sleep on the skill set of Montreal's veteran QB. Hindering Calvillo's play is the production of his o-line. The Als have given up a league-leading nine sacks, something the Ti-Cats should be able to exploit on defense.

Look ahead: As if Montreal wasn't a tough enough task, Hamilton has to play the league's best team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the following week. It's entirely possible to lose both games - in fact, it's more than likely given how they are both road games - but Hamilton should not get discouraged if that were to happen. They have the weapons necessary to compete, it's just a matter of getting Glenn and company to perform consistently.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

In each of the past two seasons, the Argonauts probably would have lost the two games they managed to win in this young season. Both were come-from-behind, two-point victories in the fourth quarter, the latter via a one-yard TD run in the last two minutes of play.

Whether it's character, heart, or perhaps just a little luck, there's no denying that this year's team will not give up on any game.

Cleo Lemon has been getting better for the blue and white with each passing game. The 30-year-old is adapting to the CFL rather quickly, using the whole field and taking advantage of the bigger end zone, nowhere more evident than a towering toss to Chad Owens for a two-point convert late in week three's game against Calgary.

Perhaps an even bigger boost for the Argos has been the play of Cory Boyd. The rookie looked completely out of sorts in his first game, but has carried for over 100 yards in each of the last two games.

Offensive key to the game: The Toronto Argonauts play at home again, this time against the punchless BC Lions. As much as the Lions have been struggling offensively, they have been tough without the ball and the Argos will have to show their resiliency once again to get through it. Cory Boyd will need to be huge again for the Argonauts to have a chance.

Defensive key to next game: Running back Jamal Robertson makes his first visit to Toronto since signing with BC and will be motivated to not only perform against his former team but also erase his dismal 4-yard effort in week three. Stopping him will be key for the Argos to have a shot at winning three in a row for the first time since a run of seven back in 2007.

Look ahead: The schedule sure gets tough for the Argos after the Lions. Dates with the CFL's two best teams, Montreal and Saskatchewan, may derail what has been a good start for Toronto.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

The gamble worked for a little while, but Winnipeg's luck ran out last week.

After two weeks of strong play from newly acquired Buck Pierce, the quarterback found himself in familiar territory: on the sidelines, injured.

Reports indicate that the Blue Bomber will be out for two-four weeks, a big blow for a team looking to stay in the hunt in the east.

Steven Jyles will step in for the injured Pierce. He's been in the league for five years, but this will be just his second career start. Behind Jyles will be recently signed Joey Elliot, a former Purdue University player.

With such inexperience at the helm for the Bombers, it will be tough to bounce back from a devastating 28-7 loss to Hamilton last week.

Offensive key to next game: Fortunately for the Bombers, they start off the Pierce-less stretch against the league's worst team, the Edmonton Eskimos. Winnipeg's success will depend on how well Jyles can put it together, but running back Fred Reid must play out of his mind to take the pressure off his inexperienced quarterback.

Defensive key to next game: The Eskimos have been having trouble scoring touchdowns, thanks in part to dropped passes by the receiving corps. Winnipeg's defensive backs need to control the backfield and force Edmonton QB Ricky Ray to make a mistake.

Look Ahead: After hosting the Eskimos, Winnipeg travels to take on the other Albertan team. Calgary has been one of the year's best teams, though the sloppy play of Henry Burris is a concern for the Stampeders. If Winnipeg can win at least one of the battles against Alberta, it would be a huge boost of confidence for a team without their star quarterback.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

After giving up 54 points in the season opener, the Alouettes dropped it down to 23 in their second game, and 12 against BC last week.

The defense is coming around, which is bad news for the rest of the league.

Montreal grinded out a win in BC for the first time in 10 years, a positive step for a team that has yet to have a complete game this season.

But perhaps that's asking too much from even the defending champs. Going 2-1 on a three-game western road trip is usually a good showing no matter what team you are.

Offensive key to next game: The Ti-Cats were impressive defensively against the Blue Bombers last week. If that same defense shows up, Montreal will have problems sustaining long drives, meaning kicker Damon Duval may be leaned on for several field goals. What will help Montreal is if quarterback Anthony Calvillo and long-time teammate Ben Cahoon can find the chemistry Als fans know all too well. The slotback made just three catches in last week's game, and given Cahoon's career as a receiver who can get the clutch first down, now is the time to step up.

Defensive key to the game: Kevin Glenn has been lights-out for Hamilton and will be tough to contain for an Alouettes team who've shown some signs of weakness on pass defense. Stop the passing game, in particular receiver David Stala, and the Ti-Cats are in trouble.

Look ahead: Just as they opened the season on a three-game road trip, the Als return to Montreal for a trio of home games. After hosting Hamilton, the surprising Argos come to town. Both are crucial games for the Als to win and maintain their place as the east's best team.

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Super Bowl XLIII Betting - Super Bowl 2009

Super Bowl 2009, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go.

MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points.

Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game.

Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again.

After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes.

Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at.

Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds.

If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time.

Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now.

Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards

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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