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<< Brewers' Hart wins arbitration case
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart won his arbitration case with the team on Friday and will earn $4.8 million this coming season. Milwaukee, which paid Hart $3.25 million last year in his firs

<< Three share lead at suspended Avantha Masters
New Delhi, India (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Lane posted his second consecutive round of five-under 67 on Friday to hold the clubhouse lead during the suspended second round of the Avantha Masters. Lane finished 36 holes at 10-under 134 a storm

<< Gonzaga moves into first in WCC with win over Saint Mary's
Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Bouldin led the way with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists to help 16th-ranked Gonzaga seize first place in the West Coast Conference with an 80-61 win over Saint Mary's-CA at the McCarth

<< Spurs enter All-Star break on high note with road win over Nuggets
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - DeJuan Blair and George Hill each scored 17 points, as the San Antonio Spurs dominated the Denver Nuggets, 111-92, at the Pepsi Center. Blair and Hill also pulled down nine and six rebounds, respectively

Canadiens aim to maintain recent success against Flyers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last time out, the Montreal Canadiens were able to end the league's longest winning streak in nearly 17 years. Tonight, the team will be looking to continue an impressive run of its own, as it tries to extend its nine-game ro

Rejuvenated Jackets continue homestand with test from Canucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The suddenly-surging Columbus Blue Jackets will try to claim a season-high fourth victory in a row in this evening's matchup against the Vancouver Canucks, who continue their epic road trip at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Ja

Classic meeting closer to reality >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The impossible is about to happen. Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and undefeated champion mare Zenyatta may actually face each other on the racetrack. Thursday afternoon Oaklawn Park owne

Slumping Devils to get rare visit from Predators >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils can't be a confident bunch right now after blowing two-goal leads in consecutive losses. The Nashville Predators, meanwhile, hope a big win last time out can help them get back on track. New Jersey ho

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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Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

Get all your baseball betting lines, MLB lines and MLB team props at the My Sportbook.

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