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08/11/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The concept that "there is little margin for error" doesn't hold much merit in the five-team Great West football conference.
There's usually no margin for error.
There's been a different champion in each of the past four seasons, and last year's race was about as closely bunched as can be expected. No team was better than 6-5, no team was worse than 4-7, and UC Davis reigned with a 3-1 conference mark, followed by North Dakota, South Dakota and Southern Utah at 2-2 each and Cal Poly, the 2008 champion, in last place at 1-3.
Great West head coaches are expecting another close race this season, and a similar finish. Three of the five coaches installed UC Davis as the favorite in the conference's preseason poll, with Cal Poly second and Southern Utah third, gaining one first-place vote each. South Dakota was picked fourth and North Dakota fifth.
"Because of the smallness of the league, every game has a sense of urgency and it throws in a little bit of chaos," Cal Poly coach Tim Walsh said. "In a five-team conference, 4-0 is the mark you have to shoot for."
UC Davis won last year's title despite a two-touchdown loss to North Dakota. The Aggies return eight starters on offense and six on defense, but are replacing standout quarterback Greg Denham after he decided during the offseason not to return for his senior season. A superb offensive line will make the transition easier for expected signal-caller Austin Heyworth.
"I often base a successful football team by what they do during the offseason and the character. the commitment ... and the work ethic," UC Davis coach Bob Biggs said. "And I think that's where we've really done a great job this year. It's player-driven."
Cal Poly returns 19 starters - the most starters among Great West teams - as they try to overcome last year's first losing season since 2002. Included among the veterans are quarterback Tony Smith, his entire offensive line, linebacker Marty Mohamed and cornerback Asa Jackson.
Southern Utah appears to have its best chance to not only post its first winning record in Great West action (the conference formed for the 2004 season), but also win the title. The Thunderbirds return a dominant pair of wide receivers, Tysson Poots and Fesi Sitake, who combined for 164 receptions and 24 touchdown catches last season.
"Every team is capable of beating every other team," Southern Utah coach Ed Lamb said. "Cal Davis and Cal Poly have set the standard in our conference for program consistency, player talent and confidence. We are hoping to catch up in those races."
South Dakota features running back Chris Ganious, while North Dakota will rely on quarterback Jake Landry and running back Mitch Sutton.
"The common denominator of Great West champions, since I've been in this league, is great quarterback play," South Dakota coach Ed Meierkort said. "That has usually separated it. Two years ago, it was Cal Poly's quarterback (John Dally) that played fantastic and last year it was UC Davis' quarterback (Denham) that played fantastic. We were in the hunt because our quarterback played fantastic. You only get so many opportunities in conference games, so you can't slip. You're quarterback has got to make big-time plays."
The reasons for the closeness of Great West races are varied, and each is important for surviving a race in which teams play a mere two conference games at home and two on the road.
"Probably staying healthy at key positions and I think home-field advantage is a big factor, quite frankly, in the Great West," Biggs said. "I think that it's a tough environment because of the altitude and other issues playing at Southern Utah, I think the indoor arenas favor the home teams in North Dakota and South Dakota, and Cal Poly is not an easy place to get to with the long travel."
"Special teams," North Dakota coach Chris Mussman added. "Take a look at Southern Utah's guy (Sitake) last year, he was a weapon. You look at our game against South Dakota and their field goal kicker missed a couple of opportunities that would have put them right in the game. As balanced as we are, I think special teams makes a big difference."
GREAT WEST PRESEASON POLL (Head Coaches)
1. UC Davis (3 first-place votes), 23 points
2. Cal Poly (1), 18
3. Southern Utah (1), 14
4. South Dakota, 11
5. North Dakota, 9
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While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.
As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.
Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.
Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.
Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.
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