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Xavi agrees to new deal with Barcelona
Soccer Betting Lines
12/04/2008 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona midfielder Xavi has confirmed that he has agreed a new contract that will see him play out the rest of his career at the Camp Nou.
The 28-year-old Spain international had been linked with a move away from Barca in recent weeks, but he is now poised to pen a deal running until the summer of 2014 with the Catalan giants.
He told El Mundo Deportivo: "The president [Joan Laporta] has given me his word and I have given him mine and, if all goes well, we will sign the contract next week.
"It will be until 2014, when I will be 34.
"I hope to retire at Barca, but at the time I feel I cannot be useful to the club I will go, because I have had the fortune to play for the club I love."
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry is not planning to make any more comments on his future until the end of the season. The England international was widely expected to leave Villa Park and si
<< NFLPA files lawsuit to block suspensions
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL Players Association filed a
lawsuit Thursday, challenging the suspensions of five players levied earlier
this week for violations of the league's steroids policy.
New Orleans' Charles Gr
<< Saints place S Kaesviharn on IR
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints placed veteran safety
Kevin Kaesviharn on the reserve/injured list Thursday with a neck injury,
effectively ending his season.
Head coach Sean Payton described the injury as a s
<< Wolfsburg eliminates Portsmouth from UEFA Cup
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zvjezdan Misimovic stole the ball off the
feet of Portsmouth and England goalie David James to score the winning goal in
Wolfsburg's 3-2 UEFA Cup win Thursday that sent the Germans into the next round
and
<< Cowboys' Barber uncertain for Steelers game
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber did
not practice Thursday because of a dislocated toe, leaving his status for
Sunday's game at Pittsburgh in doubt.
Barber has missed three consecutive practices
La Quinta, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Nitties fired a nine-under 63 Thursday to grab a one-shot lead after two rounds at the Final Stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School. Nitties completed 36 holes of the 108-hole tournament at 12-unde
Fabregas committed to Gunners >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has reaffirmed
his desire to remain with the Gunners following speculation linking him with AC
Milan.
The 21-year-old midfielder was reported to be interested in joining Milan
Hoffenheim's Ibisevic shuns Bayern link >>
Hoffenheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoffenheim star striker Vedad Ibisevic
has committed his immediate future to the Bundesliga's surprise leaders, having
been linked with a move to Bayern Munich.
The 24-year-old Bosnia international
Goya leads Canadian event by two shots >>
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Estanislao Goya fired a six-under
65 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Argentine
Masters at Olivos Golf Club.
Josh McCumber is alone in second place at minus-four.
NFL Inactives (Thursday, December 4, 2008) >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive
players for tonight's NFL game.
OAKLAND RAIDERS AT SAN DIEGO CHARGERS, 8:15 P.M. (ET)
Raiders - 3rd QB Marques Tuiasosopo, LB Ricky Brown, CB Michael Waddell, C Jake
Teams that should be in: Stanford
Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds | |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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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 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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