BC Lions re-sign LB McKenzie

Football Betting Lines

01/30/2012 - Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The British Columbia Lions announced Monday the re-signing of linebacker Anton McKenzie.

"Having Anton re-sign is another important step in keeping the core of our team intact moving forward," said Lions general manager Wally Buono. "This is great news for our fans and we'll continue the process of assembling the best possible club for 2012."

McKenzie, who played college ball at UMass, signed with the Lions prior to the 2009 season after three years with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He posted 79 tackles for BC last season, good for second on the team, and tacked on two sacks.

Sportbettingshop Football Betting News

<< Nets rookie MarShon Brooks has fractured pinky toe
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Jersey head coach Avery Johnson revealed Monday that rookie swingman MarShon Brooks is out indefinitely after fracturing the pinky toe on his right foot. The news comes after Brooks returned

<< Baylor still tops women's hoops poll
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baylor is once again a unanimous choice as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press women's college basketball poll. The undefeated Lady Bears received all 40 first-place votes and a total of 1,000 points f

<< Milan's Merkel out two months
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan midfielder Alexander Merkel will be out of action for the next two months, it was confirmed by the club on Monday. Merkel only returned to Milan earlier this month in joint ownership from Genoa with

<< Tigers' Martinez has initial knee surgery
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers announced Monday that Victor Martinez underwent left knee surgery last Friday. Martinez suffered a torn ACL during his offseason conditioning and last week had a number of initial procedu

<< Hurricanes reward D Gleason with four-year extension
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes signed defenseman Tim Gleason to a four-year contract extension on Monday. "We thank Tim for choosing to stay with the Hurricanes long term," said general manager Jim Rutherfo

Kentucky keeps top spot in men's hoops poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky remained the top team in the latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll. The Wildcats moved back to the top last week after Syracuse's six-week run came to a close. Kentucky, which

Mayer, Davydenko advance in France >>
Montpellier, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Florian Mayer and former top-five star Nikolay Davydenko were among Monday's first-round winners at the Open Sud de France tennis event. The German Mayer got past Luxembourg's Gilles Mull

Isles put Reasoner on IR >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders placed veteran center Marty Reasoner on injured reserve Monday with a broken hand. The move is retroactive to January 6. Reasoner, 34, has five assists and a minus-16 rating in 35 gam

Caldwell lands in Baltimore >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens have named Jim Caldwell as their quarterbacks coach. Caldwell was fired as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts two weeks ago in the wake of a 2-14 season and front office

WPS suspends 2012 season >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Women's Professional Soccer announced on Monday that the league will suspend the 2012 season as a result of its ongoing dispute with a former owner. The WPS Board of Governors voted on Monday to suspen

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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.