Aggies and Golden Bears take Holiday in San Diego
NCAA Football Betting Lines
12/24/2006 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Life Holiday Bowl will pit the 21st-ranked Texas A&M Aggies of the Big 12 against the 20th-ranked California Golden Bears of the Pac-10 in San Diego.
Texas A&M finished the season with a 9-3 overall record, including a 5-3 mark in the always-tough Big 12 Conference. While the Aggies have been notoriously tough to beat at home, they have played their best football away from Kyle Field this season. In fact, they are attempting to become the first Aggie squad since the 1939 national championship team to post an unblemished record away from Kyle Field, as they are currently 4-0 on the road and 1-0 in neutral site games. Texas A&M is 13-15 all-time in bowl games, and it hopes for a better finish than the 38-7 loss that it suffered in the 2005 Cotton Bowl to Tennessee.
California also enters this game with a 9-3 overall mark, and it finished 7-2 in Pac-10 play to capture a share of the league title. Considering that the Golden Bears last won a share of the title back in 1975, Jeff Tedford has clearly elevated the program to a level it normally doesn't reach. California is set to participate in a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season, the first time the program has ever accomplished that feat.
California and Texas A&M have split their only two series meetings, and the most recent matchup occurred in 1983.
Texas A&M is a formidable offensive team that is averaging 29.3 ppg and 401.4 total ypg. There is no question that the ground attack is the driving force behind the success of the unit, as the Aggies have racked up 32 rushing touchdowns while averaging 210.5 ypg on 5.0 ypc. Three players have combined to carry the ball 411 times for well over 2,000 yards, and the backfield by committee approach has kept the runners fresh and defenses off balance. Mike Goodson leads the way with 785 rushing yards and a tremendous average of 6.9 ypc. Jorvorskie Lane is the club's short-yardage back, and he has scored a staggering total of 19 rushing touchdowns. The third member of the trio is Stephen McGee, who has run for 635 yards. McGee, the team's starting quarterback, has also passed for 2,118 yards and 11 touchdowns with only two interceptions. There isn't a top-notch receiver in the fold, but McGee does a good job of spreading the ball around.
Opponents are only scoring 18.5 ppg against Texas A&M, which is yielding 309.8 total ypg to its foes. The Aggies sent a major message to the college football world, and to California in particularly, when it limited a normally-explosive Texas team to seven points in the regular season finale on November 24th. With 21 takeaways and 17 sacks, Texas A&M isn't one of the best big-play defenses participating in this bowl season, but the unit is solid against both the run and the pass. One of the most impressive stats worth mentioning is that the Aggies are permitting their opponents to make good on only 29 percent of their third down conversion attempts. Justin Warren is the leading tackler for Texas A&M, as he has made 90 total stops. Keep and eye on Chris Harrington, as he has registered 11.5 TFLs, including 7.5 sacks this year.
California is not short on offensive weapons, and the most dangerous of all is tailback Marshawn Lynch. Recently named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, Lynch has rushed for 1,245 yards and has scored 13 touchdowns. He is just the second player in Cal history with two 1,000-yard seasons, and he is the fourth to go over 3,000 rushing yards in a career. DeSean Jackson steals many headlines as well, both as a receiver and a returner. Jackson has scored 13 touchdowns to tie Lynch, and he is first in the nation in punt return average and has taken four punts into the end zone. As a receiver, Jackson has made 54 grabs for 979 yards and nine scores, and he is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. The man entrusted with getting the ball to Lynch and Jackson is quarterback Nate Longshore, who has completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 2,786 yards with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Clearly, this California offense is loaded. The team averages 31.8 ppg and 410.6 total ypg.
While Lynch and Jackson are the stars of the offense and special teams, Daymeion Hughes is the man on defense. The senior cornerback leads the team and is tied for third nationally in interceptions with eight. He has registered 11 pass break-ups and is second on the team in tackles with 67. Desmond Bishop is another All-Pac-10 performer who has recorded 114 tackles, 47 more than anyone else on the team. He has posted 14 TFLs and picked off three passes as well. The Golden Bears are limiting opponents to 20.1 ppg on 367.7 total ypg. The run defense has been strong, yielding only 3.7 yards per carry. While Cal has registered a high total of 20 interceptions, the team is giving up 13.4 yards per pass completion, so there have been some big plays made through the air.
This game features a confident Texas A&M team coming off a win over Texas and an explosive California club which earned its first taste of the conference crown in a couple of decades. Expect this one to be close for the most part, although the Golden Bears have to get the slight edge because of the presence of Lynch and Jackson.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: California 31, Texas A&M 20
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He got all of it
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Sportsbooks to bet on football
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.