CFL East: Argos dig deep again; Als stay on

Football Betting Lines

08/10/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a rematch of the epic season opener, the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders battled it out again in Week 6. Though the game had little chance to match the fireworks of a 54-51 double overtime Riders win in Week 1, the two teams still put on a brilliant show worthy of the two best in the league. Meanwhile, the Argos pulled off another late-game upset to move to 4-2.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

The Als can thank their defense for getting through a tough second half against the Riders in Week 6.

Facing a determined Saskatchewan quarterback in Darian Durant, the defense made the big stops when it had to en route to the win.

Linebacker Chip Cox provided the key defensive play with an interception late in the fourth quarter, switching momentum permanently in favor of his Montreal squad.

Offensively the Alouettes struggled to get anything going over the final two quarters.

The Als proved they can win a gritty game when they have to, even if it's against as formidable an opponent as the Riders.

Offensive key to the next game (Toronto Argonauts): The Als have so many weapons at their disposal they could blindfold themselves, spin around in a circle, and randomly point at a player and have him dominate. In Week 5, Avon Cobourne was the weapon. This time around, after the Argos study game film from two weeks ago, it will most likely be someone else.

Defensive key to the next game: Just like in its last meeting, Montreal must stop Cory Boyd, who has been one of the league's best players over the first third of the season.

Look ahead: With the way Montreal has played this season, combined with its recent history of winning records, it's hard to believe the Alouettes finishing anywhere other than first in the East. Wins against Toronto and Winnipeg in consecutive weeks will help confirm that belief.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

What a way to celebrate a birthday.

Cory Boyd had three touchdowns against Edmonton last week, including a game- winning one-yard run in the waning seconds of the contest.

In a season full of surprises for the Argos, Boyd's emergence as not only the team's most important player but also one of the best in the CFL has to be the biggest.

Boyd's stellar play has also allowed Cleo Lemon to acclimate himself to the Canadian football brand at a more comfortable pace.

The former NFL QB looks better every week but, with Montreal on the horizon, he will have to skip a few steps in his development if he wants his team to get a win.

Offensive key to the next game (Montreal Alouettes): The Argos have lost twice, and both times were the only games Boyd failed to hit the century mark in rushing yards. Boyd ran for just 53 yards the last time he faced Montreal and unless Lemon breaks out with a tremendous performance, the running back will have to be lights out once again for the Argos to have a chance.

Defensive key to the next game: First and foremost, prevent Cobourne from amassing 200-plus combined yards of offense as he did in Week 5. Easier said than done, but the Argos need to do a better job anticipating when the Als will rush.

Look ahead: After Montreal, Toronto has a home-and-home series with the Tiger- Cats sandwiched around a bye week. Considering Hamilton is Toronto's biggest obstacle in maintaining second place in the East, these two games will be perhaps the most critical of the season.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

It took six weeks but the CFL's most accurate kicker finally made an impact.

Sandro DeAngelis went 3-for-3 on his field goal attempts, a vast improvement over the 58.3 percent he had heading into Week 6.

It's a big boost for the Ti-Cats and they can only hope DeAngelis will get back to the form he showed in his five previous seasons with Calgary, where he kicked to the tune of nearly 84 percent.

Stealing the show from DeAngelis, however, was another incredible performance from Arland Bruce. Coming off a record-tying 16 receptions in Week 5, Bruce was at it again against Winnipeg with 11 catches for 197 yards.

With Bruce playing at such an elite level, and DeAngelis kicking at his normal efficiency, the Ti-Cats can feel better about finishing the season with a roar rather than a purr.

Offensive key to the next game (Winnipeg Blue Bombers): It's unlikely that Bruce will record 200 yards receiving again, meaning other receivers will have to step up. Bruce and Stala have been the main recipients of Kevin Glenn's bombs, and it's time for the wealth to be shared, especially since DeAndra Cobb has yet to rush the ball with any consistency.

Defensive key to the next game: Strategy shouldn't change for the Ti-Cats in the second part of their home-and-home with the Bombers. The defense pressured quarterback Steve Jyles enough to get him off rhythm, including a crucial fumble in the late stages of Week 6 that led to Hamilton's winning touchdown. Pressure Jyles again and the Ti-Cats will control the game.

Look ahead: A win against Winnipeg would be a great stepping stone to a critical stage of the season: a home-and-home series with the Toronto Argonauts. Catching up to the boatmen is still a possibility. A split is the bare minimum of what they need to accomplish.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Winnipeg was the only team to lose in Week 6 and now shares the worst record in the division with Hamilton at 2-4.

Jyles had the best game of his career, throwing for 367 yards with two touchdown passes. However, his penchant to run with the football led to two fumbles, one of which ultimately cost the Bombers the game.

Holding onto the football should be Jyles' primary focus if he wants to continue to think about running, though he showed improvement in his overall game so the Bombers can afford to feel some optimism.

Offensive key to the next game: While Jyles has to find a better grip on the football, he should also keep getting Arkee Whitlock touches. The running back needs to hit the 100-yard rushing mark if they want to exact revenge in Week 6.

Defensive key to the next game: It takes more than stopping Bruce from making huge catches to defeat the Ti-Cats. Last week, the Bombers managed to stop Bruce in the final quarter, but they couldn't maintain Stala in the process. With little contribution elsewhere among receivers, the focus should be on getting both Stala and Bruce under wraps.

Look ahead: Of the next three games, the match against Hamilton is by far its best chance of picking up a win. On either side of its bye in Week 8 are matchups against Montreal and Saskatchewan. Not a friendly schedule by any means, making this week's tilt against Hamilton even more important to stay within reach of a playoff spot.

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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

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.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

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.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

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