JoePa, Royster on verge of milestones
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/03/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's a milestone in itself that Penn State icon Joe Paterno is still coaching in the twilight of his years. So it comes as no surprise that the bespectacled legend is approaching 400 career wins.
His traditional white-laced Nike's and khaki pants have strolled the sidelines in Happy Valley since the 1960s, leaving many to wonder when Paterno will finally call it quits. It's unlikely the all-time leader in career wins among FBS coaches will shoot for the unprecedented 500-win mark since he's currently 394-129-3 (75.2).
Paterno will enter his 45th season as head coach of the Nittany Lions, who kick off the season Saturday afternoon against Youngstown State. The young squad returns 13 starters from a year ago which could make it tough for Paterno to become only the third coach in NCAA history with 400 victories, joining John Gagliardi (471) and Eddie Robinson (408). Paterno, whose tenure as head coach at PSU is the longest at one institution among major college coaches, won 300 games faster than any other at his position.
Inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in December 2007, Paterno's best years may be behind him. But his love for the sport and Penn State is as fresh as the morning dew.
"I'm feeling really good. And as long as I enjoy it, I'll continue to coach, unless I don't think I can do a good job or anybody else doesn't think I can do the job," Paterno quipped during Big Ten media day.
Let's be honest here.
Who in their right mind at Penn State is going to tell Paterno it's time for him to hang up the cuffed khakis after all of the revenue and popularity he has created in his time in central Pennsylvania?
Some may argue the game has passed Paterno by, but he can simply point towards the four Bowl wins over the past five years, back-to-back 11-win seasons, a myriad of players drafted in the NFL and nation-wide respect from both players and coaches. Paterno has also been fortunate to have great scouts who recruit top-tier athletes around the country.
Enter running back Evan Royster.
Royster is from a hot bed of talent down in Farifax, VA, and has transformed himself into one of the nation's premier backs during his days in State College. Penn State is known for sending its linebackers to the next level, a place where Nittany Lion running backs go to die. Royster will most likely be a mid-round pick in 2011 if he stays healthy and looks to avoid the bust label players such as Blair Thomas, Ki-Jana Carter and Curtis Enis are all too familiar with.
Keeping able-bodied is tough to do at any level of football. Former PSU backs Curt Warner, Tony Hunt and Thomas were able to avoid the trainer's room and are the top three rushers in school history.
Royster, who is returning for his senior season, enters the 2010 campaign with 2,918 career rushing yards and needs 481 more to break Warner's record of 3,398 yards set from 1979-82. He needs only 82 yards to become the sixth Penn State tailback to eclipse the 3,000-career rushing mark. He should get that before halftime versus Youngstown State.
"I wanted to return to finish my degree and for my final year at Penn State," Royster told PSU's official website. "I'm looking forward to next season."
Penn State fans should look forward to seeing Royster become the school's all- time leading rusher sometime in October. The Nittany Lions have three fairly easy games in their first four weeks of action (Youngstown State, Kent State, Temple) save a Sept. 11 road bout with defending national champion Alabama.
In other Penn State news, true-freshman quarterback Robert Bolden is expected to start under center for this weekend's game against the Penguins. Paterno is not well known for throwing young players into the proverbial fire, but then again this a matchup Penn State is expected to win with ease.
Paterno had to pick between several signal callers, including last year's backup Kevin Newsome.
"Based on what we have seen to this point, Bolden has a slight edge right now, but we are confident all three quarterbacks are ready to go and hope to give them an opportunity to play until we settle on the one that gives us the best chance to win," Paterno told the team's website.
Paterno should make that decision Saturday night before the team prepares for a tough showdown with the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, AL.
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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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