Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
09/06/2010 -
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -Oklahoma State uber-booster Boone Pickens spoke for most fans of the Cowboys before their season opener Saturday night against Washington State.
``I'm anxious to see what we've got in the way of an offense,'' Pickens said, noting the offseason hiring of Dana Holgorsen as the Cowboys' new coordinator and play-caller.
Pickens undoubtedly came away satisfied as Oklahoma State rolled up 544 yards in a 65-17 rout of the Cougars. But even after Oklahoma State didn't commit a turnover, had only four penalties and posted its highest-scoring season opener since 1916, Holgorsen said the Cowboys remain far from a finished product.
``We've just got to get better at operating the offense,'' Holgorsen said. ``Whatever they give us, we've got to be able to take it.''
Holgorsen came to Oklahoma State with quite the reputation. He helped Mike Leach construct Texas Tech's frenetic offense before spending the last two years at Houston, where he turned that program into an offensive force. But with four new starters on Oklahoma State's offensive line, a 26-year-old quarterback who hadn't started a football game in nine years, and a mostly inexperienced receiving corps, he wondered how quickly the Cowboys could master his intricate offense.
Early on, quarterback Brandon Weeden looked a bit shaky, acknowledging he had ``jitters.'' Then tailback Kendall Hunter took over. Hunter, a third-team All-America selection in 2008, was severely limited last season by an ankle injury. But he looked like his former self against Washington State, carrying 21 times for 257 yards - the 12th-best single-game total in school history - and four touchdowns.
``When you average 11 yards a carry, you probably ought to give it to him,'' Holgorsen said.
Hunter left the game after the Cowboys' first series of the second half or he could have threatened Barry Sanders' school record of 332 yards, set against Texas Tech during his Heisman Trophy season in 1988.
``I am trying to protect (Sanders) a little bit,'' quipped Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, who played with Sanders that season. ``We'll see if he'll buy a club-level suite if we protect his record.''
Joking aside, Weeden said that Hunter's success running the ball keyed the Cowboys' success in the passing game ``and made things a little easier for me.'' Weeden, a former New York Yankees minor league baseball player, completed 22 of 30 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns, all to Justin Blackmon, before giving way to freshmen backups Clint Chelf and Johnny Deaton.
``We're going to do whatever,'' Weeden said. ``I'll throw it five times a game or I'll throw it 50 times a game. It doesn't matter to me as long as we come away with a win.''
Except for Blackmon, who had eight catches for 125 yards, no other receiver stood out for the Cowboys. Josh Cooper had five catches, but for only 31 yards. Bo Bowling had three catches for 30 yards. Seven other players had at least one catch for Oklahoma State, but Holgorsen didn't sound pleased.
``We've got a long ways to go on offense,'' he said. ``I thought Brandon managed the game well. I thought we took care of the ball well. Obviously, Kendall, they had a hard time tackling him, and then we had at least one deep threat in Blackmon. I'm happy with those three guys, but ... we are still looking for about another six guys to step up and become real players.''
The Cowboys did have an offensive twist not expected with Holgorsen - on a handful of plays, they used a full-house backfield, with three running backs joining Weeden behind the line. Holgorsen smiled when asked about that. He said he and another assistant hatched the scheme this summer during a staff outing.
``It gives you a different way to run the football and use a play-action pass,'' Gundy said Sunday. ``I think it's taking advantage of the personnel we have and using it to the best of our ability.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Jets, Revis agree to deal
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets and Darrelle Revis
have agreed to a deal, ending the cornerback's holdout.
The team made the announcement early Monday morning, according to multiple
media outlets, but did not disclose t
<< Stewart wins at Atlanta and clinches spot in Chase
Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Stewart snapped a 31-race winless streak
in the Sprint Cup Series by taking Sunday's Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta
Motor Speedway.
Stewart put on a dominating performance by leading 176 of 325 lap
<< Giants blank Dodgers to inch closer in division
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Uribe hit a key two-run homer for the
second straight game and Jonathan Sanchez pitched seven strong innings, as the
Giants took a 3-0 win over the Dodgers in the rubber match of a three-game
series.
<< Geovanni leads 'Quakes past Houston
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geovanni scored a goal and assisted on another
to propel the San Jose Earthquakes to a 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo at
Robertson Stadium on Sunday.
The Brazilian was making his first Major League So
Proud powers get early test on rebuilding efforts >>
Michigan-Notre Dame seems so last century now.The game burnished reputations, showcased a handful of top NFL draft picks and often signaled whether either Midwestern power was likely to land a spot in the national championship picture. But the meeti
Leinart finds new home with Texans >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Texans have agreed to a one-year
contract with quarterback Matt Leinart, according to the player's agent.
The Houston Chronicle cited Leinart's agent, Tom Condon, as confirming the
move, which comes
The biggest threat to the U.S. Ryder Cup team >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While I was busy searching for the best line to describe
Miguel Angel Jimenez, someone I don't know beat me to it.
In the Internet age, it isn't hard to believe how it happened.
Sports Illustrated writer Alan Shipnuck po
Phils eye first place in doubleheader with Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even when Roy Oswalt is off his game, he is still pretty
darn good. The Philadelphia Phillies pitcher might get a chance tonight to put
his team back into sole possession of first place in the National League East.
Set to
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting