Edwards and McNulty share Tradition lead

Golf Betting Lines

08/19/2007 - Sunriver, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Edwards and Mark McNulty are tied for the lead after Saturday's third round of the Champions Tour's fourth major of the year, The Tradition.

Edwards, the overnight leader, only managed an even-par 72, while McNulty posted a two-under 70. The pair finished 54 holes at 12-under-par 204 at the Crosswater Club at Sunriver Resort.

D.A. Weibring, who won the 3M Championship two weeks ago, shot a four-under 68 and is alone in third place at minus-four.

Tom Watson, the Senior British Open Champion, carded a five-under 67 on Saturday and is tied for fourth place with Tom Kite, who posted a four-under 68. The duo is knotted at minus-nine.

Edwards began the third round with a two-shot lead, but McNulty wasted very little time cutting into that. He kicked in a three-footer for birdie at the par-five second to reach 11-under par.

Edwards drained a 12-foot birdie putt at the eighth to reclaim his two-shot lead. That did not last long. Edwards missed a five-footer to save par at the ninth and McNulty converted a three-footer for birdie. Now the pair was tied for the lead at minus-12.

McNulty briefly took the lead with a 14-foot birdie putt at the 10th, but an errant drive to the right at 11 and a missed seven-footer for par drew the two back into a tie for first.

The par-five 12th became a pivotal hole. Neither player could reach in two, but Edwards' third hit rolled six feet and fell in for an eagle. McNulty holed a gutsy 25-footer for birdie, but still trailed by one.

McNulty made a spectacular par from horrible lies at the par-five 16th, but it was poor play from Edwards that changed the round. At the par-three 17th, Edwards came up short and right, then chunked his chip shot, not even getting it to the green. His third stopped eight feet from the hole, but Edwards missed that putt. He double-bogeyed the hole and fell one back of McNulty.

Unfortunately for McNulty, he could not keep the lead. He drove into the left rough, failed to make the green with his second, then chipped to 20 feet. McNulty missed the par putt to fall back to 12-under par.

Edwards' skid almost continued on the closing hole. He missed the green left and played his third to 13 feet. Edwards managed to hole his par putt to share the 54-hole lead with McNulty.

"You play yourself into position and then hope things go your way," said Edwards. "You can't be on too much of an emotional roller-coaster out here. It'll be good tomorrow."

Neither co-leader has won a major championship on the Champions Tour. McNulty owns five wins, all coming in 2004 and 2005, his first two years on tour. Edwards' only victory came last year at the 3M Championship.

"Eighteen more questions to be answered," said McNulty. "I need to jostle myself into position to have a chance on the back nine. The key is to play smart."

R.W. Eaks (67) and Keith Fergus (72) are knotted in sixth place at minus- eight.

Chip Beck (68), Loren Roberts (69) and Morris Hatalsky (71) share eighth at six-under-par 210.

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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.

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

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