Mountain West, C-USA to form new conference
NCAA Football Betting Lines
02/13/2012 - Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A new superconference consisting of the remaining members of the Mountain West Conference and Conference-USA, plus others, will be formed in time for the 2013-14 academic year.
The MWC and C-USA have both lost members in the ongoing conference shuffle, leading to the coalition announced on Monday, one day after representatives of 16 universities discussed the issue in Dallas.
The schools present included: the United States Air Force Academy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Colorado State University, East Carolina University, Fresno State, University of Hawaii, Marshall University, University of Nevada, Reno, University of New Mexico, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Rice University, University of Southern Mississippi, University of Texas at El Paso, Tulane University, The University of Tulsa and University of Wyoming.
Hawaii will be a football-only member in the conference, which will consist of 18 to 24 schools and seek NCAA FBS affiliation.
"This is an exciting development that will stabilize the current conferences and create the first truly national conference with members in five time zones and television viewership from coast to coast," said UNLV president and MWC board of directors chairman. "We are moving our plans forward rapidly and expect to complete our conversations in the near future."
The schools are scheduled to work together for the next six months to finalize the daunting merger.
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays signed pitcher Casey Janssen to a two-year contract on Monday. The deal, which is worth $5.9 million, includes a $4 million club option for the 2014 season. Janssen, 30, appeare
<< Harvard wins Beanpot consolation game
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Greiner notched the game-winner late in the
third period as Harvard topped Northeastern, 3-2, in the Beanpot consolation
contest on Monday evening at TD Garden.
Alex Killorn and Alex Fallstrom also tal
<< Flyers C Rinaldo suspended two games
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League suspended
Philadelphia Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo for two games without pay on Monday.
Rinaldo was given the ban for an illegal check on Red Wings defenseman
Jonath
<< Lopez out, Gasquet moves on at Rotterdam
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Feliciano Lopez was a
first-round loser, while fifth-seeded Richard Gasquet moved on Monday at the
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
Lopez suffered a 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 defeat at
<< Bulls' Rose has no structural damage in back
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bulls guard Derrick Rose has no structural
damage in his back, according to the results of an MRI performed Monday.
A team spokesman said the reigning NBA MVP, who has missed two straight games
with a sor
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freddie Solomon, a wide receiver and punt returner for the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers in the 1970s and 80s, has died. Solomon, 59, died Monday, the 49ers said in a statement. He had been bat
No. 9 Baylor handles Iowa State >>
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Perry Jones III netted a game-high 18 points and
pulled down seven rebounds as No. 9 Baylor handled Iowa State, 79-64, on
Monday.
Quincy Miller finished with 16 points and six assists, while Anthony Jones
Syracuse snaps losing streak to Louisville >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.J. Fair scored 13 points, the last two on
a go-ahead layup, and No. 2 Syracuse escaped with a 52-51 win Monday night to
snap a seven-game losing streak to No. 19 Louisville.
Fair's layup, after Dion W
No. 13 Tennessee rips Kentucky >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meighan Simmonds poured in a game-high 25
points as No. 13 Tennessee routed Kentucky, 91-54, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Shekinna Stricklen posted 18 points and six rebounds for the Lady Vols (18-7,
9-3 SE
Sixers hand Bobcats 15th straight loss >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lou Williams scored 23 points and fellow
reserve Thaddeus Young added 20 to help the Philadelphia 76ers down the
struggling Charlotte Bobcats, 98-89, on Monday.
Kemba Walker nearly carried the Bob
Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.