12/03/2008 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals signed free agent linebacker Victor Hobson on Wednesday, one day after losing safety Marvin White for the season with a torn knee ligament.
Hobson, a sixth-year veteran, played 76 games for the New York Jets. He started 58 of those games, including 14 in 2007.
A second-round draft pick out of Michigan by the Jets in 2003, Hobson signed on April 7 of this year as an unrestricted free agent with the New England Patriots, but was released on August 30 after playing in all four preseason games, racking up 11 tackles.
In 2007, Hobson tallied 62 tackles and two sacks in all 16 games for the Jets. His career totals incudes 334 tackles, 11 sacks, three interceptions and five fumble recoveries.
The Bengals had an open roster spot after placing White on injured reserve Tuesday. White suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee last Sunday against Baltimore.
In 12 games this season, including 10 starts, the second-year man led the Cincinnati secondary with 81 tackles and also notched one interception.
<< Sliding Blackhawks host Ducks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to avoid a fourth
consecutive loss this evening when they welcome the Anaheim Ducks for a battle
at the United Center.
The Blackhawks recently ended a six-game road trip with a loss in Los A
<< Wild continue homestand vs. Blues
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild continue a three-game homestand tonight
with a visit by the St. Louis Blues to Xcel Energy Center.
The Wild began the residency with a 6-5 setback to the Colorado Avalanche. on
Saturday. The loss was Min
<< Pens visit Rangers in Atlantic showdown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two teams in the Atlantic Division square off
tonight, as the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the New York Rangers and Madison
Square Garden.
The Rangers are tied with Boston for first in the East with 36 points, while
<< Thrashers, Sens meet in Ottawa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling teams will meet tonight in Canada's
capital city, as the Ottawa Senators welcome the Atlanta Thrashers for a
matchup at Scotiabank Place.
The Thrashers have lost four straight and seven of their last e
Panthers and Huskies meet in East Hartford >>
East Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seeking to snap a two-game slide against
the Connecticut Huskies, the 23rd-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers hit the field in
East Hartford this weekend to close out the regular season against their Big
East Confer
ACC crown up for grabs in clash between Eagles and Hokies >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An automatic bid to the Orange Bowl will be on
the line Saturday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, as the Boston College
Eagles and the Virginia Tech Hokies duke it out for the ACC title.
This game is a rematch
East Carolina visits Tulsa is C-USA title game >>
Tulsa, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tulsa Golden Hurricane host the East Carolina
Pirates in the 2008 Conference USA Championship game at H.A. Chapman Stadium
this weekend.
With a 38-35 victory at Marshall in its regular season finale last week
Army and Navy meet for 109th time >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In one of the greatest traditions in all
of sports, the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen will collide this
Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for the 109th
time.
Navy
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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 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.
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