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01/02/2012 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michigan State's Dan Conroy made a pair of field goals in a triple-overtime thriller, lifting the 12th-ranked Spartans to a 33-30 victory over the 18th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the Outback Bowl.
Michigan State got the ball to start the first overtime period, but Kirk Cousins was intercepted by Bacarri Rambo on the third play.
Georgia ran the football twice before Blair Walsh tried a 42-yard field goal to win the game. The ball sailed wide right to keep the game going.
The Bulldogs started with the ball in the second OT, but lost five yards due to a false start penalty. Walsh redeemed himself by making a 47-yard field goal to give Georgia a 30-27 lead.
The Spartans responded with a 35-yard Dan Conroy field goal to send the contest into a third overtime.
Michigan State moved the ball to the six-yard line. Faced with a 3rd-and-2, Keshawn Martin dropped a pass. Following a delay of game penalty, Conroy made a 28-yard field goal for a 33-30 edge.
A big sack by William Gholston set up a 4th-and-14 for the Bulldogs on the 29. Walsh's 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked to end the game.
The Spartans (11-3), who lost 42-39 to Wisconsin in the inaugural Big Ten Conference Championship Game, recorded their first bowl victory in the Mark Dantonio era. It was Michigan State's first bowl win since a victory over Fresno State in the 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic.
<< Count Fleet Stakes set for Saturday
Ozone Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seven possible Kentucky Derby contenders
have been entered in Saturday's $150,000 Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct.
The mile and 70 yard race is the first of New York's preps leading to the Wood
Memoria
<< Debose helps Florida top Ohio State in Gator Bowl
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Debose set a Gator Bowl record with
a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Florida hung on to beat Ohio
State, 24-17, on Monday.
Debose's return up the left sideline in the second quar
<< Report: Steelers RB Mendenhall has torn ACL
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard
Mendenhall has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will
be placed on injured reserve, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Mendenhall
<< Spurs assign Neal to rehab assignment
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs have assigned guard
Gary Neal to the Austin Toros of the NBDL for a medical rehab assignment.
Neal underwent an appendectomy on December 12, 2011.
Neal averaged 9.8 points and 2
Nash leads Suns over Warriors >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Nash netted 13 of his game-high 21 points
in the fourth quarter to go with nine assists, as the Phoenix Suns topped the
Golden State Warriors, 102-91 at US Airways Center.
Markieff Morris finished with
Lundqvist seals Winter Classic win for Rangers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rangers scored three unanswered goals
against backup goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and Henrik Lundqvist stopped a
penalty shot in the final minute Monday, lifting New York to a 3-2 win over
Philade
Stars place D Souray on IR >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars placed defenseman Sheldon
Souray on injured reserve Monday.
The move, which is retroactive to December 23, is due to a sprained ankle that
he suffered in a game against Nashville.
Soura
Rams fire head coach Spagnuolo, GM Devaney >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Rams have fired head coach
Steve Spagnuolo after three disappointing seasons.
In addition to Spagnuolo, general manager Billy Devaney was also dismissed.
The moves came one day after the
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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