Real Madrid loans Drenthe to Hercules

Soccer Betting Lines

08/31/2010 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid loaned defender Royston Drenthe to promoted Hercules on Tuesday for the rest of the La Liga season.

Drenthe, a Netherlands international, joined Real in 2007 from Feyenoord, but has struggled to earn a significant role in Madrid.

Hercules is playing in La Liga for the first time in 13 years.

Wwwaudiofind Soccer Betting News

<< Wolfsburg sends Misimovic to Galatasaray
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg, which signed Diego last week, sent attacking midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic to Galatasaray on Tuesday. Misimovic, 28, had 17 goals in 65 league matches for Wolfsburg and was a real creator in

<< Juventus adds Traore, Rinaudo
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus signed Arsenal defender Armand Traore and Napoli defender Leandro Rinaudo on season-long loan deals Tuesday. Traore, a 20-year-old left back, made nine appearances for Arsenal last season and Rinaudo,

<< Djokovic, Fish win tough openers in New York
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former runner-up Novak Djokovic and surging American Mardy Fish were a pair of hard-fought opening-round winners Tuesday at the U.S. Open. Djokovic outlasted fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-3, 3-6, 2-6,

<< Roma acquires Borriello from AC Milan
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma acquired forward Marco Borriello on loan from AC Milan on Tuesday, and the deal will become permanent at the end of the season. Roma agreed to take Borriello on loan this season, and will play a nearly

<< Lions sign Boiman
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions signed free agent linebacker Rocky Boiman on Tuesday. Boiman has been in the NFL since 2002 and has played for Tennessee, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Ov

Titans DT Brown back at practice >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Tony Brown returned to practice on Tuesday after being removed from the physically unable to perform list. Brown, who had offseason surgery on his right knee, is expected to

Gophers suspend two for opener >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota has reportedly suspended senior safety Kyle Theret and senior offensive lineman Dom Alford for Thursday's season opener for a violation of team policy. According to the St. Paul Pioneer

Dolphins place OL Garner on IR >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins placed offensive lineman Nate Garner on injured reserve and defensive end Philip Merling on the reserve/non- football injury list. Garner (foot) was competing for a starting role on Miami's o

Ravens acquire CB Wilson from Seahawks >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens acquired cornerback Josh Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a conditional 2011 draft pick. The 5-foot-9, 192-pound Maryland product was a second-round pick of th

Cowboys release Watkins >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday released veteran safety Patrick Watkins. A fifth-round pick by the Cowboys in the 2006 draft, Watkins recorded 122 tackles and four interceptions over 49 games. Dallas al

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.