Lekic, Osasuna sink Barcelona

Soccer Betting Lines

02/11/2012 - Navarra, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona's title ambitions took a massive hit on Saturday as Dejan Lekic scored a first-half brace to help Osasuna stun the defending champions, 3-2, at the Estadio El Sadar.

Lekic provided an early blow to the visitors when he scored in the fourth minute, while the advantage was doubled in the 21st when Lekic got on the other end of a low cross from Alvaro Cejudo to finish off the play at close range.

Barca found a way back into the match early in the second half with Isaac Cuenca's cross being converted from a few yards out by Alexis Sanchez, only for the hosts to restore their two-goal lead five minutes later with Raul Garcia knocking a shot off the near post and into the net.

Cristian Tello came off the bench to pull a goal back for Barca in the 73rd with a fine left-footed strike from inside the penalty area, but Osasuna continued to threaten as Francisco Punal struck the post.

The visitors poured on the pressure over the final 15 minutes, and after Sanchez had a goal ruled out for offsides, the Chile international was denied by a good save from Osasuna goalkeeper Andres Fernandez.

Barca's final chance to claim a point came deep into stoppage time when a header from Cesc Fabregas was saved by Fernandez from eight yards.

Pep Guardiola's men are now seven points back of leaders Real Madrid, who can move 10 points clear with a win on Sunday at home against Levante.

Real Betis 2, Athletic Bilbao 1

Seville, Spain - Real Betis moved three points above the drop zone on Saturday as Nelson's stoppage-time goal handed the home side a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Ruben Castro fired Betis in front in the opening 10 minutes when he curled a shot inside the far post from 10 yards, only for Javi Martinez to cancel out the tally 12 minutes later with a headed goal from a corner kick for Athletic.

But Martinez received his second yellow card in the 63rd, and Nelson snatched all three points for his side with a well-struck volley from the edge of the penalty area to help Betis snap a run of three losses in four games.

Racing 0, Atletico Madrid 0

Santander, Spain - Atletico Madrid was held to a second successive 0-0 draw on Saturday, this time at Racing.

The visitors dominated play for long spells, especially in the second half, but were unlucky not to leave El Sardinero with three points.

Atletico was especially in control in the second half as Diego struck the post after exchanging passes with Arda Turan, while Radamel Falcao also wasted a great opportunity as he shot the ball against the post after collecting a rebound from Diego's shot.

A win could have temporarily lifted Atletico into the top four, but the club will have to settle for extending its unbeaten streak to six games.

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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.

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