08/12/2008 - Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders have named reigning AHL coach of the year Scott Gordon head coach, making him the 14th head coach in franchise history. He has agreed to a multi-year contract with the team.
Gordon, 45, led the Providence Bruins to an AHL-best 55-18-3 record last season and guided the team to a 221-141-20-27 record in five-plus seasons.
"Scott has been one of the top up-and-coming coaches in hockey and with good reason," said Islanders general manager Garth Snow. "Through his work in the minor leagues and most recently with Providence over the last eight years, he has gained an impeccable reputation. The entire Islanders organization looks forward to working with Scott."
A goaltender for Boston College from 1982-1986, Gordon appeared in the NCAA Frozen Four in 1985 and was a Hockey East First-Team All-Star in 1986. He played a total of 23 career NHL games, all with the Quebec Nordiques, and played on the 1992 United States Olympic team.
After retiring as a player in 1994, Gordon began his coaching career with the International Hockey League's Atlanta Knights from 1994-1996, and spent time with the Quebec Rafales from 1996-1998. He also coached the Roanoke Express of the ECHL from 1998-2000 before becoming an assistant at Providence.
<< White Sox OF Quentin scratched
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin
was scratched from Tuesday's game against Kansas City after being hit by a
pitch in Monday's loss to the Boston Red Sox.
Quentin has been hit by a pitch in each of t
<< Ravens ink FB Neal to bolster backfield
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens signed Pro Bowl
fullback Lorenzo Neal on Tuesday.
After five seasons as the lead blocker for perennial Pro Bowl selection
LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego, Neal was releas
<< Colts CB Coe done for season
Terre Haute, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts cornerback Michael Coe
will miss the 2008 season, the club announced Tuesday.
Coe underwent surgery on his left knee last week, and won't be ready for
football action for at le
<< Padres place Corey on DL
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres placed pitcher Bryan
Corey on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a strained left hamstring.
The move is retroactive to August 10.
The 34-year-old Corey is 1-3 this season with a
Giants P Lincecum leaves game with injury >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum left
Tuesday's game against the Houston Astros after being struck by a line drive
in the fifth inning.
Lincecum, who is a viable Cy Young candidate this season, w
Dickau leaves NBA for Europe >>
Avellino, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Clippers guard Dan Dickau has
signed with Euroleague team Avellino, the club announced Tuesday.
Dickau, 29, averaged 5.3 points and 2.6 assists in 67 games with the Clippers
last season, his
Astros' Matsui leaves game with sore back >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros second baseman Kazuo Matsui
left Tuesday's game against the San Francisco Giants with a sore back.
He is listed as day-to-day.
Matsui went 0-for-1 before leaving following the second
Phillips, Volquez help Reds topple Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Phillips belted a two-run homer to
lift the Cincinnati Reds over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-1, in the first
contest of a three-game set at PNC Park.
Javier Valentin added a solo shot for t
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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