Inter signs Ranocchia to new contract

Soccer Betting Lines

07/21/2010 - Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan manager Rafa Benitez has completed the signing of Genoa defender Andrea Ranocchia on a long-term deal.

The 22-year-old central defender teams up with the San Siro giants after spending the previous two seasons on loan at Bari.

However, the youngster will stay with Genoa for the forthcoming season.

A statement issued by Inter read: "Ranocchia will be under contract at Inter until June 30, 2015. Inter and Genoa have agreed that Andrea will remain at the Liguria club for the 2010-11 season."

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)

Freeporm Soccer Betting News

<< Liverpool adds Wilson from Rangers
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers teenager Danny Wilson has completed his transfer to Liverpool after signing a three-year contract with Roy Hodgson's side. The 18-year-old, who won the SFA and Football Writers' Youn

<< Ajax ends talks with Bayern Munich over Van der Wiel
Amsterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ajax has put an end to talks with Bayern Munich about the sale of defender Gregory van der Wiel, according to the Amsterdam club. Bayern manager Louis van Gaal was hoping to add the right back

<< Boston's Buchholz returns to rotation
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz returns to the rotation Wednesday, as he has been activated from the 15-day disabled list to start against the Oakland Athletics. Buchholz landed on the disabled list in l

<< Eduardo signs for Shakhtar Donetsk
Kiev, Ukraine (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Croatian striker Eduardo signed a four-year contract on Wednesday with Shakhtar Donetsk, bringing to an end his time at Arsenal. The move is believed to have cost Shakhtar a reported $9 million, and it

<< Cech sidelined for one month with calf injury
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea confirmed on Wednesday that goalkeeper Petr Cech will miss the next month because of a calf injury that he sustained in training on Tuesday. "Scans have shown Petr Cech has torn a calf mu

Arsenal hands new deal to teenager Coquelin >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French teenager Francis Coquelin has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, who have confirmed that the 19-year-old will spend the 2010-11 campaign on loan with Lorient. The midfielder made three f

Marlins designate Robertson, put Hayes on DL >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins designated Nate Robertson for assignment Wednesday, a day after the starter struggled against the Colorado Rockies. He allowed eight runs (seven earned) in five innings and took the los

Champions League to use more officials >>
Cardiff, Wales (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Champions League will follow the Europa League's lead and have two extra assistant referees for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has sta

Lukas has Mine That Bird work at Saratoga >>
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird put in a one-mile workout Wednesday morning at Saratoga Race Course. The four-year-old gelding is being readied for a start in the Whitney Handicap next mo

Timberwolves make Ridnour signing official >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves officially announced the signing of guard Luke Ridnour on Wednesday. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Ridnour agreed to a four-year deal worth close to $16 millio

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.