Udinese deals Fiorentina first loss

Soccer Betting Lines

11/11/2007 - Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Antonio Di Natale's goal in the 63rd minute allowed Udinese to claim a 2-1 win over Fiorentina and put an end to the Viola's 22-game home unbeaten streak.

Fiorentina had the better of the play throughout most of the match, but a few lapses cost the team the game. Fabio Quagliarella opened the scoring for Udinese in the 23rd minute, but Giampaolo Pazzini quickly equalized five minutes later to send the teams into halftime tied at 1-1.

The difference came in the 63rd minute when Di Natale finished off a cross from Simone Pepe to give Udinese the maximum points and pull the team level with Juventus and Roma on points in third place.

Both teams created openings in the first 20 minutes, but it was Quagliarella who got Udinese on the scoreboard first. Tomas Zapotocny got free down the wing and lofted a cross into the box near the penalty spot. Quagliarella got to the ball and headed it past keeper Sebastian Frey for a 1-0 Udinese lead.

Fabio Liverani then created the equalizer five minutes later when he stole the ball at the edge of the box and drove a cross through the face of goal.

Keeper Samir Handanovic was late to react and Pazzini was left with an easy finish.

The hosts started strongly after the restart, but after failing to take the lead, Udinese seized the advantage for good. Pepe crossed low into the area from the right and Di Natale was on the other end to slam the ball off the crossbar and in.

In other action in Italy on Sunday, Juventus fell behind Parma by two goals but rallied to score twice in the final 15 minutes to earn a 2-2 draw. Juve is now tied with Fiorentina and Roma, whose game with Cagliari was postponed on Sunday because of fan violence around Italy.

Lazio's game with Inter Milan was also postponed after a Lazio fan was killed during a clash with Juve supporters earlier in the day. AC Milan had its game with Atalanta suspended after less than 10 minutes because of fan violence as well.

Reggina got its first win of the season in beating Genoa 2-0, Livorno scored three times in the first half and held off Siena 3-2, while Torino and Catania Calcio finished 1-1.

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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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