Brooks agrees to extension at Kentucky

NCAA Football Betting Lines

12/23/2006 - Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Kentucky head football coach Rich Brooks has agreed to a contract extension.

Brooks is in his fourth season with Kentucky, which is headed to the Music City Bowl against Clemson on December 29.

The Wildcats finished the 2006 regular season at 7-5, a marked improvement from Brooks' first three seasons that produced a dismal record of 9-25. In 22 years as a collegiate head coach, the 65-year-old has a mark of 107-139-4.

Brooks is best known for turning around the Oregon program during his 18-year stint with the Ducks from 1977-94. He guided Oregon to four bowl games, including a Rose Bowl appearance in his final season.

A two-year stint in the NFL followed, as he led the St. Louis Rams to a record of 13-19. He was then the defensive coordinator for Atlanta from 1997-2000.

Sportslone NCAA Football Betting News

<< Inter ties history
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a 2-1 win over Atalanta on Saturday, Serie A's first-place Internazionale equaled the all-time league record for consecutive wins, with its 11th, in front of the home fans at the Stadio Giusepp

<< Krstic's season ends with torn ACL
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Jersey's fear became a medical reality Saturday, when further evaluation revealed that forward/center Nenad Krstic had in fact suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during Friday's loss to

<< Rested Avs entertain improved Blackhawks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche return to action tonight for the first time since the Denver area was rocked by a recent snowstorm, as the well-rested club hosts the Chicago Blackhawks at the Pepsi Center. Colorado's sche

<< Red Wings shoot for sweep of Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings aim for a sweep of their home-and- home series with the Minnesota Wild when the clubs meet again this evening at the XCel Energy Center. The Red Wings took the opener of this set with Frid

<< Stars look to end home slide against Oilers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers will shoot for back-to-back road wins when the previously slumping club skates into the American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Stars. Edmonton had dropped four of its last five games before

Vikings, tackle Williams reportedly near new deal >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Williams will likely have a brand new contract sitting under the Christmas tree, as the Minnesota Vikings and the Pro Bowl defensive tackle are reportedly nearing a seven-year contract extensi

United gets back on track with big second half >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United assured itself the top spot in the Premiership at the half-way point of the season with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday. After suffering a stunning 1-0 lo

I wouldn't have picked Cannavaro, but I understand >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italian Fabio Cannavaro became the first defender to ever capture the FIFA World Player of the Year award recently. The honor is usually reserved for a dynamic striker who has made a habit of hitting

Redskins placed Washington on IR >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Washington's 2006 season officially came to a close Saturday, as the Washington Redskins placed the linebacker on injured reserve with a knee injury suffered in last Sunday's victory over New Orleans

Memphis buries Middle Tennessee State >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doneal Mack scored 18 points to lead five players in double figures, as 18th-ranked Memphis rolled to an easy 86-46 victory over Middle Tennessee at FedEx Forum. Jeremy Hunt added 16 points and Ch

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.