CFL West: Burris powers through errors in win over Riders

Football Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While a home win by the Calgary Stampeders against the Saskatchewan Roughriders isn't completely surprising, that the win came by 20 points is not something many would have expected. Calgary put on a great second half show against what was the league's only undefeated team, and now sit first overall in the west. The Stamps were the only west team to win in week four, however, as Edmonton and BC joined Saskatchewan in the loss column.

CALGARY STAMPDERS

Calgary quarterback Henry Burris entered week four looking to prove himself against the league's best team, and the result was a division prepared to listen.

After giving up four interceptions in a three-point loss to Toronto last week, Burris overcame two first-half picks and tossed four touchdowns in a 40-20 win against the Roughriders.

It certainly wasn't a perfect game. Both of Burris's interceptions came in the Saskatchewan end zone, taking away two plays that should have resulted in points rather than turnovers.

The veteran QB made up for it with three TD passes in the second half, orchestrating a dynamic offensive attack that had the Riders defense gasping for air.

Receiver Romby Bryant was Burris's favorite target, hauling in two touchdown passes and accumulating 116 yards.

As long as Burris can control his sloppy play, as he did in the second half against Saskatchewan, the Stamps can challenge the Riders for first in the west.

Offensive key to next game: Calgary plays again at home, only this time against the unpredictable Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In week four, the Bombers pounced on Edmonton's mistakes and held the Albertan team in check. Winnipeg is looking to sweep the province, but as long as Burris can limit his interceptions, the Stampeders are in good enough shape.

Defensive key to the game: With all the turmoil at quarterback for the Bombers, one would think that holding the offense in check would be a piece of cake. On the contrary, as Steve Jyles performed admirably starting for the injured Buck Pierce, particularly in his ability to mix a solid running game with his passing. Though Jyles had a successful week four, Calgary can slow the momentum if it can halt Jyles from making first downs on the ground.

Look ahead: The Stampeders have an opportunity to surge ahead in the standings if they take advantage of a relatively soft schedule coming up. A home date at Winnipeg is followed by the troubled offense of the BC Lions and then a home game against rival Edmonton Eskimos. All three have losing records and are prime for Burris and the Stamps to add to their woes.

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

Nearly every team has shown at least some level of competency this season - all except for the Eskimos, who are now 0-4 for the first time since 1965.

Such a start points to a possible change in management, or even some roster moves; whatever it is, the Esks have to find out what to do fast as they are fading rather quickly.

Week four's game saw Edmonton try three different quarterbacks, though Jared Zabransky attempted just one pass. Starter Ricky Ray continues to struggle to find his game, tossing two interceptions to go along with two TD's.

On the defensive side of the ball the Eskimos haven't fared much better. While there have been a sample of individuals who have performed decently enough, there needs to be more of a team effort to get over the hump.

Offensive key to next game: Consistency is the ticket for Edmonton in their next game against BC, and a date with the Lions may be just what they need to put in four solid quarters. Given the uncertainty at QB, Arkee Whitlock may be the Eskimos' key man against a Lions team that has allowed some big numbers against the rush.

Defensive key to the game: The Lions offense was better last week, but not the best it could be. If Travis Lulay starts again for BC, Edmonton needs to exploit the newcomer. Lulay did have a decent game for the Lions, though he failed to toss a touchdown pass. Get to Lulay and the Eskimos can give their offense a chance to score some points.

Look ahead: After BC comes a challenge from the year's major story, the resurgence of the Toronto Argonauts. How good are they? Their record indicates they're a team to watch out for, but playing at home is a huge advantage for the Eskimos in this one. Perfect time to pick up that first win, as it appears unlikely they would get it visiting Calgary in Week 6.

BC LIONS

Travis Lulay led the Lions close to victory in Toronto, but a heartbreaking interception returned for a touchdown destroyed what could have been a decent, if not spectacular win for the BC squad.

Though he threw two picks, Lulay did fairly well moving the ball up the field. A bigger concern for the Lions is the play of newly-acquired Jamal Robertson.

Robertson had two touchdowns, but posted just 54 yards and a fumble in a match advertised as a head-to-head battle between Robertson and his replacement at running back, Cory Boyd. The rookie won round one, and if the Lions want to get their offense going, they need Robertson to step it up.

Offensive key to next game: What's the best way to cure a struggling offense? A matchup against the league's worst team, the Edmonton Eskimos. Edmonton allowed 47 points last week and looked lost defending the Bombers. The Esks had some major problems defending the ball on the ground, and so it's time for Robertson to be the player he's capable of being and attack that weakness.

Defensive key to the game: Edmonton will do its best not to go 0-5, and BC needs to be prepared for that desire to break the ice. Ricky Ray will desire to bounce back after having to sit back and watch his teammate, Jason Maas, take a few snaps at QB in an attempt to kick-start the offense.

Look ahead: The Lions' one win grants them a spot higher than Edmonton, but that's about it. Following their tilt against Edmonton the Lions face the top two teams in the west over the next two weeks. BC can climb their way up quickly if they can pick up some wins against their division rivals.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

The season was moving along so smoothly for Saskatchewan's Darian Durant, who appeared to have things well under control at the pivot.

Things did not look that way in week four, however, as Durant threw three interceptions and the defense followed suit by granting too much space downfield for Burris to look at.

Even kicker Luca Congi had trouble getting it going, hitting just one of his three field goal attempts in the game.

Special teams continue to be amongst the Riders' weakness this season as the Stampeders' Deon Murphy averaged over 31 yards per kick return - far too high a number and one that allowed Calgary to maintain better field position.

Offensive key to the next game: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats did a good job of preventing Anthony Calvillo from marching all the way down the field -the problem was Damon Duval hit a team-record seven field goals, points that add up. Riders kicker Luca Congi will need to be more accurate in order for Saskatchewan to get going offensively, while Durant will need to forget about his last performance and focus solely on leading his team over a struggling Hamilton side.

Defensive key to the game: The Ti-Cats were sloppy rushing with the ball against Montreal last week. Saskatchewan can use that if the defensive line bullies down low bother them the way Montreal did, forcing fumbles and turnovers.

Look ahead: After their game against Hamilton, the Riders travel to Montreal in a rematch of the thrilling season opener. The chances of another high-scoring game is highly unlikely as defenses have since tightened up, but if both teams rediscover their offense, perhaps fireworks are still in order.

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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

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.