Roughriders seek return to win column in clash with Tiger-Cats

Football Betting Lines

07/28/2010 - Regina, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No longer the last undefeated team in the CFL this season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders try to continue their recent dominance over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats when the two squads clash at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Saturday.

The Roughriders, who erupted for 54 points during a season-opening, overtime win over Montreal, were limited to a season-low 20 points last weekend in their 20-point loss to Calgary on the road. For the first time this season, Saskatchewan failed to score the first points of the game and the team's defense completely broke down in the second half as it allowed 33 points.

Quarterback Darian Durant was held in check for much of the game, throwing his lone touchdown of the event late in the fourth quarter, once the outcome had already been decided. Durant finished the night 22-of-37 for 354 yards, but he was picked off three times and sacked twice.

Weston Dressler accounted for nine receptions for 125 yards, both of which were game highs. Running back Wes Cates added another 83 yards and a score on 16 rushing attempts.

As for the Tiger-Cats, they kept things close against Montreal in the first half last Thursday, but then Hamilton allowed the Alouettes into the end zone in the second half and that was too much to take in the 37-14 final at McGill Stadium. Quarterback Kevin Glenn hit 16-of-32 passes for 201 yards, but late in the meeting he was taken out in favor of Quinton Porter who converted 5- of-7 passes for 70 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while suffering a pair of sacks along the way.

The so-called rushing attack of the Ti-Cats was limited to only 49 yards on 14 attempts, with DeAndre Cobb gaining a team-best 25 yards on eight tries. Cobb has had some serious trouble gaining his footing early in the season, amassing a combined 137 yards on 39 attempts which means, of the league's top 30 runners after four games, Cobb has the worst average per carry (3.5 yards) by far.

As a group, Hamilton is the weakest rushing team in the league with only 71.5 ypg, gaining a full yard less per attempt than any other team in the CFL at the moment.

Needing Glenn to bounce back in order to give them a fighting chance this time around, the Tiger-Cats understand that their best offensive threat stems from Glenn in the pocket. The signal-caller has completed better than 65 percent of his attempts for close to 1,100 yards and has five touchdowns and just a single interception to his credit, the fewest miscues of any starter in the league right now.

Even though he had a sub-par game judging by his own standards, Durant is still the quarterback by which the rest of the league is measured through four games, at least in terms of his overall yardage which stands at 1,325 yards. Having completed close to 61 percent of his attempts thus far, Durant is tied for second in the league with eight touchdown throws.

Now in his fifth CFL season, Cates is on pace to have his most successful campaign now that he has 400 yards and three touchdowns through four games. Perhaps most impressive is his average of seven yards per attempt, although that's not an average that will stand up through all the bumps and bruises of an entire regular season. Nevertheless, the Roughriders as a team have been taking it to the rest of the league with their running game, averaging a CFL- best 178 ypg and an explosive 8.1 yards per attempt. Again, those numbers will not stand up over time, but at least for the moment opponents like Hamilton will have to guard against them.

Saskatchewan has won 11 of the last 12 meetings with the Ti-Cats, although it was Hamilton that posted a 24-6 triumph in the most recent encounter last October 31 at home. As a result of that outcome, the all-time regular-season series is knotted at 36-36-4 dating back to 1950.

The Roughriders have won both of their home dates thus far in 2010, while Hamilton has come up empty in two road dates. The Tiger-Cats will serve as hosts for the only other meeting this year between the two clubs, slated for September 25.

Durant and Cates are as scary a one-two punch as there is in the league entering the fifth week of the season and if Hamilton eases up on one, expect the other to take advantage.

Wwwsportsbetting Football Betting News

<< Argos and Als square off for first in the East
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their touchdown drought now a memory, the Montreal Alouettes turn their attention to the Toronto Argonauts as the two clubs, tied for the lead in the CFL's Eastern Division, tangle at McGill Stadium on Thurs

<< Phillies try to extend season-best win streak against D-Backs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay tries to extend the Philadelphia Phillies' season-high win streak to seven games this evening when they continue their three-game set at Citizens Bank Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Halladay won for th

<< Twins hope to continue offensive onslaught in Kansas City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their offense producing runs at an incredible rate, the Minnesota Twins set their sights on a fifth straight victory as well as a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals when the American League Central foes square o

<< Reds wrap up set in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After breaking out of an offensive slump last night, the Cincinnati Reds hope to be swinging hot bats for a second straight day when the National League Central co-leaders conclude a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewe

<< FBS Football: Agent-Gate 2010
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Throwing the word "Gate" behind subject matter gives the impression of impropriety, and in turn draws a line in the sand for those trying to decide what to make of an issue. At SEC Football Media Day earli

Eskimos in search of elusive first win >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Off to their worst start in nearly half a century, the Edmonton Eskimos again take aim at their first win of 2010 when they entertain the British Columbia Lions on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium. Edmont

Blue Jays try to add to Orioles' misery >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista may still not be a familiar name among many baseball fans, but the Baltimore Orioles know all too well how good the Toronto Blue Jays slugger has been this season. The major league's leading home run hitter i

Staal brothers visit 18U Worlds in Thunder Bay >>
Thunder Bay, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - How can one pack even more excitement into nine days of baseball at the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship? Getting all four Staal brothers on the premises is a good start. NHL stars Eric, Jordan,

A-Rod takes another crack at 600th home run in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez was supposed to take center stage in the New York Yankees' game with the Cleveland Indians last night, but an unknown rookie on the opposing team wound up being the star of the show. After coming up empty on

Injury-depleted Tigers continue set at the Trop >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers are hurting, both on the field and in the American League playoff race. Faced with the prospect of their longest road losing streak in nearly five years, the battered and badly-struggling Tigers continue

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.


SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards