The biggest threat to the U.S. Ryder Cup team

Golf Betting Lines

09/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While I was busy searching for the best line to describe Miguel Angel Jimenez, someone I don't know beat me to it.

In the Internet age, it isn't hard to believe how it happened.

Sports Illustrated writer Alan Shipnuck posted to his Twitter feed Sunday a text message he received from a friend: "Is Miguel Angel Jimenez actually the most interesting man in the world?"

The answer, of course, is no, although watching the cigar-chewing Jimenez describe his post-round dinners in Switzerland in that distinctive Spanish diction was as interesting as anything in those Dos Equis commercials.

Ponytailed and built like an upside-down pear, Jimenez represents the biggest threat to this year's U.S. Ryder Cup team, which is set to be finalized with Corey Pavin's captain's picks on Tuesday morning.

He is the Overlooked Opponent.

For all the talk about how strong the European side is -- Paul Casey is a top-10 player and not on the team? -- almost none of the discussion has included Jimenez.

In fact, when I asked the only Ryder Cup expert I know if Jimenez should have been considered for a captain's selection had he not made the team on points, his answer was a swift "no."

But why not?

Jimenez became the first player on either the PGA or European Tour to win three times this season when he captured the European Masters on Sunday.

Seven days before, Jimenez tied for third place at the Johnnie Walker Championship to make the European team on points, securing one of the last automatic spots.

Despite having another winning season -- he has also picked up titles at the Dubai Desert Classic and French Open -- Jimenez was basically an afterthought when the European Ryder Cup team was finalized by captain Colin Montgomerie.

All the big names came up: Ryder Cup stalwarts Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Padraig Harrington. Rising star Rory McIlroy. Italian brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari.

There wasn't much discussion of the 46-year-old Jimenez. Was it because he only built a 2-7-3 record in three previous Ryder Cup appearances? More ammo for the Overlooked Opponent argument.

We don't know how anyone on the European team will play at Celtic Manor in three weeks, but we do know a few other things.

Westwood, one of the winningest players in Ryder Cup history, is nursing a calf injury and hasn't played four competitive rounds since his runner-up finish at the British Open.

Harrington is having a middling season by his standards and hasn't won since the 2008 PGA Championship. Poulter hasn't posted a top-10 finish since the Masters.

Meanwhile, Jimenez continues to have one of the more noteworthy careers of the last decade. The man they call "The Mechanic" has captured 11 of his 18 career wins since he turned 40.

Another example of his ageless talent? Jimenez flirted with shooting the first 59 in European Tour history last Friday, a bid that was derailed by three straight pars at the end of his round.

Jimenez shot a 61 instead, good for a three-shot lead heading into the weekend. Then he played the final two rounds in the same group with Edoardo Molinari, the 29-year-old surging half of the talented Italian brothers.

In what was basically a match-play scenario between the two players, Jimenez matched Molinari's score in both rounds, protecting his three-shot lead until the end.

Of course, Jimenez was in his element. During the 22 years he has showed up to play at the Swiss mountain resort, Jimenez has stayed in the same hotels, eaten at the same restaurants, enjoyed the support of the same galleries.

"They love me here," he said, drawing on one of his gigantic cigars.

They may love him at Celtic Manor, too, and that should give the American team pause.

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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.