UC Davis set for first Big Sky season

NCAA Football Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Davis, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UC Davis football is set to enter a new era in 2012 with eight Big Sky Conference games as well as a visit to San Jose State as part of an 11-game schedule.

The Aggies are joining the Big Sky from the Great West Football Conference, which disbanded after the 2011 season.

Bob Biggs, who will retire following this 20th season as UC Davis' head coach, will watch his team kick off the campaign with three non-conference games. The Aggies will host Azusa Pacific in their opener on Sept. 1.

That will be followed by a trip to FBS member San Jose State on Sept. 8. The Aggies pulled a 14-13 upset at San Jose State in 2010.

UC Davis' final non-conference game will be at South Dakota State on Sept. 15.

The rest of the Aggies' season will be Big Sky games, starting at Cal Poly, their rival from the Great West which also is joining the Big Sky, on Sept. 22.

UC Davis' conference home games will be against Weber State (Sept. 29), Montana State (Oct. 6) on Homecoming, Portland State (Oct. 27) and Sacramento State (Nov. 17) in the 59th annual Causeway Classic. The Aggies hold a 41-18 advantage in that all-time series.

The Aggies also will travel to Big Sky foes Idaho State (Oct. 13), Northern Arizona (Oct. 20) and Eastern Washington (Nov. 10).

"Each week it will be fun for our fans to not only follow the results of our games, but also the results for the rest of the Big Sky Conference as each will have meaning in conference standings and playoff implications," Biggs said. "We have missed being in a strong conference affiliation with recognized opponents for decades and this opportunity will just add to the excitement of Aggie football."

2012 UC Davis Football Schedule

Sept. 1, Azusa Pacific

Sept. 8, at San Jose State

Sept. 15, at South Dakota State

Sept. 22, at Cal Poly*

Sept. 29, Weber State*

Oct. 6, Montana State* (Homecoming)

Oct. 13, at Idaho State*

Oct. 20, at Northern Arizona*

Oct. 27, Portland State*

Nov. 10, at Eastern Washington*

Nov. 17, Sacramento State*

* - Big Sky Conference game

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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.