Saturday Showdowns On Arena Week 13 Slate
By Steve Makinen
The Arena Football League announced some big news this week, as three former franchises will be rejoining the league next season, Philadelphia, San Jose, and Kansas City. That is then…this is now. There has been some pretty exciting football this season indoors, and a four games in particular on Saturday should continue that trend. Let’s take a look at what the Week 13 Arena Football schedule holds in store. All lines courtesy of Bookmaker.com.
Friday, 6/25/2010
BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT at TAMPA BAY 8:00 PM
The Battle Wings figure to run into a buzzsaw when they visit Tampa Bay on Friday night in NFL Network’s Game of the Week. The difference in how these teams are currently playing is reflected adequately in the line, as the red-hot Storm will play as about a 16-point favorite. The total is set at 112.
Tampa Bay has won five straight games to tie atop the Southern Division standings at 7-3 with Jacksonville. The streak started with a win over this same Bossier-Shreveport team back on May 15th in the road. The Storm was only a 6-1/2 point favorite in that contest, but only won by 4-points, 48-44. Only one of the five wins, over Alabama, came against a team that currently has a winning record.
Bossier-Shreveport has won just one of its last eight games and comes off a 79-50 rout at the hands of Arizona in which it yielded 10.2 yards per play. The Wings are allowing 63.5 PPG on the season , including 72.5 PPG on the road. Still, it is that defensive ineptitude that leads to what could be a nice FoxSheets system on the UNDER the total.
# Play Under - Any team when the total is greater than or equal to 110 (BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT) - with a horrible scoring defense - allowing 60 or more points/game. (55-28 over the last 10 seasons.) (66.3%, +24.2 units. Rating = 2*)
Saturday, 6/26/2010
Saturday’s board features six games in all and four featuring matchups where both teams are in the thick of the playoff hunt. In fact, this could be the single biggest day of the season to date. Here’s a look at those four games with some key betting info from each.
ARIZONA at JACKSONVILLE 7:05 PM
Arizona has won five straight games. Jacksonville is atop the Southern Division. Both teams are 7-3. That is the backdrop for what figures to be an intriguing contest in Jacksonville. The host Sharks have been installed as 5-1/2 point favorites, as oddsmakers seem to be putting a lot of stock into their unblemished mark at home (4-0) and their league-leading defense (52.1 PPG). In fact, this figures to be a battle of wills, as Jacksonville is allowing only 46.0 PPG at home while Arizona is on a 4-week offensive tear in which it has scored 71.5 PPG.
Dating back to the original AFL days, Arizona has always been good as a road underdog, and boasts a 33-16 ATS record as such since ’96. The Rattlers have also been historically strong down the stretch, boasting a 31-15 ATS mark in that same span when playing in the final four weeks of the regular season.
The StatFox Power Line for this game shows that Jacksonville should only be favored by a point.
CLEVELAND at TULSA 8:00 PM
One division clearly stands out right now in the Arena League as its weakest, that being the Southwest. Still, at 6-5, Tulsa is leading the foray by 2-1/2 games and appears to be headed towards a playoff berth. Cleveland might not be so fortunate, sitting at 5-6 and behind two teams in the much tougher Midwest Division. It’s the unfortunate reality the Gladiators face as they prepare for a second season meeting with the Talons. Tulsa is a very uncomfortable 2-point favorite.
In the first meeting between these teams back in May, Cleveland, a 4-1/2 point home favorite, won by 13 (68-55), throwing for 397 yards. The Gladiators come off a huge 76-35 blowout win over Iowa in which WR Ben Nelson had five touchdowns on eleven grabs for 157 yards. He continues to lead the AFL in receiving yards (1,526), receiving touchdowns (39), total TDs (39) and scoring (234).
Cleveland has rewarded it backers of late, going 6-1 ATS in its last seven games. However, the Gladiators are just 2-4 on the road, while Tulsa is 4-1 as a host. That has as much to do with the Talons being the favorites as anything.
ORLANDO at CHICAGO 8:00 PM
In a key game last weekend in Chicago, the Rush overcame a 21-point deficit twice, and the absence of two of its premiere players, to beat Milwaukee 63-56 and take over the Midwest Division lead. Up next for the Rush is Orlando, who has played very well since a slow start. The Predators are 5-2 SU & 6-1 ATS since their 0-3 start and have actually restored playoff hope. Believe it or not, Orlando has made the postseason in each of its last 17 seasons (an AFL record for consecutive playoff appearance). The only time the Preds didn’t reach the playoffs was in their inaugural 1991 season.
Of the Preds’ final six opponents, four have winning records. That should be nothing new, as including Chicago, Orlando’s last four opponents have all led their respective division at the time of the game.
The Rush are just 3-3 in their last six games since a 5-0 start and could be due for a letdown after last week’s emotional game. Oddsmakers have responded to Chicago’s bug upset win over Milwaukee by installing the Rush as a TD-favorite here. Last week they wound up being 9-point underdogs after opening as 2-point favorites. One of the best FoxSheets Systems of the week calls for a letdown too…
# Play Against - Home favorites (CHICAGO) - after 2 or more consecutive wins against the spread, in June games. (28-7 over the last 10 seasons.) (80%, +20.3 units. Rating = 3*)
SPOKANE at MILWAUKEE 8:00 PM
The team on the opposite end of the emotional victory by the Rush last week was Milwaukee, who just can’t seem to get it figured out on the road. The Iron are now 1-4 on the road and face three of their final five games away. That makes this one versus the league’s hottest team, Spokane, at the Bradley Center all the more important. Milwaukee has won six in a row at home and has outscored the opposition by 17.5 PPG.
Speaking of winning six in a row, that is exactly what Spokane has done overall, carrying the league’s longest winning streak into this game. The secret to the Shock’s success this season has been a dominant offense, ranked #1 in the AFL with 66.7 points per game.
Ironically, the Iron’s only road win this season came in the opener at Spokane, before the Shock started rolling. That was a 74-60 decision and the Iron were 1-1/2 point dogs. This time around, oddsmakers are putting a lot of stock into Milwaukee’s home prowess, making them the favorites of 3-points. The StatFox Power Line shows Milwaukee -4, the exact same number the line opened at on Wednesday.