According to dictionary.com, these are the three most popular definitions of a trap:
1. A contrivance for catching and holding animals, as a concealed pit or a clamplike device that springs shut suddenly.
2. A stratagem for catching or tricking an unwary person.
3. A confining or undesirable cicrumstance from which escape or relief is difficult.
For the sake of discussion in sportsbetting, I'd think #2 and #3 are most applicable.
~~~~~~~~~~buddy's best example of a trap~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last year in college football, on Oct 19, OKLAHOMA opened as a 9 pt. home chalk to a red hot Iowa State team led by Heisman Candidate, Seneca Wallace.
Coming into Norman, ISU had won/covered 5 games in a row. They simply steamrolled anyone in their path.
Oklahoma, for the most part, was on life support. They had just been handed a fourth quarter gift in beating Texas -3, 35-24.
Texas outplayed Oklahoma for 3' quarters, but Stoops, with a less talented team, outcoached Mack Brown and what else is new?
Prior to the ISU game, Oklahoma had two previous win/no covers in the role of a favorite.
Critics were saying all year long Oklahoma's offense was anemic and Oklahoma, true to form, was living up to the criticism.
Part 2 ~~~
Enter The Linesmaker.
Oklahoma opens at -9.
Question? Why would the Linesmaker open a struggling OKLA team as an 9 pt fav into the teeth of a team who is steamrolling every opponent they face?
In no time, this line was bet down from -9 to -8.
Chances are, the Linesmaker knew something about this matchup the average square (me) did not know.
The following reply may shed some light on what the Linesmaker knew....
IOWA STATE AT OKLAHOMA (-9)
We have broken down five (5) of Iowa State's films and the Cyclones may have played as close to their potential as any team in the country this year.
But the problem for ISU is that playing at their potential against the Sooners is likely to get them killed. Outside of Seneca Wallace at quarterback, ISU probably does not have even one other player who would start for OU anywhere on the field.
Iowa State does a great job of putting Wallace in position to make plays running and throwing. But what gives him the freedom to make those plays is that ISU has run the draw and the off tackle so well on everybody this year, which has forced defenses to stay closer to the center of the field and thus opens up the outside lanes for the bootleg passes as well as the bootleg runs. ISU's offensive line is actually pretty average in the Big 12 and nowhere close to as talented as what OU faced last week against Texas. So we expect OU's front four to totally dominate, which will allow OU's linebackers to flow to wherever Wallace is and make plays.
> We think OU learned something in playing against Missouri's Brad Smith who athletically is very similar to Wallace. OU just sat back in soft zones, which allowed Smith to drop back and then take off either off the scramble or on designed off tackle countersweep plays. For the first time in years, OU sat back passively and Smith almost made them pay for it by having over 400 yards in total offense. By contrast, Nebraska blitzed Smith almost every play last week and held Smith to just over 150 yards in total offense. OU is better coached than anybody on defense in the country and thus we expect OU to blitz on almost every play and force Wallace to give up the ball. ISU's passing game depends on the short passes like stops and slants and if OU is going to blitz as much as we expect, then OU's secondary is going to have to come up and play a tight man to man since Wallace's only chance of completing passes will be on the short routes before the blitz-rush gets to him. If OU is as aggressive as we expect them to be, ISU is in for a long game.
>
> When OU has the ball, their running game depends on the draw as well as pitch plays to either side but their running game is secondary to the
> passing game. ISU has not faced any team with even one receiver who is as good as any of OU's top 3 receivers so ISU will be forced to use safeties in pass coverage or to take out a safety in lieu of a cornerback to cover the wide receivers. Last week, ISU kept their safeties in the game against Texas Tech but Tech's receivers are more possession type of receivers and thus ISU's safeties' lack of speed did not come into play much. Last week alone, Texas Tech had 37 positive passing plays while ISU only forced 7 negative passing plays. That does not bode well for ISU.
Not only did Tech throw the ball at win on ISU, but Tech also popped several draws which ISU looked confused at trying to stop. If we were coaching ISU's defense this week, we would be tempted to rush four down linemen and ends but then use a safety at the middle linebacker position (to stop the draw) while dropping 6 corners and safeties into pass coverage and at least force OU into nickle and diming us to death. But the problem with that defense is that OU would never punt and ISU would still lose badly so ISU is going to have to try and make some plays defensively which will then allow OU to burn them for big plays.
>
> Neither team's kicker is going to win any awards but OU's return and coverage teams are among the best in the nation and will provide OU with great field position in this game. Much like the KSU-Texas game, this game should be over at the half. If OU won by at least 31 points, we would not be shocked.
>
> The Film Junkie is a former Big 12 player with close ties to his alma mater. Although now a professional man in his community, he still grades a lot of football film.
Write to him at footballfilms@hotmail.com.
Final: OKLA -8, 49-3
IMO, this matchup and subsequent result satisfies trap definitions #2 and #3.
1. A contrivance for catching and holding animals, as a concealed pit or a clamplike device that springs shut suddenly.
2. A stratagem for catching or tricking an unwary person.
3. A confining or undesirable cicrumstance from which escape or relief is difficult.
For the sake of discussion in sportsbetting, I'd think #2 and #3 are most applicable.
~~~~~~~~~~buddy's best example of a trap~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last year in college football, on Oct 19, OKLAHOMA opened as a 9 pt. home chalk to a red hot Iowa State team led by Heisman Candidate, Seneca Wallace.
Coming into Norman, ISU had won/covered 5 games in a row. They simply steamrolled anyone in their path.
Oklahoma, for the most part, was on life support. They had just been handed a fourth quarter gift in beating Texas -3, 35-24.
Texas outplayed Oklahoma for 3' quarters, but Stoops, with a less talented team, outcoached Mack Brown and what else is new?
Prior to the ISU game, Oklahoma had two previous win/no covers in the role of a favorite.
Critics were saying all year long Oklahoma's offense was anemic and Oklahoma, true to form, was living up to the criticism.
Part 2 ~~~
Enter The Linesmaker.
Oklahoma opens at -9.
Question? Why would the Linesmaker open a struggling OKLA team as an 9 pt fav into the teeth of a team who is steamrolling every opponent they face?
In no time, this line was bet down from -9 to -8.
Chances are, the Linesmaker knew something about this matchup the average square (me) did not know.
The following reply may shed some light on what the Linesmaker knew....
IOWA STATE AT OKLAHOMA (-9)
We have broken down five (5) of Iowa State's films and the Cyclones may have played as close to their potential as any team in the country this year.
But the problem for ISU is that playing at their potential against the Sooners is likely to get them killed. Outside of Seneca Wallace at quarterback, ISU probably does not have even one other player who would start for OU anywhere on the field.
Iowa State does a great job of putting Wallace in position to make plays running and throwing. But what gives him the freedom to make those plays is that ISU has run the draw and the off tackle so well on everybody this year, which has forced defenses to stay closer to the center of the field and thus opens up the outside lanes for the bootleg passes as well as the bootleg runs. ISU's offensive line is actually pretty average in the Big 12 and nowhere close to as talented as what OU faced last week against Texas. So we expect OU's front four to totally dominate, which will allow OU's linebackers to flow to wherever Wallace is and make plays.
> We think OU learned something in playing against Missouri's Brad Smith who athletically is very similar to Wallace. OU just sat back in soft zones, which allowed Smith to drop back and then take off either off the scramble or on designed off tackle countersweep plays. For the first time in years, OU sat back passively and Smith almost made them pay for it by having over 400 yards in total offense. By contrast, Nebraska blitzed Smith almost every play last week and held Smith to just over 150 yards in total offense. OU is better coached than anybody on defense in the country and thus we expect OU to blitz on almost every play and force Wallace to give up the ball. ISU's passing game depends on the short passes like stops and slants and if OU is going to blitz as much as we expect, then OU's secondary is going to have to come up and play a tight man to man since Wallace's only chance of completing passes will be on the short routes before the blitz-rush gets to him. If OU is as aggressive as we expect them to be, ISU is in for a long game.
>
> When OU has the ball, their running game depends on the draw as well as pitch plays to either side but their running game is secondary to the
> passing game. ISU has not faced any team with even one receiver who is as good as any of OU's top 3 receivers so ISU will be forced to use safeties in pass coverage or to take out a safety in lieu of a cornerback to cover the wide receivers. Last week, ISU kept their safeties in the game against Texas Tech but Tech's receivers are more possession type of receivers and thus ISU's safeties' lack of speed did not come into play much. Last week alone, Texas Tech had 37 positive passing plays while ISU only forced 7 negative passing plays. That does not bode well for ISU.
Not only did Tech throw the ball at win on ISU, but Tech also popped several draws which ISU looked confused at trying to stop. If we were coaching ISU's defense this week, we would be tempted to rush four down linemen and ends but then use a safety at the middle linebacker position (to stop the draw) while dropping 6 corners and safeties into pass coverage and at least force OU into nickle and diming us to death. But the problem with that defense is that OU would never punt and ISU would still lose badly so ISU is going to have to try and make some plays defensively which will then allow OU to burn them for big plays.
>
> Neither team's kicker is going to win any awards but OU's return and coverage teams are among the best in the nation and will provide OU with great field position in this game. Much like the KSU-Texas game, this game should be over at the half. If OU won by at least 31 points, we would not be shocked.
>
> The Film Junkie is a former Big 12 player with close ties to his alma mater. Although now a professional man in his community, he still grades a lot of football film.
Write to him at footballfilms@hotmail.com.
Final: OKLA -8, 49-3
IMO, this matchup and subsequent result satisfies trap definitions #2 and #3.
