posted July 11, 2008 at 17:46 in Other Articles

AFL betting commences as the league enters the Conference Championship round of the Playoffs on Saturday, and online sportsbettors get to sink their teeth into what’s destined to be another fantastic Eastern Division battle between the Cleveland Gladiators and Philadelphia Soul.

The Gladiators franchise was simply the worst the AFL had to offer a year ago, but they came from out of nowhere to land the #4 seed in the National Conference by posting a 9-7 SU record in ‘08. Their success has everything to do with the coaching staff that Gladiator brass assembled in the off-season, as just announced AFL Head Coach of the Year Mike Wilpolt and Offensive Coordinator Brian Partlow have by all accounts held the edge in the Glads first two playoff games. Their round one game was a wild affair at home against the Orlando Predators that saw them escape with a 69-66 victory. The three-point win saw them fail to cover the 4.5-point spread, and the combined 135-points easily surpassed the 112-point closing ‘total’. They then took their 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS marks with them on the road Monday night to square off against Georgia in another wild and crazy affair that saw points put on the board in a number of varieties. After falling behind the seven-point spread in the closing minutes of the second quarter, the Glads erupted outscoring the Force 40-28 the rest of the way to secure the 73-70 road win and cover. Moneyline bettors cashed in big (+250), and the combined 143-points slaughtered the closing ‘total’ of 115. The Gladiator franchise now has a total of three post-season wins under their belts as they head to “The City of Brotherly Love” to tango with Jon Bon Jovi’s Soul. Cleveland is 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS in its L/4 road contests.

The Soul were the best team in the AFL throughout the regular season evidenced by the fact that they churned out 13-3 SU & 8-8 ATS marks with a number of their superstars on IR for prolonged periods of time. By attaining the best record in the league, they got to sit home and watch all the first round playoff action. After New York manhandled what was thought to be their toughest competitor, Dallas, the Soul entered last week’s game a bit complacent after they throttled the Dragons 59-30 in their final game of the regular season. They got all they could ask for and more in last weeks game as the Soul ended up being the benefactors of a blown call in the closing seconds that allowed them to barely get past NY by a 49-48 final count. The one-point victory saw them grossly fail to cover the 9.5-point spread, and the combined 97-points cashed under bettors tickets with ease. Philadelphia has cost the betting public significantly of late only managing to cover the spread in four of their L/13 overall games.

This will be the third meeting between these division rivals this season. Cleveland handed Philadelphia its first loss of the season back in Week 10 when they upended the Soul by a 67-55 final count as 10-point home underdogs. The second meeting came down to the wire as the Glads failed on its two-point conversion attempt and ultimately lost by a 62-61 final count as 9.5-point road pups. Both contests soared over the closing ‘total’ with an average of 123 points being scored. In the all-time series, Cleveland is a stellar 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS and the over cashed in three of the five confrontations.

Oddsmakers deemed the Soul 7.5-points better than the visiting Gladiators with the ‘total’ set at 115.5. BetUS Sportsbook offers all the Conference Championship Arena Football lines your heart desires, so be sure to login and get your wagers down in what should be another heated Eastern Division confrontation.

Go to the BetUS.com online sportsbook today to bet on Arena Football. We have the most current Arena Football odds and lines. Join BetUS.com to experience the best in online sports betting action available!