WHAT WE LEARNED: NFL WEEK 3
BY ADAM GREENE We’re three weeks into the NFL season and it has already gone off the rails. There’s always some chaos after Week 1, when teams open their campaigns and a couple of squads always surprise. Week 2 steadies the ship and then Week 3 shows up to finally clue us in on how the season is going to go. In 2022, Week 3 did not get that memo. Security let “Week 1 Chaos” back into the club and, by sundown Sunday, cats and dogs were living together. It was mass hysteria. So let’s talk about some of it. THERE ARE ONLY TWO UNDEFEATED TEAMS IN THE NFL Yes, I’ve done the math and while I don’t hold any type of advanced degree in the subject, my careful calculations have told me that there just two 3-0 franchises in the NFL and they are exactly who we all predicted would do it back in the preseason, right? Right??? In the AFC, the Miami Dolphins have defied the odds and even reality it seems by opening the season with a perfect record. Back in August, I picked Miami to finish with a winning record, but miss the playoffs once again. I no longer think that at all. It’s not just because the Fins are 3-0. It’s also because two of the other AFC teams I thought would battle their way to the postseason look nowhere near capable of making that prediction true. The Las Vegas Raiders are 0-3 and, if they were to sneak into the tournament, would be only the seventh team in modern NFL history to do it. As for the Denver Broncos and new chef Russell Wilson, that kitchen looks like the it could be closed down any minute by the Denver Health Department. The Broncos are 2-1, but nobody’s feeling great about it. They’ve looked like hot sweaty garbage in every game and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett was so bad at clock management that the team had to hire a guy last week to ONLY do that. The Dolphins look like they’ll have no issue riding their schedule to an AFC Wild Card. But, hey, there’s no reason to settle for that. We’re just three weeks in, but Miami leads the AFC East. Why not just keep it? Over on the NFC side, it’s the Philadelphia Eagles that have kept their loss column empty for the league’s first three contests. The Eagles have cruised against teams they were favored over, so this is much easier to believe. Their schedule stays pretty easy the whole way, so Philadelphia was always making the playoffs as long as they remained healthy. There was a thought (and I was one of the people thinking it) that Dak Prescott’s injury for the Dallas Cowboys would clear out the NFC East entirely. It obviously hasn’t, but Philly still has the inside track. SHOCKING UPSETS ALL OVER The Dolphins surviving Josh Allen and the Bills wasn’t the only surprise last Sunday. The winless Indianapolis Colts held off the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs 20-17. The Colts had looked terrible in the first two games, tying with the Houston Texans and losing in blow out fashion to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Against the Chiefs, unquestionably one of the league’s best teams, Indy actually played like a competent football team. And Matt Ryan looked like an NFL QB for the first time in September, finishing 27 of 37 for 222 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. It didn’t stop there. The Carolina Panthers held off a late charge by the New Orleans Saints for a 22-14 win, Baker Mayfield’s first with the franchise. Jameis Winston’s broken back (in multiple places!) is apparently going to be a problem. Speaking of injuries, Justin Herbert’s ribs allowed Doug Pederson to tie with Urban Meyer as the fifth winningest head coach in Jacksonville Jaguars history. The Los Angeles Chargers fell in a full on curb stomp, 38-10. Like Winston, Herbert put up some OK numbers, but turnovers (a pick and a fumble) from the QB kept any comeback from materializing. Add in some other “mild” upsets like the Green Bay Packers beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers losing to the Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys holding off the New York Giants and you have an early season that already looks beautifully chaotic. It’s “Any Given Sunday” every Sunday. IS THERE HOPE FOR WINLESS TEAMS? The aforementioned Raiders and Texans are the last teams standing with goose eggs in the win column. No one predicted that Las Vegas would be 0-3 at this point with the addition of Josh McDaniels as head coach and Devante Adams at wide receiver. Yet, here they sit alongside Houston, who we all did expect to be here. In fact, the only thing surprising about the Texans’ record is that they got the tie against the Colts. But the Texans have been here before and made magic happen. Only, they did it with a different quarterback who shall remain nameless unless it’s in a massage themed civil court case. In 2018, Houston won nine straight after opening 0-3. I don’t feel like that’s on the table for the Texans. The Raiders though, are simply too good to just fold up after some pretty terrible luck. Vegas’ schedule has been brutal. They opened with the Los Angeles Chargers, then the Arizona Cardinals before traveling to an equally desperate Tennessee Titans. Las Vegas has a talented roster and what should be a good coach. What they don’t have is any relief in sight. Next week they host the Broncos, then travel to the Chiefs. It calms down some after that, but the Raiders’ entire season is simply on the line against Denver Sunday. Only six teams in the NFL since the 1970 merger have made the playoffs after an 0-3 start. Just one team, the 1992 San Diego Chargers, made it to the postseason after opening 0-4. Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan. Connect
Pro Picks With Barry Wilner
Entering the 2022 season, it seemed certain that the AFC was far superior to the NFC. Indeed, the AFC West appeared to have four potential Super Bowl contenders, while the Bengals were the defending conference champions and the Bills have been the betting favorite to win it all since the summer. Miami and Baltimore also have been pegged as dangerous, and while the Patriots have been short of special since Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay, they can’t be disregarded. Meanwhile, the NFC was a jumble in which it was difficult to find a clear favorite, and the possibility of a team with a very mediocre record getting into the postseason was high. So what happens? In head-to-head matchups between conference teams, the NFC is 5-4. That includes victories by supposed also-rans Chicago, Seattle and the New York Giants. Maybe we should be leaning more toward the NFC in our selections. We certainly need to find some sort of answer soon. Meanwhile, only six home teams are favored this weekend. Chiefs at Colts (+5 1/2) Not the best situation for Indianapolis to get out of its funk. The way Matt Ryan and the O-line have looked, this spread should be higher. BEST BET: CHIEFS, 31-16 Ravens at Patriots (+3) We don’t think the Patriots are a better team than the Ravens. On this day, in New England’s home opener as a ‘dog, got to go there. UPSET SPECIAL: PATRIOTS, 20-16 Lions at Vikings (-6) Detroit is showing all kinds of spunk. And plenty of offense. Still, we hesitate … VIKINGS, 37-34 Bills at Dolphins (+6) For AFC East supremacy – and perhaps AFC supremacy. A Dolphins win would be a major leap. Sorry, Miami. BILLS, 37-27 Packers at Buccaneers (-1) So many questions infiltrate this Rodgers-Brady matchup it’s impossible to handicap. Because we must make a choice … PACKERS, 23-19 Cowboys at Giants (-1) A highly fluctuating line in which bettors seem to have little confidence in Cooper Rush. But that Dallas defense can be rugged. COWBOYS, 20-17 49ers at Broncos (+1 ½) Best summer move in the entire league? San Francisco keeping Jimmy G. 49ERS, 23-16 Jaguars at Chargers (-7) Another good offseason move: Doug Pederson now coaching the Jaguars. With Justin Herbert perhaps limited, an upset here would not be shocking. CHARGERS, 28-26 Falcons at Seahawks (-1) Atlanta has had two good shots at winning despite a mediocre roster. Facing a team on their level, the Falcons get it done. FALCONS, 21-18 Bengals at Jets (+5) The way the Jets got it done last Sunday was miraculous to Gang Green fans and abysmal to Dawg Pounders. No divine intervention this time, though it could be close. BENGALS, 27-23 Raiders at Titans (+2 ½) Another team that, in 2022, doesn’t have a clue how to finish. That is a sin in Sin City, of course. Now the Raiders heads to Music City to find their rhythm. Or not. RAIDERS, 19-17 Eagles at Commanders (+6 1/2) We have been on the Philly bandwagon since the draft. The Eagles need to plug some holes on defense, but the Commanders are leaky in far more places. EAGLES, 33-23 Saints at Panthers (+3) Maybe New Orleans puts together two good halves this week. Or maybe Carolina does. Or neither. SAINTS, 21-16 Rams at Cardinals (+3 ½) Two up-and-down teams through two weeks. We expect the Rams to be, uh, more up? RAMS, 30-24 Texans at Bears (-2 ½) We’re trying to find a reason to care. Sorry, got nothing. BEARS, 17-10 Wilner’s 2022 RECORD Last Week – Straight up: 10-5. Against the spread: 8-7. Season – Straight up: 16-13-1. Against the spread: 12-17-1. Best Bet – Straight up: 1-1. Against the spread: 0-2. Upset Special – Straight up: 0-2. Against the spread: 0-2. By Barry Wilner (EDITOR’S NOTE: Barry Wilner was a sports writer for the Associated Press for 46 years, covering the NFL since 1985 and serving as the news organization’s Senior NFL Writer since 2001. Wilner now joins the BetOnline editorial staff to deliver expert analyses and picks every week of the NFL season. Last year, Wilner’s Pro Picks weekly column yielded records of 185-100-1 SU (64.9%) and 159-123-2 ATS (56.4%), including his “Best Bets” going 13-7 SU/ATS and “Upset Specials” a sparkling 15-3 SU/ATS.)
NFL WEEK 2: POWER RANKINGS
BY ADAM GREENE Well, look at the mess Week 1 made with the Power Rankings. Not only do we have a new No. 1, we also have a new No. 32. Everything at the top and the bottom of the rankings have been reshuffled, which is why tracking teams in this arbitrary fashion is so important (we can tell ourselves). Are some of the “bad” teams better than we thought? Are the “good” teams about to fall off the cliff? How badly can we overreact after a single week of real NFL football? Let’s find out together. We had shocking upsets, ties, the threat of ties and a Super Bowl champion who looked like they didn’t realize they’d be asked to play a real football game on opening night. But, hey, it’s hard to complain too much when you just hung a 2021 championship banner. It’s time to deliver the deserved praise and harshly worded scorn to our NFL participants. Let’s rank some teams. BUFFALO BILLS (1-0) The Bills opened the preseason as the Super Bowl favorites and then answered the call, putting a prison yard beat down on the defending champion Los Angeles Rams on the same day they hung the banner (well, technically two, since they also put up the Super Bowl XXXIV flag too). As statements go, that one was pretty definitive. Buffalo looks like the best team in the league and no one else is close. Last week: No. 3 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1-0) It wasn’t a pretty 2022 debut for Tom Brady and the Todd Bowles Bucs, but considering how so many of the “contenders” played in Week 1, they should get no complaints. Brady is now 7-0 against the Dallas Cowboys in his career and the only reason that win total isn’t bigger is that Dallas was never a serious Super Bowl contender in Brady’s two decade long career. Last week: No. 4 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1-0) Did the Chiefs look like a serious contender because they’re a serious contender or were they just playing the Arizona Cardinals? Kansas City is great, there’s no question, but we’ll see what the Tyreek Hill-less offense looks like Thursday night against the Chargers. They’ll get two shots at LA and the AFC West is probably on the line in both. Last week: No. 5 LOS ANGELES RAMS (0-1) Here’s a fun little tidbit for you. Last season, every single time the Rams made their way to the top of the Power Rankings, they would immediately lose. As they started this season at No. 1, they have apparently kept that streak going. Last week: No. 1 CINCINNATI BENGALS (0-1) Evan McPherson was probably the best kicker in the league a year ago. Last Sunday, he couldn’t hit the broad side of a Steelers nose tackle. He’ll have plenty of chances to line up for field goals and extra points when Cincy travels to the Dak Prescott-less Dallas Cowboys Sunday. Last week: No. 2 LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (1-0) Last Sunday, Justin Herbert put up a highlight reel that needs to be shown with a parental advisory warning in front of it. With a victory over the Chiefs Thursday night on the road, the Chargers can take control of the AFC West early and maybe for good. Last week: No. 6 GREEN BAY PACKERS (0-1) Here’s a fun fact. After Sunday’s beat down, Kirk Cousins now has a career winning record over Aaron Rodgers. So maybe our nation’s ivermectin spokesman will consider that before he starts trash talking the other teams in the NFC North again. Last week: No. 7 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (1-0) Hey, how about that? It turns out trading a pittance for a young star wide receiver can pay off. And with Dak Prescott missing possibly two months for the Cowboys, the NFC East is now Philadelphia’s to lose. All after Week 1. Last week: No. 8 BALTIMORE RAVENS (1-0) You know, this whole Lamar Jackson is running back narrative looks dumber with every single elite pinpoint throw he makes. He carved up Robert Saleh’s New York Jets defense like it was a fresh brisket right out of the smoker. Last week: No. 12 PITTSBURGH STEELERS (1-0) If you ever had a question on how, in his 16th season, head coach Mike Tomlin has never posted a losing record, that insane win over the Bengals Sunday should tell you everything you need to know. Last week: No. 16 LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (0-1) Sometimes you can be a good team and the other guys are just significantly better. The fact they kept it close with Justin Herbert on fire and the Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack combo rushing the passer, is a testament to how good the Raiders are. It’s just not going to matter in the AFC this year. Last week: No. 9 DENVER BRONCOS (0-1) Here’s a fun fact — Peyton Manning, on the “Manningcast” requested that the Broncos call a timeout on their final drive 62 times before they actually took the time out to set up the game losing field goal. I’m not the first one to say it and I won’t be the last, but if you’ve traded that much for Russell Wilson and are paying him $242 million, why wouldn’t you give him a shot to pick up five yards and a first down with all three time outs in your pocket? Nathaniel Hackett needs to eat that loss for a good, long while. Last week: No. 10 MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-0) You’d like to point at the Kevin O’Connell hire as being the X-Factor in Sunday’s win over the Packers, but Kirk Cousins and the Vikes have had Aaron Rodgers’ number for a while. Even if the ayahuasca made Rodgers forget it. Last week: No. 20 MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-0) Much like the Chiefs win over the Cardinals, how much of the Dolphins’ beat down
The Most Overrated College Football Team – According to Twitter
Utah gets NO love from the west coast on this twitter opinion map. Based on trends and hashtags that tag teams as “overrated”, UTAH even gets shade from the entire state of Florida. No surprise the Notre Dame makes the cut here, the only surprise is that they didn’t beat out Alabama in the Northeast.
The Most Overrated NCAAF Program In The Last Dozen Years
There’s no denying that the two most overrated programs over the last decade have been the Texas Longhorns and the Miami Hurricanes. Texas claiming to “be back” has become a meme at this point given the Longhorns inability to even win a conference championship. The Longhorns haven’t won the Big 12 since 2009, consistently playing second fiddle to Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Miami’s claim that the ACC would become the ‘All Canes Conference’ upon its arrival has been laughed at by every one of the Hurricanes’ rivals over the last 18 years. The Canes joined the ACC in 2004, yet they didn’t win a division title until 2017. That was their lone division title since joining the conference, and they were smashed 38-3 by Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. The Case for the Texas Longhorns It turns out that Mack Brown wasn’t the problem. Brown won 10 or more games at Texas for nine straight seasons from 2001 to 2009. He led the Longhorns to the 2005 BCS National Championship, and they were competitive in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama until Colt McCoy was knocked out of the game due to injury. However, the pressure on Brown quickly built up after a disastrous 5-7 season in 2010, and he was pushed out the door three years later despite Texas finishing with eight or more wins in each of those seasons. Charlie Strong was supposed to be the panacea that fixed Texas’ ills, but Strong was unable to finish with a winning record in any of his three seasons with the program. That led to another heralded messiah in Houston head coach Tom Herman, and the Longhorns’ fans drank all the Kool-Aid after Herman led the Longhorns to a 10-4 record that ended with a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger famously declared, “We’re baaaaack!” on the podium after the win, but the Longhorns showed the world that wasn’t the case after going 8-5 in 2019. Herman was unceremoniously dismissed after posting a 7-3 record in 2020, yet at least he was able to take Texas to four straight bowl games. In his first season in charge of Texas, Steve Sarkisian led the Longhorns to their fifth losing season in the last 12 years. The Longhorns started the season ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and rose to No. 15 in the standings after beating Louisiana-Lafayette in Week 1. They eventually got off to a 4-1 start and were leading Oklahoma by 21 points in the Red River Rivalry before the wheels came off. Texas went on to lose that game and proceeded to lose six straight games in order to miss out on a bowl game. The Longhorns even lost to the lowly Kansas Jayhawks in Austin for the first time ever, providing Kansas its first win over an FBS opponent since October 26, 2019. It’s head scratching why Texas is regarded so highly ahead of the 2022 season. The Longhorns did manage to bring Quinn Ewers back to the Lone Star State and have a star running back in Bijan Robinson, but they should not be considered co-favorites to win the conference alongside Oklahoma. Fortunately, AP voters have seemed to learn their lesson as the Longhorns are unranked heading into the 2022 campaign. As you can see from the table below, Texas has not outperformed its preseason rankings in 12 years, so it was silly to see the Longhorns start 18th in the Coaches Poll and receive a first-place vote. That continued belief that Texas is better than what we see every year is why the Longhorns are one of the two teams on this list. The Case for the Miami Hurricanes There’s no doubt that the most talented program in college football during the early 2000s was Miami. The Hurricanes dominated the Big East from 2000 to 2003, and they finished No. 1 or No. 2 in the country for three straight seasons from 2000 to 2002. Miami had dozens of future NFL stars on its roster, and the Hurricanes went a combined 46-4 in that stretch. They were expected to immediately give rival Florida State a run for its money upon joining the conference in 2004, but the Hurricanes did not win their first ACC Coastal title until 2017. Virginia Tech won the division six times and Georgia Tech won the division four times in that stretch, and even basketball-focused Duke and North Carolina went to the ACC Championship Game before the Hurricanes. Miami has only won 10 games or more in a season one time since joining the ACC 18 years ago. Randy Shannon, Al Golden, and Manny Diaz all failed to produce the expected turnaround they promised, and Mark Richt retired after just three seasons. Richt was the most successful coach Miami has had since Larry Coker was fired at the end of the 2006 season, but many fans were happy to see him go since he wasn’t emphasizing recruiting the way many fans wanted. Several quarterbacks were supposed to be the ones to take Miami to the next level. Brock Berlin, Kyle Wright, Jacory Harris, Brad Kaaya, Jarren Williams, N’Kosi Perry, and D’Eriq King were all being held up as the future of the program at one point, but they all failed to deliver when it mattered most. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but this season is supposed to be different. Miami has a talented young quarterback in Tyler van Dyke and a new head coach in Mario Cristobal. The Hurricanes are favored to win the ACC Coastal, and they open the year ranked 16th in the AP Poll. Four of the last five times the Hurricanes were ranked to start the season, they ended the year unranked, so it would be smart to avoid the hype. What Do You Think?
Betting On The National Football League Is Big Money
The National Football League (NFL) is by far the most popular spectator sport in the United States. It’s not even close—in early 2018, a Gallup poll asked Americans their favorite sport to watch and 37% said it was football. Baseball was far off the pace in second place with only 9% indicating it was their favorite sport. It won’t be long before baseball drops to third place since soccer has grown significantly in popularity. 7% of poll responses said that soccer was their favorite sport. In fact, 2018 was only the second time since Gallup began this annual survey that any sport other than football, baseball or basketball was named as a favorite by 7% of fans. Auto racing hit a plateau of 7% in 1997 but has witnessed a dramatic drop to only 2% today. Outside of the United States, ‘American football’ remains a niche sport but the league has worked to attract new fans in Europe, Asia and Mexico. Given the massive popularity of football ‘American style’ it’s no surprise that it is also the biggest betting sport in North America and particularly the United States. The dominance of football among bettors is even more lopsided than among fans. A 2017 survey of US sports bettors revealed that 78% considered football as their favorite wagering sport. Internationally, NFL football barely cracks the top ten coming in at #9 on the ‘most popular betting sport’ hit parade well behind soccer, cricket, tennis and even volleyball. Even with a relatively small following in Europe, Asia and elsewhere the amount of money bet on NFL football is mind boggling. The NFL Super Bowl attracted $158.6 million in betting action in the state of Nevada alone. The total amount of money wagered on the Super Bowl worldwide is in the billions of dollars. In the state of Nevada official gaming regulator numbers indicate that since 1992 bettors have wagered $30.1 billion on football. NFL football and betting are so inextricably linked that it’s very common to hear people who have never placed a wager in their life discussing point spreads. The Super Bowl is such a huge event that it deserves special discussion. It began as a mere formality that no one cared about in 1961 when it was called simply the ‘AFL–NFL Championship Game’. It has grown exponentially over the years to the point that it is a de facto national holiday in the United States. It is usually the most watched TV program in the United States every year attracting more than 100 million viewers. Typically, it’s the second most watched annual event in the world behind the UEFA Champions League soccer final. The 2015 Super Bowl halftime show attracted 118.5 million viewers and the game itself became the most watched television program in American history.. Obviously, the Super Bowl is a huge event for the sports world and NFL fans. What’s amazing is its significance in so many other tangentially related industries. It’s the biggest day of the year for sales of pizzas and chicken wings. Sales of beer and television sets are through the roof. It’s also a very important event for the advertising industry as brands pay millions for a thirty second commercial and try to outdo each other with elaborate commercials. It’s reached the point where nearly half of the viewers tune in just to see the advertisements. It’s also a huge day for sports betting. The Super Bowl is not only the second most watched sporting event in the world, it’s the second biggest single day betting event—once again coming in behind the UEFA Champions League final. Interestingly, it’s no longer the overall biggest betting event of the year as it’s been surpassed by the NCAA basketball tournament and particularly the first four days of ‘March Madness’ where 64 teams get cut down to 16.
Five Tips to Winning your NFL Survivor Pool
Survivor Pools aren’t as popular as fantasy football just yet, but they are growing in popularity with each year. Chances are good you have a few friends that are in Survivor Pools, as the temptation to make a ton of money off a small stake is too much to pass up. A $100 stake can lead to a five-figure or even a six-figure payout in larger Survivor Pools, and they are more fun than parlays given their week-to-week nature. Here are some tips to help you win your Survivor Pool in 2022. Stick With Home Favorites One of the biggest mistakes that Survivor Pool players can make is to roll the dice with road teams, especially early in the season. Home field advantage is a factor that oddsmakers use for a reason when setting lines, and to dismiss it is folly. It might be tempting to get “cute” by taking a short road favorite and zigging when other people are going with a big favorite, but this strategy backfires more often than not, especially early in the season. While the perceived top teams coming into a season are indeed the top teams throughout the year, that next tier of teams can fluctuate wildly from preseason expectations. Don’t end up with egg on your face by going with a trendy team that will finish 6-11. Fading Teams Can be Very Successful Anyone that faded the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 was largely happy. Although Jacksonville upset Indianapolis in Week 1, the Jaguars lost their final 15 games to finish the season with just one victory. As for the Jets, they lost their first 13 games before finally securing their first win in Week 15 to avoid going winless. It is very important to stick with top tier teams as much as possible, but there is a ton of value in identifying bad teams early. That allows you a lot of flexibility since you can repeatedly fade a certain team week after week in a Survivor Pool. Additionally, the Philadelphia 76ers have taught us that tanking can be a good thing, and bad teams are now more prone to throw in the towel early in an effort to get a better draft pick. Don’t be Too Concerned With Saving the Best Teams The thought of saving certain teams is alluring. You might see that others are using the best teams early in the schedule, and think you will be better off taking a chance on a lesser team in order to have something in your pocket for later in the season. This might feel like a shrewd idea at the time, and if it works out it’s great, but you are more likely to regret this decision than you would if you just stuck with the best available team. One or two injuries can make or break a team’s season, so it’s best to take every team while they are as healthy as possible. If a quarterback goes down, a contender can become an also-ran, and a slate of injuries could make even the best teams look terrible. In a 17-game season where injuries will play more of a factor than ever, it’s best not to save teams for the optim
Why NFL Football Is So Massive….
The NFL isn’t just the most popular sport in America, but it’s also the most lucrative sports league in the world. The popularity of the NFL continues to grow every year. A poll that was recently taken proved that people living in the US favorite sport to watch. Over 35 % of the American population chose Football as their go to sport of choice. More significantly, football was the only sport that garnered more than 10% of respondents. Baseball was a distant second place with 9% saying that it was their favorite sport. In third place soccer is proving that it can be a success as well as its growing in popularity with 7% of indicating they enjoyed watching the sport. Last year in 2018, it was only the second time in history that any sport other than football, baseball or basketball was indicated as the favorite of more than 7% of individuals polled (NASCAR auto racing measured at 7% in 1997 but has been unable to maintain that plateau. This data clearly indicates that although the overall sports viewership landscape is changing dramatically football has not only held on to their spot as the top but has opened up a formidable lead over the ‘field’. Based on the NGCB (Nevada Gaming Control Board) new data showed clearly that the NFL is the biggest betting sport in the United States but that doesn’t indicate just how dominant it is in the overall North American marketplace. In fact, the dominance of football at the betting window is even more pronounced than among viewers and fans. A 2017 survey of US sports bettors revealed that 78% considered football as their favorite wagering sport. Interestingly, NFL football barely cracks the top ten list of ‘most popular betting sports’ internationally. It ranks #9 on the list well behind soccer, cricket, tennis, rugby and even handball and volleyball. Despite this relatively small wagering footprint in Europe, Asia and elsewhere the amount of money bet on NFL football is staggering. The 2018 Super Bowl attracted $158.6 million in betting action in the state of Nevada alone. Experts suggest that Nevada’s sports betting revenue amounts to only 1 or 2 percent of the worldwide total meaning that the total amount of money bet on the Super Bowl worldwide is in the billions of dollars. Data from the Nevada Gaming Control Board indicates that since 1992 bettors have wagered over $30 billion dollars US on NFL and college football.
Pointspread And Moneyline Bets
There are a variety of ways to bet any sport on the board. The precise number will vary from one sportsbook to another but there are some bets that are common to all bookmakers. In most cases, there’s also some commonality from sport to sport. They’re not quite as universal as are the straight bets in horse racing but they’re a basic concept that every sports betting enthusiast should know. In fact, like horse racing they’re referred to as ‘straight bets’. POINT SPREAD BETS Point spread bets are most often associated with pro and college football but they’re used in some form or another in virtually every betting sport. The pointspread was instrumental to the growth of betting on American football which in turn helped the NFL and bigtime college football to grow into massive revenue generators for teams and the TV networks that cover the games. In the rest of the world, this type of bet has traditionally been called a ‘handicap’ bet but the use of the Americanized term ‘pointspread’ is becoming increasingly common. In most team sports game matchups it’s evident that one side is better than another. Furthermore, even in a game between evenly matched sides one might have a more advantageous situation over the other due to the venue (playing at home), weather or other extenuating circumstances such as injuries. The pointspread is a way to give the better team (the favorite) a ‘handicap’ in the form of a specific number of points. On the other side, their opponent (the underdog) is given an advantage from a betting standpoint of the same number of points. In order for a player to win a bet on the favorite the team he has backed must win the game by a greater number of points than indicated by the pointspread. An underdog better will win if the team he’s back wins the game by any score or loses the game fewer points than indicated by the pointspread.. This will make more sense if we illustrate it with an example: TEAM 1: -3 TEAM 2: +3 In the example above the pointspread is 3. The minus sign (-) indicates the favorite while the plus sign (+) signifies the underdog. In this hypothetical matchup a bettor who puts his money on Team 1 will cash his bet if they win the game by 4 or more points. A bettor who takes Team 2 needs them to win the game outright or to lose the game by 2 points or fewer. If the game lands right on the pointspread it’s called a ‘push’ and all bets are returned. Many bets have a half point added (eg: +3.5 or -3.5) which eliminates the possibility of landing on the pointspread and thus ending in a ‘push’. In most cases, a bettor must lay 11 to 10 on a pointspread bet. This means that he’ll bet $110 to win $100. If his team is victorious, he receives his original $110 stake back plus $100 profit for a total of $210. If his team loses, he’s out $110. MONEYLINE BETS Moneyline bets are the most basic type of sports wager. The player bets on a specific event to occur—usually a team winning a game. If the eventuality he’s selected transpires he’s a winner. In most cases, there are odds involved. How they’re expressed will vary depending on which country you are in. In Europe you’ll see fractions or decimals but in North America moneyline odds are most common. A basic moneyline bet might look like this: TEAM 1: -180 TEAM 2: +150 To bet Team 1 a player must lay -180 to win 100. We can express this in dollars by saying that he must lay $180 to win $100. If Team 1 wins, he’ll receive his original $180 stake back along with his $100 profit for a total of $280. If he’d rather beat Team 2 the bettor will lay 100 to win 150, or $100 to win $150. If Team 2 wins the bettor receives his $100 stake back plus $150 in profit for a total of $250.