Sports Betting Futures Odds: Football Galore From Saturday Through Monday
by Ricky Dimon - 1/8/2015
Three days, five football games. All of them huge. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will be a football fan's delight, with four NFL divisional playoff
showdowns followed by college football's National Championship. By no means is it time to start looking ahead to next season…unless you're Jim Harbaugh and
the Michigan Wolverines.
Odds provided by Sportsbook.ag unless otherwise indicated
.
College Football Props
Oregon vs. Ohio State: 92 or More Points Scored (+200)
- The "over/under" is 75.5, but 92 or more is the favorite among all other options (71-77 points is the second choice at +450). Oregon has reached half of
92 by itself in its last two games, wins over Arizona (51-13) and Florida State (59-20). Ohio State put up 59 against Wisconsin and 42 on Alabama.
First Turnover Will be a Fumble (-150)
- Look no further than Marcus Mariota to see why an interception is not likely to be the first turnover. The Heisman Trophy winner has thrown a mere three
picks this season, and his career TD-to-INT ratio is 103-to-13. As for Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, he has been picked off only once in 69
attempts.
Defensive or Special Teams Touchdown (+140)
- FSU turned the ball over five times against Oregon, although you can't assume that Mariota will channel his inner Jameis Winston (he doesn't appear to
have any such thing) and commit a phantom fumble that is returned for a touchdown. Ohio State returned one its three picks against Alabama for a score.
Michigan's 2015 Regular-Season Wins (Over/Under 8.5)
- Michigan has not won at least nine games in a season since 2011, when Brady Hoke used Rich Rodriguez's players to snag 11 victories-including one in the
Sugar Bowl. Expectations will be soaring with Harbaugh, who went 12-1 in his last year at Stanford and took the 49ers to a Super Bowl.
NFL Divisional Props
All 4 Home Teams to Win (+190)
- All four home teams are considerable favorites. The spreads range from -6.5 (Green Bay over Dallas) to -11 (Seattle over Carolina). Two of the hosts'
quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning), however, have some health concerns.
Most Passing Yards: Andrew Luck (+250)
- Of the eight quarterbacks this weekend, perhaps nobody will air it out more than Luck. As +7 underdogs, the Colts are expected to play from behind against Peyton Manning and company. The
weather in Denver is looking fine for Sunday, which helps.
Most Rushing Yards: Demarco Murray (+200)
- Dallas may not be able to play ground-and-pound football with a lead on Sunday, because it is a +7 underdog at Green Bay. But conditions in which to pass
could be rough; just one reason why Murray should get plenty of carries.
Most Receiving Yards (Demaryius Thomas (+375)
- Thomas hauled in 1,619 yards in the regular season. In the Broncos' last three games, Manning targeted him an astronomical 42 times (resulting in 21
catches for 353 yards). The Colts were a mediocre 12th in passing defense in 2014.
Women's Australian Open
Serena Williams (+175)
- Serena has been off the mark this week at the Hopman Cup, but that is little more than an exhibition, and she rarely gets up even for official
tournaments that aren't Grand Slams. The top-ranked American's three most important events near the end of 2014 were Cincinnati, the U.S. Open, and the
year-end championship. She won all of them.
Maria Sharapova (+700)
- Armed with a clean bill of health, Sharapova's resurgence in the second half of her career continued in 2014, when she won the French Open and finished
second in the world rankings. She won the Aussie Open in 2008 and is a two-time runner-up to boot. A No. 2 seeding will put her on the opposite side of the
draw from Serena.
Simona Halep (+700)
- Ever since Halep got a breast reduction, she has been on a steady rise up the rankings. Her career reached new heights last season with a runner-up
finish at the French Open, a semifinal showing at Wimbledon, and an appearance in the final of the year-end championship. Halep, however, has never made it
past the Melbourne quarters.
Victoria Azarenka (+700)
- A foot injury pretty much destroyed Azarenka's 2014 campaign and has left her at No. 42 in the world. That means she will be unseeded in Melbourne and at
the mercy of the draw. Azarenka is a two-time Australian Open champion, but +700 is not good value in her current state. An in-form Caroline Wozniacki at
+800, however, is intriguing.
The Masters
Rory McIlroy (+600)
- Golf gets underway on Friday in Hawaii, which means it's time to start thinking about the Masters. McIlroy, surprisingly enough, has never won it. But
he's won everything else-at least when it comes to majors (two PGAs, one U.S. Open, and one British Open). The world No. 1 finished T8 last year in Augusta
and led after three rounds in 2011.
Tiger Woods (+1200)
- Tiger is the second favorite because he is Tiger. Bettors are stubborn and will continue to throw down cash on the biggest name in the sport. It might
not be an entirely bad idea, because he is a four-time champion at Augusta National. That being said, Tiger got last at the World Challenger (his own
tournament), and health questions linger.
Jordan Spieth (+1300)
- Spieth should benefit from the experience of a Sunday front-nine duel with Bubba Watson before Bubba pulled away. As if that does not give Spieth enough
confidence, he has also been in outstanding form of late. He won the Australian Open in late November then made a mockery of Tiger's tournament one week
later.
Adam Scott (+1800)
- How is this for curious odds: Scott is more likely than Spieth to win at least one major in 2015, but he is less likely than Spieth to win the
Masters…even though he is a former Masters champion and Spieth is not! What? The Aussie, who donned the Green Jacket in 2014, has three top-10s in his last
four trips to Augusta National.
Read more articles by Ricky Dimon
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