Sports Betting Futures Odds: NFL Down to the Grateful Eight

by Ricky Dimon - 1/13/2016

Eight teams remain in contention for this season's Super Bowl title, and two were gift-wrapped second life by their opponents on wild-card weekend. But now the competition gets even tougher for Pittsburgh and Seattle, who are going up against the the two No. 1 seeds (Denver and Carolina, respectively). It is the two No. 2 seeds, though, that top the list of favorites.

All odds provided by BetOnlineSportsbook.

Super Bowl

Arizona Cardinals (+425) -Perhaps never has there been more parity in the NFL with eight teams still remaining. No team has better than +425 odds to win the Super Bowl and none is a longer shot than +1200. Arizona is the favorite, and it had won nine a row prior to a meaningless Week 17 loss to the Seahawks.

New England Patriots (+450) -The Cardinals have a rematch on their hands with a team (Green Bay) they just destroyed 38-8 on Dec. 27. New England's odds, on the other hand, may be hurt by the fact that it has to face Kansas City right off the bat. The Chiefs have won 11 in a row after clobbering Houston 30-0 on the road last week.

Carolina Panthers (+500) -For a moment Carolina must have thought it was going to play the winner of Green Bay vs. Washington. Then Blair Walsh's missed 27-yard field goal happened, sending sixth-seeded Seattle to the next round. Of course, the opponent has rarely mattered for the Panthers this season. They are 15-1, having lost only at Atlanta.

Seattle Seahawks (+550) - The Seahawks are +3 underdogs at Carolina, but if they can somehow survive that affair…watch out. This franchise knows how to get the job done in the latter playoff stages. Seattle won the Super Bowl two seasons ago and came within one play of repeating.Denver is tied with Russell Wilson and company as a +550 fourth choice.

Sony Open

Jimmy Walker (+1400) -Walker is the two-time defending champion of this event after dominating it by nine shots last year. The American, who turns 37 on Saturday, cooled off just a bit late in the 2015 campaign. But he turned in a solid T-10 showing last week at the Tournament of Champions in Kapalua.

Adam Scott (+2000) - Scott has finished in the Top 20 of this event four times, including an eighth-place performance in his last appearance two years ago. The Australian has switched to a non-anchored putter (albeit against his will), but early returns with his new short stick last fall were relatively encouraging.

Matt Kuchar (+2000) -Kuchar was unspectacular last season, but there is a lot to like about his chance this week in Honolulu. He has finished no worse than eight in his last four trips to this event. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket also won a tournament last fall in Fiji, so he had momentum going into the offseason.

Kevin Kisner (+2000) -Kisner is your current early leader in the FedEx Cup standings. He won a tournament last fall in Sea Island that was officially part of the 2016 PGA season. The University of Georgia graduate turned in a solid ninth-place showing last week, so he is still on top of his game.

Australian Open (men's)

Novak Djokovic (-150) -Djokovic is favored over the entire rest of the field, and why not? He has won the last six tournaments he has played, including the first one of this season (Doha). Moreover, the Australian Open is arguably Djokovic's favorite event of all. The world No. 1 has captured the title five times, including four in the last five years.

Andy Murray (+500) -Murray is also at or near his best Down Under. The second-ranked Scot has never the lifted the trophy like he has at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, but he has finished runner-up on four occasions--all in the last six years. Murray managed to upset Djokovic once during the 2015 campaign, in the final of the Montreal Masters.

Roger Federer (+700) -Federer has not won a Grand Slam since 2012, but it would be foolish to completely discount the 34-yeat-old Swiss. He has come close to bagging an 18 ^th major, reaching the final last season at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and taking a set off Djokovic both times. He recently beat Djokovic at the year-end championship in London.

Rafael Nadal (+800) -Nadal is playing better now than he was throughout much of the 2015 campaign, but nothing suggests the level is good enough to compete with Djokovic. The Spaniard is 0-5 in their last five matchups dating back to the start of last season. Nadal may need a favorable draw in which Murray or Federer does the work to take out Djokovic.

Best Picture at the 88^th Academy Awards

Spotlight (-110) - Spotlight went home from last weekend's Golden Globe Awards empty-handed, but that came as a considerable surprise. It is still favored to win the big one at the Oscars. Michael Keaton, of significant recent Academy Award success, is one of the stars.

The Revenant (+120) - The Revenant cleaned up at the Golden Globes, receiving honors for Best Drama, Best Director (Alejandro G. Iñárritu) and Best Actor in a Drama (Leonardo DiCaprio).DiCaprio was also the talk of the town for his facial expression after Lady Gaga bumped into him.

The Martian (+800) - Almost keeping pace with The Revenant (Ridley scot got beat out by Iñárritu in the Director category), The Martian took home two of the biggest Globe awards. It won for Best Musical or Comedy and Matt Damon snagged the honor for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

The Big Short (+1000) - The Big Short was nominated for Best Musical or Comedy, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy (both Christian Bale and Steve Carell). It came away with no awards, mainly because of The Martian. Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, and Marisa Tomei are also part of the star-studded cast.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 2:30 PM
Expert:	Tony George
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