NFL, college football betting records
This past weekend was one to remember for the college football and NFL sports betting public.
drew more bets than any college football game in the company’s history
On Saturday, DraftKings Sportsbook reported that the matchup between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan drew more bets than any college football game in the company’s history.
Then, on Sunday, NFL teams receiving a majority of public support went 10-1 against the spread. That brought public sides to 13-2 ATS for the week as a whole including the three Thanksgiving games and one Friday game.
Michigan topples OSU
The Michigan-OSU showdown is usually marked on every Big Ten fan’s calendar. This time, the stakes were even higher than normal, since whichever team lost would not advance to the conference championship and would presumably miss out on selection for the College Football Playoff.?
The Wolverines ultimately won 30-24 despite going 3-12 on third down and giving up more yards than they gained.
The game started off cagey as both teams attempted to impose their will physically. An early interception by OSU QB Kyle McCord set the Wolverines up on a short field and allowed them to score a touchdown, and his second in the fourth quarter allowed the UM offense to run out in victory formation.
Buckeyes wide receiver and top NFL prospect Marvin Harrison Jr. finished with five receptions, 118 yards, and a touchdown. He was complimentary of the Michigan defense and said he “never really [saw] anything like [the Wolverines’ defense].”
Harrison Jr. is undecided if he will return to Ohio State or go to the NFL next year. Tankathon predicts that, based on the current NFL standings, he will go to the Arizona Cardinals with the second pick in the draft.
Michigan moved up to second in this week’s AP Top 25 following the victory, one spot behind the back-to-back national champion Georgia Bulldogs. The Washington Huskies and Florida State Seminoles fill out the rest of the top four with conference championship games still to come this weekend.
Public wins as favorites dominate the NFL
Over in the NFL, sportsbooks were taken to the cleaners by the betting public.
The first Thanksgiving game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers started the public on a sour note as the Packers not only covered against the league’s best cover team (Detroit), but won outright as 8.5-point dogs.
After that, it was almost entirely smooth sailing. The one let-down was the New Orleans Saints, who lost to the Atlanta Falcons as 1.5-point favorites, 24-15.
favorites dominated and are on the verge of making history
Part of the reason the public was so successful is that there wasn’t a ton of deep thinking required. Favorites dominated and are on the verge of making history, pending the result of Monday Night Football
According to ESPN Stats & Info, there’s never been a week during the Super Bowl era that favorites have covered the spread 13 times. That could soon change as favorites are 12-3 ATS so far, and only the Minnesota Vikings at -3 against the Chicago Bears remains.
The Vikings are 7-3-1 ATS thus far, giving them the fourth-best cover percentage in the NFL. The Bears are 4-5-2 ATS and just outside the bottom ten. They also covered in four of their last seven games, including last week against the Lions, but they have not covered in back-to-back weeks at all in 2023.