Both the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins finished the season with 11 and 5 straight-up records. The Ravens didn’t just finish the season with a terrific straight-up record but they also finished the season with a fantastic sports betting against the spread record of 12 and 4. That’s easily the best record in the NFL, after the Tennessee Titans’ 13 and 3, against the BetUS online betting spread.
The Atlanta Falcons travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals in the first NFC Playoff Wild-Card game of the weekend. The Cardinals finished out the regular season by losing 4 out of their last 6 games. The only two teams they managed to beat were the hapless St. Louis Rams and the even worse Seattle Seahawks.
The Buffalo Bulls upset Ball State in winning the MAC title and will head north to face the UConn Huskies January 3 for the International Bowl.
If you look at the recent history between the Bulls and UConn, you will see four straight ATS wins by the Huskies and a 139-10 total score. But these Bulls have improved dramatically under coach Turner Gill.
Oddsmakers currently have the Huskies listed as 6½-point favorites versus the Bulls, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.
Sports betting fans can’t help but feel that the San Diego Chargers backed their way into the playoffs. The Chargers needed the AFC West division leading, at the time, Denver Broncos to lose three games in a row in order to make the playoffs. Well, that’s what happened. It doesn’t mean that the Chargers are all of a sudden worthy of the 8 to 1 BetUS online sportsbook wagering odds that they were at in the beginning of the season to win the Super Bowl.
Alabama spent a good chunk of the season ranked No. 1 in the country, but lost when it mattered most in the SEC title game. That loss sent the Crimson Tide to the Louisiana Superdome for the Sugar Bowl where they will face the tough Utah Utes. It’s No. 4 Bama against unbeaten No. 7 Utah.
Oddsmakers currently have the Crimson Tide listed as 9½-point favorites versus the Utes, while the game’s total is sitting at 45½.
Kentucky lost six of its final eight games, but still earned a bowl berth. God bless the bowl system for finding place for a team that lost 63-5 against Florida. The fans at the Liberty Bowl will watch the East Carolina Pirates and the Kentucky Wildcats clash January 2.
Oddsmakers currently have the Pirates listed as 3-point favorites versus the Wildcats, while the game’s total is sitting at 41.
The Mississippi Rebels won’t get as much press and public betting as their opponent in this year’s Cotton Bowl. But beware Ole Miss as they battle the Texas Tech Red Raiders January 2. While the Red Raiders were highly ranked and their offense highly feared, the Rebels were quietly beating Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Florida. Not bad for a team sitting as a TD underdog.
Oddsmakers currently have the Red Raiders listed as 4-point favorites versus the Rebels, while the game’s total is sitting at 65½.
The Virginia Tech Hokies, ranked 16th nationally on defense, face the 11-2 Cincinnati Bearcats at Dolphin Stadium in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day.Cincy won 10 of 11 to end the year, while the Hokies rebounded from a tough mid-season stretch to win their final three games.
Oddsmakers currently have the Bearcats listed as 2-point favorites versus the Hokies, while the game’s total is sitting at 42.
A pair of 11-1 conference champions restore some luster to the Rose Bowl this year as the Big Ten champion Penn State Nittany Lions face the Pac 10 champion USC Trojans. Penn State has struggled ATS of late, losing three of four, while USC has been dominant on defense, allowing more than 10 points just twice in 12 games this year.
Oddsmakers currently have the Trojans listed as 9-point favorites versus the Nittany Lions, while the game’s total is sitting at 44½.
The fans at Florida Citrus Bowl will be treated to a possible defensive battle when the Michigan State Spartans and the Georgia Bulldogs clash January 1 for the Capital One Bowl. And Bulldog backers will be hoping for a victory to take the money-losing sting out of four consecutive ATS losses. Oddsmakers currently have the Bulldogs listed as 10-point favorites versus the Spartans, while the game’s total is sitting at 57.
The Clemson Tigers finished the season on a roll playing tough defense and the Nebraska Cornhuskers finished the year on a roll playing great offense.
Both will after a win January 1 when they meet at Municipal Stadium in the Gator Bowl.
The Iowa Hawkeyes beat a lot of good teams this year, while the South Carolina Gamecocks seemed to lose to a lot of good teams. What does that mean January 1 when they meet at Raymond James Stadium in the Outback Bowl?
Oddsmakers currently have the Hawkeyes listed as 3½-point favorites versus the Gamecocks, while the game’s total is sitting at 43.
The Eagles roll into Minnesota to take on a Vikings team that was all out to beat the New York Giants last Sunday even though the Giants rested quarterback Eli Manning in the second half. By contrast, Philadelphia needed the entire world to pretty much crash in order to make the playoffs. Luckily for them it did.
The LSU Tigers went from national champions to a team trying to win the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Things sure change fast in college football, especially in the SEC.
The 9-3 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will be playing a home bowl game December 31 when they meet the 7-5 Tigers at the Georgia Dome. Oddsmakers currently have the Yellow Jackets listed as 4-point favorites versus the Tigers, while the game’s total is sitting at 53.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers were 7-1 and sitting pretty in the Big Ten at the end of October. Then, they four in a row and fell to 7-5 and a date with the Kansas Jayhawks December 31 at Sun Devil Stadium. The 7-5 teams will battle for the Insight Bowl.
Oddsmakers currently have the Jayhawks listed as 8½-point favorites versus the Golden Gophers, while the game’s total is sitting at 59.
Vanderbilt looked like a contender in the SEC before the Commodore season wrecked on the rocks with four losses in five games to end the year. Now at 6-6, they face the 9-4 Boston College Eagles – losers in the ACC title game.
Oddsmakers currently have the Eagles listed as 3½-point favorites versus the Commodores, while the game’s total is sitting at 40½.
