Wild Two Months for Sports Bettors

For college football and NFL fans, the holiday season usually means exciting football. These past two months, we experienced the best football of the season. Unfortunately, with exciting matchups also come some upsetting losses for fans. From Thanksgiving week to the recent playoffs, numerous sports bettors lost big to the books due to some surprising underdog victories. 

Michigan’s Rout

Beginning the recap with Ohio State’s heavy defeat by Michigan. This colossal win for Michigan came with a striking loss for one high-stakes bettor. On Friday, November 25th, a fan placed a staggering $753,535 on the Buckeyes Moneyline at -315 odds. Michigan’s scoring streak in the fourth quarter put up 21 additional points that Ohio State was unable to cover. 

Had Michigan lost and the bet won, the player would have cashed out $239,214.  

Georgia Favored to Win the National Championship

After defending their honor in a close matchup with Ohio State on New Year’s eve, the Bulldogs remain the favorites to win the CFB National Championship. With a 42-41 win against OSU, Georgia currently sits with -500 odds to win the National Championship.

After their surprising victory that eliminated Michigan from the national championship, TCU now sits as the underdog heading into the championship game. The Horned Frogs sit at +375 odds. 

Bad Day to be a NFL Bettor

During week 12, the Tennessee Titans were home underdogs playing against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Titans took late measures, and in turn, the line dropped to Bengals -1 by the time of kickoff. Cincinnati won the game, giving BetMGM a small win, according to company officials. 

BetMGM claimed the following two games could have resulted in the sportsbook losing a lot of money. Jacksonville’s 28-27 victory, also as a 3.5-point underdog, against Baltimore, and Cleveland’s 23-17 overtime win as a 3.5-point home underdog to Tampa Bay. 

“Those two close games were extremely favorable for us, the Browns in OT and the Jags on that late drive,” said Jason Scott, Vice President of trading for BetMGM. Unfortunately, this meant that many NFL bettors lost big in November. 

Cowboys VS Giants

Halfway through the fourth quarter, the home-favored Dallas Cowboys scored a touchdown taking the lead against the New York Giants. Despite the comfortable 28-13 lead the Cowboys had gained, the score did not remain. With 8 seconds to go in the game, the Giants scored one more touchdown. Although New York lost the game, closing the gap did not allow the Cowboys to obtain the projected -10 spread. 

“The Giants’ late cover saved us millions, plural, in [straight bets] and parlays,” BetMGM’s Scott said.

This game was a perfect example of how when it comes to sports betting, the numbers of the final score hold tremendous value, especially in spread betting. Although the Cowboys won either way (regardless if it was 28-13 or 28-20), one touchdown at the very last second had a massive impact on many sports fans. 

Wagering on the CFB National Championship

Los Angeles’s Sofi Stadium is scheduled to host the CFB National Championship on Monday, the 9th, at 7:30 pm EST.

The Horned Frogs and the Georgia Bulldogs have met just one time since 1988, during the 2016 Liberty Bowl when Georgia beat TCU 31-23. For Monday’s game, Georgia is the favorite on FanDuel’s website, with -500 Moneyline odds and a -13.5 spread (-110). If you’re looking to wager on the underdog Monday night, TCU seeks to cover a +13.5 spread (-110) during their first CFB National Championship appearance. This year will be the second time the Georgia Bulldogs have played in the CFB National Championship (after winning last year against Alabama). 

Mac Daniel is a Michigan native and freelance writer for PlayOnlineCasino and PlayOnlineSportsBetting. He has experience writing about a wide variety of topics, including healthcare, tourism, non-profit organizations, and most recently casino and sportsbetting news. To check out more of his work, visit: playonlinemichigan.com