Everybody Loves an Underdog

Sports betting news and information for bettors by bettors ...

Sep 22, 2022

Home-field advantage did mean something in the NFL once upon a time, but apparently, it doesn't anymore. This week's NFL slate has nine home underdogs -- over half of the games! Most of them shouldn't surprise anyone. If anything, with how the Colts have played this season, I'm surprised they are only 5.5-point home dogs to the Chiefs (odds via Caesars).

For what it's worth, home dogs are 8-5-1 ATS so far this season.

Choose a sportsbook app: Best betting platforms for NFL

Anyway ... as usual at this time of year, a lot is going on in the wide world of sports betting. The NFL is in full swing; ditto for college football. The MLB regular season is in its home stretch, and the postseason is preparing to ramp up. The UFC is never out of season. Golf fans are enjoying the Presidents Cup this week.

Enough beating around the bush — let's talk about sports betting!

NFL Week 3: Will the Craziness Continue?

With insane comebacks by the Cardinals, Jets, and Dolphins leading the way, underdogs were an impressive 8-5-1 ATS last week. Will we see similar insanity this week?

After Week 1, I would have said there's no way the Cardinals take down the Rams. But after watching that comeback last week — eh, maybe.

Several spreads are small, so those games will likely be competitive and could easily go either way.

So, does this mean you should roll with the underdogs this week? No, I'm not saying that. I've got some more research before I can start drawing conclusions like that, starting with several of the articles my co-workers wrote for GamingToday.com this week:

My Week 3 NFL Parlay picks post will be ready on Friday.

College Football Week 4: Kansas Rising

Week 3 was relatively dull, with no one in the top 10 taking on worthy competition, and everyone but No. 10 Arkansas blowing their opponent out of the water — as they should have. But we should start seeing some better matchups moving forward now that conference play is getting underway. However, before I go on, I have to say one thing:

How 'bout those Kansas Jayhawks?

We know the Jayhawks as a basketball school. But these guys appear to have figured out how to play football. It's crazy, but it's true. They are undefeated through three weeks; that hasn't happened since 2009!

I'll be covering Kansas’ game against Duke in my College Football Picks & Parlays article this week.

As for our other college football coverage, we've seen a change at the top of CFP National Championship betting boards; Georgia has surpassed Alabama as the favorite.

C.J Stroud still leads the Heisman Trophy race, but the odds for Bryce Young and Caleb Williams are right up there with Stroud.

Check out these articles for insight on specific games:

My College Football Picks and Parlay post will get posted to GamingToday.com by tomorrow.

Elsewhere in the Wide World Of Sports Betting…

The UFC does not have an event this weekend, but golfers can still get their betting fix via the Presidents Cup. Our writers posted a couple of articles with varying points of view about the event this week:

We also touched this week on some news impacting MLB betting.

Today’s MLB Lines

This Week On The Sports Betting Legal/Business Landscape ...

There have been some exciting developments on the legal and business front for sports betting this week. For one, it looks like sports bettors in Maryland might be able to start betting in November or December. It will not be too late to get in on the action with the Ravens!

How about Massachusetts? Rebecca Hanchett has the latest.

In a recent article, Dan Zimmerman approached the question of whether Texas may legalize sports betting. With how rabid football fans are in the Lone Star State, that could become a revenue gold mine for the state.

In other legal/business news:

Sportsbook Promotions: September 15, 2022

The following sportsbook promos could come in handy this weekend:

BetMGM: Rather than try to paraphrase what BetMGM is doing, I'm going to recommend clicking on this link: BetMGM Sportsbook Bonus Code: Claim Free Bet Up To $1,000 & Turn $10 NFL Wager Into $200
Caesars: 33% Parlay Boost through Sunday: Get a 33% Boost on your NFL parlay
DraftKings: Bet $5 on NFL or College Football, Get $200 Instantly (eight $25 free bets)
BetRivers: NCAAF Parlay Profit Boost. Get a 20% profit boost for any NCAAF 3+ leg parlay!

As always, terms and conditions will apply when it comes to promos.

Beginner's Beat: Be Smart With Your Parlays

I am all for getting behind an underdog. In one of my NFL parlays from last week, I got one right (Texans +10). But I rolled the dice on Seattle against San Francisco, knowing I never should have.

Did I do it because the odds for the parlay jumped from +1228 to +2435? Maybe. I don't know for sure. But it was indeed a bad choice. Banking on Geno Smith to have two good games in a row? Has he ever done that?

What makes it sting a little more is that the odds for picking the 'Hawks and the points were the same as going with the 49ers or a favorite from some other game (-110).

Play it smart with the legs you choose. Don't add one more leg because the odds will make a huge jump; add it because you are confident it's a winner.

Newsletter is done, Underdog.

That's it for this edition of the Gaming Today Playbook. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much or more as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any questions or want to request a topic to get covered in a future newsletter, you can reach me via email at travis.pulver@catenamedia.com or via Twitter at @FatManWriting.

To close out the GTP this week, since September is Responsible Gaming Education Month, I'd like to share this tweet from BetMGM: