Go Navy! Beat Army!.... But Bet The Under!
Betting picks by sports bettors for sports bettors
The Army-Navy game is one of my favorite games of the college football season. Why? Because it’s the one game that is still all about the game and nothing else. It doesn't feature a collection of NFL prospects, a Heisman candidate, or a potential national champion.
Instead, it features a group of young men that play for the love of the game and want nothing more than to beat their hated rival.
This game is all about playing football and nothing else. As a lifelong football fan, I love that and appreciate it. But that's not the only reason why I love this game. I love it because of one of the most consistent betting trends in any sport— the Under.
The final score of the Army-Navy game has been under the listed total at sportsbooks for the last 16 games. DraftKings has it listed at 32.5 (as of Thursday afternoon). I know what you're thinking, and you are right—it is incredibly low. But the final score in four of the last five Army-Navy games was under 32.5 points.
There is more going on in the wide world of sports betting than the Army-Navy game, of course. Bettors have a variety of betting options at their fingertips. So, let's talk about some of them.
2022 World Cup
One of the biggest sporting events in the world is nearing its end. The 2022 World Cup quarterfinals start tomorrow, the semis will be on Tuesday with the finals to follow on Sunday, December 18. So, if your favorite team is still alive, it’s time to get your bets in.
Our writers have been posting game previews throughout the tournament. So, be sure to check our site, GamingToday.com for previews of upcoming games. But you can also find futures odds on the following pages:
College Football
The regular season is done, conference championship weekend is a thing of the past, and there is only one FBS game on deck for this weekend—but there is still plenty of college football to bet on!
A couple of books still have odds posted for the Heisman ahead of Saturday’s award ceremony. You can always bet on a national championship winner, the CFP semifinal games, or one of the many bowl games, too.
However, if you want more than just the Army-Navy game this weekend (that’s the only FBS game), you could always bet on the FCS Playoffs! The quarterfinals are this weekend with three games on Friday and another on Saturday.
You can check out my preview of the weekend’s action and FCS championship odds here:
2022 NFL Season: Week 14
Betting on the NFL at this stage of the season can be a little challenging. Will the team’s that have been struggling all season continue to struggle? Or will they play their best game of the year against a playoff contender that is already looking ahead to next week? It happens all the time…
Then there are injuries to take into consideration (sorry 49ers fans!). Who knows, maybe Mr. Irrelevant can prove just how relevant he is this week against the Buccaneers. At least they aren’t the LA Rams, who could be starting Baker Mayfield on TNF a couple of days after picking him up off the waiver wire.
It should be another exciting week of NFL action and our writers have produced a lot of content to help you navigate through the many betting options:
Raiders vs. Rams TNF Player Props & TD Scorer Bets: Carr-Adams Connection Lives On
NFL Week 14 Betting Picks & Predictions: Two Favorites and One Total
NFL Week 14 Betting Tips & Strategies: Bet the Wrong Way on These Fishy Lines
NFL Week 14 Betting Trends: Can the Steelers Surprise Ravens Bettors?
NFL Week 14 Player Props & Anytime TD Scorer Bets: Watson Can’t Shake Off Two-Year-Old Rust
Browns vs. Bengals Odds & Prediction: Bet This Side in the Battle of Ohio
Dolphins vs. Chargers Odds & Prediction: Make This Bet on SNF
Elsewhere In The Wide World of Sports Betting…
With all the attention the World Cup, NFL, and college football gets, it may feel like they are the only games in town—but they aren’t. So, if you want to bet on something other than football or fútbol, you can. Our writers have covered some of the available options:
The PGA may be taking a break, but golf bettors can still get in some action. Bill Bowman covered some golf betting options in an article this week.
The final pay-per-view event of the year, UFC 282, is this weekend in Vegas and features some great fights.
With all the mega-deals handed out this week, it may be a good time to check out the 2023 World Series odds.
Then there’s the NBA championship, NCAAM championship, and Stanley Cup, of course.
For odds on upcoming NBA, NCAAM, and NHL games, check out these pages:
This Week On The Sports Betting Legal/Business Landscape…
As mobile sports betting in Maryland gets underway (could it be the next big thing?), it is only natural to wonder when states without legal sports betting will join the party. From what Gaming Today was told, it sounds like legal sports betting could be a priority in Missouri next year. According to Rep. Dan Houx:
“People want it. The legislature wants it. It’s going to be a top priority— I’d say in the top 5— in January.”
Of course, that’s an easy thing to say. But making it happen might not be so simple.
In other news…it looked like the Plainridge Park Casino in Boston was going to get the first retail license in Massachusetts, but then concerns were raised about one of the casino’s betting partners, Barstool. Rebecca Hanchett wrote in an article posted to Gaming Today on December 6:
Citing a Nov. 20 New York Times exposé of Barstool founder David Portnoy, Commissioner Eileen O’Brien asked the MGC to take a deeper look at the sportsbook brand’s suitability. The commission went into executive session around 4:30 p.m. ET, with no plans to return for public discussion today.
Sportsbook Promotions: December 8, 2023
The following sportsbook promos could come in handy this weekend:
BetMGM: One-Game Parlay Insurance—BetMGM offers this promo for NBA, NHL, football, and World Cup games; on qualifying one-game parlays, if one leg misses you can get your stake back up to $25.
BetRivers: World Cup Bet & Get— Place a pre-match wager of $25 or more on any World Cup Match and receive a $10 Free Bet to be used for a live, in-game wager!
DraftKings: New Customers: Win $150 In Free Bets!— Bet at least $5 on any moneyline and win $150 in free bets if your bet wins!
Caesars: PK Insurance: Saturday 12/3 – Saturday 12/10— Opt-In and place a wager on the “To Qualify” Market for World Cup games between December 3, 2022 and December 10, 2022. If your selected team loses in Penalty Kicks, get a Free Bet up to $50 back.
Check out our promo page for the best sign-up offers sportsbook apps have to offer
Fun With Futures: Coach of the Year
I enjoy betting on futures because the markets are hardly ever cut and dry. No, they evolve over the course of the season. When you reach a certain point late in the year, it can become easy to see how certain markets will play out. But that is not the case for all of them.
Take the NFL Coach of the Year award. Nick Siriani (-175 at DraftKings) has been the favorite for most of the season, as he should be. His team has become a Super Bowl 57 contender, has lost one game, and his QB has gone from being a possible liability to an MVP candidate. But there are several other promising candidates:
Robert Saleh (+1000): the Jets were expected to be bottom dwellers once again this season. But instead, they are shaping up to be a playoff team even though they had to bench the starting quarterback.
Kevin O’Connell (+400): first-year coaches have an advantage in that they are usually taking over a losing team. Should that team improve, the new head coach often gets the credit. His Vikings were 8-9 last season; this season they are 9-2 and Kirk Cousins is in MVP conversations.
Pete Carroll (+3000): It looked like he Seahawks were tanking this season when they didn’t bring anyone in to compete with Geno Smith and Drew Lock for the QB1 job. Not only are they a potential playoff team, but they could win the division and Geno Smith will probably win Comeback Player of the Year.
Brian Daboll (+2200): The Giants were expected to be bottom dwellers again this season. But, instead, they are in the thick of the playoff chase for the first time in years and Daniel Jones looks like he could be a capable quarterback.
Ron Rivera deserves to be in the conversation, too, and a case could probably be made for Mike McCarthy, as well. How teams fare down the stretch will certainly have an impact on who wins.
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, I want to share one of the many spirit videos you can find online for the Army-Navy game. You can find several from this year and years past. Some of them are absolute gems:
Bet wisely, my friends, and have a great weekend!
Until Next Week,
Travis Pulver, Sports Betting Writer