How 'Bout Those Horned Frogs?

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

Jan 05, 2023

Everyone who bet on TCU to beat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl, please stand up. Now, everyone who put money on the Horned Frogs to win the national championship back in Week 5 when the Horned Frogs’ odds were still around +20000 (at BetMGM), please remain standing.

Those of you still standing — stop lying.

Some of you may actually be telling the truth, and that is what's so great about college football. As unlikely as it may be, a team can rise from relative obscurity one season to become national champions the next. LSU wasn't supposed to win it all a few years ago. Although, at this stage of the season, LSU was expected to win it all.

We can't say the same about TCU. But who knows – maybe this is the year of the Horned Frog (more on the CFP title game in a moment).

It's a great day to be alive and betting on sports, whether you like football, fútbol, golf, UFC, college hoops, the NBA, or one of the many other sports available for your gambling pleasure at your favorite sportsbook. Our team has been hard at work covering the latest and greatest developments in the wide world of sports betting.

Pick a promo: The best sportsbooks have to offer

Let's talk about some of them.

Can TCU Shock the World?

I don't know what to think about this year's CFP title game. As a native Texan, state law requires me (JK) to back any team from the Lone Star State playing for a national title (except for tu). But can TCU actually win? It was not supposed to hang with Michigan, but Georgia is a different beast altogether. Then again, the Bulldogs defense got shredded by Ohio State.

So, maybe TCU has a fighting chance?

Maybe. But as good as Michigan's defense was, Georgia has a better one. Yes, they got shredded by the Buckeyes. But I can't help but think about how the SEC title game played out last season against Alabama, and then how the national championship game went.

Should Ohio State putting up 41 on TCU give underdog backers confidence? Maybe, but is it false confidence? I don't know.

So, as far as the CFP National Championship game is concerned, I don't have any advice for you, but I would recommend reading Rob Miech's preview of the game:

CFP National Championship Game Odds & Pick: Make This Bet on TCU vs. Georgia

As a warm-up for Monday's title game, check out the FCS title game between North Dakota State and South Dakota State on Sunday:

FCS National Championship Game Odds: South Dakota State Favored Over North Dakota State

NFL Week 18: Race to the Playoffs

The final week of the NFL season is at its best when there is drama, and we've got plenty of that this heading into the regular-season finale. I'm talking teams fighting for playoff spots, the No. 1 seed in each conference up for grabs, a de facto AFC South title game, (and the last chance for a worst-to-first scenario to play out). You have to love the drama!

Combine that with a few well-placed wagers, and we are talking about must-see-TV this weekend.

We don't have a Thursday night game this week, but there are a pair of contests on Saturday:

For help/advice on Sunday's slate of games, check out these articles:

Live NFL Week 18 Odds

Elsewhere in the Wide World of Sports Betting…

Football has taken center stage, but gridiron action is not the only game in town. You can find odds for upcoming games and championship odds for several sports on our dedicated pages:

This Week On The Sports Betting Legal/Business Landscape…

If there was ever any doubt whether the Buckeye State would embrace sports betting, there shouldn't be any now. Sports betting apps launched on New Year's Day in Ohio and saw people sign up for new accounts at an incredible rate — 784,000 in the first two days.

That's equal to about 6.7% of the population. To give that number some context, 3.3% of the population in Louisiana signed up within 36 hours of Louisiana's launch, and 3.6% percent of the population in New York did over the first weekend of legal sports betting in the Empire State.

Governor DeWine wasted no time making sure sportsbooks knew he wouldn't mess around if they “crossed the line” with their marketing. It only took three days after sports betting launched for him to call sportsbooks out for some of their practices:

Sportsbook Marketing Has 'Crossed the Line', Ohio Gov. DeWine Says

In other legal/business news…

Sportsbook Promotions: Jan. 05, 2023.

The following sportsbook promos could come in handy this weekend:

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Terms and conditions will apply with every sportsbook promotion. Check out our promo page for the best sign-up offers sportsbook apps have to offer.

Playin' With Parlays

Since PointsBet has been gifting existing customers $1-2 bonus bets throughout the NFL and CFB seasons, I've played quite a few parlays and same game parlays this year. With this weekend marking the end of the college football season, I thought reviewing a parlay or two would be fun.

I like the options FanDuel gives you with parlays and SGPs compared to other books, but you should always compare the odds at other top sports betting apps:

CFB Championship Parlay

FCS Championship game: North Dakota State +5.5 -112
CFP Championship game: TCU +12.5, -110
Parlay odds: +261

South Dakota State has been the team to beat for most of the season, but there is something to be said about ND State's championship pedigree. When it comes down to it, the Bison know how to win championship games; South Dakota State does not. I've watched the FCS playoffs this year, and ND State is peaking at the right time.

As for the CFP title game, I want TCU to win, but I am not confident enough in them to make that moneyline bet. However, I am confident enough in their ability to make it a good game and not get blown out.

CFP Championship SGP

Over 62.5 -110
Kenny McIntosh Over 60.5 rushing yards -114
Daijun Edwards Over 45.5 rushing yards -114
SGP Odds: +452

TCU's defense will not slow down the Georgia offense too much. As for the Horned Frogs offense, I'm not confident they can score enough to win. But after watching Ohio State score 41 points, I think TCU will score some points.

Kenny McIntosh only needed five carries to get 70 yards against a solid Ohio State run defense and has rushed for 60+ yards in three of his last four games.

As for Daijun Edwards, the junior running back has rushed for 45+ yards in ten of his last 11 games. Against a sub-par TCU run defense, he and McIntosh could easily go over their listed totals.

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 thought I'd share a tweet that sums up how all football fans are feeling this week: