College football bettors see bad beats, late covers on losing day

In big games, bettors normally like to back the favorite against the spread and take the underdog on the money line. But several big bettors have taken the opposite approach for Monday's College Football Playoff national championship game in which Michigan has ticked up to a consensus 5½-point favorite over Washington. Caesars Sportsbook took money…

Week 8 of the NFL season was a mixed bag for bookmakers and sports bettors alike, but the biggest upset of the day was certainly the Denver Broncos beating the Kansas City Chiefs outright 24-9 as 7-point underdogs. The day also featured the New York Giants almost winning a game with minus-8 passing yards, Kirk Cousins being potentially lost for the…

It was a wild Week 6 in the NFL, which saw the San Francisco 49ers lose to the Cleveland Browns (and lose several key players to injury), the Philadelphia Eagles fall from the ranks of the unbeaten and a safety crush the hopes of New England Patriots backers. Here is a Week 6 betting recap in the NFL: Week 6 NFL betting picture Favorites: 9-4…

It was a Sunday full of blowouts in Week 4 of the NFL season, but a day that ended up hinging for sportsbooks on the result of Sunday Night Football between the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets. The Jets played Kansas City tough, but ended up falling 23-20 as 8.5-point underdogs, leading to a winning day for sportsbooks. Here's a recap of Week…

The Review-Journal's Todd Dewey will track the biggest betting storylines every Saturday of the college football season. Colorado lost its second straight game Saturday after a 3-0 start under coach Deion Sanders that captivated the world of college football. But the Buffaloes, 22½-point home underdogs to Southern California, rallied for a cover in…

Before kickoff of Saturday's Nebraska-Colorado football game, "Colorado -2.5" was trending in sports on X. The game featured a massive handle at Las Vegas sportsbooks, with Station Casinos reporting it had 40 percent more handle than the most-bet NFL game. And the public loved the Buffaloes, who went off as 2½-point favorites at most sportsbooks.…

College football is back. The Review-Journal's David Schoen will track the biggest betting storylines every Saturday of the college football season. Deion Sanders' debut as Colorado football coach was a success for bettors. The Buffaloes racked up 565 yards of total offense and pulled the outright road upset over No. 17 Texas Christian, 45-42 on…

After bettors won big on Fairleigh Dickinson's upset of No. 1-seeded Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, they were dealt a dose of March sadness in the second round. Sportsbooks had a monster day Saturday, when Duke and Kansas were eliminated and UCLA won but didn't cover. Bettors also lost Sunday, when No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson…

Chants of "FDU" reverberated through sportsbooks Friday night after Fairleigh Dickinson produced the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history. The Knights stunned No. 1 seed Purdue as 23-point underdogs to become the second No. 16 seed to win a game in the round of 64 in their 63-58 win over the Boilermakers. Bettors dealt books a loss on the game…

The largest reported wager on the Super Bowl was made Sunday. A bettor in New York put down $2.2 million on the Philadelphia Eagles -1½ over the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Caesars Sportsbook. The bet would win $2 million. The spread bounced around three hours before kickoff, with the Eagles 1½-point favorites over Kansas City at BetMGM, Boyd…

The double-digit point spread for Monday's College Football Playoff national championship game has kept many handicappers and analysts from having a strong opinion on a side. But the one play most bettors seem to agree on is that Georgia and Texas Christian will go over the total, which climbed to 63 at the Westgate SuperBook on Friday after…

Texas Christian quarterback Max Duggan's legs gave his team a chance for a come-from-behind win and cover in the Big 12 championship game Saturday. But with the Horned Frogs' undefeated season and automatic berth in the College Football Playoff at stake, the Heisman Trophy candidate's number wasn't called. Duggan handed off on two straight plays,…

One of the biggest line moves in college football Saturday came in the Oregon-Oregon State game. The line jumped the fence at South Point and other sportsbooks after opening the day with Oregon a 2½- to 3-point favorite. By the time kickoff rolled around, the host Beavers were 1-point favorites at most books and got up to 1½-point chalk at South…

All season long, Iowa games have flirted with setting a record for the lowest total ever in college football. The moment finally happened Saturday, and the number was still too high. The Hawkeyes' game against host Minnesota closed with a total of 31½, the lowest over/under for a Football Bowl Subdivision game since betting totals started to be…

They say college football "just means more" in the South, and Saturday was a good example of why. Two decisions from the Southeastern Conference also meant a lot to bettors and Las Vegas sportsbooks, with Georgia covering as a favorite against Tennessee and Louisiana State earning the outright upset over Alabama. "We lost a little on the…

Sportsbooks are shaping up to be Raiders fans for the "Monday Night Football" game against the host Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders are 7-point underdogs at most Las Vegas sportsbooks. Station Casinos and BetMGM each went to Chiefs -7½. The consensus total is 51½. "The best-case right now is that the Raiders win outright," Red Rock Resort…

Dorian Thompson-Robinson trudged off the field at the Rose Bowl on Saturday disappointed with himself for throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Luckily for UCLA's fifth-year senior quarterback, he had already put the game out of reach. The former Bishop Gorman standout accounted for five touchdowns in UCLA's 42-32 upset…

Public bettors are backing the Denver Broncos against the Indianapolis Colts on "Thursday Night Football." The Broncos are 3-point favorites (-120) at most Las Vegas sportsbooks. Station Casinos lists the Broncos -3½. "As of right now, we are a little more heavy on the Broncos side at -3 (-120)," Golden Nugget sportsbook director Tony Miller said…

There are few things more unsatisfying for sports bettors than when their team wins but doesn't cover the spread. Gamblers on the Raiders, consensus 2½-point favorites over the Broncos on Sunday, faced that bittersweet fate when Russell Wilson ran for a touchdown to cut Denver's deficit to 25-23 midway through the fourth quarter. But their faith…

On a day when Top 25 favorites took it on the chin, one result stood out for Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito. "Michigan was one of the larger college (football) decisions I can remember," Esposito said Saturday via text message. The Wolverines were given a seven-point head start after Maryland fumbled the opening kickoff and went…

No trip to the mall used to be complete without a visit to Brookstone. The store was a bachelor's paradise, filled with novelty items for around the house such as vibrating recliner chairs. But that was 25 years ago. Hardly anyone goes to the mall nowadays, and Brookstone can only be found in airports and online. Its place as a retail powerhouse is…

The NFL kicked off the season in earnest Sunday with a wild Week 1 that featured a tie, four outright upsets, five games decided in the final minute and countless missed kicks. Sportsbooks won big, with BetMGM winning more than $1 million in Nevada alone. The Steelers stunned the Bengals in overtime as 7-point underdogs, the Bears (+6½) beat the…

Bettors are providing strong two-way action for Thursday's season opener between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams. The Bills are consensus 2½-point favorites at Las Vegas sportsbooks after the Rams opened as 1-point chalk in May. The total is 52. Boyd Gaming was at 51½ late Thursday morning. "Early money poured in on Buffalo," South Point…

The line on the national championship game ticked up Saturday, as respected money showed early on favored Georgia. The Bulldogs enter the week as 3-point favorites over Alabama in a rematch of the SEC championship game in which the Crimson Tide dominated. Georgia was around a 6-point favorite over Alabama in their first meeting back in December.…

Once or twice a season, almost all the NFL favorites cover and the betting public buries the bookmakers. Sunday was one of those rare, glorious days for bettors. Favorites went 7-0 ATS in the 10 a.m. games and 8-4 ATS overall as Las Vegas sportsbooks got destroyed. Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM each reported multimillion-dollar losses. "It's a…