On Sports Betting: Bet On The Raiders? The ‘Experts’ Warned Against It
Obviously, somebody was.
After opening at Raiders +2.5, the line on the Raiders moved to +3 in at many Nevada race and sports books. But it then moved back to 2.5 in some — but not all — shops. The total crept up from 50.5 to around 52.
CBS SportsLine projected Colts 30, Raiders 26. R.J. White, “super stat geek,” picked the Colts, saying, “I expect the Colts offense to have a lot of success here and the defense to do enough to cover.” Hank Goldberg, “Hammer,” also favored the Colts, observing, “The Raiders should have lost to the Jets. They are really lucky not to be on a three-game losing streak.”
Over at Odds Shark, the projection was Colts 29, Raiders 23.
The “experts” and the projections were on track. As you know by now, the Colts overwhelmed the Raiders and won 44-27.
Raiders QB Derek Carr passed for 316 yards with two touchdowns. But he also had two interceptions. Indianapolis rolled up 456 total yards, including 212 on the ground.
The Raiders have lost three of four after a promising start in their inaugural season in Las Vegas.
“When you need a win against a team you’re battling with for a playoff spot and you don’t get it, it really rips your heart out,” Carr told reporters after the game.
Yes, it was a good day for Colts backers. Likewise for those who played over 52. And it was even a better day for Colts bettors who found the prop bet with the Colts at -7.5 that paid +170. And if you bet on Carr to toss a pick, that paid +125. Carr’s passing yards over 253.5? An easy winner.
The Raiders (7-6) now face the Los Angeles Chargers (4-9) on Thursday Night Football. The Raiders are -3 with the total 54.5.
Elsewhere:
— In college football, the UNLV Rebels got their first cover of the season despite a 38-21 loss to Hawaii on Saturday. The Rebels had been as high as +21.5 before closing at around +19.5. They were trailing 21-7 at halftime but scored 14 points in the third quarter to keep the cover in range. They finished the abbreviated season winless (0-6) under head coach Marcus Arroyo but at 1-4-1 ATS.
Still, the first-year coach found a reason to be optimistic. “I’m proud of their fight, and I thought we had a lot of things to build off of and springboard us into the offseason,” Arroyo told reporters after the game.
— The main event at UFC 256, a hard-fought flyweight bout between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno on Saturday, ended in a draw. Figueiredo, a Brazilian black belt, had been about a -335 favorite. It was only the fourth draw in UFC championship events and paid anywhere from +5000 to +6600. Over 2.5 rounds paid even money. Favorites went 5-4-1 and over/under was 6-4 across all events, according to Vegas Insider.
— The juggernaut that is the Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked No. 1 in The AP poll, rolled to a 52-3 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday. And, yes, they covered -30. However, the Tide put up only 14 points in the second half and the total came in under 68.5. Every casual bettor’s favorite wager, Alabama as high as -20 on the first-half line, paid again as they led 38-3 at halftime in the game played at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
— Every bettor enjoys an occasional blowout, when the outcome easily tops the betting line. Washington’s 73-41 win over Seattle in college hoops on Wednesday would qualify. The Huskies were -11 and beat that number by 21 points. San Francisco’s 107-62 win over Cal State-Long Beach on Thursday likewise qualifies. The Dons were -15.5 and beat that number by 29.5 points.
— The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (1-4) return to college basketball action late Monday vs. the Pepperdine Waves (3-3). The Rebels are +2.5 with the total at 149.5.
