Author Archives: MikeRose

The Green Bay Packers have been installed as 2½ point favorites for Super Bowl XLV with the betting total set at 44½, but if you do not like those full-game numbers, another viable option could be to bet individual quarters.

Now some bettors may scoff at the thought with the belief that betting on quarters is totally random, and while that may sometimes be true, many other times, teams have discernable patterns regarding what quarters they are stronger or weaker in. After all, if this was not the case, how would the sportsbooks set the quarter lines?

The latest line on Super Bowl XLV between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers is Green Bay -2½, with the total set at 44½.

Now many bettors may find those numbers too tight to wager on, but another viable option might be teasing the side and total. Remember that generally, 6-point teasers are priced at -110, 6½-point teasers are -120 and 7-point teasers are -130.

When handicapping each individual leg of the teaser, it is important to know that at those prices, the break-even point for one leg of a 6-point teaser is 72.3 percent, for a 6½-point teaser, it is 73.8 percent and for a 7-point teaser, it is 75.1 percent.

Though plenty of action will get thrown down on both sides of the Championship weekend games, there’s still coin to be made when looking at the totals. Here is our look at both of our ‘total’ calls in this week’s NFL Championship Games.

Sunday, January 23rd

Green Bay Packers (12-6) at Chicago Bears (12-5) 3:00 ET FOX

The NFL latest line on this contest is Green Bay -3½ at betting odds of -115, with the NFC Championship total set at 43½.

We went just 1-2 in out NFL Side calls in the Divisional Round, correctly calling the Packers upset of Atlanta while losing in unlucky fashion with the Ravens +3½ and coming up woefully short with the Patriots.

Sunday, January 23rd

Green Bay Packers (12-6) at Chicago Bears (12-5) 3:00 ET FOX

The NFL playoff odds for this contest is Green Bay -3½ at betting odds of -115, with the total set at 43½.

The Seattle Seahawks may be the first NFL team in history to make the playoffs with a losing record, but they shocked the world by beating the Saints in the Wild Card Round and are now visiting the Chicago Bears at a site where the Seahawks posted one of their two road wins during the regular season.

The NFL divisional round lines for this contest list Chicago (-10) with betting odds of -105 at home, with the betting total set at 41.

The Green Bay Packers appeared to dominate play in their Wild Card Playoff win over the Eagles, so it was somewhat surprising that Philadelphia had the ball with a chance to win in the final minute. Michael Vick’s interception ended that hope though, so it sets up the Packers for this rematch with the Atlanta Falcons, the top seed in the NFC after a 13-3 regular season.

The NFL playoff odds list Atlanta at -2 at home, with the betting total set at 43½.

Now that the NFL Playoffs are here, it is time to dissect the Super Bowl Future odds to see where the value lies.

The key to playing futures is to find a team that is undervalued at double-digit odds, as that always leaves open the possibility of hedging your wager down the line if you so desire, provided you are correct and your team exceeds expectations.

Well, we did not have to look far to find such a team, so here is our one and only Super Bowl future selection for 2010.

The Indianapolis Colts (9-6) look like a team that will not be denied, as they won their third straight game last week 31-26 at Oakland to put themselves in position where they will clinch the AFC South title with a win here vs. the Tennessee Titans (6-9), who were ripped 34-14 by the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday.

The NFL betting line for this contest is Indianapolis -10 at home, with the betting total set at 48.

The Atlanta Falcons (12-2) can clinch both the NFC South and the top seed in the NFL with a win this week, while the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints (10-4) would need to win this game to clinch a playoff spot if the favored Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Seahawks on Sunday.

The NFL latest line for this contest is Atlanta -2.5 at home, with the betting total set at 48.5.

Even if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose on Sunday, thereby already assuring New Orleans of a playoff berth, the Saints still have the incentive of trying the win the South, which they would do by winning their last two games combined with a Falcons’ loss to Carolina at home next week.

The Dallas Cowboys (5-9) overcame a furious rally by the Redskins last week to nip Washington 33-30, while Arizona Cardinals (4-10) handed the Carolina Panthers just their second win of the season 19-12.

The NFL betting spread for this contest is Dallas -7 on the road, with the total set at 45.

Dallas games have certainly been exciting since Jason Garrett took over as head coach, as the Cowboys have gone 4-2 while averaging 32.2 points per game and allowing 27.3 points per contest. The defense has gotten progressively worse though, allowing at least 30 points in each of the last four games.