Sports betting roundup: Game 7 of the World Series surrounded by a big football weekend
The Major League Baseball season concluded over the weekend with a thrilling Game 7 and it was surrounded by plenty of football action in college and the NFL.
Here’s a look at how things played out from a sports betting perspective:
Trends of the Week
Going into Game 7 of the World Series at BetMGM online sportsbook, the Los Angeles Dodgers were -140 on the moneyline against the Toronto Blue Jays, but took in just 30% of the bets and 33% of the money.
In a back-and-forth game, the Dodgers won 5-4 in 11 innings to win the World Series for the second straight year. It was also back and forth in betting. Before Miguel Rojas tied the game for LA in the ninth inning, the Dodgers were +300 to win and then -110 after.
Following a few weeks of the favorites dominating NFL betting, this week was about the underdogs. After the favorites went 11-2 against the spread in Week 8, going into Monday Night Football, they are 5-8 in Week 9.
The biggest game of the day on Sunday was the Buffalo Bills hosting the Chiefs. Kansas City closed as a two-point favorite and fell 28-21 on the road. The Chiefs took in 48% of the bets and 61% of the money in against-the-spread betting.
Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal (-125) was the most bet player to score a touchdown on Sunday against the Titans. Tennessee had allowed the opponent’s starting running back to score a touchdown in seven of eight games this season, but Vidal did not find the end zone.
In one of the biggest matchups in college football on Saturday, Georgia closed as a seven-point favorite against Florida. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton could have scored a touchdown in the closing minute but went down at the 1-yard line, which gave the Bulldogs a 24-20 win. Georgia at -7 and the over of 50.5 would have hit if Stockton had scored.
Upsets of the Week
One upset on Sunday was the Minnesota Vikings beating the Detroit Lions 27-24 on the road. The Lions (-8.5) were the most bet team in terms of money on Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts (-3.5) against the Pittsburgh Steelers was the second-most bet team in terms of money and they also lost outright 27-20.
The biggest upset was the Carolina Panthers (+13.5) beating the Green Bay Packers 16-13 on the road. Carolina took in 43% of the bets and 36% of the money in against-the-spread betting.
Coming Up
With the college football season nearing its conclusion, Ohio State remains the favorite to win another national championship at +200.
Indiana is next at +500, followed by Alabama at +700, Oregon and Notre Dame at +1000, Texas A&M at +1100 and Georgia at +1300.
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports