Steve Starr
- The Power of the Dog (-200) remains the favorite to win Best Picture
- Will Smith is a lock to win his first Oscar but the Best Actress category is wide open
- The 94th Academy Award will be held on Sunday, March 27 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood
The Screen Actors Guild Awards took place on Sunday – which you should know if you’re planning on placing any wagers on the 2022 Academy Awards.
Because actors still comprise the largest and most influential branch of Academy voters, the SAG Awards are a reliable Oscars predictor. For instance, all of the individual actor SAG winners repeated at the Academy Awards in two of the last four years, and four of the last 10.
Before we check the latest Oscars odds for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress and offer our updated awards picks, be sure to check out the top betting sites for Entertainment in 2022.
Best Picture
 |  |
|
| The Power of the Dog | -220 | -200 |
| Belfast | +350 | +300 |
| CODA | +700 | +1200 |
| West Side Story | +900 | +1000 |
| King Richard | +2500 | +2800 |
| Licorice Pizza | +2500 | +2500 |
| Dune | +2800 | +2500 |
| Don't Look Up | +4000 | +5000 |
| Drive My Car | +4500 | +4000 |
| Nightmare Alley | +10000 | +10000 |
‘The Power of the Dog’ is vulnerable
The “Power of the Dog” (-200) remains the Oscar frontrunner with 12 total nominations, however, Jane Campion’s revisionist western didn’t earn a SAG nomination for ‘Film Ensemble’ and neither of its three nominated actors (Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Kodi Smit-McPhee) took home any hardware.
“CODA” won the ‘Best Ensemble’ SAG last Sunday. While the award has only been a precursor for the Best Picture in 12 of the past 26 years, it’s worth jumping on the film’s long +1200 odds. Some notable SAG-winner Oscar upsets of recent years include “Parasite”, “Spotlight”, “Shakespeare in Love” and “Crash”.
The cast of “CODA,” which consists of deaf actors Marlee Matlin, Daniel Durant, and Troy Kotsur along with hearing actors Eugenio Derbez and Emilia Jones, wins the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture #sagawards
Photo: Screenshot from TNT pic.twitter.com/Wh6WeiGNEK
— The Daily Moth (@thedailymoth) February 28, 2022
Best Actor
| |
|
| Will Smith - King Richard | -500 | -500 |
| Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog | +350 | +350 |
| Andrew Garfield - tick | tick Boom! | +600 |
| Denzel Washington - The Tragedy of Macbeth | +3300 | +4000 |
| Javier Bardem - Being the Ricardos | +4000 | +5000 |
Is this finally Will Smith’s year?
Will Smith (-500) is a resounding favorite to take home his first Oscar after winning the ‘Lead Actor’ SAG Award, which shortened his Academy Award betting odds from -250. The category has been the most reliable bellweather of Oscar glory, with SAG and the academy lining up 21 of 27 times, so don’t bother betting on Benedict Cumberbatch (+350) and Andrew Garfield (+600).
Nominated in the category twice previously for “Ali” (2001) and “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006), Smith won’t be denied a third time after delivering an incredible performance in “King Richard” and a note-perfect acceptance speech at the SAG Awards.
Best Actress
| |
|
| Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye | +125 | +125 |
| Nicole Kidman - Being the Ricardos | +150 | +150 |
| Olivia Colman - The Lost Daughter | +400 | +550 |
| Kristen Stewart - Spencer | +500 | +550 |
| Penelope Cruz - Parallel Mothers | +2000 | +2000 |
Chastain vs Kidman
Jessica Chastain (+125) claimed the ‘Lead Actress’ award on Sunday, but while SAG and the academy have matched 19 of 27 years, she is not assured as Oscar win for her transformative role as televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker.
None of the Best Actress contenders are in a film nominated for Best Picture this year, so the race is rather unpredictable. Nicole Kidman (+150) captured the Golden Globe for playing Lucille Ball in “Being the Ricardos”, but the ceremony was not televised and her momentum is waning.
So well deserved. Will Smith takes home his first Actor® for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role! #sagawards pic.twitter.com/gD6I4GTVLs
— SAG Awards® (@SAGawards) February 28, 2022
Olivia Colman (+550) pulled an Oscars upset three years ago for “The Favourite” and her film, “The Last Daughter”, has garnered the most recognition from the academy, with Maggie Gyllenhaal earning a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination and a Best Supporting Actress nod for Jessie Buckley.
Kristin Stewart (+550) and Penélope Cruz (+2000) have also earned their fair share of support for their respective roles in “Spencer” and “Parallel Mothers”, but if anyone upsets Chastain, we expect it to be Colman.
See below the sportsbooks where you can find top Oscars odds and choose the best one for you:
