Geoff Johnson
The NFL and college football season have arrived, which means it’s time to be betting on games. For those casual gamblers, here’s a brief refresher course on various aspects of, well, betting.
OVER/UNDER
Whether it’s in the NFL or NCAA football, when looking at the o/u, remember it takes two to tango. Basically, if a game has an o/u at 55 points, you have to ask yourself if either team in your opinion has enough offensive firepower or defensive talent to either hit the number or stay below.
Take for instance the last Super Bowl, where going into the game Peyton Manning and his offense could easily hit the 47.5 o/u on their own. However, while we all knew Seattle’s defense was good, most folks didn’t consider it would be Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense that would push the game into the over.
Conversely, going back to New England’s first Super Bowl against the New York Giants, the o/u was 55 but there were plenty of bettors who successful questioned whether Eli Manning could provide enough offensive firepower to help the game get into the over. In the NFL, 55 points is a lot and while Tom Brady had a juggernaut offense, that o/u number would be quite the task. Obviously, the game went under.
So when considering the o/u in the NFL and NCAA, the key is look beyond the obvious for other variables that could keep the score under or push it into the over.
