Here’s a look at the top stories for the week, top bets cashed and what’s next in the world of sports betting.
College Football Playoffs: After the completion of the 2023 NCAA Football season and conference championship games, the four-team playoff has been decided. A selection committee selected Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama, and left out undefeated Florida State, causing controversy and angering several Florida politicians.
Top seed Michigan will meet No. 4 seed Alabama, and No. 2 seed Washington will take on No. 3 seed Texas. The games will air on ESPN on Jan. 1. The winners will face off on Jan. 8 in a championship game, which will also air on ESPN.
According to early betting lines from DraftKings Inc DKNG, Michigan is favored by 1.5 points and Texas is favored by 4.5 points. The betting odds to win the championship for Michigan are +180, Alabama +200, Texas +260 and Washington +700.
Fifth-ranked Florida State and sixth-ranked Georgia will meet in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30, with Georgia favored to win by 14 points.
NFL Update: Sitting atop the NFL standings are the Philadelphia Eagles at 10-2. The Eagles lost in decisive fashion last week to the San Francisco 49ers, with a 42-19 score. The Eagles now face the 9-3 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and find themselves the betting underdogs.
Here's a look at the current odds to win Super Bowl LVIII:
San Francisco 49ers (9-3): +310
Philadelphia Eagles (10-2): +550
Miami Dolphins (9-3): +600
Kansas City Chiefs (8-4): +700
Baltimore Ravens (9-3): +700
With the big win by the 49ers, the team's quarterback Brock Purdy has moved to the top of the list as the favorite to win the Super Bowl MVP with odds of +300. Following behind Purdy are Jalen Hurts of the Eagles at +350 and Dak Prescott of the Cowboys at +350. Ranking seventh is Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill at +1600, with the receiver on pace to break the single-season-receiving-yards record.
Big Baseball Trade Moves Lines: The 2023 Major League Baseball season is over, but offseason activity is having a big impact on betting odds for the next World Series winner. The New York Yankees traded multiple prospects to land star player Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. Adding the slugger, who was previously a MVP runner-up and won a World Series with the Washington Nationals, improved the Yankees’ betting odds. The Yankees are now listed with the third best odds to win the World Series at +850, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. Most sportsbooks had the Yankees with odds of +1200 to +1600 prior to the trade. After the Soto trade, the next domino likely to fall is the landing spot of free agent Shohei Ohtani, who is rumored to be moving to the Toronto Blue Jays.
PGA Tour Loses Star: The exodus of PGA Tour players to LIV Golf has continued, with reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm announcing his move to LIV Golf. Rahm is the third-ranked golfer in the world and is a top three betting favorite for all four major golf tournaments in 2024. The betting odds could change based on how well Rahm does adjusting to LIV Golf prior to the events.
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Soccer Tournaments Unveil Groups: Two recent selection shows unveiled the groups for major soccer tournaments that will take place in 2024. The Euro 2024 will see 24 teams compete across six groups. Group B, which includes Spain, Italy and Croatia, is the likely "Group of Death," with three highly competitive teams. The overall odds for the favorites are France at +350, England at +350, Germany at +650, Spain at +800 and Portugal at +800.
The Copa America will see 16 teams compete across four groups. The United States are in Group C with Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia. Argentina and Brazil are listed as co-favorites to win at +175, followed by Uruguay at +600, Colombia at +1000, United States at +1400 and Mexico at +1400.
Big Bets: One of the biggest wins of the week was reported by DraftKings, with an NBA bettor combining the first field goal prop for five games. This means the bettor had to pick the person to score the first basket in five games, and all of the choices had to be right. Using a $5 bonus bet, the bettor won with huge odds of +973,950 and won a profit of $48,697.50.
Check Out Last Week’s Report: Sports Betting Weekly Wrap: NCAA Football Conference Championships, New NBA Rookie Of The Year Favorite, How Taylor Swift On Tour Break Could Impact NFL Betting
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