Patrick Everson
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
College football odds have given the public betting masses one more market to add to their crazy lottery-ticket parlays.
It’s rare that these wagers actually cash. But over the first weekend of college football, one got to the pay window.
Then, another that entirely avoided college football, going all in on MLB, also nabbed a nifty payout.
Read on for more on those bets and other notable wagers.
Funding Favorites
Time and again, sports prove that betting on favorites is an extremely inexact science. Betting on a lot of favorites in a parlay is even less exact.
Still, on Saturday, a Caesars Sports customer put together this 16-leg parlay, going with mostly solid or even huge favorites, while combining college football moneylines, MLB moneylines/totals/player props, European soccer and WNBA player props:
And it was a sweat up and down that betting card.
In college football, UNLV — a massive -7000 moneyline favorite vs. Idaho State — dug itself into a 10-0 hole early. It was a back-and-forth battle the rest of the way, with the Rebels hanging on for a 38-31 victory.
In Spain’s La Liga, Barcelona was a heavy -450 favorite, yet trailed Levante 2-0 at halftime. Barcelona netted two goals early in the second half to tie it. Barca then won 3-2 on a Levante own goal in injury time.
The Blue Jays needed extra innings to edge the Marlins 7-6. And to get that Mets-Braves Over 9 total required New York to score two runs in the top of the ninth, in a 9-2 victory.
The Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso kept the parlay interesting, too. The bettor needed Reese to have 10 or more rebounds and Cardoso to have seven or more.
They finished with 11 and seven, respectively.
That parlay, with odds just shy of +12881 (almost 129/1), could’ve gone sideways multiple times. Instead, the bettor turned $100 into $12,880.97.
MLB Money
Over at Hard Rock Bet, another 16-leg parlay got to the finish line. But in this case, it was all on baseball, and almost entirely on moneylines, meaning each team just had to win its game.
And the bet amount was just a single dollar. The ticket included every game on Friday’s schedule:
- Padres moneyline +105 vs. Dodgers
- Cubs moneyline -140 vs. Angels
- Mets moneyline +100 vs. Braves
- Brewers moneyline -170 vs. Giants
- Rangers moneyline -150 vs. Guardians
- Blue Jays moneyline -170 vs. Marlins
- Pirates moneyline -190 vs. Rockies
- Pirates -1.5 (+105) vs. Rockies
- Twins moneyline -135 vs. White Sox
- Rays moneyline -140 vs. Cardinals
- Nationals moneyline +155 vs. Phillies
- Mariners moneyline -220 vs. Athletics
- Tigers moneyline -145 vs. Royals
- Astros moneyline -105 vs. Orioles
- Red Sox moneyline +155 vs. Yankees
- Diamondbacks moneyline -135 vs. Reds
Every leg came through. Add up all those odds, and it comes out to +981800, or 9818/1. So that $1 turned into $9,818.
It’s Never Under Til It’s Over
Saturday’s college football season opener between Kansas State and Iowa State looked very promising for Under bettors through three quarters. With a closing total of 50.5, the two teams played to a 7-7 first-half stalemate.
After three quarters, there were still just 21 points on the board, with the Cyclones up 14-7. Then came a 24-point deluge in the fourth quarter, running the total points up to 45, with the Cyclones leading 24-21.
Suddenly, a game that was dead Under had a very real chance of going Over.
This DraftKings Sportsbook customer, who sank five figures into an Over 50.5 bet, certainly hoped so:
Iowa State faced fourth-and-3 from the K-State 16-yard line with 2:18 remaining, and the Cyclones could’ve kicked a field goal. Instead, coach Matt Campbell went for the dagger, opting to go for it, which, if successful, would allow his team to run out the clock.
Quarterback Rocco Becht hit Carson Hansen with a short pass, and Hansen then rumbled for what officials ruled a touchdown, giving Iowa State a 30-21 lead. The subsequent extra point would’ve put the total at 52, clinching the Over at all numbers, as some sportsbooks closed at 51.5.
However, on review of the fourth-down play, it was determined that Hansen’s forearm was down at the 1-yard line. Neither team had any timeouts remaining, so Becht took three straight kneel-downs to run out the clock.
It was heartbreak for that $30,000 bettor and anyone else on the Over. But it was probably a deserved result for all those who had the Under.
Here’s Hoping You Had It
The first touchdown of the college football season came from Iowa State wideout Dominic Overby — and at very prosperous odds.
Caesars Sports had Overby +4000 (40/1) to find the end zone first during Saturday’s rain-swept game in Dublin, Ireland. He delivered on a 23-yard pass from Becht with 3:26 left in the first quarter.
If you were prescient enough to put a $100 on Overby, then you collected $4,000. Heck, even if you put a tenner on Overby, you’d be up $400.
Not bad ROI at all.
I Like Big Bets And I Cannot Lie
With college football getting into full swing over the upcoming Labor Day weekend, an Arizona customer of BetMGM has a lot on the line.
Specifically, $615,000, spread across three bets on teams very much in the College Football Playoff championship odds chase. In late June, the bettor made the following plays:
- $300,000 Texas +500 to win the CFP
- $200,000 Penn State +750 to win the CFP
- $115,000 Clemson +1300 to win the CFP
If Texas wins, the bettor profits $1.5 million (total payout $1.8 million), but loses $315,000 from the other two wagers. So the final profit is $1.185 million.
If Penn State wins, the bettor again profits $1.5 million (total payout $1.7 million), but loses $415,000. So the final profit falls to $1.085 million.
And if Clemson claims the crown, the bettor profits $1.495 million (total payout $1.61 million), but loses $500,000. So the final profit is $995,000.
You can certainly argue against the logic of making those three particular plays. And some sharp bettors certainly have. Regardless, let this serve as a reminder that these types of bets generally come from high-roller or VIP types, who have this kind of cash and then some.
Keep it reasonable. Never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Enjoy the first full weekend of college football!
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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