However, in the afternoon games the underdogs flexed like a Mattress Mack wheelbarrow, which more than made up for the early losses. “Had it worked out differently where let’s say the Raiders, Rams and Cowboys won easily, it might have been our worst Sunday,” Esposito said. “The afternoon was totally different and it actually saved the day to give us a winning day.”
With all that in mind, let’s quickly look back over the sport’s landscape and dish out some insight on what’s ahead on the field, on the court, on the diamond, on the STN Sports App and at the Station Casinos Race and Sports Books.
Game of The Year?
The Bills/Vikings spread was messier than a Johnny Depp and Amber Heard divorce. With Josh Allen’s availability unknown up until kickoff, the spread fluctuated, as Buffalo was favored anywhere between three and seven points.
“Had the Bills won between three and seven points, we could have gotten badly middled on the game,” Esposito said. In the middle of last week, Buffalo was favored by three points when it seemed that Allen was out. It then moved up to seven points when it was confirmed that he would play. “We were rooting for a Vikings outright win,” the Station oddsmaker said. In the end, Minnesota won 33-30, but there were multiple times that games looked like it would end with Buffalo winning by three or four points.
Line Movement Ahead
While shifts in spreads don’t usually happen until later in the week, the upcoming slate of games is already seeing ch-ch-changes. The line in the Browns/Bills has dropped, as has the spreads in the Eagles/Colts game and the Rams/Saints game. Two things are driving most of these shifts: injuries and weather. In Buffalo’s case, there’s talk of it being the first real snow game of the year. In regard to the Rams number dropping, it’s more than likely linked to Cooper Kupp’s injury and questions surrounding Matthew Stafford’s availability. Check those injuries reports and keep an eye on the Doppler!
Texas Troubles
TCU continues to be more mystifying than Piff the Magic Dragon. The Horned Frogs came in as 7-point underdogs at Texas last week and won outright, keeping them in contention for a CFP spot. “We all thought the seven points was high, but there was a lot of Texas money, too. We still ultimately ended up needing Texas in that game, but keeping it under really helped,” Esposito said. Now, the Frogs head to Baylor to take on a Bears squad that’s underachieved more the the GOP did in the midterms. Interestingly, despite TCU being undefeated and Baylor coming in at 6-4, the Frogs are only a field goal favorite.
“To me, this number seems light, but it’s Baylor’s bowl game and kind of Baylor’s national championship game,” Esposito said, equating it to Notre Dame’s game vs. Clemson a few weeks ago, a game that the underdog Irish won in a blowout. Still, with apologies to Disney, the Frogs are well positioned to be the princes of the Big 12.
What a Beat.
There’s bad beats and then there’s this. Last Saturday, Michigan State closed as 10-point home favorites against Rutgers, a team that’s been chopped up more times than a Lotus of Siam vegetable. Sparty was on its way to cover-town late in the game, holding onto a 27-14 lead with under a minute to go. Then, on a 4th and 29 play (repeat: 4th and 29) the Scarlet Knights not only converted but scored a touchdown for the backdoor cover. 27-21 final. Nebraska bettors also felt that pain of the bad beat, as they trailed 31-3 in the waning moments of the game. Still, they were covering the 30.5 line.
Of course, Jim Harbaugh, a man who looks like he does his pants shopping at an airport lost-and-found, decided to tack on more points in the end, opting to kick a meaningless field goal to win 34-3. It wasn’t just a kick for the cover, it was a kick between the legs for Huskers backers, which included the House. “There really was no reason to kick. It was a huge bad beat for us,” Esposito said. “It was kind of a huge game changer at that point of the day, but a lot of scores worked out in our favor later.”
Last Man Standing Contest Update
Only single digits remain. Through 10 weeks of the NFL schedule, just 8 entrees remain active in Station Casinos’ Last Man Standing competition. The contest began with 6,284 entrees, so 99.9% of the entrees are about as valuable as FTX cryptocurrency. Prior to the past weekend of football, 10 entrees were still valid. Over in the college version of the Last Man Standing competition, five entrees were knocked out last weekend, leaving only three active participants. That contest started with 2,908 hopeful entrees. One is not the loneliest number at Station Casinos. In fact, it’s the goal.
Fight Night
The Station Casinos Sports Book took a gut shot in UFC 281, as bettors backed winners of the undercard fights time and time again. Ironically, the main event — Alex Pereira’s upset win over Isreal Adesanya — saved the book from total calamity. “That kind of saved the day a little bit. We hadn’t done well on most of the fights until the main event,” Esposito said. “UFC was not good for us.”
Basketball’s Lackluster West
Over on the hardwood, the Sports Book is finding itself in rather uncharted waters: Rooting for the Lakers, a team that has gotten tons of love from the public over the past few years. LeBron and Co. are more substandard than a Laughlin breakfast buffet.
“The Lakers are now a bet against,” Esposito said. “We need the Lakers every night when they play. It’s the late game usually and everything is tied to it. They’re not a good team.” The defending champion Golden State Warriors aren’t living up to expectations either, as they are winless on the road. The public, for now, is still betting on the Warriors. “I can’t remember the last time we were rooting for the Lakers the way we are right now,” Esposito noted, “but again, the struggles of the Warriors definitely has helped. The struggles of the Lakers definitely has not.”
Bets To Know
The World Cup is upon us! The international event kicks off November 20th and the STN Sports app has all the action, including game props, player props, index props for goal scored, championship futures, player futures, and much more.
Weekly Winners
We have to shout out this ties-win parlay from last Saturday. This bettor put down $10 on a 9-team ties-win parlay and CASHED for $6,000!
-Georgia -16
-Iowa PK
-Oklahoma St. PK
-Auburn -2
-Utah -24
-Miami FL PK
-Nebraska +31
-Florida -8
-Ohio St. -40
-Duke -10