Tag: Odds

Odds are shifting for the Commanders QB decision at No. 2

The odds took another dramatic shift Thursday regarding the Commanders the No. 2 pick.

Over the last few months, oddsmakers have been split on who the Washington Commanders would take at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. Caleb Williams is expected to go No. 1 to the Chicago Bears, leaving Washington to decide between Jayden Daniels (LSU) or Drake Maye (North Carolina).

Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is an option, too, but not to the level of Maye and Daniels.

For the most part, Daniels has held a slight edge over Maye. However, the odds shifted to Maye earlier this month. In both instances, it was close. Daniels took a big step ahead of Maye last week when ESPN’s Adam Schefter said he thought Commanders fans could order their Daniels jerseys.

On Thursday night, we witnessed yet another significant shift.

What do we make of the latest shift? Let’s start with his: No one truly knows what Washington general manager Adam Peters thinks. That part is 100% true. Peters isn’t leaking interest to the media, nor are any members of his inner circle.

Some of this comes from Wednesday evening on Twitter. Daniels’ agent liked a pair of tweets that appeared to criticize the Commanders for holding top 30 visits with multiple prospects, including four quarterbacks.

The next day, the agent informs the media that Daniels is meeting the Minnesota Vikings for dinner on Thursday night after previously being hesitant to meet with them.

We are six days away from the NFL draft, and these odds could continue to shift up until next Thursday night. Usually, we learn more about a team’s intentions the closer it gets to the draft, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for the Commanders — so far.

Vikings, Raiders have top odds to draft Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

Where will Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. be drafted? Raiders are the No. 2 favorite per oddsmakers.

Many teams will be looking for their next franchise quarterback in the draft at the end of this month. But only a select few are in good position to get one of the top prospects. For the rest of the teams, they must take a bit of a risk if they want a QB.

Few other quarterbacks in this year’s draft are considered more of a risk-reward player than Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. He has tantalizing arm talent and an impressive resume, but also a worrisome injury history. And he’ll turn 24 in May.

For which jersey the oddsmakers have him holding up on draft night, we go to BetMGM, which has the Vikings and Raiders as the most likely destinations.

The Vikings are the first QB-needy team outside the top 10. They pick at No. 11. Adding to the likelihood is that they have a second pick in the first round (No. 23). So if Penix were not selected in the top half of the first round, they may have another shot at him on Day 1.

Next up are the Broncos at No. 12, but the oddsmakers don’t like them to land Penix as much as the Raiders at No. 13. Then it’s the Seahawks at No. 16, which would make him a local favorite.

What I read from this is the oddsmakers think Penix will come off the board in the top half of the first round. And if that were the case, a trade down by the Raiders, or an attempt to trade back up into the bottom part of the first round to get Penix, may mean they miss out on him.

The only other QB in this draft after Penix who is considered a fringe first-round pick is Oregon’s Bo Nix.

Saints are third in the NFC South win total over/unders

The Atlanta Falcons are the new NFC South front-runners while the Saints find themselves at third in the division, according to the latest odds:

We have a better idea of where each NFL team stands going into 2024, and so do oddsmakers. DraftKings Sportsbook has released their lines for wins in the 2024 season. Similar to power rankings, it is still a very early prediction. Teams have yet to go through the NFL draft, and those selections often play a pivotal part in how teams are viewed heading into the season.

The New Orleans Saints are currently set at over/under 7.5 victories. There are only eight teams that have a lower win projection. Once again, this falls in line with power rankings that had the Saints in the bottom eight of the NFL.

So this means the Saints will likely be viewed like this going into next season unless they have a highly regarded draft class. They have to earn stronger expectations after underperforming in two years with Dennis Allen at head coach. Finishes at 7-10 and 9-7 haven’t been good enough to reach their stated goal: the playoffs.

New Orleans’ win projection ranks third in the division. The addition of Kirk Cousins has skyrocketed the view of the Atlanta Falcons. They are tied for the second-highest over/under in the NFC (10.5). Tampa Bay finds themselves slightly above New Orleans at 8.5. The slight difference between the two is reflective of how last year played out. The only team in the division the Saints are ahead of is the Carolina Panthers, whose over/under is set at 4.5.

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Are the Bucs still the favorites to win the NFC South?

Despite riding a three-year streak of division titles, oddsmakers don’t see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers doing it again in 2024

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won the NFC South in each of the past three seasons, and most of last year’s division-champion team is back for the 2024 campaign.

But that hasn’t stopped oddsmakers from dropping them out of pole position for this year’s NFC South crown.

Projected win totals are now hitting the books for the 2024 season, and the Atlanta Falcons have made a massive jump, with their current total win number coming in at 10.5.

The Dirty Birds haven’t won the division since 2016, but the addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins and the hiring of new head coach Raheem Morris clearly has them trending in the right direction (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman):

Even with those additions, though, it’s hard to imagine the Falcons make such a dramatic leap in the division standings, especially while the Bucs are currently riding a three-year streak of NFC South title, with the core of their playoff roster back on both sides of the ball.

But hey, that’s why they play the games.

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Notre Dame Football 2024: Irish Odds to Make 12-Team College Football Playoff Released

Odds to make the College Football Playoff in 2024

If you’re handicapping the 2024 college football season and trying to already figure out who the 12 teams making the expanded playoff will be, there is an investment opportunity for you out there.

Odds are currently posted to SportsBetting.ag on if a team will make the 12-team College Football Playoff or not.

In case you’re wondering, Notre Dame checks in with +100 odds.  For the betting declined, that simply means if you put $100 you will earn $100 with a correct bet (plus your initial $100 back).

The Irish are tied with Ole Miss, Miami (FL), and Utah for the ninth best odds nationally and are actually ahead of Alabama (+120).

Georgia (-900), Ohio State (-800), Texas (-500), and Oregon (-400) lead the way as the favorites to make the dance while Florida State (-225), Clemson (-225), Kansas State (-175), and Michigan (-110) all have better odds of making the tournament than Notre Dame.

I’ve said it before and will again to make my stance clear, anything short of Notre Dame not just making the playoff, but winning a game in the playoff will feel like a disappointment to me.

Where Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke falls on Fanduel’s 2024 Heisman Trophy odds

What’s your expectation for Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke this season?

Wisconsin enters the 2024 football season needing a big year from transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.

Van Dyke moves to Wisconsin after having spent the first four years of his career at Miami, amassing 7,469 total passing yards 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. The veteran’s best season came as a freshman in 2021, when he threw for 2,931 yards and a 25-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Related: Wisconsin football’s biggest questions entering spring practice

For Luke Fickell’s team to have a resurgent year after 2023’s 7-6 campaign, Van Dyke will need to recapture his 2021 form for a full 12-game schedule.

Looking ahead to the season, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked the 18 starting quarterbacks, ranked all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record, looked at the early College Football Playoff tiers, made bold predictions for the season and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now, here’s where Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke falls on Fanduel’s 2024 Heisman Trophy odds list:

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Where Wisconsin stands in updated NCAA basketball national championship odds

Who is your best bet to win March Madness this year?

Wisconsin basketball’s season to remember is quickly becoming one to forget.

The program entered the 2024 calendar year with loads of momentum. It then entered February as one of the best teams in the country — ranked No. 6 in the nation in the AP Poll, leading the Big Ten Conference race and sitting as a borderline 1-seed in most bracketologies.

Badgers fans had Final Four expectations at that moment in time. Comparisons were being drawn to Bo Ryan’s 2014-2015 team, as it was thought a National Championship was a realistic option.

Related: Wisconsin basketball social media despondent after Badgers loss to Illinois

Well, things fell off rather quickly in February. Nevertheless, Wisconsin still enters the final games of its regular season and the Big Ten Tournament with a chance to get hot before the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers won’t be a top seed in the big dance, but they are a lock to make it.

As we’ve seen in the past, anything can happen at that stage in the season.

Before those final regular season games happen, here is where the Badgers stand in the updated NCAA basketball national championship odds, as of Sunday morning after their loss vs Illinois:

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Las Vegas Big Ten Championship odds released for 2024 football season

What are your expectations for Wisconsin football in 2024?

The Big Ten landscape underwent drastic changes this offseason.

No longer will a regional Big Ten West division allow programs such as Wisconsin and Iowa to skate by and win close to 10 games per season. With powerhouse programs Oregon and USC joining the conference alongside relevant programs UCLA and Washington, every old Big Ten member institution must step up its games to compete.

What will that exact competition and pecking order look like? Who knows, that’s what makes the 2024 season so captivating.

Related: Wisconsin football’s biggest questions entering spring practice

Looking ahead to the season, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, the 18 starting quarterbacks, all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record, looked at the early College Football Playoff tiers, made bold predictions for the season and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now, here are Fanduel Sportsbook’s recent odds for every team to win the Big Ten Conference in 2024:

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Mexico Open at Vidanta 2024 odds, course history and picks to win

Let’s get a winner in Mexico.

Before the PGA Tour heads to the Sunshine State for the Florida Swing, it’s south of the border for the Mexico Open at Vidanta in Vallarta.

Defending champion Tony Finau — coming off a top-20 finish at the Genesis Invitational — is hoping to make a run at back-to-back titles. Last year, Finau beat Jon Rahm by three shots.

Other players in the field include Nicolai Hojgaard, Emiliano Grillo, Keith Mitchell, Patrick Rodgers and Ryan Fox.

Will Zalatoris — runner-up at Riviera Country Club — withdrew from the field earlier this week. With an important stretch coming up, it’s no surprise to see this field lack a bit of star power.

Golf course

Vidanta Vallarta | Par 71 | 7,456 yards

2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta
Erik van Rooyen of South Africa lines up a putt during the pro-am prior to the Mexico Open at Vidanta at Vidanta Vallarta on April 26, 2023 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Course history

Betting preview

Broncos are the betting favorites to draft quarterback Bo Nix

Oddsmakers have the Broncos (+260) listed as the betting favorites to draft quarterback Bo Nix in April.

The Denver Broncos hold the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and many pundits believe the team will target a quarterback at that spot.

Oddsmakers project Denver as the most likely landing spot for Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, a top-five QB prospect in this year’s class. The Broncos (+260) have the best odds to draft Nik, according to FanDuel.

The next-closest teams are the Minnesota Vikings (+470), who hold pick No. 11, and the Las Vegas Raiders (+550), who hold pick No. 13. Oddsmakers clearly feel that Nix will be in the mix to go off the board between the 11th and 13th picks.

Denver is expected to move on from Russell Wilson this offseason, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team use a first-round pick on a QB. Nix has been a popular choice for the Broncos in mock drafts, and Pro Football Focus has dubbed him an “ideal option” for Sean Payton’s offense.

The 2024 NFL draft will be held from April 25-27 in Detroit.

Hat tip to BettingOdds.com. These FanDuel odds might not be available depending on your location. 

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