Another glorious football season is upon us.
Before you know it, you’ll be betting college games every Saturday and firing NFL wagers on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays for the next four months.
What a time to be alive.
Last year, my FOX Sports futures were +3.35 units heading into Super Bowl LIX with the Kansas City Chiefs winning it all (+600) as the last bet standing. That preseason poke allowed you to either ride out K.C. or free roll Philly.
Not too shabby!
Here are seven football futures to bet on right now:
1. Toledo wins MAC Championship Game
If you listen to “Bear Bets” or “Bet Sweats,” you know how much I love Toledo. However, Rockets Over 8.5 wins has moved 30 cents. Rather than advise you to take the worst of it, let’s move to the MAC title market. I don’t envision many teams stopping Toledo’s running game and Jason Candle’s squad is one of the very few in the conference that got better in the transfer portal.
PICK: Toledo (+230) to win MAC Championship
2. California Under 5.5 wins
It’s no secret there’s chaos around Cal’s program because general manager Ron Rivera has more juice than head coach Justin Wilcox. The Golden Bears have two new coordinators and lost over 35 players to the portal, including last year’s starting QB Fernando Mendoza. Cal should start 2-2 before a brutal cross-country ACC schedule that might net two conference wins.
PICK: California (-144) Under 5.5 wins
3. Ohio State Under 10.5 wins
Last year’s national title run was special, but whew, does Ohio State have a ton to replace. A draft-high 14 Buckeyes were selected in April’s NFL Draft, including seven players in the first two rounds. There’s a ton of pressure on freshman QB Julian Sayin and let’s not ignore the possibility OSU is 0-1 out of the chute with a loss to Texas. Then it’ll have to go 11-0 to beat us.
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PICK: OSU (-140) Under 10.5 wins
How many wins will Ohio State rack up this season?
4. Minnesota Vikings make playoffs
Yes, I’ve already written about the Vikings this offseason. And yes, I’m still a sucker for their 53-man roster. Minnesota also has two of the NFL’s best play-callers, with Kevin O’Connell orchestrating the offense and Brian Flores dialing up defensive pressure. Assuming youngster QB J.J. McCarthy protects the football as he always has, this should be a playoff team.
PICK: Vikings (+100) to make playoffs
5. Christian McCaffrey wins Offensive POY
McCaffrey won this award two years ago, then played four games last year. Reports are peachy out of San Francisco, though, and sources are saying “Run CMC” looks great. The Niners have one of the easiest schedules in the league, which should lead them to feed their beast plenty in second halves. Price matters, too. McCaffrey was 6-1 last summer, now he’s north of 20-1.
PICK: C. McCaffrey (+2200) wins OPOY
Can Christian McCaffrey take home Offensive Player of the Year honors this season?
6. San Francisco 49ers win NFC
Assuming McCaffrey stays healthy, this is a top-three team in the NFC that got younger and faster on defense. And I absolutely love San Francisco bringing back Robert Saleh to coordinate that side of the ball. A lot like Vic Fangio’s addition to Philadelphia’s staff last year, Saleh’s hire is an “A.” Don’t be surprised when the Niners win 12 games and make a playoff run.
PICK: Niners (+950) to win NFC
7. Buffalo Bills win Super Bowl
After betting Kansas City to hoist the Lombardi Trophy the last six summers, it’s time to make a change. Buffalo has done everything right in the regular season (61-22 last five years), but the Bills have three one-score playoff losses to those big, bad Chiefs. It’s been heartbreaking. I still love Buffalo’s roster and believe bringing Tre’Davious White back and adding Joey Bosa are championship-caliber moves. All the notables return for the Bills’ elite offense, too. This is MVP Josh Allen’s best chance to reach the big one.
PICK: Bills (+700) to win Super Bowl
Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and BetMGM. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He’ll probably pick against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.
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