The season is almost here, which means it's high time to break down just about every potential college football futures bet available on the internet (or at least those available on Bodog). It's been a tough gambling off-season for me, with the Department of Justice shutting down online poker and exposing the Ponzi scheme Full Tilt was running, but on the bright side I dominated the Foxwoods pai gow tables last weekend, so clearly I'm a gambling genius. Just listen to me and you'll be rich.
To help you know how much to wager on each of my money-making picks, just follow Rodger's idea, the Lundy Scale, named of course after notorious Northwestern point shaver Dennis Lundy. The more Lundys, the better the bet.
Heisman Trophy
There are way too many potential options to list them all, just click over to see everyone. Here are the best bets:
Landry Jones at 13/2
Jones is the quarterback of the preseason #1 team in the country, which means ton of national exposure, and if he can lead Oklahoma to a BCS bowl game then he'll almost certainly get at least an invite to the Downtown Athletic Club.
Bet Size: 2 Lundys
Kellen Moore at 16/1
Seriously, Kellen Moore is still in school (even Georgia didn't think he had eligibility left). And Boise State is still really good and has a good chance at going undefeated again. Moore will put up video game numbers unless he gets hurt, so as long as Boise's in the top 5 all year, he'll be in the running. Great value at 16 to 1.
Bet Size: 4 Lundys
Big Ten players listed:
Denard Robinson 15/2 (bad bet, too injury prone)
Kirk Cousins 35/1 (no shot unless public speaking is considered)
Taylor Martinez 35/1 (not an awful bet, better value out there though)
James White 80/1 (he's splitting the carries with Montee Ball, betting him is lighting money on fire)
Montee Ball 80/1 (he's splitting the carries with James White, betting him is lighting money on fire)
Marcus Coker 90/1 (like AIRBHG will let an Iowa running back win the Heisman)
Dan Persa 95/1 (this wasn't a bad bet if Persa were 100%, but he's not, so you might as well bet Kain Colter)
Case Keenum Total Passing Yards
Over 5049.5 -105
Under 5049.5 -135
Thanks to the NCAA's bizarre decision to give Keenum an extra year of eligibility (even though he played 3 games last year as a 5th year senior before getting hurt), Keenum is a near lock to break the NCAA record for career passing yards. As someone who takes the NCAA record book very seriously, and was horrified to see the execrable Adam Weber climb all the way to third on the career Big Ten passing yards list, I am outraged that Keenum was given another year. THE SANCTITY OF TIMMY CHANG'S RECORD IS AT STAKE HERE. I will not stand for this nonsense, and thus will guide some karmic justice Timmy's way and place a small wager on the under here. Also, betting that someone will get over 5000 passing yards is insane, no matter who's involved.
Bet size: 1 Lundy
Big Ten: Who will have the most passing yards per game?
Dan Persa -175
Denard Robinson +350
Kirk Cousins +175
This here is the easiest pick on the board. Since Persa is apparently going to be splitting time with Kain Colter, his per game average will suffer. And even though you're getting good odds on Robinson, he doesn't pass nearly enough to have much of a chance at this. Kirk Cousins getting almost 2 to 1 is amazing value, get on this before the line moves.
Bet Size: 5 Lundys
Big Ten: Who will have the most passing touchdowns?
Dan Persa Even
Denard Robinson +200
Kirk Cousins +150
See above. Not quite as good a price, but more than worth betting on. Cousins early and often.
Bet Size: 4 Lundys
Big Ten: Who will have the most rushing yards per game?
Denard Robinson 9/4
Edwin Baker 2/1
James White 4/1
Marcus Coker 27/4
Rex Burkhead 11/2
Silas Redd 7/1
Put down two equally sized bets here on Coker and Redd. It's a good price and both are talented, will be the clear featured back, and should get a lot of carries as both their teams have questions at quarterback.
Bet Size: 3 Lundys on each
Big Ten : Who will have the most rushing touchdowns?
Denard Robinson 11/4
Edwin Baker 5/2
James White 3/1
Marcus Coker 9/2
Rex Burkhead 5/1
Silas Redd 15/2
Not much confidence here, as touchdowns are a lot more random than rushing yards. If you really feel the need to bet, go with Redd since you're getting the best price.
Bet Size: 1 Lundy
Big Ten: Who will have the most receiving yards per game?
B.J. Cunningham 11/4
Damarlo Belcher 7/2
Derek Moye 19/4
Jeremy Ebert 9/2
Marvin McNutt 5/2
Roy Roundtree 23/4
All these guys are good receivers and it's hard to find a standout. Since Ebert led the Big Ten in yards last year, he's probably the best bet, but I'm not thrilled about this one.
Bet Size: 2 Lundys
Big Ten: Who will have the most receiving touchdowns?
B.J. Cunningham 11/4
Damarlo Belcher 3/1
Derek Moye 11/2
Jeremy Ebert 7/1
Marvin McNutt 5/2
Roy Roundtree 15/4
Ebert's odds got more tempting, he's still the pick.
Bet Size: 3 Lundys
Keep in mind for all of these that it's regular season only, conference championships and bowl games don't count.
Total Wins: Iowa
Over 8 +145
Under 8 -175
Even considering the annual loss to Northwestern, the over is the smart play here because I see 6 wins as an absolute worst case, and we're getting a good price. The schedule is not that tough, the Hawkeyes should be 4-0 going into Big Ten play and they should at least be able to win half their conference games.
Bet Size: 3 Lundys
Total Wins: Michigan
Over 7 -145
Under 7 +115
Michigan's defense has to improve almost by default, and they still have the incredible Denard on offense. Even laying odds, the over is the play.
Bet Size: 3 Lundys
Total Wins: Michigan State
Over 7 -350
Under 7 +270
I have no idea why the line is at 7, why not just make it 8 and get reasonable action on both sides? Bizarre. I guess I'll go with the over here, but betting tiny out of protest for a stupid line.
Bet Size: 1 Lundy
Total Wins: Nebraska
Over 10 +130
Under 10 -160
Easy pick here, have to go with the under. Nebraska has a brutal schedule, having to face Ohio State and WIsconsin from the Leaders, so the chances of them getting 11+ wins in the regular season is slim.
Bet Size: 5 Lundys
Total Wins: Northwestern
Over 7.5 -105
Under 7.5 -125
I'll talk more about this tomorrow on our big season preview post, but I'm not optimistic about the season. Have to go under here.
Bet Size: 3 Lundys.
Total Wins: Ohio State
Over 9 +160
Under 9 -200
Betting on Ohio State football to succeed makes me miserable, but the over is the play here despite all the issues, the Buckeyes still have a ton of talent and the price is great.
Bet Size: 3 Lundys
Total Wins: Penn State
Over 8 +110
Under 8 -140
The likely loss to Alabama in non-conference play and the suspect QB situation makes the under an obvious pick.
Bet Size: 4 Lundys
Total Wins: Wisconsin
Over 9 -190
Under 9 +155
It's not exactly exciting with those odds but Wisconsin is loaded, very hard to see them winning 8 or fewer games.
Bet Size: 2 Lundys.
So there you go, free money for all. Feel free to check back after the season to see just how much hypothetical money I would have won.