Vegas' Thoughts on NU

by Rodger Sherman on Jul 21, 2010 9:58 AM CDT in Northwestern Wildcats Football Comment 13 comments

There are no random NCAA Football Odds up for you to bet on, but it is that time of the year when futures odds begin emerging from the depths of the online sportsbook universe for people to speculate on.

Currently, I can't find any lines for NU's over/under on expected wins - last years, some places had us at 6, and if you were smart, you put money on that as soon as you saw it. (One of those places also had the Illini at 8. I'll take the under, please, make that a parlay.) Tell me if you find any of these for NU, although there are many for other schools on the market - NU often gets shafted with these things.

However, you can feast your eyes on Northwestern's odds to win the BCS National Championship and the Big Ten Championship. +15000 and +2000, if you're wondering. (NOTE! BECAUSE I'M STUPID, and my low-level gambling addiction died this past March when I stopped betting on sports for a week when I was in Cuba and never picked it up when I got back, I totally forgot the way gambling worked, and for a second thought that +15000 meant 15000/1 odds. It means that if you pay $100 dollars, you get $15000 back.)

The odds of the Big Ten are pretty stacked against NU - Ohio State is the odds-on favorite, and Penn State/Iowa/Wisconsin will definitely be better than NU. +2000? It's probably a little bit favorable to NU fans: Northwestern will likely be better than Michigan or Michigan State (both +1200) and Illinois (also +2000) - but I still don't want to take that bet.

And as far as the BCS National Championship goes, they have us tied with Baylor, Rutgers, Illinois, and Houston at +15000. We're better than all those schools. That being said, literally any amount of money you bet on Northwestern to win the BCS National Championship is literally the same as taking that money, cutting it into little tiny strips, and using it to make papier maché art, although at the end, you won't have a papier maché art piece.

That being said, I expect us to win the BCS National Championship. Go Cats!

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by the way

i completely, completely screwed up the first version of my post, and like i do when i mess things up, i immediately deleted it so nobody could ever see i made a mistake.

by Rodger Sherman on Jul 21, 2010 9:59 AM CDT reply actions

hate to nitpick

but +15000 means bet $100 to win $15000, or 150/1 odds

by aromine on Jul 21, 2010 10:04 AM CDT up reply actions

knew that

this time it was a typo.

by Rodger Sherman on Jul 21, 2010 10:33 AM CDT up reply actions

I thought so too....

….but then I remembered I am terrible at gambling, so I kept my mouth shut.

Still, a worthwhile bet, Rodger — throw $5 on Northwestern to win the Big Ten (pays $100) and $1 on Northwestern to win the BCS Championship (pays $150)…..I mean you won’t be dressed in purple chinchilla or have a Willie the Wildcat diamond-encrusted medallion, but you will be able to eat at Sizzler.

(Yep, I read the original post….)

by Chadnudj on Jul 21, 2010 10:33 AM CDT up reply actions

pretending that first post never happened

okay everybody get with the program

by Rodger Sherman on Jul 21, 2010 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions

also

if northwestern wins the bcs national championship, i’m buying a willie the wildcat diamond encrusted medallion out of pocket.

by Rodger Sherman on Jul 21, 2010 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions

im gonna gamble heavily on college football, this post has me excited

by Loretta8 on Jul 21, 2010 11:11 AM CDT reply actions

Odds in 1995

Roger,

long time reader, first time commenter. First off, thanks for keeping me consistently and thoroughly entertained at work. Mucho props. Keep up the fantastic work. I hope you end up an undergrad for 6-7 more years.

Quick story from my freshman year (1995): I’m at the Rose Bowl cheering the Cats with a guy in our group who had put $5 down on the Cats winning the Rose Bowl while driving through Vegas the summer before the ‘95 season. I remember the odds being 5000-1 (which even sounds generous if anyone remembers how absolutely crazy the idea of the Cats in the Rose Bowl was in August of 1995). He was a senior in a house that was rushing me and we were all promised a lavish party when the Cats won. We were all convinced we’d soon be rolling through LA with cigars and cash in our hands. It obviously didn’t happen – but the fact that we were a TD and a field goal away from cashing in is still hard to comprehend.

It was one of the many absurd moments from that season. But one that reminds me of how far the Cats have come since then. I’m sure I butchered all the actual facts of this story – but this blog doesn’t seem to pay too much heed to such trivial things – and I promise the basics are all true.

by mm1999 on Jul 21, 2010 5:07 PM CDT reply actions

you know

the odds might be lower today, but i just think this might be my fraternity’s new party financing procedure.

also, generally i think i’m pretty good with facts. medill’s taught me to be mad strict about that type of stuff. i’m really self-conscious right now after having screwed this post up twice.

by Rodger Sherman on Jul 21, 2010 10:13 PM CDT up reply actions

in all seriousness, you do a fantastic job with the facts, humor and generally keeping us informed. The WR piece was particularly excellent. Keep up the awesome work.

by mm1999 on Jul 21, 2010 10:37 PM CDT reply actions

Respect mm1999

Rodger’s site here is pretty phenomenal. I mean, I’d love more posts (just because I hate work, even though my job is undeniably awesome right now), but I understand it’s hard to repeatedly post interesting topics (particularly offseason) regarding NU sports and hip-hop music when it’s summer and ladies are wearing less clothing….

(Seriously — women of Chicago: I appreciate what you’re doing this summer, and even though I may be slack-jawed upon seeing you in your shorts/halter-tops/sundresses, I am always appreciative of your beauty)

by Chadnudj on Jul 21, 2010 11:56 PM CDT reply actions

The site (and the women of Chicago) are truly impressive, and I say that as someone who makes a profession of the publishing industry – or what’s left of it.

by mm1999 on Jul 22, 2010 8:04 AM CDT reply actions