Badger of Honor
Fansided

Wisconsin Football: Sports betting basics

By Tanner Nestle

EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Paul Chryst of the Wisconsin Bagers waits with his team to enter the field before a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on November 5, 2016 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Paul Chryst of the Wisconsin Bagers waits with his team to enter the field before a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on November 5, 2016 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Wisconsin Football
MADISON, WI – NOVEMBER 11: Bradrick Shaw #7 of the Wisconsin Badgers avoids a tackle by Joshua Jackson #15 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the fourth quarter of a game at Camp Randall Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Spreads

A point spread, or the line, is always presented in a ‘Team A +/-(insert number)’ format. For the Western Kentucky game, it’s Wisconsin -34.5. That means when the game is over, you subtract 34.5 points from Wisconsin’s total and act as if that is the real final score. If the Badgers win 44-10, once you account for the spread the final score becomes 10-9.5 and Wisconsin loses this hypothetical game. A bet on ‘Wisconsin -34.5’ would be a loser. You can flip this around and bet on Western Kentucky +34.5 and get a final score of 44.5-44. Again, we find that Wisconsin loses this matchup.

The winning team in a point spread bet is said to have ‘covered’ the spread. Either Wisconsin wins by more than the spread and covers, or Western Kentucky loses by less than the spread and covers. Of course, if Western Kentucky wins the game outright, they cover.

The favorite is always the team ‘giving’ points, or the team with the minus number next to its name. The underdog is always ‘taking’ points and has a plus number next to it. Many factors go into determining just what a spread will be, but only Vegas really knows those secrets.

Spreads are best used to keep games that would be blowouts like this interesting. A 44-10 game is not very intriguing to most fans, but if the spread is 34.5 it changes everything. Especially if there is money on the line.

In games between two more evenly matched teams, the spreads are going to be much smaller. For example, against Michigan later in the season, the spread will likely be only a few points, if that. It is difficult to predict just how that spread will be determined so many weeks in advance though.