It was a wild weekend for football. In college, USC’s upset loss to UCLA caused confusion in the BCS title matchup, while in the NFL there were two safeties and plenty of turnovers on a sloppy Sunday that must have had offensive coaches throwing themselves of the hairs Chicago quarterback Rex Grossman completed 6 passes and threw 3 interceptions, and his team STILL covered as a 9-point favorite! Sometimes it helps to watch a team play the first half before betting for or against it.
All of which brings up an aspect of betting that isn’t always mentioned and that is half time betting. Just like totals betting, halftime betting has been around for decades and offers good opportunities for punters. There are different strategies that can be used to your advantage when placing half time bets. But the biggest advantage is that for second half bets, you get to see half of the first half, giving you the opportunity to explore a team’s strengths, weaknesses, situations and possible game strategies.
Watch Saturday’s USC/UCLA game. The contest total was about 47, but if you watched the first half, you saw two tough defensive teams, with USC leading 9-7 at halftime. That was a far cry from a year ago when USC won 66-19. Both teams in 2005 had super-talented and versatile offenses, but this season both offenses had lost most of their best offensive talent, including their starting quarterbacks.
Also, UCLA has a new defensive coordinator and the Bruins have been solid at ‘D’ all season. The second half total was 22 and a good bettor might have looked low as both teams were playing strong defense. It was also a close game, which may mean coaches are more likely to turn conservative in the second half, as any sort of turnover could quickly turn things around. The second half sailed under the total with 6 points in the second half (all by UCLA)!
Professional and college football offers some great advantages, as you can watch the action like a scout and then put the odds in your favor by betting on the second half. One of the best opportunities is when a strong offensive team has a poor first half. This was evident last week in Monday night’s game, when Seattle quarterback Matt Hassellbeck threw 3 interceptions in the first half against the Packers. Seattle trailed 14-12 at the half against a poor Packers defense. However, in the second half, the Seahawks shrugged off that turnover-prone first half and scored 22 points, winning and covering the second half number and topping the total. A good offensive team coming off a bad first half is likely to move on in the second half, especially at home or against a below-average defense. Sometimes the second half lines offer good correlated parlay opportunities. I’m betting Seattle -6.5 + the 19.5 points ‘over’ for the second half of that game because, I figured if Seattle covered 6.5 points, the second half would probably top the number as well (and would be guaranteed to do so if Green Bay scored just 7 points).
It is also important to know the tendencies of the team and the coaches. A team like Seattle has a powerful, balanced offense and is capable of turning it down in the second half. However, coaches like Herm Edwards, Jack Del Rio, Art Shell, Joe Gibbs, Dennis Green and new Vikings coach Brad Childress prefer ball control. If they have an advantage in the middle, they are often more inclined to play conservatively. Trainers like that might be worth looking under the second-half total, especially if they have a huge lead. Depending on the game situation, you can make a good guess as to what they might do based on the halftime score.
Maybe we could put NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin on that list after last week’s impressive meltdown in Tennessee, blowing a 21-0 fourth-quarter lead! Get to know your players and coaches, and try to project what game plan a team might follow in the second half. You can find excellent betting opportunities on the sides and second half totals. Good luck, as always… Al McMordie.