One of the dirty little secrets of college athletics is that people actually bet on games. That’s why points spreads exist. A proper point-spread incents equal betting on both sides of the point-spread and creating a 50/50 proposition (if the oddsmakers get things right). But, sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Sometimes the oddsmakers don’t completely account for a special player, and this is the case for NC State’s frosh QB sensation, Russell Wilson.
From the wizofodds.com: 2008 Spreadbeater Offensive Team
The author of two widely acclaimed books and a longtime Las Vegas sports radio personality, Arne K. Lang has written extensively on college football. He is the former Sports Information Coordinator for the Stardust Race and Sports Book and his annual Spreadbeater Team recognizes players whose efforts were instrumental in getting their teams over the hump when the fate of a bet hung in the balance. From the beginning, eligibility was restricted to players on “winning” teams, defined as teams that finished with a winning record against the closing pointspread.
Instead of including players whose muffs and mental mistakes contributed to bad beats. this mythical team accentuates the positive, an approach more concordant with the holiday season. In the first of two installments, here is the defensive unit. The numbers in parentheses are the team’s record against the betting line:
Quarterback Russell Wilson, N.C. State, Fr. (9-2 against the spread)
It was the year of the quarterback, most notably in the Big 12. But hardly anyone outside the Atlantic Coast Conference noticed Wilson, who guided the Wolfpack to seven straight covers, including four outright upsets to close the season. Interception-free during this 7-0 ATS surge, Wilson’s story was more remarkable considering that he was carted off the field with a head injury in his first start and later missed a game because of a shoulder ailment.
Whether or not you approve of gambling, these are some of the most knowledgeable and smartest sports fans on the planet. If they are noticing Russell Wilson, you can bet your bottom dollar that he’s the real deal.
