Was it Shakespeare who said it best, or perhaps it was Lou Holtz, “To play or not to play, that is the question”. The college football world has been asking itself that question for the past several weeks. The answers are different depending on whom you ask. Fans, players, and many athletic directors want to play ball. The “we want to play” cause adopted by many top college players is certainly coming from the right place. They feel that with the proper protocols, games can be played safely. While fans (and bettors) certainly aren’t blind to the need for caution, many of them just want everyone to figure it out so there are games on TV and action on the board come Saturdays.
On the other hand, many university Presidents, administrators, and top level heath officials believe the risk in playing this fall simply outweighs the upside. The Big Ten and Pac-12 already have postponed their seasons and, while they are eyeing the spring, the logistics of that option have their challenges. Starting a season then would impact the NFL Draft process as well as the following college season with a shortened offseason.
Let’s be honest. College Football is a billion-dollar industry. It brings big money to TV networks, but they will survive a season without it. What’s more important is the money it brings to universities and colleges, money that helps fund all of the other team sports that don’t have 100,000 people in the stands. Beyond that, college football is the lifeblood of so many small towns for 15 weeks a year. Imagine the restaurants, hotels and other businesses in Tuscaloosa, Athens, and Happy Valley that rely on those weeks to survive, now sitting nearly empty all fall.
The ACC, Big 12, and SEC have all indicated they intend to play an in-conference schedule this year. And while I applaud their resolve and won’t hesitate to bet the games, from a competition standpoint, I hate to see the conferences splintered that way, without a true National Champion at the end. At the end of the day, like anything else we have been faced during 2020, we will just take it day by day, adjust as best we can, and then accept the new normal. For Krackwins Nation, the good news is you don’t need fans in the stands to cash a winning ticket.
Sports Betting Recap – 8/18/20
Speaking of winning tickets, KrackWins members had another week full of them as our excellent “Return of Sports” run continued – going 13-5-2 on the week for +8.8 units. I have talked about it over and over, but it is always worth repeating: the key to being a successful sports bettor is patience. Always pick your spots based on the value presented to you in the line. I will NEVER force a play because it is a marquee game or because I may be down for the day. If the play has value, I will bet it. If it does not, it is a hard pass. That could mean 60 plays in some weeks, 20 in others. It all depends on what the board dictates.
PGA Matchups went 1-2 (-2.05 units), our first losing week in months. The Wyndham ended up a being an odd tournament overall, with a lot of unknowns bunched at the top as many of the top players took off the week between the PGA and the FedEx Playoffs. The top 125 start the Playoff at The Northern Trust in Boston this week and our matchups are on the way.
Our sole WNBA play pushed. Is it just me, or are these WNBA game totals right on the number every time? NBA concluded the bubble in fantastic form, going 5-1 (+6.8 units). We have sent a series play out already and will continue to pick our spots on totals throughout the playoffs.
My MLB team refuses to slow down, going 7-2-1 this week to raise our baseball record for the season to an otherworldly 29-12-2 (71%).
That sounds made up, but as our users know, just check the receipts as we are fully transparent with our weekly records. Naturally, we expect some reversion to the mean eventually, but for now let’s just enjoy this ride.
Since baseball marked the return of sports on July 23rd, KrackWins Nation has gone 51-28 overall. Just the facts. If that wasn’t enough to celebrate, we are now just three weeks away from the start of the NFL season. Teasers, player props, totals and more will be available soon. We will continue to mine the board and do the work to help you succeed over the long run. Thank you for your support and let’s keep the run going.
