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SEASON WIN
PICKS



We've provided a number of research articles that look at some tips on playing the team season win over/under bets. Now we will take some of these methods and use them to fashion a sort of "consensus" selection for teams heading into the 2004 season. The tips we will be charting include:
  • Win History -- the historical over/under rates of a certain prior year win number compared to the season number set for the team
  • Line History -- the historical over/under rates of a certain line number
  • Line minus Wins -- the historical over/under rates taking the Line minus prior year wins
  • Bounce Effect -- the historical over/under rates of teams that had 3 more or fewer wins in the last season than the year before
  • Draft Picks -- the historical over/under rates based on a team's number of first round picks
  • Win Expectancy -- based on historical over/under rates for a certain line and prior year win total
  • Preseason Results -- preseason won-lost records can be good indicators of regular season performance
In the 2001 campaign our season win selections were 8-4, in 2002 they went 4-4, while last season they were 3-2 (for +1.1 units). There are grounds for thinking that some of the strong metrics for projecting team wins are now being more fully integrated into the lines -- for instance there has been a long standing trend that teams with the very highest number of wins to cover have generally been solid under plays. However, the top end lines are nudging downwards such that it will be hard to find 11 lines and higher where they were once commonplace.

Year
10.5 or higher
team win lines
5.5 or lower
team win lines
1997
4
0
1998
4
4
1999
6
6
2000
6
3
2001
6
5
2002
3
2
2003
2
4
2004
3
3

Nevertheless, team win bets can still be viewed as a profitable wagering opportunity, albeit your money will be tied up for the season! The following chart lists each team and which research findings appear to provide strong evidence one way or the other. The lines listed represent a consensus of some of the leading offshore casino numbers, with the relative +/- betting number associated with the "over" play.

It should be noted that shopping for the best available line is always a smart strategy but particularly so with season win bets where you can find very significant differences!

Team
1999
Wins
2000
Wins
2001
Wins
2002
Wins
2003
Wins
Line
Price
Line
Hist
Line
v Wins
Bounce
Effect
Draft
Picks
Win
Exp.
Pre
Seas.
Consensus
Arizona
6
3
7
5
4
5.5
130
over
Atlanta
5
4
7
9.5
5
8.5
-120
over
over
Baltimore
8
12
10
7
10
9.5
115
under
under
Under -125
Buffalo
11
8
3
8
6
7.5
-125
Carolina
8
7
1
7
11
8.5
-110
under
over
Chicago
6
5
13
4
7
6.5
105
under
under
under
Cincinnati
4
4
6
2
8
7.5
-105
under
under
Cleveland
2
3
7
9
5
6.5
-135
over
Dallas
8
5
5
5
10
8.5
-115
under
under
under
Denver
6
11
8
9
10
9
-140
Detroit
8
9
2
3
5
6.5
-170
Green Bay
8
9
12
12
10
9
-105
under
Houston
4
5
6.5
-110
Indianapolis
13
10
6
10
12
10.5
120
under
under
under
Jacksonville
14
7
6
6
5
7.5
-145
over
Kansas City
9
7
6
8
13
10
-125
under
under
under
under
Under -105
Miami
9
11
11
9
10
7.5
-120
Minnesota
10
11
5
6
9
9
100
under
over
under
N.Y. Giants
7
12
7
10
4
6.5
135
over
over
over
Over +135
N.Y. Jets
8
9
10
9
6
8.5
-135
over
over
New England
8
5
11
9
14
10.5
-120
under
under
under
under
New Orleans
3
10
7
9
8
7.5
-140
under
Oakland
8
12
10
11
4
7.5
-105
over
over
Philadelphia
5
11
11
12
12
10.5
-110
under
under
under
Pittsburgh
6
9
13
10.5
6
7.5
-110
over
San Diego
8
1
5
8
4
4.5
-120
over
over
over
Over -120
San Francisco
4
6
12
10
7
5.5
130
over
over
under
Seattle
9
6
9
7
10
9.5
-125
under
St. Louis
13
10
14
7
12
9.5
140
under
under
Tampa Bay
11
10
9
12
7
9.5
135
over
over
over
Over +135
Tennessee
13
13
7
11
12
9.5
105
under
Washington
10
8
8
7
5
9
105
over

ANALYSIS: All of the above is based on following historical patterns with regards to this bet, which is always a somewhat shaky starting point.

We isolated those teams where there were a preponderance of factors pointing the same way with little if any conflicting information. Whether this is the best approach is certainly arguable. Again, in the interest of full disclosure, we will mention that our results from 2001 through 2003 with a similar type of analysis is 15-10 -- hardly a convincing sample size.

As the patterns revealed in our research have shown, the best plan has often been to go Under on select high win totals (eg the expected good teams) and go Over on select low totals (the expected bad teams). Part of this theory is that injuries can quickly take their toll on even the best squad (who are often facing much tougher schedules than their previous season) while the lowly teams have an easier schedule and can benefit by "things going wrong" from the teams above them. As alluded to above though, the high lines are coming down and consequently offering less value playing under the presumed top sides.

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