You know football season isn’t too far away when the Las Vegas odds makers set the season win over/under totals for each team. The Chicago Bears were set at a surprisingly low 8.5 wins, meaning Vegas is on the fence about whether or not the Bears will have a winning record.
In terms of the NFC North, the Bears are ranked third behind the Packers (12 wins) and the Lions (9.5), but ahead of the hapless Vikings (6).
Based on last season’s results, that’s not completely surprising, but when you consider the improvements the Bears made on the offensive side of the ball and the expectation that Jay Cutler will stay healthy this season, that win total is begging me to hop on a place and bet big on the Beloved.
The total wins comes with odds: Over: -135, Under: +105. That means that you need to plunk down $135 to win $100 on the over and would win $105 on a $100 wager for betting the under. This early, Vegas has a $3000 cap on each wager.
I’m sure my buddy Bart, who handicapped games for us the last couple of seasons, would remind us that the Vegas total doesn’t necessarily indicate the actual total for wins, but represents a total number of wins that gets even action on both sides. Most Bears fans have high hopes for the 2012 Bears considering they were in line for a playoff run before Jay Cutler got hurt and missed the last 5 games of the season.
Even National Football Post’s Joe Fortenbaugh is eying a bet on the Bears:
"I’ll be spending a good deal of time analyzing the Bears this summer (8.5). Along with Dallas, I think Chicago could be in line for a big season."
Me too Joe. Here’s what scares me – it seems like they’re enticing you to bet the over. What do they know that we don’t?
If you’re interested in the rest of the odds, here they are, courtesy of NFP:
Green Bay Packers: 12 (Over: -125, Under: -105)
New England Patriots: 12 (Over: -120, Under: -110)
Houston Texans: 10 (Over: -140, Under: +110)
Philadelphia Eagles: 10 (Over: -135, Under: +105)
New Orleans Saints: 10 (Over: -125, Under: -105)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 10 (Over: -125, Under: -105)
Baltimore Ravens: 10 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
San Francisco 49ers: 10 (Over: +105, Under: -135)
Denver Broncos: 9.5 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
New York Giants: 9.5 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
Detroit Lions: 9.5 (Over: +105, Under: -135)
San Diego Chargers: 9 (Over: -130, Under: even)
Atlanta Falcons: 9 (Over: +105, Under: -135)
Chicago Bears: 8.5 (Over: -135, Under: +105)
Dallas Cowboys: 8.5 (Over: -125, Under: -105)
New York Jets: 8.5 (Over: -115, Under: -115)
Kansas City Chiefs: 8 (Over: -120, Under: -110)
Cincinnati Bengals: 7.5 (Over: -130, Under: even)
Carolina Panthers: 7.5 (Over: -115, Under: -115)
Miami Dolphins: 7.5 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
Tennessee Titans: 7 (Over: -130, Under: even)
Buffalo Bills: 7 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
Seattle Seahawks: 7 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
Oakland Raiders: 7 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
Arizona Cardinals: 7 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
Washington Redskins: 6.5 (Over: even, Under: -130)
St. Louis Rams: 6 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6 (Over: -110, Under: -120)
Minnesota Vikings: 6 (Over: even, Under: -130)
Cleveland Browns: 5.5 (Over: even, Under: -130)
Indianapolis Colts: 5.5 (Over: +105, Under: -135)
Jacksonville Jaguars: 5.5 (Over: +105, Under: -135)
What do you think? Are you betting the over or the under? If you’re betting the under, why? Where do you rank the Bears in the NFC North? These are the questions I’ll be pondering over the long holiday weekend while enjoying the kickoff of summer. Bourbonnais, and real football, can’t be too far behind.