Betting on sports is now starting to become mainstream, especially with the slowly starting avalanche of states that either already have or will sometime soon legalize sports gambling.

I, like most other fathers, need yet another way to light my wallet on fire, so I figured it was time to put my money down and lose it honestly. This isn’t financial advice. This is just for entertainment. For you, not for me. This will likely give me ulcers.

How this will work:

• I am going to allot an imaginary (or real, who knows) $100 per week.
• I will pick 3 games or wagers that have lines listed on the internet.
• I will also pick the baylor game and suggest how to bet, if at all.
• Maybe spotlight a bet from a reader?
• Put out a tracker of all bets made and how exactly I fare over the course of season.
• Maybe throw in some knowledge for those extremely new to the world of gambling.

The Bets: Week 2

Cincinnati (+1) @ Miami Ohio ($10)

This is the bet I am admittedly least confident in, but I enjoyed the way Cincinnati came out and punched the “new and upstart” Chip Kelly Bruins in the mouth. Did you know this was a… rivalry game? Even going 4-8 last year, the Bearcats beat Miami Ohio. I don’t see that changing here.

Texas (-23) vs Tulsa ($40)

Look, I’d pay an embarrassing amount of money to see Texas stumble against… really any opponent. That being said, Herman still recruited well and there is still a large amount of talent on that sideline. I would’ve felt more comfortable taking the Longhorns at -21 or better, but I see this getting out of hand early for the Golden Hurricanes. Expect the difference in line play to show.

Clemson (-13) @ Texas A&M ($50)

I don’t see how this line makes any sense at all. Clemson should be a 2 touchdown favorite against most teams regardless, especially against a team that is figuring out a new coach and system. Not having your quarterback 100% decided on is also an issue. Tigers by 24+, yes, even at Kyle Field.

SportsBook 101: Moneyline

Betting the moneyline is the most straightforward way to bet on sports. Pick a winner, win or lose money. NFL Games will often have this as an option. Sometimes, since college football often pits uneven teams against each other, sports books won’t have a money line option available.

Example: Houston Texans (+225) vs New England Patriots (-275)

Here we see that we have the option to bet on the New England Patriots to win the game outright. The (-275) let’s us know that we won’t receive our original wager back as an award because New England is heavily favored to win.

Alternatively, it shows us that we are offered more than our original bet (+225) as an award if we select the Texans to win the game outright. We will learn more about what that number means and how it changes from day to day next week.

Other bets I was considering:

Arizona +4.5 vs Houston

How good is Khalil Tate when forced to throw quickly? Houston’s defense will find out.

Central Michigan -5 @ Kansas

How bad is Kansas? Very bad. How bad is Central Michigan? Probably not as bad as Kansas.

Baylor Bet: Week 2 @ UTSA

If I was smart, I would’ve put my money down early in the week when the line was -11.5.

Now, the line is -15.5, but I still feel that Baylor’s offense turns this into a game that UTSA just can’t keep up with. I would be hesitant to bet anything more than -17 though. I personally put a small amount on this line, but smarter fans should probably wait for another data point.

Decision: Probably stay away until we know exactly what this Baylor defense will look like.