Sports betting roundup: Football on Thanksgiving weekend doesn't disappoint

Updated Dec. 2, 2024 12:58 p.m. ET

Associated Press

The football on Thanksgiving weekend didn't disappoint.

Saturday saw a number of upsets as part of Rivalry Week in college football, and then it was a solid Week 13 in the NFL.

Here’s a look at the action using data from the BetMGM Sportsbook:

Trends of the Week

The NFL saw favorites go 9-2 straight up on Sunday, and the teams with the most bets cover the spread. The four most bet on teams in terms of bets all covered the spread: the Seattle Seahawks (-1) vs. the New York Jets, the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams (-2.5) at the New Orleans Saints and the Houston Texans (-3.5) at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Although there were upsets in college football, the teams that saw the most bets covered the spread for the most part. The six-most-bet teams in terms of bets all covered the spread, including Indiana (-28.5) vs. Purdue, South Carolina (+2.5) at Clemson and Arizona State (-8.5) at Arizona.

Miami’s loss to Syracuse had a major impact on its odds to win the College Football Playoff. Going into the game, it was +2500, but following the 42-38 loss, it is now +15000.

The Ohio State and Michigan game went under the total of 42.5 points. It was the first time in 10 years the game went under. Eighty-nine percent of the money was on the over.

Upsets of the Week

The biggest upset of the weekend was Michigan taking down Ohio State 13-10. The Wolverines closed as 19.5-point underdogs, which made the win the biggest upset in the history of the rivalry. Michigan took in 51% of the bets and 34% of the money when it came to against the spread betting. In terms of the moneyline, Michigan saw 77% of the bets but just 17% of the money.

There weren’t many upsets in the NFL on Sunday. The biggest were the Philadelphia Eagles beating the Baltimore Ravens on the road as three-point underdogs and the Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Cincinnati Bengals on the road, also as three-point underdogs.