Sports betting roundup: Upsets and close finishes highlight big sports weekend

Upsets and close finishes highlighted a big weekend in sports with the baseball playoffs competing for attention against the NFL and college football.

Here’s a look at the sports landscape from a betting perspective:

Trends of the Week

At the BetMGM online sportsbook, the Detroit Lions (-10.5) were the most bet NFL team in terms of number of bets (77%) and money (72%) on Sunday. Although Cincinnati made a late comeback, Detroit beat the Bengals 37-24. Amon-Ra St. Brown (-105) was the most bet player in Week 5 to score a touchdown after scoring in three straight games. The Lions wide receiver had 100 yards receiving but did not find the end zone.

In London, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Cleveland Browns 21-17. Minnesota closed as 3.5-point favorites, narrowly covering the spread. The total dropped from 41.5 points to 35.5 points, and 50% of the bets and 79% of the money came in on the over.

The New York Yankees are down 2-0 to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS. New York lost 10-1 in Game 1 and 13-7 in Game 2. A bettor wagered $1.2 million on the Yankees at +100 to win Game 1. They are currently +425 to win the series.

Upsets of the Week

There were five upsets in the NFL on Sunday, including two by teams that were 7-point underdogs or more.

The New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 23-20 on the road on Sunday Night Football. New England was an 8-point underdog at kickoff, and the Bills took in 62% of the bets and 39% of the money.

As 7.5-point underdogs, the Tennessee Titans came back in the second half to beat the Arizona Cardinals 22-21 for their first win of the season. Tennessee drew 31% of the bets and 45% of the money.

No. 7 Penn State closed as a 24.5-point favorite against UCLA. The Bruins upset the Nittany Lions 42-37 for their first win of the season. Penn State took in 80% of the bets and 87% of the money.

The other big upset on Saturday was Florida taking down No. 9 Texas 29-21. The Longhorns closed as 5.5-point favorites and drew 61% of the bets and 88% of the money.

Coming Up

The Heisman Trophy odds keep changing. This week Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and Miami quarterback Carson Beck are the favorites at +500.

Behind them is Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith at +700, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at +800, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at +1300, and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at +1500.

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports