Here are the sports bets you can take to the bank on Saints, Rebels and Bulldogs
Congratulations Mississippi!
I’m betting the farm that sports wagering will be a big hit in the Magnolia State now that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ban in May. And just to show that I’m all in, here’s what I’m betting will happen when it comes to the New Orleans Saints and other college/NFL related props in 2018.
▪ Drew Brees (70,445) ranks third in NFL career passing yards. He needs 1,394 passing yards to overtake Brett Favre (71,838) at No. 2 and 1,496 passing yards to overtake current leader Peyton Manning (71,940).
Book it: Brees will surpass Favre in Game 4, at the New York Giants on Sept. 30. Brees will take over the top spot eight days later at home against the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football.
▪ The state of Alabama ranks No. 1 nationally in illegal sports betting, with Mississippi a close second.
Book it: Look for Alabamians to flock across state lines to place legal bets, especially when Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide face Ole Miss in Oxford (Sept. 15) and host Mississippi State (Nov. 10).
▪ President Donald J. Trump and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will kneel together at midfield for the playing of the national anthem when the Cowboys visit the Redskins on Oct. 21, 17 days of the midterm elections.
Book it: Never.
▪ 6 — Over/under number of NFL head coaches who will lose their jobs during or after the season.
Book it: Over. Jason Garrett (Dallas), Hue Jackson (Cleveland), Dirk Koetter (Tampa Bay), Todd Bowles (NY Jets), Jay Gruden (Washington), Vance Joseph (Denver), Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati), Adam Gase (Miami).
And don’t be surprised if Bill Belichick parts ways in New England at season’s end. Win or lose. He won’t be fired necessarily but his tenure has to end sometime! Also, if the Green Bay Packers should stub their toes Mike McCarthy could be in danger as well.
▪ Who wins more games in 2018? Joe Moorhead of Mississippi State or Ole Miss’s Matt Luke.
Book it: Moorhead (nine wins, including the Egg Bowl) inherits a great situation from Dan Mullen while Luke (five wins) will struggle in his first season after winning six games as the Rebels’ interim coach in 2017.
▪ 9: Over/under TD catches by Saints rookie wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith.
Book it: 10. Smith will break the team’s rookie record currently held by Michael Thomas who caught nine TDs as a rookie in 2016.
▪ Saints safety Marcus Williams will atone for his grave mistake against the Minnesota Vikings in last year’s divisional round walkoff loss at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
Book it: Williams will score a pick-6 and help the visiting Saints beat the Vikings in their nationally televised gameOct. 28.
▪ Brees will retire after the 2019 season, unless he wins a Super Bowl this year.
Book it: I reference the 2019 season because that’s the final year of his current two-year, $50 million contract. Plus, Brees turns 41 on Jan. 15, 2020, and he’ll be able to get fully engaged in helping the NFL Players Association reach a new Collective Bargaining Agreement which expires following the ‘20 season.
And finally, if you participate in sports wagering, remember many must lose in order for a few to win.
Brian Allee-Walsh, a longtime Saints reporter based in New Orleans, can be reached at sports@sunherald.com.