2008 NFL Football Lines

You have public perception, recent performance, media spin, and relative value. Public perception drives the NFL betting lines far more so than actual merit. Let’s look at NFL football lines and some of these things.

Football lines are set by the oddsmaker ideally looking for equal action on both sides and totals of a game. If the public perception of a team is highly favorable, that team will be inflated in football lines and their value will be less than what is actually merited. When you bet football lines for NFL games, keep in mind that the teams and totals are just like stocks on the market. They are commodities that go up and down in value relative to their standing with the pro football gambling public. The football lines reflect this movement.

Also keep in mind that recent performance is a big factor in how football lines are made. The public perception of that recent performance is actually what is important in relation to the NFL betting lines and the over/under numbers that you see. The public will nearly always over-react either favorably or unfavorably towards a team and how they performed in their previous game and how they performed against the NFL betting lines. The oddsmakers know this and adjust their football lines accordingly in anticipation of that gambling trend of the public.

Along the same lines, media hype and spin is an important element of how the football lines are finally made. Cable TV, Internet and sports talk radio sources all have a direct affect on how the gambling masses perceive games, which then has a direct affect on the football lines when you bet pro football.

Your ultimate job when you bet football lines is to correctly asses value and what it should be compared to what it is. By looking at what the public is doing, recent performance and the spin by the media you have a better chance to make money when you are looking at NFL betting lines.