[washingtonismoney]

If the University of Dead Fake Girlfriends is the better team, why is Stanford favored by ~ 2 points at the University of Dead Fake Girlfriends>  Discounting the home field advantage, that suggests Vegas oddsmakers see Stanford as a ~ 5.5 point favorite on a neutral field.  These are people who put their money where their mouth is.

Technically the oddsmakers see N.D. as a 1 point favorite but bettors see Stanford as a 2 point favorite. Slight distinction (which I don't makes a brobdingnagian practical difference.)

Because vegas is trying to make money.....

And here's the reason why the distinction doesn't make much practical difference! Vegas doesn't make money if its lines are systematically incorrect.

(To anticipate the inevitable counterargument. Someone will claim that what *really* matters is Vegas's balancing the volume of bets 50-50 on each side. True. But if the balance happens to be systematically incorrect it would be easy to make a living as a sports bettor, which just doesn't happen terribly frequently. Put it this way, inevitable counterarguer: if you really believed this argument, why aren't *you* a sports bettor as a profession?)

[washingtonismoney]

If the University of Dead Fake Girlfriends is the better team, why is Stanford favored by ~ 2 points at the University of Dead Fake Girlfriends>  Discounting the home field advantage, that suggests Vegas oddsmakers see Stanford as a ~ 5.5 point favorite on a neutral field.  These are people who put their money where their mouth is.

Technically the oddsmakers see N.D. as a 1 point favorite but bettors see Stanford as a 2 point favorite. Slight distinction (which I don't makes a brobdingnagian practical difference.)

Because vegas is trying to make money.....

And here's the reason why the distinction doesn't make much practical difference! Vegas doesn't make money if its lines are systematically incorrect.

(To anticipate the inevitable counterargument. Someone will claim that what *really* matters is Vegas's balancing the volume of bets 50-50 on each side. True. But if the balance happens to be systematically incorrect it would be easy to make a living as a sports bettor, which just doesn't happen terribly frequently. Put it this way, inevitable counterarguer: if you really believed this argument, why aren't *you* a sports bettor as a profession?)