NFL Spreads

Used in sports betting, a point spread refers to a set number of points by which one team is projected to score over their opponent.  This number, selected by various oddsmakers, is a prediction of the margin of victory in a specific game as well as which team is expected to win.  Each week during the regular season of the National Football League as well as each week during the NFL Playoffs, NFL spreads for each game are released by several oddsmakers and sports betting websites.http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/odds/spread

In Super Bowl XLV, played on February 6, 2011, at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the Green Bay Packers are favored over the Pittsburgh Steelers by 2.5-3 points.  The over/under on the contest is set at 44.5 points.http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/odds/spread

In addition to predicting which team is expected to win each game, NFL point spreads are used in betting to allow money to be wagered on both the underdog and the favorite.  In order for a bettor to win their wager, the team they select must cover the spread.  For a favorite, the team must defeat the underdog by more points than the spread for a bettor to win the wager.  For an underdog, the team must lose to the favorite by less than the points listed on the spread for the bettor to win the wager.http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/odds/spread

For example, if one National Football League team is favored by three points, someone who bets on the favorite would win the bet if the team won by more than three points.  If the favorite wins by less than three points, the team would fail to cover the spread and those who bet on the favorite would lose as well.  For the underdog in the same example, if that team lost by less than three points, those who bet on the underdog would win their bet as the spread was not covered.http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/odds/spread

Alongside the NFL points spread, a number of other figures are included in most NFL odds listings such as the over/under, moneyline and futures.  The over/under, also known as the total, is a prediction of the total points scored by both teams in a single game.  Bettors can choose to bet on this figure as well, either betting that the points scored by both teams will total more or betting that the total points scored by both teams will total less than the figure.http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/odds/spread

The moneyline is a different way people can bet on a game with a favorite and underdog, but no stipulations as to a set number of points by which one team needs to cover for bettors to win their wager.  Futures are predictions that refer to the odds of a specific team winning an event in the future.  This is often used to predict which team will win a Super Bowl several months before the game is played.http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/odds/spread