One of the best feelings in the world as a bettor is taking advantage of long-term future bets on tournaments. On Monday, bettors hoping for another TCU preseason title win will go big.
The Horned Frogs are listed at +20,000 ($10 bet to win a total of $2,010) in FOX Pete To win the national title before the season. After the Horned Frogs won second place Michigan 51-45 in the CFP semifinals In the Fiesta Bowl, TCU (13-1) is a victory for one of the most national championship prospects in college football.
TCU’s Cinderella run this year got us thinking about the other biggest long shots in sports betting history, so FOX Sports Research dug into the numbers to break it down for us.
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Leicester City (2016)
5000-1
Arguably the biggest upset in sports and betting history, Leicester City It opened at 5000-1 to win the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2015-16 season. By 1 April the title was locked out, with Leicester’s title odds down to -180. Jamie Vardy With 24 goals scored, he finished second in the Premier League, along with Riyad Mahrez 17 goals and 11 assists. While our historical odds only go back to 2009, it’s safe to say that the 2016 Leicester City side had the longest pre-season odds of any Premier League champions ever.
St. Louis Rams (1999)
150-1
How could anyone forget 1999 St. Louis ramsWho was 150-1 to win the Super Bowl entering the season? Dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf” due to the team’s solid offense, the Rams went on to win the Super Bowl 23-16 against Tennessee Titans. Kurt Warner, known for bagging groceries just a few years before winning, went on to throw an NFL-leading 41 touchdown passes in 1999. For perspective, the Rams are down to 250 AFC Championship candidates. The odds of 150-1 are the highest of any eventual Super Bowl champion since 1977.
Greece (2004)
150-1
Big powers like the UEFA European Championship have always dominated SpainAnd ItalyAnd England And Portugal, but 2004 was a completely different story. At 150-1 underdog to win it all, Greece He reached the final, defeating hosts Portugal 1-0. In the matches leading up to the championship match, she defeated the likes France and the Czech Republic. It should also be noted that Greece has already defeated Portugal twice – in the group stage, as well as in the final. For perspective, Greece was still a +450 underdog to win the final despite their miraculous run. Theodoros Zagorakis captained the 2004 team and was named Player of the Tournament for his efforts.
Minnesota Twins (1991)
80-1
1991 Minnesota Twins He opened the year as a whopping 80-1 to win the World Series. This is the longest odds for any eventual World Series champion since 1985. Kirby Puckett topped the team, having won the ALCS MVP award prior to the World Series. The six-time Gold Glove winner scored 89 RBIs that season with an astounding . 319 batting average. By the start of the World Series, most sports betting had Twins in the 150 favorite to win the World Series.
Florida Marlins (2003)
75-1
It is now located in Miami, Florida Marlins is one of the biggest upset teams in MLB history to ever win a World Series. One of the youngest teams in MLB at the time, the Marlins won the title just 10 years after their founding in 1993. Sportsbooks rated them at 75-1 to win the title in the preseason, with those odds dropping to +190 by the start of the season. World Championship. Superstar Josh Pickett led the Marlins along with a future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera. Their preseason 75-1 odds were the second-highest of any eventual world champion since 1985, behind the aforementioned Twins.
UConn Huskies (2014)
65-1
Shabazz Napier drove 2014 UConn Huskies to a national title even though the betting books rate them as 65-1 for doing so in the preseason. This is the longest preseason prospect for any eventual national champion since 2001. Second year head coach Kevin Ollie led them to a 32-8 record that season and defeated the likes of VillanovaAnd Iowa And Michigan State before landing fl And Kentucky in the Final Four game and the national title, respectively. By the championship game, the Huskies still had a +130 underdog against the Wildcats.
New England Patriots (2001)
60-1
No wonder here, like Bill Belichick and New England Patriots It was a huge long shot to win the Super Bowl in the 2001 season – Tom Brady’The first picture as a player captain at the start. The Pats opened with a 60-1 lead to win the championship and were still 14-1 going into the AFC Tournament. The 60-1 odds are the second-longest of any eventual Super Bowl champion since 1977. New England defeated Oakland. Raiders in the divisional round in the infamous “Tuck Rule” game and then moved on to a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game, followed by the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl. The win was the start of Brady Belichick’s Patriots dynasty.
Carolina Hurricanes (2006)
60-1
2006 Carolina Hurricanes They were 60-1 to win the Stanley Cup entering the 2005-06 NHL season and had fallen all the way to the -140 favorite by the time of the Stanley Cup Final. This is the longest preseason odds for any eventual Stanley Cup champion since 1984. It is also worth noting that they were counted 6-1 to enter the first round of the playoffs. Carolina was led by Hurricanes current head coach Rod Brind Amour Eric Stahlthe latter scored 100 points this season (45 goals, 55 assists).
Auburn Tigers (2010)
50-1
Cam Newton, one of the most exciting players in college football history, led a team Auburn Tigers for a national championship in the 2010 season. The Tigers were given 50-1 odds to win the title in the preseason, the longest of any eventual college football champion since 2001. Newton threw for over 2,800 yards and added over 1,400 on the ground for 50 combined touchdowns. Auburn finished a perfect 14-0 undefeated Oregon Ducks In a thriller with three points. The Tigers didn’t have positive odds until the title game, as they were still 5-1 down to win the championship going into week 13.
Minnesota Twins (1987)
50-1
The only franchise to make this list twice, the Twins won the 1987 World Series despite having 50-1 odds in the preseason – the third longest reigning World Series Finals champion since 1985. The team finished with only an 85-77 record topped by Puckett and Kent Hrbek, with the latter recording 34 HR and 90 RBI. The twins will continue to defeat St. Louis Cardinals in a series of seven tournament matches.
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San Francisco 49ers (1981)
50-1
1981 San Francisco 49ers The title odds opened at 50-1 en route to their first Super Bowl title. Their preseason odds are the third-longest by any eventual Super Bowl champion since 1977. This was the first of five championships for the franchise between 1981 and 1994. Hall of Famers such as Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, and Ronnie Lott were held for San Francisco during this era.
Atletico Madrid (2014)
50-1
Another football-related long shot here, eg Atletico Madrid Opened at 50-1 for the win La Liga In the 2013-14 season, which upset the powers Barcelona And Real Madrid. The league was highly competitive throughout the year, with Atlético finishing on 90 points – three points ahead of both Barcelona and Real Madrid. The drama filtered through to the last game of the season, when Barcelona and Atlético were separated by just three points. Barcelona needed a win to clinch the title, while Atletico only needed a draw, and the latter pulled it out 1-1. Diego Costa was the main player, scoring 27 league goals, narrowly missing Cristiano Ronaldo (31) and Lionel Messi (28) score more. Their preseason 50-1 odds have been the longest of any prospect La Liga Champion since 2009 – as far as our historical odds data goes.
Could TCU join the legendary list of linebackers and long shots above? If you’re betting on the title game, go for it FOX Pete for your bets!
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