Favorites in the top 25 of college football went 7-13-1 yesterday, including 8 losses outright. In the top 10, it was even worse (1-7-1, with #6 Cal being a road dog against #11 Oregon). Pretty unbelievable, and a definite rarity…but an excellent example of my #1 Rule of Betting College Football (we’ll probably talk about Rules #2 and #3 in the next week or so):

College Football Rule #1: Bet the underdogs

I’m not saying to do anything rash or over-the-top, like betting every underdog. My Absolute #1 Rule of Sports Betting is to be selective. People who play the board go broke. But if you can’t make up your mind between a couple of different plays, the Underdog play should be your tiebreaker. Every time. Amarillo Slim says that any good bettor could make a living just playing ‘dogs, and I believe him.

It was also a fun day for other sports action, even the stuff I wouldn’t bet on. My beloved Chicago Cubs won the NL Central on Friday, a great birthday present for me…and followed it up with a national game on Fox where they shutout the Reds for a second day in a row. With a couple extra days rest to let any tiebreakers play out, their rotation should be set, bullpen rested, and the offense is hitting better than they did all year. Taking any Cub action would violate several rules of sports betting that I have, but as a fan, I’m very optimistic.

To close the night out, anyone who was lucky enough to see the Pavlik/Taylor fight (and the brilliant Berto/Estrada undercard) on HBO saw two of the best fights you’ll see this year. Find it on a replay, if you can.