Oakland Regular Season Wins: Over 6.5 at (-110) or Under 6.5 at (-110)
America’s favorite team to rag on is looking to improve in 2010 and for once the Oakland Raiders had a “smart” draft and did not immediately go for the guy who posted the fastest time or largest feats of strength at the combine. Future NFL betting is a tricky thing to get a handle on, something that gets even tougher when it involves the unpredictable Raiders.
We do know that the Raiders are set with the 19th hardest schedule in 2010 and will be on the road a lot as they will travel over 20,000 miles this year. They have some young players like RB Darren McFadden and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey that were high draft choices in year’s past and are being counted on to produce. They have a new QB in Jason Campbell who has proven he can effectively manage a game, so don’t count on the Raiders imploded too much anymore late in games.
As always, they have six games against their division rivals (KC, San Diego and Denver) as well as contests against the weak NFC West (St Louis, Arizona, Seattle and San Francisco). Despite Oakland’s horrible record over the past three years they have never gone worse than 2-4 SU within their division in that time, including two straight wins at Denver the past two seasons as double digit underdogs! If they can manage that same record or better against the division and can squeak a win or two out against the NFC West, they are well on their way to reaching 7 wins.
Oakland also matches up with the AFC South (Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Houston) and are able to get home games with the Colts and Texans (the two teams favored to win that division), while visiting the other two sites. The game against Indy is also in Week 16 and if the Colts are just as consistent has they have been in the past, that is a prime time for them to start resting players for the playoffs and Oakland could catch a break.
The Raiders remaining games are against the Steelers and Dolphins, two historic rivalries that can boil up some emotion in the players. Oakland also matches up well against running teams this season, so they could easily take one or both of these contests.
Another gift from the schedule makers includes the fact that despite all those miles the Raiders will have to travel, Oakland gets to spend the last month or so of the season in warm climates. Excluding their Week 17 game in Kansas City (which could be warm at this time), four of the last five Raiders games are in California, with the other being in Florida. Not a bad way for a warm weather team to end the season on a high note and not get caught in a tough situation.
The improvements Oakland has made in the off-season along with them hoping that their young stars can finally step up is promising for the Raiders who could surprise many in this division. Over 6.5 wins seems fairly reachable for Oakland, but it is the Raiders remember, and you can never know or trust what Al Davis will do next.
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