Every now and then, the public goes off the deep end.
And the oddsmaker, perhaps against his better judgment, responds.
So it was in the NFL on Nov. 26 when the unbeaten Carolina Panthers traveled to meet the Dallas Cowboys.
At first glance, the surging Panthers seemed like a formidable favorite — perhaps a touchdown or more.
But no, the public liked the Cowboys. Why? Hard to say. Tony Romo was supposedly back and after a win over Miami, it could be argued that the Cowboys were about to put together a winning streak.
But that would have been a weak argument. Dallas, despite losing Romo during a seven-game losing streak, really had shown nothing in compiling a 3-7 record.
Carolina on the other hand had been impressive in putting together a 10-game winning streak.
The actual line hovered at around “pick ’em” during the week. And at one point, the interest in the Dallas Cowboys pushed the line to Dallas -1.5 in some spots.
Go figure.
Of course, when the dust settled at AT&T Stadium, Carolina had easily ridden to win No. 11, 33-14.
The matchup was not a good one for the Cowboys, and the betting line was clearly out of whack.
It doesn’t happen often.
But when it does, it’s good to be ready to take advantage.
