Betting months in advance on one result to happen, then cashing out on that bet, requires at least a little bit of good fortune.
Two results? Even more fortune is needed.
Four results? Just improbable.
In this instance, there was a 1-in-366 chance that Indiana would have an absolute dream season.
But what once was improbable now looks quite possible for a prescient Hoosiers fan, ahead of Indiana’s Monday night meeting against Miami in the College Football Playoff title game.
That’s because her pizza-money preseason parlay is on the brink of banking more than $5,500.
Read on for more on that wager in CFP championship odds.
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Three Down
Back in the preseason, when a historic Indiana run wasn’t on most people’s radar, it most certainly was on Kendall Elliott’s radar.
Based on her X profile, Elliott is a big Indiana football fan. She touts that she was a season ticket holder in the lean days, before coach Curt Cignetti arrived ahead of the turnaround 2024-25 season.
The Hoosiers went 11-1 in the regular season in Cignetti’s first year, earning a College Football Playoff berth, before falling to Notre Dame in the first round.
Inspired by last season, Elliott put a modest $15 on a four-leg futures parlay, ahead of this season:
- Indiana undefeated regular season
- Indiana to win the Big Ten Championship Game
- Indiana to make the CFP
- Indiana to win the national title
The odds of all that happening: A hefty +36627, or in easier-to-digest terms, just beyond 366/1.
But by Dec. 7, the first three legs were in. The Hoosiers went a perfect 12-0 in the regular season, then beat Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten title game to secure their CFP slot.
One to Go
By way of the No. 1 seed, Indiana got a first-round bye in the CFP. Then the Hoosiers trucked No. 9 Alabama 38-3 in the quarterfinals.
That set up a rematch vs. No. 5 Oregon in the semifinals. In Week 7 of the regular season, Indiana went to Oregon as a 7-point underdog and notched a 30-20 upset win.
In the CFP semis, the Hoosiers were 3-point favorites and grilled the Ducks 56-22.
So it’s on to the CFP Championship Game vs. No. 10 Miami, with a 7:30 p.m. ET Monday kickoff. The game is on the Hurricanes’ home field at Hard Rock Stadium. But the Hoosiers are consensus 8.5-point favorites to lift the trophy.
If that happens, then Elliott’s 15 bucks turns into $5,509.11. That’ll buy a lot of pizza.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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