Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles is very confident in the Spartans’ ability to win games during the 2024 college football season. However, his bold declaration of belief was largely misunderstood and created a unique predicament in the gambling space.
A lot of sports bettors could be very frustrated come next Friday, August 30!
Chiles was a four-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2023. The 6-foot-3, 217-pound sophomore is a true dual-threat quarterback and initially committed to Oregon State out of high school. He later looked like a hypocrite when he followed head coach Jonathan Smith and transfered to Michigan State during the offseason, but that is neither here nor there.
Chiles ultimately arrived to East Lansing in time for the spring semester and will start for the Spartans this fall.
This will be Smith’s first season as head coach after Mel Tucker’s ouster. His team is not supposed to be very good after back-to-back years with five wins or less. Most sportsbooks list Michigan State’s expected win total for the 2024 season at Over/Under 5.
Aidan Chiles fully believes in the ‘Over.’
There is only one issue with his belief and it stems from a public declaration.
The 18-year-old was asked on Thursday about the season-opener against Florida Atlantic next week. More specifically, he was asked how it will set the tone for the rest of the year.
Chiles responded with a bold message to sports bettors and encouraged them to take the ‘Over.’ It was a bar.
Here’s the issue…
Chiles was just being confident in himself and his team’s ability to win games. He was not actively encouraging anyone to bet on the point total in Michigan State’s first game. People misunderstood!
The point total for next Friday’s matchup between the Spartans and Owls was listed at O/U 46.5 as of Thursday morning. Chiles’ comments led to an influx of bets on the ‘Over.’ The point total moved up to O/U 47 in a 90-minute span after the press conference snippet was posted.
Those who moved the line by betting the ‘Over’ might end up feeling pretty dumb. Chiles was actually referring to the regular season win total of O/U 6— NOT the point total for Week 1!!
It is very possible that Michigan State and Florida Atlantic could combine for more than 46.5 or 47 points. The Over could still hit!
But that is not the bet that Aidan Chiles suggested…