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I just turned and checked my calendar (okay, I checked the calendar on my phone, but either way, it still works), and saw that today's date is May 10. Yep, the 2012 NFL season is getting close - only 4 months until games start. Better see if the Miami Dolphins are favored in their upcoming games. Which games you ask? Well, the first 15 of course.
You see, despite it being way too early for this sort of thing, Cantor Gaming - which operates several of the Las Vegas sportsbooks - released the odds for the first 16 weeks of the NFL season yesterday. You know, just to beat the rush of guys trying to get their bets in before the Week 1 action begins.
And, because it's what we like to do here, we take the way too early betting lines, and discuss them anyway.
Week 1: Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans -6.5
Week 2: Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins -3.5
Week 3: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins -1
Week 4: Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals -2.5
Week 5: Miami Dolphins at Cincinnati Bengals -2.5
Week 6: St. Louis Rams at Miami Dolphins -4.5
Week 7: Bye
Week 8: Miami Dolphins at New York Jets -4.5
Week 9: Miami Dolphins -1 at Indianapolis Colts
Week 10: Tennesse Titans at Miami Dolphins -3.5
Week 11: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills -2.5
Week 12: Seattle Seahawks at Miami Dolphins -3
Week 13: New England Patriots -6.5 at Miami Dolphins
Week 14: Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers -7
Week 15: Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins -7.5
Week 16: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins -3
I'm impressed. The Dolphins are actually favorites in eight of their first 15 games, meaning the team is favored to have a winning record heading into their final matchup with the New England Patriots. For the Dolphins, other than the Colts game in Week 9, the odds favored the home team in every game.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have their best odds in Week 15, being 7.5 point favorites over the Jaguars. They face their worst odds in Weeks1, 14 and 15, when they are 6.5 point underdogs to the Texans (Wk 1) and Patriots (Wk 14) followed by 7 point underdogs to the 49ers (Wk 15).
Now, despite the fact that this will change a million times between now and the actual start of the season - given that it's 4 months away - what do you think of the odds? Are they right for the Dolphins, too easy, or too hard? Is there a game that you just think is way off? Let us know in the comments.
[NOTE: PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE PHINSIDER PODCAST FOR TONIGHT WILL START AT 9:30 PM EDT INSTEAD OF ITS USUAL 9PM START TIME.]