ESPN’s Erin Dolan’s College Football Betting Tips & Eagles Fandom

Welcome to episode 110 of Wise Kracks! Joining us this week is a rising star from ESPN and the world of sports betting who has also worked with the Krack Man in the past. We also talk about MLB heading down the home stretch, tips for betting on college football, a big Jake Paul fight rumor, an exciting upcoming UFC event, and why bettors should be wary of offshore sportsbooks. Let’s get into it!

Your hosts Bill Krackomberger and Jon Orlando are looking forward to kicking back over the Labor Day Weekend, but first, they take a look at MLB. On the verge of setting records, will the Los Angeles Dodgers make Jon a happy fan?

With college football underway, Bill has a few tips to share when it comes to betting that he learned from the University of Hard Knocks!

Rumor has it that Jake Paul is looking to square off with UFC legend Anderson Silva in October. If it becomes a reality, who do the guys think will be crowned the victor?

UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa is taking place this Saturday and it’s shaping up to be a great card. Who are the guys betting on?

Bill shares a story about handicapper selling games with offshore books, and why as a bettor, the best bet you can make is to stay away.

Joining Bill and Jon this week is Erin Dolan, a rising star in the sports and sports betting industry. Currently working as an on-air betting analyst with ESPN, she appears on Daily Wager, This Just In, and other facets of ESPN’s content library. You can hear about this and more on this week’s Wise Kracks!

Tips to Put Your Best Bet Forward on College Football

As sports fans have had their first taste of college football for the 2022-23 season, Bill has one thing that he’d like to remind everyone of:

When it comes to betting, don’t sleep on college football.

And why shouldn’t you listen to the Krack Man? He’s got the degree to back it up, “I didn’t have the money to go to college… I went to the school of hard knocks, and got my gambling degree at Gambling State!”

Not only is college football a great sport to bet on, but it’s also just an exciting sport in general, and a massive spectacle across the United States.

No sport that I can think of can match the pageantry of college football,  exclaims Bill. “Even small towns like Tuscaloosa can become the center of the sports world.

With over 100 college games a week, Bill has a little inside information when it comes to sportsbooks, “They’re not all putting up their lines based on how they feel… there are one or two books that everyone is copying.” With so many games, not to mention other sports taking place at the same time, sportsbooks don’t have the staff or energy to stay on top of every single college football game taking place.

Now, Bill is a giving guy; he wants everyone to win all of the time. With his gambling degree in tow, he’s got four great tips for betting on college football.

1. Never tease college football games, especially totals, “It’s a sucker bet… you’ll find out where they got the name when you bet teasers.”
2. The key numbers are not as strong in college football as they are in the NFL, “The key numbers in the NFL are 3s and 7s… I generally stay away from buying when betting on the NCAAF.”
3. Homefield means a little bit more in college than in the pros, “Though the advantage is usually baked into the line, there are circumstances where the bookmaker has not adjusted correctly.”
4. The FCS is great for betting, “Some of my most profitable outcomes in any sport have been through betting the FCS college football games. That’s where the information pays off for the smaller markets.”

The Supply and Demand of Sports Picks at ESPN

Our guest for this week is Erin Dolan, an on-air betting analyst who you can find over at ESPN making appearances on Daily Wager and This Just In. She has also been an on-air talent for FanDuel, and PointsBet (where she did some fun spots with Bill!)

As someone who has just as much passion for sports and betting as Bill, Jon wants to know how that passion was ignited, “I went to Penn State and got a journalism degree, but I knew I didn’t want to be in the news.” Erin admits that she knew next to nothing about betting at first, but eventually, her guy friends got her into it because “they were all doing it all the time!”

What ultimately sets sports betting apart from other fields of work for Erin, is that every day brings a new challenge, “I don’t like to be bored whatsoever… The passion comes from the challenge.”

Funnily enough, Erin also has a passion for something that for her isn’t much of a challenge at all; being a Philadelphia sports fan.

Bill questions, “Is Philly still your team no matter what?” With a look that reads ‘no duh’, Erin exclaims, “Absolutely, are you kidding me?! I try to go to as many games as I can!” As a Philly native, there’s no option to be a fan of any other team

They say on the news… don’t wear another team’s jersey to a game, you’ll get beat up!

As a betting analyst with such a public platform, Bill ponders, “It’s gotta be tough to go on air. What’s the process?” For Erin, her picks are under a lot of scrutiny, so there’s a lot of pressure to prove her worth as a handicapper, “I need to have an analysis that backs up my picks… sometimes you just like the number.” It can be time-consuming for Erin, but she needs to be as close to correct as she can be.

In a testament to her passion, Erin has had to give out 30 to 35 picks on air before, which floors Bill and Jon. It’s not an easy task, “Sometimes people will never listen to me again if I’m wrong… It’s tough.”

With all the hard work, Bill knows that her parents must be proud of her, and they are; even if they’re a little perplexed by her work, “My parents have no idea what I’m talking about still, I’ve dumbed it down as much as I can!”

As the interview winds down, Bill has left it up to Jon to finish off with the tough questions, “Do you acknowledge that the Dallas Cowboys are going to have more wins than the Philadelphia Eagles this season?” With a simple ‘no’ from Erin, Jon hits back with a “come on!”

Ever the die-hard Eagles fan, Erin states confidently, “I think the Eagles are going to be better than people think… people don’t take me seriously when I say that.”

Looking for any semblance of hope, Jon asks one final question to pick Erin’s analyst brain, “Can you acknowledge that the LA Dodgers are going to win the series this year?” Even though she’s over the baseball season, and it’s likely the last sport she would ever bet on, she does acknowledge this to Jon’s delight.

“This is a girl who remembers where she came from,” concludes Bill.

Catch Wise Kracks Thursday on YouTube

The Wise Kracks is your go-to for all things betting, pop culture, tips & more. Show hosts Jon Orlando and Bill Krackomberger take you through the NHL, NBA, MLB, & the NFL, never missing the opportunity for a laugh. A new weekly guest guarantees a unique perspective from the world of sports and entertainment.

Wise Kracks is here to make you the best bettor you can be, and with Bill at the helm, you’re in good hands. Tune into the WSN YouTube channel every Thursday for a new episode of Wise Kracks!