Packers start as slight underdogs to win NFC North division in 2018

With the U.S. Supreme Court striking down a nationwide ban on sports betting this week, sports fans can expect to see the practice legalized and legislated in various states across the country in relatively short order. As such, the odds on various events in sports may become a bit more relevant than being simply a curiosity.

On Wednesday, the online sportsbook Bovada released odds on each NFL team to win their division in 2018. The Green Bay Packers are always one of the favorites in early betting odds, thanks to a two-time MVP quarterback and a large fan base that makes them popular picks at the books.

However, the Packers are underdogs — ever-so-slightly — to win the NFC North in 2018, coming in just behind the Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota has 27/20 odds according to Bovada’s press release, equivalent to a +135 line. Meanwhile, the Packers are just a tiny bit behind, with 7/5 odds making them a slightly longer shot at +140.

(For those unfamiliar with the +/- lines, +140 means that a $100 bet would pay out $140, while a -140 line means that a bettor would need to put up $140 in order to win $100.)

This is consistent with the regular season win total odds published by Bovada as well. As of May 8th, both teams have their over/under set at 10, but Minnesota has even odds (-110) on either side. The Packers have shorter odds on the under (-140) compared to the over (+110), meaning Vegas sees them as slightly more likely to finish under that record.

Despite being slightly behind the Vikings in terms of their odds for regular season success, the Packers are seen as a more likely pick to advance to the Super Bowl this year than Minnesota, getting 6/1 odds of winning the NFC compared to Minnesota’s 7/1. However, both teams were sitting at 12/1 to win Super Bowl 53 as of May 1st.