Heading to Vegas for some meetings that should prove to be very fruitful when the pigskin starts flying in a couple of weeks and I’m making use of Delta’s new GoGo inflight wi-fi service.    

While looking to make my first ever above-the-clouds online sports bet I was reminded of a critical difference in key numbers between the NFL’s regular season and preseason. The reversal of favorites in the Cowboys/Raiders game is notable, as Dallas -2 moving to Oakland -1 is a much more critical line move than it would be during the regular season.   The Colts move from 1.5-point favorite to 1.5-point dog against the Vikings is of similar importance. 

1 is not a key number in the regular season, but it is of massive importance in the preseason.  Why is this?  In the regular season a team down 7 scores a TD late and kicks the extra point to send into OT.  It’s so close to automatic that it is earthshattering news when someone actually goes for 2.

Equally automatic is the decision in the preseason to try to go for the win with a 2-point conversion. Nobody wants to extend an exhibition game, so the third and fourth stringers that will be cut on Monday will be sent out to go for 2.   Succeed and they win by 1, fail and they lose by 1.   This makes a 1-point game in the preseason game much, much, much more likely than would be the case in the regular season.

So pay attention to your 1’s for the next four weeks.   And greetings from 30,000 feet.