Old-timers like yours truly actually remember when the total, aka over-under was born. It was back in 1973 and it was added to the Monday Night game as a way to draw more action when there was only one game on the big board..

Players liked it - hell, we like anything that gives us another chance. And of course the house loved it- you can't blame them as they always have Mr. Vig (lay $11 to make $10) on their side. In short time, totals got added to the games beamed into New York and Las Vegas and by 1978 the oddsmaker slapped them on all of the NFL games. Soon after, the marquee college games (usually those seen on ABC at 3:30) Eastern) and the bowl games saw a total you could bet on.

Today, with the advent of cable and satellite television, as many as 15 NCAA games will have totals and it's simply a given that a total is part and parcel of the NFL gambling package. On a divergent, but somewhat related note, all MLB and NBA games likewise come with a total in addition to the game spread and/or money line.

This year, the NFL is more like the old AFC. That is, points are being scored in numbers that dwarf recent history. The linesmaker has reacted, as he always does. Take a look at Sunday's Week Five NFL card and only three games at sportingbetusa.com show totals under 40 (note, like all gambling lines, the number is not static, so today's 39.5 can be tomorrow's 40).

Once upon a normal NFL, "37" was held to be the absolutely most important number in NFL totals betting. It's not that games necessarily fall right on 37, but because the further the total assigned to a game strays from 37 (either over or under) the more or less someone smarter than most of us sees something either happening or not happening offensively.

When a total was less than 37, defense was anticipated. Over 37, some offense was predicted. As a contrarian, when I saw a total under 37, rather than jump in and say, "It has to go over," I think like the oddsmaker and look hard at playing under.

The real trick is those numbers that fall .5 (half a point) off a key football number. Say, 42.5 and not 42; 34.5 and not 35 and 36.5 and not 37 for example. In a game where both defenses are solid or both offenses weak, 34.5, not 35 is likely. But when you consider some common NFL scores: 31-3, 28-6, 27-7, 24-10, 21-13, and 20-14, what's so bad about under 34.5?

Unlike most gamblers, when I see a game slapped with a 43 or 44, I avoid playing over. Of course the linesmaker sees points, but you need six, maybe seven touchdowns to get the over. And we all know that the NFL is a field goal game, so every time one is kicked, there goes a potential four points off the total.

Like my Uncle Dominic, I've come to learn that in all sports (football, baseball, basketball) it's better to play under than overs. He told me, "Nick, suckers play overs because they like to see points."

He also believes that sports are kind of like life- more often nothing rather than something happens. "You need a lot of things to go right for a total to go over. Me, I like to think that things go wrong more than they go right, " he says.

Of course, while the weather is (mostly) nice now, as the season hits December, bad weather- cold-ice and worse- comes into play. Check your weather channel and if you see a storm predicted for Denver or Philadelphia, take an early lead and play under. Remember, you can always hedge your bet back.

As a relevant note, this time of year, check the rain report, especially in the South where tropical storms are drenching the various arenas. And don't be afraid to play under when the weather is projected to be nasty and wet. If you charted the weather a few Thursdays back, you could have played UNDER 52 in the Louisville-FSU affair if you got down early. Even with OT, the game still stayed under.

This week, I like the game to go over 60 in the Ole Miss- Fla game… that is, unless bad weather hits Gainesville. On the under side, I see rain predicted in Pullman, so maybe under 50 in the PAC 10 game between Southern Cal and Washington State is in order. As for the NFL, under 35 in the Cowboys-Giants gives me a little wiggle room as neither Cowboys or Giants and juggernaut will be used in the same sentence this year.

Good luck everyone, as you it's a jungle out there

Nick Rizzo