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Posted by on Sep 10, 2026 in Blog | 0 comments

2026 NFL Futures Bet: Minnesota Vikings to Win NFC

 

 

NFL FUTURES BET

Here’s Why I’m Betting on Something that Hasn’t Happened in 50 Years

by Nolan Dalla

I’m highly optimistic about the 2026 Minnesota Vikings and their chances of enjoying a successful regular season, and potentially a big postseason, as well.

Accordingly, I’ve bet Minnesota on a number of futures propositions. In this report, I’ll explain why I like the Vikings this year on multiple wagering opportunities.

***Numbers and Value: Season Wins Total***

Let’s begin with Minnesota’s projected “Team Total Wins” which is over/under 8.5. I love the OVER.
The Vikings finished with a 9-8 record last season. That was accomplished with the worst quarterback situation in the NFL. Down the stretch, Minnesota was starting a third-string QB. Nonetheless, they ended up with a winning season in what was perhaps the toughest division in pro football.

Asking the Vikings to win 9 or more games in 2026 seems very reasonable.

I made a large wager on the Vikings to go OVER 8.5 wins at -125.

I’ll get into more of the reasons why after a discussion of these futures prices and their values.

 

***Numbers and Value: Division Winner***

Let’s continue with Minnesota’s projected odds on winning the NFC North. Prices range from around +350 to as high as +480 (you may find numbers different elsewhere – I scanned the numbers at most major land-based and online sportsbooks).

Raw unfiltered odds would pay exactly 3 to 1 (or +300). That’s because there are four teams in the division and each team has a theoretical 25 percent chance to win. By any metric, the Vikings are widely considered longshots to win their division. This is because all four teams are bona fide playoff contenders, and Minnesota is perceived as somewhat inferior to Chicago, Detroit, and Green Bay.

I disagree with this popular assessment. Even if the Vikings are not quite as good as their three rivals, the value of 4 to 1 (or higher) remains a mighty tempting wager. We can also bet the Vikings to make the playoffs – as the YES currently pays +160. That is also a very tempting bet.

Note that I did not make these bets. That’s because I believe there is better value elsewhere (see more below).

 

***Numbers and Value: NFC Winner***

Continuing with Minnesota’s projected odds on winning the NFC Conference. Prices currently range from around +1600 to as high as +2300 (again, the odds you find could be different by the time you read this report).

I found 23 to 1 odds (+2300) at one of the local sportsbooks here in Las Vegas. Given that’s probably the best price available, I decided to make that wager rather than the “division winner” futures bet which was discussed earlier.

My reasoning is that if Minnesota wins the NFC North, their odds of also winning the NFC are much better than nearly 6 to 1 among the conference playoff teams. In short, the Vikings would have to win two or three playoff games in order to ultimately become the NFC Champions. My logic goes – if Minnesota is good enough to win a tough division, then they’re also more than capable of winning the NFC.

Is Minnesota a longshot? Well, since there are 16 teams in the conference, the Vikings should be priced at +1600 in the raw unfiltered futures odds. However, I am getting a much better price at +2300 odds. So, even if we agree the NFC is stacked with strong teams and loaded with Super Bowl contenders, I believe the assessment that Minnesota’s odds of winning the NFC are simply wrong, and the Vikings are grossly undervalued by the market.

Hence, I bet the Vikings to win the NFC at 23 to 1 odds. I believe this is the best value on the futures board.

 

***Will the Vikings Buck History?***

Let’s be clear. I’m betting on something that has not occurred in 50 years. Half a century.

The last time the Minnesota Vikings won the NFC and appeared in a Super Bowl game was five decades ago, in 1976. In fact, Minnesota made four Super Bowl appearances — 1970, 1973, 1974, and 1976 — losing all four times. The Vikings have been to 10 NFC championship games, most recently losing in 2017. So, it’s admittedly been a long drought in Minnesota.

Historical markers are interesting, but they also don’t have any bearing on handicapping and assessing value in sports betting. In fact, since the Vikings do not have a reputation as a Super Bowl pedigree franchise, this likely adds to their attractive odds and betting value – especially among contrarian bettors (like me).

 

***The 2026 Minnesota Vikings:  A Quick Assessment***

I won’t spend too much time here on each player and position. Nor will I regurgitate lots of statistics. You can find that information elsewhere.

What I view as highly favorable about the Vikings is their proven recent history as a good team, an experienced and winning coaching staff, excellent skill position players, a top-five defense, and new energy at the quarterback position. If we combine an assessment that rivals may not be as good this season (I expect Bears to decline, Packers to struggle, and Lions are a mystery after finishing last in the division in 2025), that sets up the Vikings strongly to enjoy a winning season, and perhaps advance deeper into the postseason.

A few facts:

– Minnesota Head Coach Kevin O’Connell has an impressive career W-L record of 43-25 (.632) during the regular season. He debuted with the Vikings in 2022 and posted a stellar 13-4 record (with a new veteran QB, Cousins). After struggling with a 7-10 record in 2023, O’Connell’s Vikings went an even more remarkable 14-3 in 2024 (again, with a new veteran QB, Darnold). After a 9-8 season with a horrible offensive situation, he gets yet another new veteran QB to lead the offense. As for top assistants, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips has been in his role since the 2022 season. And, he’s already proven successful twice with veteran quarterback transfers–and now repeats the ritual. Defense coordinator Brian Flores is widely regarded as one of the best in the game.

– Quarterback Kyler Murray is the biggest question mark and the Vikings’ fate in 2026 is likely on his shoulders and arm. The free-agent signing and acquisition from Arizona showed flashes of brilliance in seven inconsistent seasons with the Cardinals. But he also played on some very bad Arizona teams. This is a much better spot for Murray and his dual pass-run skill set, and he’ll be surrounded by talent on both sides of the ball for the first time in his pro career.

Darkhorse Prediction: Murray competes for MVP prize in 2026.

– The Vikings’ receiver corps could be lethal. This is an elite unit and certainly one of the NFL’s best trios – with WRs Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jawan Jennings. Murray will have plenty of excellent targets. This group of receivers can make any QB look great, so long as everyone stays healthy.
– Minnesota’s defense ranked 3rd in the NFL in yards allowed last season. They ranked 7th in points allowed. If the Vikings retain anywhere near that level of excellence, with an improved offense this will become a complete team.

– Strength of schedule is a valid concern. Minnesota faces the 11th-toughest schedule based on W-L records from last season. However, this is not insurmountable. Playing in a tough division could make the Vikings a better team going forward as we’ve seen from the “bunching effect” of conference winners in recent years who tend to come from tougher divisions and play more difficult schedules.

Note to Readers: I will post weekly NFL analysis and picks which can be read at this website:

https://www.betcoin.ag/page/nolandalla2026-vikings/

Sign up at Betcoin.ag today using promo code NOLAN for free entry to our $10,000 NFL Confidence Pool – Scores reset after each week, so it’s never too late to join:

https://www.betcoin.ag/page/nfl-confidence-2026/

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Posted by on Sep 9, 2026 in Blog | 0 comments

Mentors of Ideas

 

 

It’s important to have mentors. This is true in real life among those people we know personally — such as family and friends and associates. It’s also true with the most influential people we look up to in our society who make us all smarter, or at least provide fresh new perspectives.

I was in a discussion recently about mentors of ideas. That’s a phrase I’m applying here to describe people I’ve never met, but who are well-known, and consistently compel us to think, as well as broaden our horizons. In short, they have made millions throughout the world much smarter, and even entertained us with ideas (even if we don’t agree with them all the time).

In no particular order, I hereby offer these SIX popular writers and thinkers who have been important mentors of ideas for many years. I have most of the books they’ve written and I should probably do a retrospective on each of them at some point:

– Yuval Noah Harari — His work is expansive and he might be my most-admired social commentator and favorite public intellectual working today. Based in Israel, Harari’s numerous writings, interviews, and musings on everything from history to politics to science to high tech is often mesmerizing. I first became aware of YNH about 15 years ago when he released “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” followed by “Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.” Everything he writes and says is worth listening to (and I should share more of his thoughts).

– Sam Harris — Sam Harris’ podcast ranks as my favorite. I’ve been a listener for a decade. He’s always engaging and attracts the greatest minds on many subjects, often in a combative but civil debate format. I’ve always admired Harris’ vanguard activism as an anti-theist (ne atheist). His writings and speeches on religion and similar topics alone would make him a “must” read and listen. However, his more recent expansion into political, social, and cultural issues makes heading Harris’s words even more mandatory.

– Heather Cox Richardson — I only learned about HCR in recent years, mostly through her daily blog/writings/email newsletter which is a blend of American history and contemporary politics and controversies. She’s widely known to many as a historian, but often brings events of the past to life in the sub-context of modern world events. HCR is consistently interesting and always timely. Subscribe to her daily narrative, and I promise — you’ll probably learn something new and often fascinating every day.
– Neil deGrasse Tyson — The popular astrophysicist might be the most watchable and readable thinker and communicator in America today. Whatever subject he covers is always interesting. But it’s his capacity to address so many different issues and talk authoritatively, yet keep things simple, that’s his calling and his gift. For instance, I know almost nothing about science or biology or astrophysics, yet deGrasse Tyson somehow distills the most complex questions about the universe into words and ideas that are informative, entertaining, and even fun. His wonderful sense of humor, combined with a natural gift for teaching, makes deGrasse Tyson a national treasure.

– Malcolm Gladwell — “The Tipping Point” was a major literary event, enabling millions of us to look at subjects we thought we knew, and view them in new ways — make that, very different ways. His many popular books since then have repeated this theme, taking familiar subjects and funneling them through a new lens of perceptions, though nothing he’s written seems repetitive.

– Robert Caro — Caro is the foremost biographer of our time. His masterful work “The Power Broker” (Pulitzer Prize winner 1975) may be the finest political biography ever, and his 4+ look series over the past 45 years on the life and impact of Lyndon B. Johnson is arguably the most dedicated commitment to a subject in modern history. His writings (and other projects) relating to Robert Moses and LBJ are, in effect, the definitive written accounts of both New York City and Texas — which is remarkable given how contrasting these subjects are which have been the focus of his life.
Now, it’s your turn.

If you will, share your 1, 2, 3….or more “mentors of ideas” and tell us why they were important and what they meant (or mean) to you.

Note: I am concentrating on LIVING persons. If we discuss deceased and historical writers, philosophers, and thinkers, I believe that’s too broad to address in a single post. Perhaps we’ll tackle that question later.

Thanks to many of you for sharing!

Note: This video runs about 13 minutes. I believe I made a few mistakes and mispronunciations, which hopefully you can forgive. I didn’t want to have to stop and record again.

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Posted by on Sep 7, 2026 in Blog | 0 comments

Labor Day 2026

 

 

On this Labor Day 2026, we must remember that even the most elementary advances in the history of human progress have never been easy.

Liberals with progressive ideas and bold new policies have successfully driven every single significant major advance in American history. Without exception. This is especially true when it comes to rights and conditions for women, minorities, and the working class.

History does not lie. This is a fact.

History and facts show that conservatives have always been on the WRONG side of history. On EVERY single issue. Conservatives fought against ALL of the changes which made America a much better and stronger nation — and more prosperous for everyone. Conservatives have always blocked every initiative to help the middle and lower classes.

History and facts show that progressives and liberals fought for all of these things which made life far better for hundreds of millions of Americans over the last century.  This includes:

– Social Security
– Medicare
– Civil Rights
– Voting Rights Act
– Equal Rights Act (ERA)
– Women’s Reproductive Rights (Roe. v Wade)
– Outlawing Child Labor
– Anti-Trust Laws (breaking up corporate monopolies)
– Minimum Wage Laws
– Gay equal rights and legal protections
– Ban on Assault Weapons (lapsed under Republicans)
– Workplace Safety Laws (OSHA)
– 40-Hour Work Week (mandatory overtime pay requirements)
– Fair Housing Act (non-discrimination)
– Rural Electrification Project (FDR)
– Public transportation subsidies
– Infrastructure expansion and public works projects
– Clean energy and expansion of alternative technologies

 

Conservatives OPPOSED all of these things. Liberals APPROVED all of these things.

Conservatives often label government intervention on many of these issues as “Socialism.” They’ve been spewing that scare tactic for a hundred years (but then also argue now Social Security and Medicare isn’t really Socialism–go figure), Here are just a few examples (in the photo) of how conservatives use fear and anger and mass ignorance to distort public opinion.

If it were not for Social Security and Medicare, hundreds of millions of Americans would have been impoverished and suffered unfathomable neglect and cruelty not being able to afford essential medical treatments and medicines. Socialism, yes *SOCIALISM* has lifted nearly one third of the American population out of squalor over generations, and we MUST continue to push for an expansion of “Medicare for All.” Liberals want that. Conservatives oppose that (at least they’re consistent–and wrong).

Labor Day is not just a day off, or a national holiday. This date should also be a moment of mass re-calibration to remember which POLITICAL IDEAS and choices in the last made life better for the vast majority of Americans. The answer to this is very clear, and we need more of it.

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Posted by on Sep 6, 2026 in Blog | 0 comments

Trump’s Muppets Kiss Putin’s Ass (Again)

 

 

Smoooooch!

Time to pucker up, Witless. You favorite mass murderer Vlad is here (hey Vlad, drop your pants–Trump’s boys came all this way to Moscow to show their appreciation).

This is an absolutely sickening scene. A disgrace. An unfathomable embarrassment. Yet, it really happened.
No. Not “fake news.” Not remarks “taken out of context.”

It’s real. Watch the first minute of this nauseating spectacle:

 

This is a damning display of gushing appreciation and fawning servitude Is there any question who is the real *power* in this room? Buttering up a bloody dictator who invaded a sovereign nation, created immeasurable human suffering on all sides, and who continues to fire-bomb civilian apartment buildings and hospitals has been Trump’s foreign policy position ever since he falsely first promised to “end the Russia-Ukraine War on Day One” of his abysmal second-term.

But oh, the memories! All those glorious memories to be shared with the grandchildren! Hey, kids–I met one of the worst human beings of the 21st Century, let me tell you the story! Memories! They’re gonna’ be grand!

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Trump’s hand-picked grifting real estate leech, a witless silk-suited slug named Steve Witkoff who is shown REPEATEDLY in this video praising a murderous thug. Next, one expects him to ask Putin for his autograph, or offer to service him orally. Meanwhile, Trump’s corrupt son-in-law with the personality of a doorknob and the backbone of jellyfish, a vile child-boy-son-in-law who has plucked hundreds of millions in personal profits from sheik scumbags in the Middle East sits there like a bad case of the mumps.

This is the best of Trump’s best?

This is “leadership?”

This is “standing up to foreign leaders.”

This is “strength?”

No, this is weakness. This is shameful. This is one of the most disgusting and gutless exchanges imaginable.

It is, in fact, what we all knew has been happening for years beyond the scenes, gushing out onto the world stage in front of the cameras with Trump’s two pathetic sock-puppets of treachery personifying America’s national shame and grotesque incompetence.

Proud to be an American — watching this political blowjob on the world stage? Is there any doubt, who is in charge here?

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Posted by on Sep 4, 2026 in Blog | 0 comments

Guess Who is Loving Trump’s Economy and the Iran War?

 

 

WELL, AT LEAST ONE SECTOR IS DOING VERY WELL IN TRUMP’S ECONOMY — GUESS WHICH ONE?

Next time Trump and Republicans dangle that political canard about “American energy independence” keeping energy prices down and helping average consumers, throw these facts in their lying faces.

Note these despicable RECORD OIL COMPANY PROFITS (in just the last three months!!!) since the idiotic Iran War began. Aside from Israel collaring American foreign policy in the Middle East (another scandal), mega-corporatists recognized this was a golden goose of an excuse to rip-off consumers and pad shareholder profits and rake in those CEO bonuses.

$93 BILLION IN PROFITS FOR OIL COMPANIES IN JUST THAT LAST QUARTER.

Yet, news like this doesn’t even make a headline, nor prompt much of any social media discussion. I guess getting fucked has become normal.

These FACTS (no one can argue these numbers–as they are publicly reported) are deeply, deeply disturbing. Why more working Americans are not outraged at what Trump is doing and how giant oil companies and other mega-corporations are skull-fucking the public is beyond me.

Shaking my head. I can’t figure this misplaced anger out, at all.

But hey, at least the trans kid you don’t know 2,500 miles away got kicked off the junior high softball team. The bizarre misplaced obsessions and sick priorities of Trumper MAGA working-class Americans are something I will never be able to understand.

Enjoy the screw job, and thanks Republican voters.

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