Steve Makinen sports betting analysis

Sports betting analyst Steve Makinen has released updated wagering systems and trends for college football and the NFL. His college football methodology utilizes a stability scoring system to account for offseason changes, such as coaching staff and returning starters. For the NFL, Makinen identified a trend where small road underdogs with spreads between +1 and +6 have performed well against the spread since 2016.

By Week 4 of the NFL season, Makinen reported a season record of 18-10 against the spread. His analysis for the week included specific predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Cleveland Browns matchup.

During NFL Week 4 of the 2026 season, broader betting insights and fantasy football guidance have emerged alongside Makinen’s work. Analysts have provided spread recommendations for matchups including the Buffalo Bills against the New England Patriots and the New York Jets against the Chicago Bears. Player-specific analysis has focused on touchdown props for players such as Brock Bowers and James Cook, while fantasy football guidance has emphasized monitoring injury reports for players like Dontayvion Wicks and Josh Downs. The Steelers-Browns matchup remains a point of focus, specifically regarding the performances of quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers.

Following a period of poor performance in his Best Bet column, which included a recent 5-14-1 ATS record, Makinen is developing new college football betting systems. He is shifting toward data-driven analytics to address modern variables like the transfer portal, NIL, and extended eligibility. By analyzing a decade of college football data, Makinen identified that in FBS vs. FBS games from Week 5 onwards, the ‘Over’ on the total has hit at a 61.6% rate since 2020 when home favorites are favored by 25 points or more.