Prior to this season, the Auburn Tigers were picked to finish fifth in the SEC West, a justifiable prediction on the heels of a three-win year in 2012.
As far back as January, the Tigers were 500 to 1 odds to win the national championship this season, odds that apparently didn’t deter the father of an optimistic Auburn graduate.
Mark Skiba’s father called his son during a vacation in Las Vegas, and based off his son’s advice, laid down $100 on the Tigers.
Twelve wins, including two fantastic finishes later, Skiba could net $50,000 if Auburn were to beat FSU in the national championship. That ticket was very nearly thrown away though, following Auburn’s 14-point loss to LSU on Sept. 21.
@darrenrovell Auburn 500:1 pic.twitter.com/XEbVwvDY85
— Mark Skiba (@markjskiba) December 1, 2013
“They lost by 14 and it could’ve been worse,” Skiba told ESPN. “So I almost threw it out. As it turns out, I now have it in a safety deposit box.”
Instead of going all-in on Auburn – the school he graduated from in 1998 – Skiba says he’s heading to Vegas with some friends and will lay down some money on Florida State, currently favored by nine points.
Either way, he’s already won.
“Some were acting like I did something amazing or I saved somebody’s life. I just placed a stupid bet on my favorite team,” he said.
In your best Lee Corso voice, "Not so stupid, my friend."
