Against the spread (ATS) records

"Against the spread," usually shortened to ATS, is the record of how a team performs relative to the betting line instead of simply winning or losing. It answers a different question from the standings: not "did they win?" but "did they do better than the market expected?"

What an ATS record looks like

An ATS record is written as wins, losses and pushes, such as 5-2-1. In that record, the team covered the spread in five games, failed to cover in two, and pushed once. Each game counts once: a win means the team covered the closing spread, a loss means it did not, and a push means the result landed exactly on the number.

A team can win games and still lose ATS. A 7-point favorite that wins by 3 wins the game and loses the spread bet. A 7-point underdog that loses by 3 loses the game but covers.

Over/under records

Teams also have an over/under record, written the same way: games that went over the total, under it, and pushes. It describes how the games a team plays tend to land against the posted total, regardless of who wins.

How to read one fairly

• Sample size matters. A 4-1 record after five games says little. Early in a season, records swing widely. Larger samples are more telling, though even a long record is not a prediction.
• The line already knows. Spreads are set to account for team strength, so a good team is not automatically a good ATS team. A team that wins every game can still miss covers if it is always a big favorite.
• Home and away can differ. Splits by venue or by favorite and underdog status show whether a record comes from one situation.
• Which line was used? Records depend on the line used for each game. FreeOdds uses the closing line it saved, and other sites may use the opening line or another book, so records can differ by a game or two.

An example

Illustrative: the away team won 24-20, a margin of 4. It covered −3 by one point, and the 44 points went under 44.5.

For the away team that game is one ATS win and one under. For the home team it is one ATS loss and one under, because it lost by four against a spread of +3. Add up every game over a season and you have each team's ATS and O/U records.

Where to find them on FreeOdds

Each team has a page at /<sport>/teams/<team>/ showing its schedule and results against the line along with its ATS and over/under records. You can reach team pages from any game or results page. Start from the results indexes for the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL. For the numbers behind them, read opening vs closing lines.

FreeOdds starts recording lines on October 26, 2026, so records begin from there and fill in as games are played.

Frequently asked questions

What does ATS mean?

ATS means against the spread. A team's ATS record counts how often it covered the point spread, not how often it won.

How do I read a 5-2-1 ATS record?

It means five covers, two failures to cover, and one push.

Can a team win a game and lose against the spread?

Yes. A favorite that wins by less than the spread wins the game but does not cover.

Is a good ATS record a prediction?

No. It describes past results against the line, and small samples are especially noisy. Spreads already account for team strength.