Why oddsmakers arent buying into Rams-49ers Australia travel debate

The Rams and 49ers are taking drastically different approaches to one of the NFL’s most unusual road trips.Oddsmakers don’t think either one has an advantage.San Francisco will have been Down Under for nearly a week when the NFC West rivals kick off their season opener in Melbourne, while Los Angeles will essentially be getting off the plane and suiting up after one night of sleep.Despite the stark difference in preparation, which is one of the biggest storylines of Week 1 of the 2026 season, sportsbooks have made no meaningful adjustment to the betting line.“We have assigned zero value to this,” Tyler Gour, a football trader at Fanatics Sportsbook, told The Post.DraftKings Director of Sports Operations Johnny Avello said the differing travel plans haven’t moved his book’s number, with the Rams holding as 3.5-point favorites since early summer — well before the teams’ approaches became a talking point.BetMGM Sportsbook is on the same page.“The travel plans by each team have no impact on the game from a trading perspective,” BetMGM’s Christian Cipollini said.Both teams have said they’re relying on science and experts to ensure they arrive as prepared as possible for the crucial division matchup.They’ve just reached opposite conclusions.The 49ers have been in Australia since Friday, giving their bodies time to adjust after a nearly 16-hour flight and a 17-hour time difference from California.“I think the final straw was we sent an advanced group, and they all said for three days you feel out of whack,” San Francisco general manager John Lynch said last week.“So it became clear to us in our mind that the best logistics for this trip was to put our players in the best position for success.”The Rams’ strategy, meanwhile, is to attempt to avoid disrupting their body clocks for as long as possible and beat the worst of the jet lag altogether.They were expected to land in Melbourne after their “boujee” flight roughly 24 hours before ...