If we are taking bets, we should always consider our own personal reason for taking that bet, that same reason will be what we are going to use in determining for which side or on what should we gamble for, because this is all about our money and how we want to have it spend on gambling bet, the choice we made will determine the outcome of the bet we are playing and we wont be disappointed if we already made the right decision.
Not just that, we can also tell ourselves that we made our own choice so if ever that bet loses, it doesn't hurt much because we didn't rely on someone else or whatever the public is trying to force on us.
I think it's better that way because we will not blame anyone for our mistake and if ever it wins, it also boosts our confidence to make our own decisions on our next bets. We can always use the odds and the favorites as a basis for our own analysis but at the end of the day it will be all up to us and you are right, it is our own money so we better maximize the chance to win rather than just relying on another analysis or prediction.