Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
A reminder for those who haven’t signed up yet: New users can get a risk-free bet at Caesars Sportsbook, meaning that if your first bet loses, you get a free bet for the same amount up to $1,250. New users also get 1,000 Caesars Rewards points to redeem for hotel or casino credit.
Here are our best bets for Saturday, Aug. 27:
TOP PICK
The play: Nebraska -10.5 vs. Northwestern
The odds/bet: -110 ($33 to win $30)
The book: FanDuel
Time/TV: 12:30 p.m. (Fox)
Our take: This spread has been jumping around all over the place, so it’s worth shopping around. As of late Friday night, the best number to bet on Nebraska was 10½; alternatively, if you want to bet on Northwestern, there are 12s floating around.
Part of the reason the spread has been so volatile is because it’s hard to know what to make of Nebraska. The Cornhuskers were 3-9 last year but somehow outscored their opposition by more than 60 points. They lost every close game imaginable. Head coach Scott Frost almost got fired. Quarterback Adrian Martinez transferred out. Quarterback Casey Thompson transferred in.
What we do know is that Northwestern wasn’t very good last year and didn’t bring back much talent to this year’s team. Pat Fitzgerald is a good coach, and the narrative out there is that he knows how to keep this game close while Nebraska can’t walk two steps without tripping in a close game.
Sometimes we fade the narrative. The Cornhuskers are more talented and deeper than the Wildcats. That’s what I’m banking on.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
The play: Patrick Cantlay better third round than Jon Rahm (tie no bet)
The odds/bet: +105 ($10 to win $10.50)
The book: BetMGM
Time/TV: 2:49 p.m. (NBC)
Our take: It’s a Saturday during golf season, so you know how we’re playing this: Find a twosome where one player is riding a hot putter and the other has survived despite not being able to find the bottom of the cup.
In this case, we get the added risk of facing off against Jon Rahm, one of the world’s best players who is coming off a great round of 63 on Friday. But that’s all the more reason to believe he can’t put two of those amazing rounds together, and the bonus is that Patrick Cantlay, who hasn’t been able to buy a putt all week, is also one of the world’s best players.
Cantlay, the defending Tour champion, has gained more than five strokes tee to green through the first two rounds and given them all away putting. He’s too good for that to keep up, and with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele way ahead of the field, he’ll need to keep firing at pins. Here’s betting Saturday will be Cantlay’s day.
HOW WE’VE FARED
NFL preseason, Bills +6.5 vs. Panthers (LOST $30)
NFL preseason, Saints -2.5 vs. Chargers (WON $10)
Friday’s profit/loss: -$20 (1-1)
Total for the week: +$86.70 (6-2, 3 pending)
Total for August: +$54.20 (26-26, 3 pending)
Total for 2022: -$85.90 (217-241, 3 pending)
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, a $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
Categories: Uncategorized
