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.
Here are our best bets for Saturday, Oct. 1:
TOP PLAY
The play: College football, Western Kentucky -5 vs. Troy
The odds/bet: -110 ($33 to win $30)
The book: Caesars Sportsbook
Time/TV: 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Our take: I just don’t get this line. Western Kentucky has scored 38, 49, 30 and 73 points in its four games this season. Troy has scored 10, 38, 28 and 16.
Granted, the Trojans’ strength is defense, and they won’t let Austin Reed go completely crazy. But they’re still just 56th nationally in total defense, and Western Kentucky has proven it can score points on just about anybody. Plus the Hilltoppers are at home here. So they’re going to put up points. And Troy is going to be hard-pressed to keep up.
Maybe it’s a trap, which is probably why I stayed away Friday. But WKU has been a covering machine, going 14-5 ATS since the beginning of last season. Ride that wave — or put better, climb that hill — with the Hilltoppers.
THE ENGLISH SORT OF FOOTBALL
The play: Crystal Palace +0.5 goals vs. Chelsea
The odds/bet: -105 ($10.50 to win $10)
The book: Caesars Sportsbook
Time/TV: 10 a.m., USA
Our take: I’m in London, so I couldn’t go the weekend without placing a wager on English soccer, right?
The North London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal kicks off the day, but that’s too early for most of y’all to be reading. Instead we’ll go to the south part of town, where two other London clubs tangle in Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
The Blues have struggled this year, and it didn’t seem to get a whole lot better after they sacked (that’s British for fired) Thomas Tuchel and turned to Brighton manager Graham Potter, at least not in Potter’s first couple of games. The teams are coming off an international break, and it’s hard to see this team jelling under a new manager when the players have all been away playing for their country’s sides.
On the other side, Palace have been on a good run of form and seem a good value here to draw or better.
HOW WE’VE FARED
Friday’s best bets
College football: Tulane-Houston OVER 54.5 (pending as of Friday evening)
MLB parlay: Blue Jays over Red Sox/Padres over White Sox (pending as of Friday evening)
Friday’s profit/loss: (pending)
Total for the week: +$111.50 (6-1, 2 pending)
Total for September: -$108.90 (24-29, 2 pending)
Total for 2022: -$157.70 (247-278, 2 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).
