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, Nov. 26:
TOP PLAY
The play: Tennessee -13.5 at Vanderbilt
The odds/bet: -115 ($34.50 to win $30)
The book: FanDuel
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Our take: This line has been steadily dipping all week, and it can be risky to bet against spread movement, but now that it’s below the key number of 14, Tennessee is too good to pass up.
Yes, Hendon Hooker is out for the season, and yes, I think Tennessee’s defense might have just given up another touchdown to South Carolina. Happily for us, those points don’t count in this one, and the Volunteers have been particularly adept at finding wide-open spaces to run their offense against subpar defenses. That should remain true at Vandy even with Joe Milton running the show at quarterback.
The Commodores need a win for bowl eligibility, and after a huge upset of Kentucky last week, they get their rivals at home coming off of a huge letdown performance and with an injured quarterback. It’s all set up well for Vanderbilt, right? Don’t buy into that narrative. Tennessee rolls in a game that would have had close to a 30-point line had it been played a week ago.
CIVIL WAR
The play: College football, Oregon State +3 vs. Oregon
The odds/bet: -105 ($10.50 to win $10)
The book: FanDuel
Time/TV: 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Our take: OK, be honest: How many of you knew Oregon State was in the Top 25? How many of you knew the Beavers have the nation’s No. 25 defense? And how many knew this rivalry was called the Civil War?
We’re all about educating people here on Daily Best Bets. And today, part of that education is that Corvallis, Oregon, is not a fun place for a visitor to try to win a football game. Oregon State nearly knocked off — probably should have knocked off — USC earlier this season and has won its other five home games by at least 14 points each.
In its last two games, Oregon has lost its national title hopes in a crazy defeat to Washington and then gutted out a victory over Utah to stay alive for the Pac-12 championship. The Ducks limp into this one probably emotionally exhausted and also physically beat up, with quarterback Bo Nix playing in the Utah win despite a lower leg injury but not his normal mobile self. Take the home dog with the points.
HOW WE’VE FARED
World Cup: USA-England, both teams to score (LOST $30)
College football: Missouri +3½ vs. Arkansas (WON $10)
Friday’s profit/loss: -$20 (1-1)
Total for the week: -$58 (4-6)
Total for November: +$156.20 (26-23)
Total for 2022: +$172.50 (305-329)
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).
