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. 19:
TOP PLAY
The play: College football, Maryland +27½ over Ohio State
The odds/bet: -110 ($33 to win $30)
The book: BetMGM
Time/TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Our take: This is a big-time Pros vs. Joes play. The betting public loves favorites, and they especially love teams like Ohio State, who have high-powered offenses and can rack up points fast.
But because of that, oddsmakers set the line artificially high, knowing they’ll get bets on the Buckeyes almost no matter what. That usually means the value is usually on the other side, and that’s the case here.
Ohio State has had a wildly successful season, but they’re just 1-2 against the spread on the road and have a huge number to cover here against 6-4 Maryland, which has struggled the past couple of weeks but may have quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa closer to full health after he’s nursed a knee injury the past month.
In any case, with the Michigan showdown on the horizon and cold weather in the forecast, this feels like a game where the Buckeyes will be happy to skate by with a win by a couple of touchdowns. Either way, the spread should be safe.
WOO PIG UPSET
The play: Arkansas money line over Ole Miss
The odds/bet: +115 ($10 to win $11.50)
The book: BetMGM
Our take: Speaking of teams in a difficult spot, Ole Miss has to be crestfallen after coming this close to an enormous win against Alabama last week. Now they hit the road — staring afterward at a short week and archrival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night.
That’s a letdown spot if I ever heard of one, and there are plenty of reasons to believe Arkansas can take advantage of it. One is that Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson reportedly be back after missing the narrow loss to LSU. Another is that Arkansas is just 5-5 and still needs another win to reach bowl eligibility. They don’t want to travel to Missouri next week with that box unchecked, so expect them to take out some frustrations from an underwhelming season in this one.
HOW WE’VE FARED
NBA: 76ers -1 over Bucks (WON $30)
NBA: Pelicans money line (+120) over Celtics (LOST $10)
Friday’s profit/loss: +$20 (1-1)
Total for the week: +$54.40 (5-5)
Total for November: +$222.20 (20-15)
Total for 2022: +$238.50 (299-321)
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).
