Top 5 Sports Games Of The Week To Bet On
It’s like being a kid in a candy store. Everywhere you turn, there’s a game being played: NFL, college football, the MLB playoffs, hockey, NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup – and there’s more where that came from. We’re here this and every week to highlight the biggest games and the best betting opportunities on the sports calendar.
These are the Top 5 games of the week (all times Eastern):
1. NFL: Indianapolis at Green Bay (Sunday, 4:15 p.m.)
Bettors can look forward to an impressive display of offense from both teams in this matchup. The Colts (3-2 SU and ATS) are coming off their best game of the season and second payday in a row, a 31-3 dismantling of the sterling Baltimore Ravens defense. QB Peyton Manning said it felt like the first game of the regular season; he even found Marvin Harrison in the end zone twice. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was also sharp in last week’s 27-17 win over Seattle to lift Green Bay to 3-3 SU and ATS.
The Packers are 1.5-point underdogs at home; this will be the fourth time in five games that Green Bay has gotten points. The Colts have been favored in all five of their contests.
Bet on NFL odds in Bodog’s online sportsbook.
2. NCAAF: No. 12 Missouri at No. 1 Texas (Saturday, 8:00 p.m.)
This Big 12 battle looks a lot different now than it did even a week ago. Texas upset the Sooners (-7) in the Red River Shootout to take the top spot in the polls. Missouri lost its first game of the year to Oklahoma State (+14) and fell from No. 2 in the polls; now the Tigers have to assume the underdog role for the first time this season. We’ll see two Heisman QB candidates go at it; Chase Daniel and Colt McCoy have 33 touchdown throws and just seven interceptions between them. Missouri is on an 8-0 ATS streak in away games, but Texas is 6-0 ATS this year.
3. NCAAF: No. 11 Ohio State at No. 17 Michigan State (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.)
Ohio State’s offense is stuck in neutral. The Buckeyes are 1-5 ATS (6-1 SU), and so is the over as the team makes the midseason transition from Todd Boeckman to Terrelle Pryor at quarterback. Pryor and Beanie Wells are keeping the ball on the ground for OSU, which also keeps the scoring down. Ohio State won the past five meetings with the Spartans straight up, although MSU cashed in last year as a 17-point road dog in a 24-17 loss.
Bet on college football in the Bodog Sportsbook.
4. MLB: ALCS Game 4; Tampa Bay at Boston (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.)
There will be more important games later in the week as we get closer to eliminating one of these two excellent AL East teams. For now, we’ll deal with Tuesday’s pivotal Game 4; Tampa Bay has a 2-1 series lead after beating up on Jon Lester in Monday’s 9-1 victory at Fenway. The Rays were +175 in that one; they’ll be road dogs again on Tuesday with Andy Sonnanstine taking on Tim Wakefield. Tampa Bay is 5-2 in these playoffs (2-1 as the underdog) with a profit of 2.74 units.
Get all your MLB betting in the Bodog Sportsbook.
5. Boxing: Kelly Pavlik vs. Bernard Hopkins (Saturday, 11:00 p.m.)
There’s no strap on the line for this bout, and it takes place on the same day as the UFC 89 show. But Pavlik-Hopkins is the marquee fight of the weekend. Pavilk is undefeated at 34-0 and gaining so much fan support that he’s a –350 favorite over the 43-year-old Hopkins. His last fight was a split-decision loss in April to Joe Calzaghe. This is actually a catch-weight fight at 170 pounds and not a light-heavyweight bout as some reports suggest. Hopkins has been fighting in this weight range for the past two years; Pavlik was 159 pounds when he knocked out Gary Lockett in June.
Boxing betting with Bodog.
Honorable Mentions
NFL: New Orleans at Carolina (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
NCAAF: No. 23 Vanderbilt at No. 9 Georgia (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.)
NHL: Boston at Montreal (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.)
NASCAR: 2008 TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway (Sunday, 1 p.m.)
MMA: Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben, UFC 89 (Saturday night in Birmingham, England; main card via tape delay at 9:00 p.m. on Spike TV)
