Top 5 Sports Games Of The Week To Bet On
Millions of people are waiting a little longer than they’d like for their payouts. Game 5 of the World Series was suspended in the sixth inning Monday night with the Phillies and Rays tied 2-2. Play will resume whenever the weather clears up in Philadelphia – which could be next June.
If there is a Game 6, that’ll be one of the definite must-bets of the week. For now, here are the Top 5 games that we know about (all times Eastern):
1. NFL: New England at Indianapolis (Sunday, 8:15 p.m.)
These were the two biggest dogs in the NFL yard, but injuries and adversity have saddled both teams this season. The Patriots (5-2 SU, 3-4 ATS) have dealt with their situation much better than the Colts (3-4 SU and ATS), who are on the brink of collapse after Monday night’s 31-21 loss to the Titans (-4). The ball is simply not coming out of Peyton Manning’s hand with the usual zip; Colts receivers are dropping passes, and the running game is shot. At least their defense might have safety Bob Sanders back for Sunday. As for the Patriots, their secondary lost another man when Ellis Hobbs left Sunday’s game against the Rams with an arm injury. Check the medical reports for the latest on these developing personnel issues.
NFL betting lines from Bodog Sportsbook.
2. NCAAF: No. 7 Florida vs. No. 9 Georgia (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.)
This year’s Football Classic in Jacksonville, Fla., has a little extra sizzle on it. Florida coach Urban Meyer has told his players not to discuss last year’s “Gator Stomp” incident, where the Bulldogs (+7) rushed the field in celebration after scoring their first TD in an eventual 42-30 victory. The winner of this game will continue to have title aspirations, but Florida (6-1 SU, 5-2 ATS) is the only one making money at the moment. The Dawgs (7-1 SU, 3-3-1 ATS) are 1-2 ATS in their last three since losing to Alabama (+6.5).
3. NCAAF: No. 1 Texas at No. 6 Texas Tech (Saturday, 8:00 p.m.)
The Red Raiders (8-0 SU, 3-2-1 ATS) haven’t gotten the same publicity as the mighty Longhorns (8-0 SU, 7-1 ATS), but these are the top two teams in the Big 12 standings. Texas Tech has the No. 1 passing offense in the FBS at 418.4 yards per game. Both the Raiders and Longhorns have allowed 26 points per game in conference play, although the ‘Horns have played the tougher schedule by far. The over went 3-1 for both Texas and Texas Tech; the ‘Horns are 5-0 SU and 3-2 ATS in their past five meetings, and the over is on a 5-1 run.
College football betting in the Bodog Sportsbook.
4. NBA: Cleveland at Boston (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m.)
The first game of the 2008-09 NBA season is a rematch of last year’s grueling seven-game Eastern semifinal between the Celtics (66-16 SU, 52-28-2 ATS) and the Cavaliers (45-37 SU, 37-45 ATS). Boston won the series, but Cleveland covered six times. The Cavs have imported point guard Mo Williams (18.9 points, 7.0 assists per 40 minutes) to give LeBron James some welcome support. The Celtics are 6.5-point favorites at home; this is the first game of the year for TNT and the first game of their Tuesday doubleheader.
5. NBA: Houston at Dallas (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.)
This Texas battle (also on TNT) is the season opener for the Mavericks, who went 51-31 (35-43-4 ATS) last year, traded Devin Harris for Jason Kidd, and got creamed by the upstart Hornets in the first round of the Western playoffs. Then they fired coach Avery Johnson and replaced him with Rick Carlisle. There’s not a lot of confidence in the direction the Mavs are going. Not so for the Rockets (55-27 SU, 47-33-2 ATS), who have serious title aspirations after landing Ron Artest (21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds/40 min) from Sacramento. Houston also picked up savvy veteran Brent Barry (65.5 true shooting percentage) to shore up a bench that improved by leaps and bounds last year.
Now that basketball is back in full swing, bet on NBA odds with Bodog!
Honorable Mentions
NFL: Green Bay at Tennessee (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
NCAAF: No. 23 Florida State at No. 21 Georgia Tech (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.)
NBA: Phoenix at San Antonio (Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.)
NHL: Detroit at San Jose (Thursday, 10:30 p.m.)
NASCAR: Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (Sunday, 3:00 p.m.)
**Lines listed accurate at time of publication and subject to change.
