By Ryan Bologna
As usual, we’re going to bring you our best football bets, but the MLB playoffs are starting this weekend with the Wild Card rounds and we know you’ll want to bet on those too. Here are the best bets for a jam-packed sports weekend.
Season record: 7-7-1
No. 17 TCU (-7) @ No. 19 Kansas
Pick: Kansas +7
Kansas has been one of the best stories of the college football season so far. Jalon Daniels has been great this year for Kansas, with just under 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns on the year. The Jayhawks might not win the game, but it should be a tight game. ESPN’s College GameDay is going to be there. The atmosphere will be electric. Expect Kansas to cover.
Bears @ Vikings (-7.5)
Pick: Vikings -7.5
The Bears might be 2-2, but one of those wins came against the 49ers in a monsoon and the other was against a winless Texans team. When watching the Bears offense, it just feels like something bad is going to happen every time Justin Fields drops back to throw. A team that needs to run the ball as much as the Bears do might struggle on the road against Minnesota. Expect the Vikings to cover.
Cowboys @ Rams (-5.5)
Pick: Cowboys +5.5
This should be one of the better games of the week. The Rams offense looked awful against the 49ers on Monday night, and it doesn’t get any easier with a strong Dallas defense coming into town. Cooper Rush has shown that he can manage games as well as any backup quarterback. The 5.5 number is a bit much here. Even if the Cowboys don’t win, expect them to cover.
Gas Station Sushi (Stay Away)
Titans (-1.5) @ Commanders
Usually, the Gas Station Sushi game is one that features two inconsistent teams. This one is no different. The Titans picked up a win against the Colts last week, but they have looked terrible at points this year. The Commanders might just not be good at all, but they have had some stretches of looking very good in games. It is just tough to tell who will show up. Don’t bet on this game.
MLB Wild Card Round
Rays vs Guardians (-125)
Pick: Guardians -125
The Rays are running out Shane McClanahan and Tyler Glasnow in the first two games of this series. Both of those guys have ace potential, but McClanahan hasn’t been as good in the last couple of months and Glasnow is just returning from Tommy John surgery. Expect Cleveland to win this and face the Yankees in the ALDS.
Mariners vs Blue Jays (-160)
Pick: Blue Jays -160
The Mariners have Luis Castillo and Robbie Ray going in games one and two in this series, but the Blue Jays can match up well with Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman. The Blue Jays lineup likely has more potential to explode, so they are the pick here.
Phillies vs Cardinals (-130)
Pick: Cardinals -130
The Phillies stumbled into the playoffs, nearly losing out on the last spot to the Milwaukee Brewers. However, they arguably have the starting pitching advantage in game one with Zach Wheeler on the mound against Jose Quintana. Whether Philadephia is able to take game one or not, the Cardinals just play better baseball. They should advance to take on the Braves.
Padres vs Mets (-175)
Pick: Padres +145
Since acquiring Juan Soto, the Padres have not been as good as most expected. However, their pitching is capable of dominating for a series. Yes, the Mets have Max Scherzer going in game one, but Buck Showalter confusingly said he might not use Jacob deGrom in game two. Even then, those two aces disappointed in a near must-win series in Atlanta last weekend. This might be risky, but not all of the favorites are going to win in the Wild Card round. The Padres could be worth a shot.
Photo Credit: Freaktography
