By Ryan Bologna
The first full weekend of football is here. We have marquee matchups in both college and the NFL. There are plenty of good bets to be made. We’re going to give you some of our favorites along with one game that you should stay away from.
Season Record: 2-0-1
Games We Like
No. 1 Alabama (-20) @ Texas
Pick: Alabama -20
Texas is one of the programs that fans think is better than it actually is. The reality is that Alabama is on a different level. The top of the SEC is just so far ahead of everyone else. We saw that last week when Georgia beat a ranked team in the Oregon Ducks 49-3. Texas might be able to get the recruits to eventually compete with the top dogs in college football, but not right now. Expect Alabama to cover.
Philadelphia Eagles (-4) @ Detroit Lions
Pick: Eagles -4
I like what Dan Campbell is doing in Detroit, but I think the Eagles have improved enough to cover here. These two teams matched up in Detroit last year as well, and the Eagles won that game 44-6. I don’t think it will be that lopsided this time, but with the addition of A.J. Brown the Eagles should be able to win this game by more than four points.
New York Giants @ Tennessee Titans (-5.5)
Pick: Titans -5.5
There are some who like the Giants to cover this week, but when looking at the injury report it doesn’t make much sense. The Giants will likely be without their top two edge rushers in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari. That should make it easier for Derrick Henry to run the ball. Aaron Robinson is the second cornerback for the Giants and he has struggled in camp and the preseason. The Giants offense should be better under Brian Daboll, but it is a new scheme and it is early in the season. Expect the Titans to dominate the time of possession in a comfortable win.
Gas Station Sushi (Stay Away)
No. 20 Kentucky @ No. 12 Florida (-6)
This is possibly the best game of the weekend. Don’t ruin it by betting on it. These are two ranked teams, each with quarterbacks who could go in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. There are only two ways for you to end up in a bad mood by the end of this game. One is if you are a fan of the losing team, which is unavoidable. The other is if you bet on the game and lose. You’ll want to sit back and enjoy this game as much as possible. Stay away from betting on this game like the spicy tuna roll from the gas station.
Photo Credit: David Lee
