It is the first large weekend of college football and we have it covered floor to ceiling for you. The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a major trade with Utah for Donovan Mitchell and we break it down. This plus the latest on Serena Williams’s quest to keep winning in the U.S. Open and more.
About Last Night…
NCAAF
- West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh
The Backyard Brawl showed that greed might fuel college football, but people want history and rivalries. West Virginia and Pittsburgh was a great back-and-forth contest between a pair of former USC quarterbacks. Depending on what side you were on, the half-point hook came into play with Pitt winning 38-31 as a 7.5-point home favorite.
- Penn State vs. Purdue
Over in West Lafayette, Penn State and Purdue had a fun Big Ten battle. The Nittany Lions staged a late rally to escape 35-31 as 3.5-point faves behind QB Sean Clifford. The talk on social media was why Boilermakers coach Jeff Brohm didn’t make more of an effort to run down the clock with a 31-28 lead with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
No question Purdue was not going to run the ball down the throat of Penn State but bubble screens and safe passes were available to run the time down than 20-yard out routes that fell incomplete.
- Central Michigan vs. Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State QB Spencer Sanders tossed 4 touchdowns and had 2 dazzling TD runs, as he accounted for over 450 yards of offense. However, Cowboys fans and bettors were shaking their heads having a 51-22 lead over Central Michigan going into the fourth quarter and failing to cover the -20.5 point spread in the 58-44 triumph.
Is the departure of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles (to Ohio State) already showing in Stillwater?
NBA
In a shocking move, Cleveland put together a package for Utah to trade for Donovan Mitchell. Talks with New York broke down Monday and the Cavaliers didn’t lose any of its core players other than possibly Collin Sexton.
The Cavs chances to win the NBA title were cut in half to +3000 at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review) with this trade.
Give Danny Ainge the keys to your franchise like the Jazz did and he either goes all-in to win immediately or rebuilds. It’s not simple to forget Utah was the No. 1 seed in the West just 17 months ago.
MLB
Atlanta’s Spencer Strader struck out 16 Colorado batters Thursday, resetting the Braves record for strikeouts in a game in their 3-0 win as ginormous -380 favorites.
That was the most K’s by any pitcher in three years along with this.
Trendy Talk
MLB
- St. Louis is 12-1 at home vs. a starting pitcher who lasts less than five innings per start.
- LA Dodgers are 17-6 at home vs. San Diego.
- Atlanta is 17-5 UNDER at home vs. an NL team with an on-base percentage of .325 or worse in the second half of the season.
- Baltimore is 18-5 UNDER after three or more consecutive Unders.
- Daniel Lynch and the Royals are 7-1 (+10.2 Units) in road games when working on 5 or 6 days rest since last season.
NCAAF
- Temple is 1-9 ATS when the total is between 49.5 and 56.
- Illinois is 8-1 Under after playing a game at home.
- Boise St. is 13-3 ATS as a road underdog of seven points or less.
- Memphis is 0-9 ATS in road games.
- Florida Atlantic is 0-7 ATS after a win by 17 or more points.
- Tulsa is 10-1 ATS in road games.
- Notre Dame is 19-4 Under as an underdog of 10.5 to 21 points.
- Houston is 32-15 Under as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points.
- Georgia is 26-12 Under as a neutral field favorite.
- Utah is 12-2 Under in road games in the first two weeks of the season.
WNBA
- Connecticut is 11-1 ATS after a game allowing a shooting percentage of 50% or higher. (Sunday)
- Seattle is 8-2 Over after two straight games with seven or less offensive rebounds. (Sunday)
BMR’s Betting Pulse
NCAAF
College football has started for Week 1 and continues. We have game previews and picks from the biggest of games that include Notre Dame at Ohio State, Oregon vs. Georgia, Utah vs. Florida, and Cincinnati vs. Arkansas.
Plus, we list our Last Chance Value Picks. For Sunday, we also break down Florida State and LSU.
MLB
Make sure to review our top picks for ML, RL, and totals for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
UFC
We break all the latest fight and betting info for UFC action this weekend.
Soccer
Get up to speed on all the matches and soccer picks for this upcoming weekend!
The Buzz
NCAAF – I Think I Forgot Something
We have an early candidate for blooper of the year in college football. When you watch the video, it is self-explanatory.
Tennis – Serena
Serena Williams is favored tonight over Ajla Tomljanovic to win against the bettings odds at all the top-rated sportsbooks. She has received over two-thirds of bets placed and 75% of the money.
She would be the first 40-year-old female to reach the Round of 16 at any major since 40-year-old Judy Dalton at the Dec. 1977 Australian Open.
MLB – Pinstripes in Disarray
The New York Yankees were 10-18 in August. That is their worst record in any month since September of 1991. You will notice the Yanks are no longer juiced higher.
Football Focus
Evidently, the sportsbooks got it right, as Notre Dame as a +17-point road underdog at Ohio State is nearly dead even (50-50) on bets placed. In a battle of Top 5 teams with one team favored by 14 or more points, the underdog is 5-1 ATS since 1993.
Florida is a home underdog for the first time in 40 years facing someone other than Miami-FL or Florida State.
Top 5 Bets Placed by Percentage (highest first) – Oklahoma, Maryland, Clemson, N.C. State, and Louisville
Top 5 Bets Placed by Money (highest first) – LSU, Oklahoma, Clemson, Boise State, and Maryland
Top 5 Totals Bets by Percentage (highest first) – Houston/UTSA Over, North Carolina/App. State Over, Miami-O/Kentucky Under, Boston College/Rutgers Under, and Bowling Green/UCLA Over.
Out the Door
MLB
A couple of things from Wednesday’s baseball that were unique.
- Philadelphia avoided the sweep at Arizona with an 18-2 rout of the D-Backs. What was odd about that? The Phils did not hit one home run.
- Before winning 5-3 in extra innings in Cincinnati, St. Louis was 0-17 with runners in scoring position in that contest.
Who Is Right?
Louisville and Syracuse opened with a total of 59.5 and since it has fallen to 57. Despite the tumbling odds, tickets written favor the Over at just over 70%. However, when it comes to the money, better than 80% is backing the Under. Where do you fall on this ACC encounter for college football picks?
Let’s get some winners! Have a super college football weekend and see you back here Monday.
Calculators
