The Daily Sweat: Not great football on Friday, but it's still football
Can it be Sunday already?
The first game of the NFL season was pretty amazing. The Dallas Cowboys took a lead with 1:24 left, teasing bettors who had them on the moneyline at +325 and scaring anyone who took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in survivor pools. Then Tom Brady led a game-winning drive, capped by a field goal with two seconds left. The Cowboys' dumb lateral play at the end didn't result in a Bucs touchdown and Dallas covered the spread, which ballooned to 9 points by kickoff.
Before we get the rest of Week 1, there's plenty on the college schedule.
Unlike last week, when we had good non-Saturday games, there's not a lot to get us excited on Friday. Still, there are games and point spreads from BetMGM.
Coastal Carolina, which is becoming a pretty solid program, is a 26.5-point favorite over Kansas, which has a good basketball team at least. Take Coastal Carolina.
The other game is UTEP at Boise State, which is also a 26.5-point favorite. UTEP seems like the better side.
Again, not great games on Friday. But the weekend should be pretty good.
Who do we have this weekend?
We have you covered. Sam Cooper brings you the valuable viewing guide for college football Saturday. The Sunday of NFL Week 1 is one of the great days on the sporting calendar, and we have against-the-spread picks for every game. The English Premier League is back after a break, with a huge Saturday of games and Nick Bromberg has the betting breakdown. Let's get ready for some football and futbol action.
Who cashed tickets on Thursday?
Let's recall what we picked in The Daily Sweat on Thursday ...
"To start the NFL season, let's take the underdog." Cowboys +8.5, cashed.
"Over 51.5 seems to be the way to go if you like totals." Cash it.
"I'd take the over on CeeDee Lamb's 62.5 receiving yards and the under on Michael Gallup's 51.5." Cash, cash.
"For the Buccaneers I'd take over on 35.5 rushing yards for Leonard Fournette and over 4.5 tackles and assists for Carlton Davis III in what should be a pass-heavy game." OK, two losses. Can't win 'em all. Still, a fun night to start the NFL season.
How about those Blue Jays?
A four-game road sweep of the New York Yankees was enormous for the Toronto Blue Jays. They won all four games as underdogs, making bettors happy. The Blue Jays won't be underdogs this weekend as they face the Baltimore Orioles, but it's a good chance to improve their standing in the AL wild-card race. The Jays are -250 favorites on Friday.
The most interesting series of the weekend could be the New York Mets vs. New York Yankees. The Yankees are -115 and the Mets might be the better side given the Yankees' struggles.
Who's the best bet?
I'll take Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers looked good in the opener, a win over The Citadel, and are coming off a good season. Kansas squeezed out a 17-14 win over South Dakota last week, which was better than a loss, but not impressing anyone. It's a big number but I still like the favorite.