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Five Foolproof Weekend Bets for the Eagles, Phillies, Temple, Union, and Rutgers
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Welcome to another edition of the weekend bets column. Is this a recurring post? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what my win/loss record ends up being.
We had kind of a whack experience last weekend, breaking even after Temple failed to cover and the Union got abused in Vancouver. We cashed Jalen Hurts anytime touchdown scorer and three overs between the Phillies and Royals, then hit the Backyard Brawl under despite WVU pulling the overtime upset. It was a little bit of a bad beat in that game since Pitt lost their best player, Desmond Reid, to a first-quarter injury.
Now, let’s get back to it.
Eagles vs. Rams
If it ain’t broke, you absolutely do not fix it. Please do not overthink this one. Jalen Hurts anytime touchdown scorer has cashed five times in a row and also in 15 of his last 21 games. That’s a 71.4% hit rate. In two games vs. LA last season, Jalen topped 100 rushing yards and took one to the end zone in the playoffs, so the history there looks good enough.
Value-wise, Hurts ATS is starting to jump around a bit. ESPN Bet has it listed at -185 but bet365’s number is currently -140.
Phillies at Diamondbacks
Both teams have something to play for as the postseason looms. The Phils are looking to wrap up a first-round bye while the D backs are two games behind the Mets for the final Wild Card spot. They’ve won four of their last six by taking consecutive series from the Twins and Giants.
These are two of the better hitting teams in Major League Baseball, both top five in total bases and OPS, and top seven in on-base percentage and runs scored. The Phils have Taijuan Walker, Walker Buehler, and Aaron Nola on deck to handle games 1 and 2, so it’s probably best to do what we did last weekend and ladder the total at a comfortable number, or play the D Backs or Phillies team totals, whatever number is more appealing.
Temple at Georgia Tech
Unfortunately we are fading the Owls this weekend because they let us down bigly in Week 3. Not only did they fail to cover against Oklahoma, but they barely mustered 100 yards of offense while allowing 500.
Next up is a 3-0 Georgia Tech team that just knocked off Clemson at home. They’ve got a dual-threat QB in Haynes King who plays like the Sooners’ John Mateer, and he gave the Owls fits at the Linc. The line opened at Yellow Jackets -24 and you can find 23.5 and even 22.5 at some books. We play GT to cover. Temple just has very little offensively against good power conference teams.
Union vs. Revs
The U got absolutely hammered in Vancouver, final score 7-nil. Bradley Carnell rotated his squad ahead of Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup final in Nashville, which they lost 3-1. That’s 10 goals conceded and one scored in two games coming out of the international break.
This Revs team stinks, but the problem is that they just fired their coach, so the dreaded “interim coach bump” is in play at Subaru Park this weekend.
Considering how poorly the Union have defended recently, both teams to score at -150 has to be considered. The oddsmakers like the Union as a -190 home favorite, and it’s hard to find value on the goal totals with over 2.5 sitting at -190. One way to go would be to parlay Union moneyline with over 1.5, which you can find at -135 right now. That would cash if the Union win 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1, or any goal combination higher.
Rutgers vs. Iowa
This one is gonna be a classic Big 10 rockfight. Rutgers hasn’t left Piscataway this season, dispatching Norfolk State and a couple of MAC teams. Iowa clubbed UMass and Albany at home while losing to Iowa State 16-13 on the road. That’s the annual “Under Bowl.”
If this game has more than 46 points, I’ll eat my shoe. Whenever Iowa plays a September conference game, we smash the under like nothing has been smashed before. And since this one is likely going to be a snoozer, I will look into US online casino for Friday night entertainment.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com