MLB Best Bets – Free (Wednesday 7/24)
Josh Gross
Week 7 of the college football season is full of fantastic on-paper matchups and some sneaky soft lines. In this weekly piece, I will be highlighting some of my favorite college football games to bet, which site has the best odds, and my reasoning for picking said game.
Let’s take a look below at some spots to attack for Week 7.
Ball State Cardinals vs Eastern Michigan Eagles
(Ball State -1.5, 55.5 O/U, DraftKings Sportsbook)
The Eagles are coming off a 13-12 victory at home against Miami (OH), while Ball State took down Western Michigan on the road 45-20. We are now in the thick of the MACtion season, and if you have followed college football much the past few years you know that these conference games can get pretty wild at times. I think EMU is getting disrespected a bit here as slight underdogs at home.
EMU is giving up just 22.8 points per game, which is one of the 50 best marks in the country. Meanwhile Ball State’s offense is generating 23.5 PPG (103rd) and only 319.2 yards of total offense (113th).
Conversely, Ball State’s defense is giving up over 400 yards per game and just under 30 PPG. The Eagles offense is putting up 29.3 PPG (64th) and 356.8 yards of offense per game(93rd). This game may end up turning into a bit of a grind so I’m not touching the total, but I do feel confident in the Eagles walking away with a victory and a cover.
Betting Trends
The Eagles are 3-0 at home this season and they’ll have the benefit of some home cooking on Saturday playing at Rynearson Stadium.
Ball State is playing as a moneyline favorite for the first time this year.
EMU has covered the spread once in two tries as a +1.5 point or more underdog.
Best Bet: EMU +1.5
Miami Hurricanes vs North Carolina Tar Heels
(UNC -7, 63.5 O/U, DraftKings Sportsbook)
Miami recently announced that quarterback D’Eriq King will be out for the rest of the season with an injury, which is obviously a huge blow for this Hurricanes squad. His college career is likely done. Miami now comes into hostile territory against an electric Tar Heels offense With backup Tyler Van Dyke at the helm, they may struggle to match North Carolina’s pace on the scoreboard.
The Tar Heels are averaging 35.5 PPG (28th) and 486 yards of total offense (14th), both of which are top 30 in the country. The Hurricanes have given up 30+ points in 3 of 5 games this year, which includes 44 to Alabama, 38 to Michigan State and 30 to Virginia. Coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Florida State last Saturday, I believe we’ll see the Heels roll to an easy cover this week.
Betting Trends
The Hurricanes have lost the only game they’ve played as an underdog this year.
North Carolina has a 3-2 record ATS when playing as at least a 6.5 point favorite this year.
The Tar Heels are 3-3 ATS this season.
Best Bet: North Carolina -7
Fresno State Bulldogs vs Wyoming Cowboys
(Fresno State -3.5, 54.5 O/U, DraftKings Sportsbook)
The Bulldogs have a dynamic offense that is averaging 39 PPG 13th) and generating 519.5 yards of offense per contest (7th). Wyoming is giving up just 23.4 PPG (59th), but they’ve yet to face an offense of this caliber.
Fresno State QB Jake Haener has thrown for over 2,200 yards and 18 touchdowns in just 6 games. He is surrounded by high-end receiving options like Jalen Cropper (44-528-9), Josh Kelly( 29-461-2) and Keric Wheatfall (18-325-1). He also has a veteran running back Ronnie Rivers behind him. Rivers has generated over 600 yards of total offense and 4 touchdowns. Wyoming will be hard-pressed to contain an offense this vicious, even on their home field.
Betting Trends
Wyoming has won just one game ATS this year.
The Cowboys lost their only game played as underdogs this season.
Fresno State is 4-2 ATS this season.
Best Bet: Fresno State -3.5
