It’s that time of the week again as we look forward to a couple of days off, making a nice breakfast and having a cup of coffee before two days of watching sport begins.
What that means for us here at betcha is that we need to be ready to serve up our five best bets of the weekend. Luckily for you all, after some research and a bit of fine-tooth combing, they’re ready to roll.
So without further ado, let’s crack into them.
The Detroit Tigers will host the Seattle Mariners in an elimination Game Five come Saturday. It should be a star-studded affair, with the Tigers likely having their ace Tarik Skubal on the mound. He’s coming off seven innings pitched for five hits and two earned runs against the Mariners earlier in the series.
The Mariners, on the other hand, have one of the most exciting first three up at the plate. Their lead-off hitter is former ALCS MVP Randy Arozarena, followed by Cal Raleigh, also known as Big Dumper, who has launched 61 homers so far this season in historic fashion. The third man to the plate is superstar outfielder Julio Rodríguez, who had a 30-30 season and continues to be one of the better outfielders in the MLB.
Game Five is set to be a great showdown, and if you’re a fan of October baseball, this is one to tune in for. With the season on the line, I expect both teams to put on a show, which is why I like over 4.5 total runs.
With the NPC quarter-finals finally here, I had my eye on one of the games that I thought would be a high-scoring affair. That game is a battle of the lower North Island, with Taranaki travelling just a couple of hours to Hawke’s Bay to take on the Magpies in what should be a great match.
Taranaki have been stuck in a bit of a rut recently, but they’ll have plenty of confidence in their chances this weekend. That’s largely because they arguably have the best player in the competition at the helm in Josh Jacomb. The first five was in the media this week with his once-rumoured move to the Highlanders now confirmed to be happening in 2027. But for now, he’ll have the weight of a province on his shoulders as he looks to drag his side over the line.
The Magpies, on the other hand, have been a slow burn who have picked up some real steam down the back end of the regular season. They did unfortunately lose their talisman Harry Godfrey to an ACL injury, but luckily for them, they have a superb replacement in Lincoln McClutchie. They’re also backed by a very solid forward pack led by potential All Blacks bolter Devan Flanders.
For this one, the play I like most comes in the points total. These are two sides that have shown the ability to pile on points at different stages of the season, so why wouldn’t they in a win-or-go-home situation?
The first of our college football best bets for the weekend comes in an SEC showdown, where two very good football teams will clash in what is set to be an old school, tough game of football.
Alabama Crimson Tide and their potential first round signal caller Ty Simpson will travel to take on Beau Pribula and the Missouri Tigers. The home side, currently the 14th ranked team in the nation, will be looking to dominate in the trenches with their strong offensive line and possibly the best downhill running back in the country, Ahmad Hardy.
They also have NFL Draft prospects on the defensive line, headlined by Zion Young coming off the edge for their tough as nails unit.
Bama, on the other hand, will look to stretch the Missouri defence with their abundance of playmaking talent and their best quarterback since Bryce Young under centre. The Crimson Tide defence has started to find its way and is becoming one of the better units in the country. However, they’ll be challenged by a very different kind of attack from Missouri this weekend.
This game, I think, could come down to who has the ball last or who can make the big play down the stretch in the fourth quarter. That makes me like the idea of taking Missouri +5.5 at home.
The two quarterbacks flying off the top of mock drafts right now will meet in Eugene, Oregon, as Dante Moore and the Ducks host Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana Hoosiers. It’s a certified top-10 matchup, with the No. 3 team in the country hosting No. 7, but in my opinion, the drop-off from the top three teams is quite a steep one.
Oregon come into this one as favourites, and it’s for good reason. They have the best quarterback in the country, the best tight end in the country, and freshman phenom Dakorien Moore leading their wide receivers. On top of that, they also have a stout offensive and defensive line that caused Penn State plenty of issues.
Indiana will go as far as Mendoza and his No. 1 target Elijah Sarratt can take them, as they might be the best quarterback–pass catcher duo in the country. Mendoza, the transfer from Cal, looks like a prototypical NFL signal caller who can make every throw in the book. Sarratt can beat you over the top and also route you up, posing a massive threat for the Ducks’ secondary.
I still think the Ducks at home have what it takes to win this one, and win it comfortably, as Indiana, with a weaker side and having to travel to the West Coast, might struggle early doors in this fierce environment.
The Steelers seemingly found something on offence during their trip to Ireland, and I expect that with the kind of defensive front the Browns have, they’ll look to do something similar to what they deployed against the Vikings. That approach was to go jumbo and run the ball with just about everyone at the line of scrimmage.
What this meant, when they did throw the ball, was that DK Metcalf was used out of the slot more than we’ve seen at any other point in his career.
Moving a pass catcher like Metcalf into the slot is a matchup nightmare for any defensive back, so I’d expect the Steelers to give him plenty of opportunities over the middle this weekend against the Browns.
Plus, you know the away side is going to be keyed in on stopping the Steelers’ run game and will try to make them one-dimensional. That should give Metcalf the chance to make plenty of plays.
