Weekend wagers: Five bets to make on five sports

The first football game of the season ended with a whimper, at least for over and Chicago Bears bettors.

The Chicago Bears officially defeated the Houston Texans 21-17 as 2.5-point underdogs in the annual Hall of Fame Game, easily eclipsing the closing total of 32 points. But they did it in only about 42 minutes of game time before a storm canceled the contest — far short from the industry standard of 55 minutes to make all bets official.

All wagers were therefore void.   

The rules didn’t sit well with a segment of new-age bettors who have grown accustomed to demanding payouts or exceptions from the large national sports books when they feel wronged. Outrage didn’t seem to work this time around, certainly not in Nevada where books held strong with their rules.

It was on the right decision. Bettors should know and understand house rules before wagering and operators shouldn’t deviate.

It’s more gratifying to win within the rules, and not whine for handouts. And there are plenty of football games left to bet that should have more definitive endings.

Find all of this week’s wagers below. Odds are the best currently available in Las Vegas at publication time with the sports book noted. Plays outside of the column will be linked and tracked in the record at the bottom of the page. Weekend Wagers will be on a break next weekend but a betting column will return every Saturday for the rest of the year.  

MLB (6-8, -$706): Seattle Mariners -118 vs. Philadelphia Phillies (Boyd Sports)

$236 to win $200

The Phillies’ early-season run as far-and-away the class of Major League Baseball is over. Today’s starter Kolby Allard certainly isn’t going to be the one to bring them back to the top. He’s been thrust into action as a result of injuries and gives Philadelphia something they avoided for much of the year — a weak link in the rotation. Seattle pitcher Bryce Miller provides much more reason for optimism, and he’s been outstanding in his last handful of starts. The start of a West Coast swing is never easy for a team adjusting to the time zone and climate, so Philadelphia’s recent struggles should be expected to continue in the Pacific Northwest.

UFC (6-8, -$586): Rolando Bedoya +120 vs. Jai Herbert at UFC on ABC 7 (Boyd Sports)

$200 to win $240

I cashed last week’s UFC bet on a younger, more promising underdog lightweight going up against a long-time division of the stape. Let’s run it back. That’s, of course, not the only reason for this bet on one of the first preliminary bouts scheduled for today’s card in Abu Dhabi. Bedoya might even have some advantages that Paddy Pimblett didn’t have over King Green last week at UFC 304. Namely, the Peruvian grinder is a lot bigger than the English striker. Herbert’s chin is also a question as he’s been knocked out twice in the UFC. Bedoya could easily catch him. The underdog is sprier and, at worst, evenly matched from a skill perspective. He’s in position to pick up a big win for his career today.  

Golf (7-7, $3,460): Nelly Korda to win Olympic women’s golf gold medal at +550 (SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas)

$200 to win $1,100

I’m feeling a bit unpatriotic during the men’s Olympic tournament at Le Golf National having backed an Irish (Rory McIlroy) and Spanish (Jon Rahm) golfer in Weekend Wagers. But maybe the Americans just sweep with column favorite Xander Schauffele currently in the co-lead and Nelly Korda at the top of the odds board for next week’s event. But Korda should be even further removed from her closest competition. At her best, she’s a level or two better than everyone. In fairness, she hasn’t been on that form lately with three missed cuts in her last four events. But this is still a golfer who’s won six of 12 tournaments she’s entered this year. If the Olympics were two months ago, Korda might have been +250 to win the gold medal. In a short field on a course that should suit her prowess off the tee and on approach, she should still be priced more in that direction.   

College football (0-0, $0): Penn State to make the College Football Playoff at -125 (Caesars/William Hill)

$250 to win $200

Penn State would have made a 12-team postseason field in six of the last eight seasons by the final College Football Playoff rankings. Many of those teams weren’t as strong as what the Nittany Lions will field this year. Their offense was somewhat bland last year but should get a boost with the experience of quarterback Drew Allar and the arrival of new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas. Penn State has gotten a lot of heat for its 3-17 record against Ohio State and Michigan under coach James Franklin. But this year, the Nittany Lions get the former at home to increase the chances of an upset and are more talented on paper than the latter. The best price on Penn State’s win total currently available is -170 on over 9.5 victories. But if the Nittany Lions get to 10 wins, they are making the playoffs. That makes this bet the best way to play on them in the preseason. They aren’t national championship contenders, but they’re good enough to be in the bracket.   

NFL (0-0, $0): Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East at +175 (Caesars/William Hill)

$300 to win $525

This bet is an extension of something I expressed in an awards betting column from earlier this week: All the noise around the Cowboys is artificially deflating their prices. This is still the best team in the NFC East by a comfortable margin even with all the contract uncertainty and the trend that the same team never wins this division in back-to-back years. The Commanders and Giants are nonfactors and will remain that way unless Jayden Daniels has a C.J. Stroud-type rookie season and Tom Brady secretly dresses up in Daniel Jones’ jersey, respectively. The Eagles are a threat, but too many are glossing over their collapse at the end of last season. They’ve since lost arguably their best player, Jason Kelce, to retirement, and are breaking in a pair of new coordinators. These are not factors that traditionally forecast a successful season ahead. The Cowboys are still more clearly the team to beat than this number implies.   

2024 Weekend betting column: 77-77, $9,967.87

Weekend betting column all-time: 737-789-11, $41,368.87 

Previous pending wagers: Oregon -1.5 -102 vs. Ohio State in Week 7 ($306 to win $300); New York Yankees to win World Series ($300 to win $3,000); Christopher Bell to win NASCAR Cup championship at 12-to-1 ($200 to win $2,400); Patrick Mahomes to win 2024-2025 NFL MVP at +750 ($350 to win $2,625); Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl 59 at 9-to-1 ($300 to win $2,700); New York Liberty to win WNBA Championship at +250 ($500 to win $1,250); Inter Miami to win MLS Cup at +300 ($500 to win $1,500); Tarik Skubal to win American League Cy Young at 20-to-1 ($120 to win $2,400); Cole Ragans to win American League Cy Young at 35-to-1 ($70 to win $2,450); Los Angeles Chargers -3 -120 vs. Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 ($220 to win $200); New Jersey Devils to win Stanley Cup Final at 16-to-1 ($250 to win $4,000); Reed Sheppard to win NBA Rookie of the Year at 11-to-1 ($200 to win $2,200); Dillon Gabriel to win the Heisman Trophy at 14-to-1 ($200 to win $2,800); Dave Canales to win NFL Coach of the Year at 20-to-1 ($100 to win $2,000); Carolina Hurricanes to win President's Trophy at 15-to-1 ($150 to win $2,250); Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win NBA MVP ($300 to win $1,800); UNLV football to win the Mountain West at 8-to-1 ($200 to win $1,600); LSU vs. USC under 62.5 in Week 1 ($330 to win $300); Carolina Panthers +5 at Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 ($220 to win $200); Florida State to win the ACC at 3-to-1 ($315 to win $945); SMU to win the ACC at 16-to-1 ($75 to win $1,200); New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South at +425 ($200 to win $950); CeeDeee Lamb to win Offensive Player of the Year at 10-to-1 ($300 to win $3,000); Aidan Hutchinson to win Defensive Player of the Year at 16-to-1 ($200 to win $3,200); Justin Madubuike to win Defensive Player of the Year at 100-to-1 ($25 to win $2,500); Derrick Henry to lead the NFL in rushing at 20-to-1 ($100 to win $2,000); James Cook to lead the NFL in rushing yards at 35-to-1 ($65 to win $2,275); Bo Nix to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at 18-to-1 ($100 to win $1,800); JJ McCarthy to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at 25-to-1 ($75 to win $1,875); Jared Verse to win Defensive Rookie of the Year at 11-to-1 ($200 to win $2,200); Chop Robinson to win Defensive Rookie of the Year at 20-to-1 ($110 to win $2,200); Rory McIlroy to win Olympic men's golf gold medal at 10-to-1 ($200 to win $2,000); Jon Rahm to win Olympic men's golf gold medal at 15-to-1 ($140 to win $2,100)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or